British Empire versus Tsarist Empire reads like an earlier version of United States versus Soviet Union or Terran Empire versus Merseian Roidhunate. Must such imperial conflicts recur throughout history? Certainly not. The Roman Empire did not have a comparable opponent and Poul Anderson shows us future intelligences seeking knowledge, not power.
Some graffiti near here says that every revolution (read: major change) seems impossible beforehand and inevitable afterwards. Most people most of the time accept their status quo, then when it changes, accept their new status quo! Intelligent beings, whether human or not, are able to change their natural and social environments and to inhabit qualitatively different social environments.
In science fiction, we value future interstellar empires and civilizations that have transcended social conflicts.
1 comment:
Hi, Paul!
Whoa!!! Be careful, the Roman Empire DID face a powerful opponent or rival, at least to its east. The Parthian kingdom, ruled by the Arsacid dynasty, then a far more bellicose enemy in the neo Persian Empire ruled by the Sassanian dynasty from AD 220 onwards. The Romans considered Persia their only civilized enemy which was worthy of any respect. And, of course, the Germanic tribes north of the Rhine and Danube rivers became more and more a plague to the Empire.
In fact, it could be argued that it was Sassanian aggression which helped lead to the rise of Islam. From AD 602 onwards Chosroes II of Persia made a determined attempt to conquer the Eastern Roman Empire. The long struggle between the Empire and Persia (whch finally ended when Emperor Heraclius defeated Persia) so exhausted both powers that when Mohammed's successors, the Caliphs, burst out of Arabia after 634, neither power was able to quickly crush and destroy Islam. Persia went under and the Eastern Empire had to struggle desperately for bare survival.
So Rome certainly did face powerful rivals to the east, Parthians, Neo-Persians, and then the Ummayad and Abbasid caliphs.
And, as you know, while Poul Anderson certainly did try his hand speculating about mankind "transcending" war, strife, conflict, etc., he was skeptical that would happen. We certainly see conflicts of various kinds in the HARVEST OF STARS books and GENESIS. And I share that skepticism as well, because mankind is, alas, a FALLEN race.
Sean
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