I’ve had a request from a reader to put up a post where people can post guesses about Legion. Almost a mini-forum.
Well, okay, then, Mark. Here you go.
I’ll try to stay out of it, of course.
Oct 10
Legion Discussion Thread
Oct 10
I’ve had a request from a reader to put up a post where people can post guesses about Legion. Almost a mini-forum.
Well, okay, then, Mark. Here you go.
I’ll try to stay out of it, of course.
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Deltons: I theories one of 3 things happening, all bad. Remember the one elder Delton not certain the idea that the goriloids were the only reason they left their original settlements.
1 – The plight of the Deltons was caused by another alien species favoring the goriloids for whatever reason.
2 – The Deltons themselves are a product of de-evolution? Planet of the Apes style? crash landed, punished, or exiled? The BOBs mentioned a few times of their surprise at the level of intelligence noticed in the Deltons.
3 – Some kind of reoccurring natural disaster (which i hope isn’t the case, too predictable IMHO).
Whatever happens, i do think it will be a learning experience for the BOB about intruding into the development of other species and disaster for the Deltons.
Chinese Probe: For the life of me, i can’t remember the book addressing the Chinese probe. I’ve listened to the audible book like 5 times now and every once and a while i pick up something i either forgot or somehow i was busy IRL each read through that chapter so this theory might be pointless.
The Chinese probe was theorized to use AMIs, they would follow their primary programming to the letter, wouldn’t be distracted by pet projects, being humane, or any other human needs the Bobs still possess. When they come, they will be the true LEGION. Mix that up with some kind of psychotic breakdown or corruption and you have drones of the apocalypse out to kill everything.
Would be a neat surprise if the Chinese probe wasn’t an AMI after all. Maybe a female replicant? (Next Point)
Bob gets a girlfriend – If this is series ends up rewarding the Bobs for saving humanity and whatever else he accomplishes, it would have to be by giving him a love interest. Maybe give the Bobs a way to follow an evolutionary track by figuring out a way to make little Bobonians.
That’s it for now.
Total agreement with you on your first theory. There’s a reason and I think the reason we don’t see more life in the bobverse is something’s messed with it!
ooh – I’d forgotten about the Chinese probe. hm…
I’d like for Bob to be able to experience “humanity” in having a girlfriend too. Maybe the girl doctor (I forget her name).
I’d like to see an arc where bob turns of his grief in hibiter and become more war like. I think if he’s not careful and doesn’t get his thumb out reproducing, he’s gonna find himself in alot of trouble with being out numbered and out gunned by the brazilian
I know that we are supposed to believe that the U.S.E. no longer is a player in space, but that scene seemed a little strange. It was stated that It looked like the U.S.E. probe had begun to replicate, but was destroyed. Could one or more U.S.E. probe replicants have escaped? That could be the source of your female replicant, Mark. As for the Chinese probe, It could be a monster or it could fizzle out. It all depends on its programming. no point guessing yet. Even with his slow reproduction rate, Bob is still at an advantage because he appears to be the only player out there in control of his goals. I doubt that research figured high on the priority list of the other nations, if Bobs experience can be used to measure against, and his advantages will soon be instant communication among all of his selves, improved weapons and armor, and the ability to improve on that advantage even further.
I don’t know about the U.S.E. angle, i think Mr. Butterface (pun intended) would have been candid with the Bob’s about a second U.S.E. probe as soon as it became apparent that the Bob’s weren’t the enemy, in fact he’d probably be quick to tell them about it as a means to aid the other probe.
Unless….
We end up with a situation where the humans are not as friendly towards the Bobs as they claim to be and one of the later books includes a betrayal on the human’s part. Causing the Bobs to have a ‘Empire strikes back’ book of retreat and gloom.
but that’s speculation on a speculation..
China theories – There is a Russian saying.. well maybe it’s not Russian but Russian military doctrine seems to have followed it in the 20th century “Quantity is a quality of it’s own’ Bobs maybe more high tech but there is strength in overwhelming your enemy with superior numbers.
