In Star Trek, the United Federation of Planets sounds like the United Nations or the United States of America projected into an interstellar future. In Poul Anderson's Technic History, the Terran Empire does not sound like the United States with spaceships and a hereditary, instead of an elected, head of state. We are invited to imagine a fundamentally different culture.
Dominic Flandry has a "...current mistress...," (p. 306) Ella McIntyre. OK so far. However, "...he had bought..." her. (ibid.) Her semi-aristocratic family had become so impoverished that:
"...they had chosen by lot some of their number to sell as 'voluntary' slaves." (ibid.)
Ella is "...a good investment..." (ibid.) because he will sell her at a profit and will, of course, make sure that her next owner is "...a decent sort..." (ibid.) like him!
When he needs her help on a dangerous mission, he offers, after completion of the mission, to:
2 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
And that is as it should be! I mean, good science fiction writers should not blindly assume that current mores, customs, laws, etc. (and their own personal preferences), will continue to exist indefinitely into the future. We have to expect that will be differences, good or bad, to exist in centuries to come.
Btw, I discussed the slavery we see in the Empire in my "Crime and Punishment in the Terran Empire" article. Plus, I think you should have mentioned that what happened to Ella and her family was NOT in accordance with Terran law and custom.
Ad astra! Sean
Kaor, Paul!
I have also disagreed with an annoying suggestion that the plots of any films "based" on the Flandry stories should be changed, adapted, revised, to fit contemporary tastes, mores, ideas, etc. I emphatically disagreed and I would call such changes a CENSORING and bowdlerizing of Anderson's works!
Ad astra! Sean
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