/-/S'pht-Translator-Active/-/


An addendum, and an apology---
Posted By: GrasshopperDate: 5/20/01 9:10 a.m.

In Response To: Re: B. Strauss and term 2 of Defend THIS (Hamish Sinclair)

Andrew, Locucious, and Hamish,

Thank you all for the kind words. Yes, some of these points have been brought up before, but I wanted to try and put this theory in context because, as Jesse Jackson once said, "text without _con_text is just _pre_text." :-)

The three terminals I quoted that alluded to Strauss' mistreatment of Durandal all ended up bunched together, sorry about that.

I also didn't explain why I thought the ten cyborgs were placed on the Marathon for Strauss' protection. Let's go back to Strauss' log for a moment:

Thank heaven, the ceremony is over. The UESC president came

aboard Marathon and gave a speech. Short, but to the point.

He was surrounded by his 'bodyguards'. How ironic. "This, the

grandest technological achievement of all of mankind..."

Had he only known that it carried also all of the destructive

knowledge of mankind. Ten cyborgs.

I'll be glad to be put in stasis for the next three hundred

years. Marathon was the only good idea that the UESC has had

in a long time.

Beware of Low-Flying Defense Drones/2

Strauss refers to the UESC President's bodyguards in quotes. Why? Why even mention them in the first place? What would so special about them? Where they perhaps an earlier version of the Mjolnir series cyborgs? The duties that are involved with the bodyguards of the current President of the US (or any other country) would make cyborgs an ideal choice, as current-day secret service agents who are in charge of protecting the President must, at all times, be endowed with quick reflexes and be ready to "take a bullet" for him. Indeed, an ideal task for a cyborg.

But why does Strauss pause on on the bodyguards by putting them in quotes, and, two sentences later, talk about the ten cyborgs on board the Marathon? Perhaps because the purpose of the President's bodyguards, and the ten MMIV cyborgs on board the marathon is one and the same, a "sworn duty to protect..." :)

And what of the irony that Strauss mentions in the next sentence? What's ironic about the President refering to the Marathon as "this, the grandest achievement of all mankind?"

Does it refer to the President's ignorance of the notion that the Marathon will be the grandest experiment to create the "'holy grail' of cybertronics?" a stable rampant AI? Does the irony point toward the President's ignorance of the presence of the ten cyborgs on board the Marathon? Or does the irony refer to the notion that the bodyguards of the President, in theory the most powerful man on Sol, are an older model compared to Strauss' own "bodyguards?"

-gh

[ | Message Index | Read Prev Msg | Read Next Msg ]
Pre-2004 Posts

Replies:

B. Strauss and term 2 of Defend THISGrasshopper 5/18/01 12:30 p.m.
     That's quite an insight!Locucious 5/19/01 6:42 a.m.
     Re: B. Strauss and term 2 of Defend THISAndrew Nagy 5/19/01 2:39 p.m.
           Re: B. Strauss and term 2 of Defend THISHamish Sinclair 5/20/01 4:31 a.m.
                 An addendum, and an apology---Grasshopper 5/20/01 9:10 a.m.
                       Re: An addendum, and an apology---Hamish Sinclair 5/20/01 9:31 a.m.
                             Re: An addendum, and an apology---ForGreatJustice 5/20/01 10:21 a.m.
                                   Re: An addendum, and an apology---Hamish Sinclair 5/20/01 10:13 p.m.
                                         Re: An addendum, and an apology---Anaphiel 5/21/01 5:49 a.m.
                             Re: An addendum, and an apology---Grasshopper 5/20/01 6:01 p.m.
                                   Re: An addendum, and an apology---Twizzler 5/20/01 7:03 p.m.
                                   Re: An addendum, and an apology---Hamish Sinclair 5/20/01 9:33 p.m.
                                         First purge?Interactive Civilian 5/21/01 8:16 a.m.
                                               Re: First purge?Mark Levin 5/21/01 10:21 a.m.
                                                     Re: First purge?Hamish Sinclair 5/21/01 11:19 a.m.
                                                           Re: First purge?Interactive Civilian 5/21/01 2:56 p.m.
                                               Re: First purge?Hamish Sinclair 5/21/01 11:13 a.m.
                                         Re: An addendum, and an apology---Andrew Nagy 5/21/01 1:58 p.m.
                                               Re: An addendum, and an apology---Grasshopper 5/21/01 6:45 p.m.
                                               Re: An addendum, and an apology---Hamish Sinclair 5/23/01 3:43 a.m.
                                   Re: An addendum, and an apology---Andrew Nagy 5/25/01 3:08 a.m.
                                         Interesting....Grasshopper 5/25/01 8:07 a.m.
                             future shock?spellbound 5/22/01 5:46 a.m.
                                   Forever War vs Starship TroopersAnaphiel 5/22/01 7:15 a.m.
                                         Time DialationTwizzler 5/22/01 8:27 a.m.
                                               Re: Time Dialationm.vijey gupta 8/11/03 8:22 p.m.
                                                     Re: Time DialationTodd 8/11/03 8:54 p.m.
                                                           Re: Time DialationAndrew Nagy 8/16/03 10:42 a.m.
                                   Re: future shock?Hamish Sinclair 5/23/01 10:25 p.m.



Problems? Suggestions? Comments? Email maintainer@bungie.org

Marathon's Story Forum is maintained with WebBBS 5.12.