To: trekcreative{at}yahoogroups.com
From: "ronwaldyo "

Reply-To: trekcreative{at}yahoogroups.com

-+- Garry Stahl  wrote:
> The change in viewpoint IMO weakens the
> end of the story.  Looking at the last
> part without this paragraph I think makes
> for a stronger ending.

I went back and re-read the last chapter and paid attention to the
particular section you mentioned right at the end.  I thought about it and
now in retrospect I think it is a bit "klunky" and I could
probably find a better way to relate the essential points of that
paragraph.

> In time you will find me a Campbellite.
> the late John Campbell who ruled over
> Analog for many a year, and shaped science
> fiction as we know it with is editorial
> powers, was a firm believer in the human
> bootstrap. Man would lift himself up by
> his own efforts. I follow that. Humans
> didn't need someone else to show the way.
> We pick our selves up, learned the lessons
> we needed to know and joined the galactic
> society.  By inference so did just about
> everyone else. It is a Federation of Peers.

We may not need someone to show us the way, but we all stand on the
shoulders of those who came before us.  Much of modern society and culture
has its roots in Roman, Greek, Perisan, Babylonian, etc. societies.  I
think refering to the Ancient Progenitors, Preservers, or other group of
past aliens in the Trek universe doesn't mean they will show us the way or
that we won't make our own way, its simply an acknowledgement of the fact
that we didn't spring forth "Garden of Eden"-like with nothing
coming before.

I understand your point about a "Federation of Peers", but I
think there are historical precedents here on Earth that don't follow that
pattern.  Just because we don't "need" someone to show us the way
doesn't mean that someone won't do that very thing for us anyway.

Of course from a storytelling perspective I would agree that having humans
find their own way works better in most cases.

-Michael Gray
Star Trek: Dark Horizon
http://hometown.aol.com/darkhrzn91701/main.htm



Star Trek; The E-mail Commands

Post message: trekcreative{at}yahoogroups.com Subscribe:
trekcreative-subscribe{at}yahoogroups.com Unsubscribe:
trekcreative-unsubscribe{at}yahoogroups.com List owner:
trekcreative-owner{at}yahoogroups.com Get Digest:
trekcreative-digest{at}yahoogroups.com Web only: 
trekcreative-nomail{at}yahoogroups.com Normal: trekcreative-normal{at}egroups.com

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/

--- BBBS/NT v4.00 MP