Flandry reflects that the Terran Space Navy, guarding a 400 light year diametered sphere of space, has millions of ships requiring millions of policy makers, scientists, engineers, strategists, tacticians, coordinators and clerks whose families need food, clothing, houses, schools and amusements so that Admiralty Center has become a city and even a "...company town..." (p. 190).
Later in the series, we are told that the Terrestrial globe has become a single city. Thus, both the capital, Archopolis, and Admiralty Center, the latter in the Rocky Mountains, are two regions of this one city.
We do speak of spaceships so maybe future terminology will speak of space warships as organized into a Navy with Admirals and an Admiralty? However, it is to be hoped that such armed conflicts will have become a thing of the past long before any rational species come to be equipped with fleets of faster than light spacecraft.
3 comments:
Hi, Paul!
Good! You found the passage about Admiralty Center in Chapter VI of WE CLAIM THESE STARS. I had thought it an ELEGIAC text due to Flandry's reflection that its destruction would mean "something of beauty and gallantry would have departed the universe" (quoting from memory).
I fear I don't share the optimism you stated in the last paragraph of this blog piece. My view is, like that of Anderson, if two or more intellgent races are enough like each other to desire the same kinds of planets, then that alone opens the way to conflicts and disputes which can lead to wars.
And this can happen as well between rival nations comprised of members of the same race! Which has been, alas, the case with humanity. I strongly suspect that if we ever get off this rock to settle other parts of the Solary System and found what becomes new nations and societies, we will see disputes and conflict.
But that should not be interpreted as meaning I oppose such colonization and terraforming of other worls in our Solar System! I favor and such support that idea. I only wish to stress the need to have no illusions about ourselves.
Disputes, conflicts, and wars are simply what happens when intelligent races are imperfect and fallen (even tho I realize you don't believe there was a Fall in the theological/religious sense). I'm reminded of how Fr. Axor commented in Chapter 1 of THE GAME OF EMPIRE that every known oxygen breathing race was prone to sin, error, death, etc. I would have added every known NON oxygen breathing race as well!
Sean
Hi, Paul!
It's no surprise that we see Flandry only once in his office at Admiralty Center. As a FIELD agent who was often away from Terra, the office would only be used by him when he happened to be on Terra.
Sean
Yes. It is good just to have that one glimpse.
Post a Comment