From: barmar@alum.mit.edu   
      
   In article ,   
    Tim Bruening  wrote:   
      
   > On Wednesday, December 17, 2014 7:41:00 AM UTC-8, Barry Margolin wrote:   
   > > 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.   
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   > > > >   
   > > > > 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.   
   >   
   > Why is each man limited to have kids with one woman and vice versa?  In the   
   > interests of genetic diversity, shouldn't each person be allowed multiple   
   > mates?   
      
   There's no room for a population explosion on an ark. There has to be a   
   limited amount of procreation, and in that case they want to ensure the   
   "right people" are mating.   
      
   >   
   > Why are the dead chucked overboard rather then being recycled as fertilizer?   
      
   It can be pretty difficult to overcome social taboos. Soylent Green   
   might have been perfectly healthy, but once people learned what it was   
   made from, they didn't want it.   
      
   >   
   > Why doesn't Ground Control keep Ascension updated on Earth historical events?   
   >  (A psychic was needed to ferret out news of the 9/11 attacks and the endless   
   > wars in the Middle East!).   
      
   They're supposedly a couple of light years away. Any news they get would   
   be way out of date.   
      
   --   
   Barry Margolin   
   Arlington, MA   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)