In his Psychotechnic History, modeled on Heinlein's Future History, Poul Anderson applied an Asimovian science of society to the crew of a Heinleinian generation ship.
In Seed Of Light, Edmund Cooper applied a Stapledonian perspective to forty generations inside such a ship, including a telepath mentally time traveling forward along the world-lines of future crew members.
In "Target Generation," Clifford Simak asked whether religious fervor might enable a generation ship crew to cope with life in the ship.
In Non-Stop, Brian Aldiss suggested that life inside a generation ship would be much more complicated than Heinlein had imagined.
1 comment:
Kaor, Paul!
I would have included in this list as well Poul Anderson's TALES OF THE FLYING MOUNTAINS, because the Interludes of that collection, along with the final story, "Recruiting Nation," shows us an entire terraformed asteroid using gyrogravitics to turn it into a STL generation ship named the "Astra." Use of an asteroid has the advantage of taking into account Brian Aldiss' suggestion that life inside a STL generation ship would be more complex than RAH allowed for. Also, the SPACE given by an asteroid makes it possible for a large crew to be taken. And the ROOM given by an asteroid avoids excessive crowding. Ample space and a reduced level thereby of mutual irritation thereby from being jammed together would help encourage social stability and cohesion.
Clifford Simak's "Target Generation" also interests me. I can imagine some space ships, whether or not using FTL or STL, being crewed by monks, Christian or Buddhists, for long space journeys. The Rule of St. Benedict could be adapted for such a purpose. The faith and work of a Benedictine crewed space ship would both strengthen them and give them a purpose in such a ship. Esp. if life extending technology of the kind seen in Anderson's FOR LOVE AND GLORY made ships crewed by celibate monks practical.
Sean
Post a Comment