Poll

The Sci-fi Universe I want to most live in is?

Stargate
1 (4.8%)
Star Trek
15 (71.4%)
Star Wars
1 (4.8%)
Babylon 5
1 (4.8%)
Battlestar Galactica (2003)
1 (4.8%)
Farscape
2 (9.5%)

Total Members Voted: 21

Voting closed: July 06, 2011, 08:21:34 PM

Author Topic: The Sci-fi Universe I want to most live in is?  (Read 1124 times)

Offline catfishncod

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Re: The Sci-fi Universe I want to most live in is?
« Reply #20 on: June 08, 2011, 02:43:48 AM »
Concur with Trek, of the choices given. Thoughts on other options:

* Known Space -- only on one of the colony worlds. Earth under the ARM is an interesting place to visit, but I really don't like the babysnatchers, and my natural aversion to random crowds would make me uncomfortable most of the time. Fafnir sounds pretty good, or Home, or New Terra. There's adventure around but you don't have to partake in it.

* The Culture -- I actually don't like most of the Culture; they're too relaxed, too self-satisfied, and boring -- there aren't enough challenges in the lives of "mere" humans. The Minds are the people truly living there; the meat just is kind of along for the ride, unless they join Contact and get themselves into adventure. ("Adventure" is defined as "someone far away from civilization and in deep s**t.")

* Pern -- Late Ninth Pass or later, please. As a cross-crafter (Master Technician and Journeyman Healer) I'd do pretty well there. And dragons. IN SPAAAAAAAAAACE.

* Tellus Tertius. Many, though not all, of the medical and technological advantages of Trek  and the Culture without the drawbacks of being a boring utopia (Heinlein doesn't design utopias) or poor AI attitudes; Teena, Minerva, Dora, Gay Deceiver, etc. are silicon-based citizens and family members and treated as such.

I'm actually surprised it hasn't been brought up before.... as being nudist, poly, bi, and sex-positive is normative in this culture -- but being romantically, erotically, or reproductively irresponsible is strongly, strongly discouraged. Which fits a lot of us really well.
--Catfish 'n Cod
A proto-pair-o-docs: "I'm not normal -- I'm a medical studentalmost-resident!"
It's the (lack of) thought that counts. --K

Offline K

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Re: The Sci-fi Universe I want to most live in is?
« Reply #21 on: June 08, 2011, 10:42:18 AM »
I'm not sure I could deal with the functional insignificance of biologicals in The Culture. Sure, I'd live long and have my needs fulfilled, but anything constructive I could possibly accomplish would ultimately amount to nothing more than a few  saved processing cycles for a Mind.
"I'm going to start a company that sells bootstraps. American dream, here I come!" -Pixie

Offline catfishncod

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Re: The Sci-fi Universe I want to most live in is?
« Reply #22 on: June 08, 2011, 10:51:28 AM »
I'm not sure I could deal with the functional insignificance of biologicals in The Culture. Sure, I'd live long and have my needs fulfilled, but anything constructive I could possibly accomplish would ultimately amount to nothing more than a few  saved processing cycles for a Mind.

The Zetetic Elench from Excession might be okay, if you've read that one. Since they are effectively 100% Contact, you're not "functionally insignificant" whenever you encounter another species -- but home comes with you, so you don't have to face "adventure" alone. Plus, your home Mind is constantly consulting you on what to do next and/or what's interesting. In contrast, the Culture's Minds generally treat their population as pets.
--Catfish 'n Cod
A proto-pair-o-docs: "I'm not normal -- I'm a medical studentalmost-resident!"
It's the (lack of) thought that counts. --K