OSTROFF@RUTGERS.ARPA (08/05/85)
From: OSTROFF@RUTGERS.ARPA I should probably let this topic die a natural (?) death - But something seems to have been overlooked. Assuming they couldn't find an adequate butcher nearer home, taking only enough humans for breeding poses its own problems. Raising cattle (bovine, human, rabbit, or otherwise) not only takes a lot of space - but you you also have to feed them - and the whole point was that the aliens were short of food. (Now if humans were a gourmet item and not a staple - that would change things. Jack (OSTROFF@RUTGERS.ARPA) -------
throopw@rtp47.UUCP (Wayne Throop) (08/07/85)
> From: OSTROFF@RUTGERS.ARPA > I should probably let this topic die a natural (?) death - But [...] > Raising cattle (bovine, human, rabbit, or otherwise) not only > takes a lot of space - but you you also have to feed them - and the whole > point was that the aliens were short of food. Well, yes, but... humans are (potential) vegitarians, while the V aliens are obligate carnivores. Thus, they may have been short of "food" in the sense that they had destroyed their natural prey species, but there might be plenty of food for "cattle". After all, *we* can't eat grass directly, but enjoy steak (well, some of us do). Anyhow, that was the way I took the situation... their lack of food was tied into the fact that they need living or recently living or quasi-living flesh to eat. However, I probably just read that into the situation, and the scriptwriters hadn't a clue as to the justification of the situation they created. As a friend of mine says "there is less here than meets the eye" -- true of most SF on screen or tube... and even some in print. -- Wayne Throop at Data General, RTP, NC <the-known-world>!mcnc!rti-sel!rtp47!throopw
john@hp-pcd.UUCP (john) (08/10/85)
<<< < < Raising cattle (bovine, human, rabbit, or otherwise) not only takes a lot < of space - but you you also have to feed them - and the whole point was < that the aliens were short of food. < The most useful food animal eats things that you cannot (Grass,Plankton etc) and produces meat that you can eat. The aliens might have a world full of high protein yeasts that they cannot eat and need humans to process it. "To Serve Man...... John Eaton !hplabs!hp-pcd!john