From: barmar@alum.mit.edu   
      
   In article <74d868cd-9613-4499-8f20-3df53ef77735@googlegroups.com>,   
    jack  wrote:   
      
   > On Tuesday, December 16, 2014 12:33:32 AM UTC-5, Tim Bruening wrote:   
   > > Spoilers for very beginning of movie, which I am watching on the SyFy   
   > > channel.   
   > >   
   > > 1   
   > > 1   
   > > 1   
   > > 1   
   > > 1   
   > > 1   
   > > 1   
   > > 1   
   > > 1   
   > > 1   
   > > 1   
   > > 1   
   > > 1   
   > > 1   
   > > 1   
   > > 1   
   > > 1   
   > > 1   
   > > 1   
   > >   
   > > A character tells another character that the other character's father   
   > > believed that it was possible to launch an interstellar ship on a 100 year   
   > > trip to the Centauri system, using just the technology available in the   
   > > 1960s.  Furthermore, Dad believed that the US had actually launched such a   
   > > ship.   
   > >   
   > > Said ship is the USS Ascension, and its an Orion class ship.  I assume that   
   > > means that nuclear bombs are used to propel it.   
   > >   
   > > How would you go about building an interstellar ship with just 1960s tech?   
   > >   
   > > A black man is romantically involved with a white woman.  On Ascension,   
   > > this is frowned upon.  A black woman reminds the black man that it isn't   
   > > lawful for him to love that woman.  Why didn't JFK order that there be no   
   > > racial discrimination on board Ascension?  After all, it is well outside   
   > > the jurisdiction of the South!   
   >   
   > As to your last point, was it not more a matter of cross-class   
   > "contamination" that was being frowned upon?   
      
   I don't think it was classes. My understanding is that there's a   
   computerized "match making" system that pairs people up based on genetic   
   compatibility. That's why Helfer is married to the Captain, even though   
   they have no love for each other.   
      
   I guess the idea is that on an ark with limited resources, you have to   
   be very careful about creating suboptimal children. Any mating outside   
   these predetermined hookups is taboo.   
      
   --   
   Barry Margolin   
   Arlington, MA   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)