Fleetwing is irretrievably wrecked in interstellar space but with life support that might last for another twenty years, long enough for very elderly Kithfolk to complete their lifespans but not for any who are younger. The ship has endured for centuries of its own time, millennia of cosmic time.
Contrast Star Trek with Starfarers:
similar titles;
FTL warp drive as against STL zero-zero drive;
Kirk unnecessarily putting himself in danger every week as against Nansen and Dayan whose superior experience makes them the best candidates for the dangerous crossing from Envoy to Fleetwing;
the connotations of the two ships' names, Enterprise and Envoy.
Trekkies, read Poul Anderson.
3 comments:
Yeah, Poul is more realistic. OTOH, explorers are often unrealistic! Cf. Scott in the Antarctic.
"They came seeking gold and glory
Leaving weathered, broken bones
Or some lonely, long-forgotten cairn of stones"
... as the song goes.
Kaor, Paul and Mr. Stirling!
Paul: I would love a real FTL warp drive! Yes, Trekkies should pay more attention to Anderson's stories, both FTL and STL.
Mr. Stirling: I'm reminded of how conquistadors like Juan Ponce de Leon allegedly searched for the Fountain of Youth in Florida (1513) and Francisco Vazquez de Coronado tried to find the golden cities of Cibola (1540). Explorers who also had soaring hopes!
Ad astra! Sean
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