mooremj@EGLIN-VAX (08/25/85)
From: mooremj@EGLIN-VAX
*** WARNING -- CONTAINS MILD SPOILERS OF "THE RINGWORLD ENGINEERS" ***
I think it is wrong to assume that protectors would automatically try to kill
any other intelligent species they encountered. Recall that the protectors who
built the Ringworld included planetary "maps" of Earth, Mars, Down, Kzin, etc.,
stocked with natives of same; the protectors knew about them, but let them
live. This leads to a couple of other interesting points:
1. The "map" of Earth continued only non-human primates; thus, Ringworld was
built *before* the Pak colony reachedEarth.
2. The "map" of Down contained Grogs; thus, the protectors could handle Grogs!
It is true that Jack Brennan killed all the Martins, but remember, they tried
to kill him first!
marty moore (mooremj@eglin-vax.arpa)davidson@sdcsvax.UUCP (Greg Davidson) (08/30/85)
I don't see how a protector could take a chance that any alien might harm any closely related breeder. Therefore, the Grogs, etc. on the Ringworld would have had to have been VERY well under control during the time that protectors were still in charge. Protectors are irrationally protective of close relations, or (as Teela's problem shows) large numbers of breeders. The protectors from Home are a different case, because they are not closely related to any specific human individuals. They might therefore be able to put the overall good of the human race (in terms of competitive fitness, richness of experience, etc.) above the occasional death of an individual, and value the existence of aliens (with themselves in the background ready to step in should the aliens ever threaten large numbers of humans). _Greg Davidson Virtual Infinity Systems, San Diego