An sf series like Poul Anderson's Technic History, or like Star Trek, builds up in its audience a cumulative perception of what certain alien species are like and of how they differ both from humanity and from each other: Ythrians and Merseians; Vulcans and Klingons.
Tabitha Falkayn tells Philippe Rochefort, a prisoner of war on Avalon, that Ythrians:
regard war as an impersonal phenomenon like a famine;
therefore do not hate him;
do not engage in casual conversation;
often play chess.
That non-engagement in casual conversation is common to Merseians. Another datum about Merseians is that imported Terran tea is grown throughout the Roidhunate. I wonder whether Nicholas van Rijn was involved at the start of that.
Imperial Terrans still enjoy or endure mass-produced entertainment whereas human and Ythrian Avalonians do not: no reruns of Star Trek on their screens.
A fan of either series should be able to predict how a member of a particular species will respond to a new situation.
Admiral Cajal thinks:
"These Ythrians are supposed to be satanically proud, but not to the point of lunacy." (X. p. 555)
"Satanic pride," so to call it, is possible but reprehensible in a human being but natural in an Ythrian although also counteracted by reason.
Different alien motivations are a major factor in Larry Niven's Known Space future history series.
Note that the invention of the State made warfare much less frequent -- pre-State humans were blood-feudists -- but much more massive when it -did- occur. Meresians seem to know about this; Ythrians don't.
ReplyDeleteThey're at a severe disadvantage when fighting humans, because they're less cooperative.
War is, above all, a -social- activity. It isn't individual ferocity that drives it, but organization and training and (under modern conditions) the backup of industrial capacity.
Note that the emergence of 'behaviorally modern' humans -- capable of large-scale social organization -- coincided with our species sweeping every other type of hominin out of existence.
This is not a coincidence.
Kaor, Paul!
ReplyDeleteAnd Stirling is correct, organized large scale cooperation of the kind required for war is also a part of human nature.
Some Ytrhians are capable personal spite and malice, such as Draun!
I think Tabitha might be wrong, casual conversation for Ythrians could be via movements of their facial feathers.
I can see merchants of the Polesotechnic League selling tea and various kinds of alcoholic drinks to Merseians. Tachwyr the Dark is mentioned as liking Scotch in A CIRCUS OF HELLS.
Ad astra! Sean
Note that merchants, on the whole, aren't enthusiastic about war; it's generally bad for business.
ReplyDeleteIn fact, the central HQ of the British East India Company was continually complaining about its local representatives provoking wars... but as a message took at least 6 months to get to India and 6 months back, there was little they could do about people like Clive.
Kaor, Mr. Stirling!
ReplyDeleteNapoleon famously sneered that the UK was a nation of shopkeepers--but it was those despised shopkeepers who beat him!
And just think of the frustration the East India board of directors must have had for Warren Hastings!
Ad astra! Sean