XPost: rec.arts.sf.tv, rec.arts.tv, rec.arts.sf.written
XPost: alt.humor.puns
From: pgalimatias@hotmail.com
In article <4A64D796.93939630@pop.dcn.davis.ca.us>,
tsbrueni@pop.dcn.davis.ca.us says...
>
>
>
>Pelerin Galimatias wrote:
>
>> In article ,
>> nemo@naughtylass.wet says...
>> >
>> >
>> >"Tim Bruening" wrote in message
>> >news:4A541D02.EFDA9F42@pop.dcn.davis.ca.us...
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> pullo wrote:
>> >>
>> >> > "Tim Bruening" wrote in message
>> >> > news:468FD4AB.70F3FF63@pop.dcn.davis.ca.us...
>> >> > >
>> >> > >
>> >> > > cloud dreamer wrote:
>> >> > >
>> >> > >> Tim Bruening wrote:
>> >> > >> >
>> >> > >> > Walter Bushell wrote:
>> >> > >> >
>> >> > >> >> In article ,
>> >> > >> >> "Arthur Lipscomb" wrote:
>> >> >
>> >> > >> >>> That reminds me of an old SNL sketch where a few dumb aliens com
>e
>> >to
>> >> > >> >>> Earth
>> >> > >> >>> (in a stolen spaceship) and announce they are going to conquer
>> >the
>> >> > >> >>> planet.
>> >> > >> >>> They then show their advance alien weapons which consist of a
>> >single
>> >> > >> >>> shot
>> >> > >> >>> musket. The military then shows them a machine gun in action an
>d
>> >the
>> >> > >> >>> aliens
>> >> > >> >>> realize they've bit off more than they can chew.
>> >> > >> >> Turtledove "The Path Not Taken"
>> >> > >> >>
>> >> > >> >> The aliens come and attack the earth with black powder weapons.
>> >They
>> >> > >> >> get
>> >> > >> >> basically slaughtered. They have an interstellar drive, but
>> >otherwise
>> >> > >> >> low tech. At the end one of the few survivors says to another
>> >"What
>> >> > >> >> have
>> >> > >> >> we done."
>> >> > >> >
>> >> > >> > How did they developed an interstellar drive without also
>> >developing
>> >> > >> > weapons that
>> >> > >> > are more advanced than our weapons?
>> >> > >>
>> >> > >> They didn't develop a drive. They stole the spaceship.
>> >> > >
>> >> > > How was it that they had the technical expertise to operate the
>> >spaceship,
>> >> > > yet have
>> >> > > guns less advanced than those of Earth?
>> >> >
>> >> > It wasn't meant to be taken that seriously. The story was more a bit o
>f
>> >> > whimsy along the lines of: 'What if the technical kludge that permitted
>> >> > space travel was so simple that even a musket era technology could
>> >manage
>> >> > it.' It was just dumb luck that humans hadn't stumbled on it.
>> >> >
>> >> > As for the general question from this and the Worldwar series [and
>> >others]
>> >> > of interstellar species who can't seem to win the land war against thos
>e
>> >> > pesky backward earthbound humans.. well.... can anyone else think of
>> >> > historic parallels where the high tech favourite lost to the low tech
>> >> > underdog?
>> >> >
>> >> > Sure. I knew you could.
>> >>
>> >> Right now in Afghanistan?
>>
>> A better example would be the Soviet Union in Afghanistan.
>>
>> There is a classic SF story about Earth making contact with an
>> extraterestical civilization which is run by humans and speak English.
>> It seems that the aliens had landed on Earth during the Plantagenet
>> period. Argued with the locals and the locals, being skilled in hand to
>> hand combat, had overwhelmed the aliens and captured the spaceship.
>> Someone pushed a button, the doors closed and returned the ship to
>> the far away planet. It took the several hundred years for the
>> humans to find their way back.
>
>The High Crusade by Poul Anderson? If so, the humans never did find their way
>back! Earth finally made contact with them!
>
Tim: I believe that you and Mike are right. I read the story when it first
came out.
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