I have to agree that the Brazilians are a serious threat just because of the possibility of overwhelming numbers.
as for the U.S.E. probe, I meant possibly one escaped the destruction, possibly by leaving before the attack. The timing makes it unlikely, but I don’t recall if the book mentioned if the attack looked recent or old. If the attack was recent from the point of view of the investigating Bobs, then there would definitely have been time for one to have left. The Brazilian’s tactics seem to be to dig in and fortify before all else. That would leave time for the U.S.E. probe to manufacture one or more replicants and send them on their way. The book also didn’t mention much in the way of defensive emplacements or fortifications in the U.S.E system, so where did all that industry go? It is likely that they were destroyed before they could get really settled, but since that isn’t really addressed in the book( i think) then it should remain a possibility that one left. Heck, since we don’t know the nature if the U.S.E. replicant, it is possible that the original probe entered the system, built and mined enough to make another replicant and then left. The replicant would have had to build a ship for itself, and then reproduce, until destroyed by the Brazilians.
As for the Humans, you’d think that the colonists would have enough to worry about with the “building a new world” thing to cause trouble, but if they unknowingly brought some of the “humans should die” kooks, there could be some serious trouble. Earth will continue to be a serious headache. I wonder if Bob could house people on the moon? Miners could dig tunnels, printers could supply what the refugees couldn’t bring themselves, food is from space, and the colonists would be protected from the radiation in space that the earth normally blocks. it would be spartan at first, but if just the most at-risk groups were moved first, It could happen at a less than frantic pace.
U.S.E. probe – very true, didn’t think of the U.S.E. probe using the same strategy as the Brazilians. but one of the Bobs’ did say something to the effect, that the Brazilian probe was more militaristic and viewed everything as expendable (even copies of himself) so that strategy may be purely military and all the U.S.E. probes being civilian in nature had ‘all their eggs in one basket’. Speculation, but your theory leaves room for a plausible hopeful outcome for the U.S.E. probe program.
Humans: “Don’t underestimate stupidity” is all the explanation i need to say a human backstab is plausible. Besides, remember the scale of time within the first book, is like 50 years (?). Not including the 117 years from chapter 1 to chapter (real Bob to Bob 2.0). If the 2nd book is another 50 years, the colonists have the auto-factory technology long enough to build their own interstellar infrastructure and fleet of ships by the end of book 2. Setting up tension for the 3rd book (if Dennis went that direction). Or heck, the interlude between book 1 to book 2 might have been enough time for that to happen as well. All speculation, just see it as plausible.
More thoughts to through into the pot:
was anyone else wierded out about the ingots being nicely organized by metal type? that sent shivers down my spine.
I think the “ants” will be very important. This other civilization is used to ruling the roost. I hope they get a taste of their own medicine.
why was the faith faction so nice at the end? Did they start acting out the golden rule that they would supposedly believe in? (granted for a spot on ship 3) Something’s up there – that end wasn’t tied up neat enough.
I’m anxiously awaiting the bobs getting bodies. That will be huge. If they aren’t all metal in the working version – this would be really huge in going up against the aliens. I think this will play a part in dealing with the Deltons.
why haven’t the Deltons asked what’s in it for Bob? Considering how he’s humanist and all, I hope he puts the kibosh on the worship of Bob. will his choices have consequences that lead to the horrid politics of Earth?
There are so many things in this book that seem to stand out as possible plots in the next book..Everytime i listen to it, i come up with more conspiracy theories.
why did the Brazilians change their AI between the 1 probe and the 6 probes in Sol? Was there an issue with the first replicant going psycho?
When bob was being groomed for the probe position.. Dr Saunders commented a few times that the other ‘applicant’ was good as well. In between Bob’s launch and the inevitable nuclear apocalypse, could they have managed to use the other replicant and send a probe out in the other direction using the second AI out of fear Bob would be destroyed by the Brazilians?
I’d like to know what happened to the other AI too!
Hey Dennis,
I left a message a while ago, but it didn’t show. Perhaps my idea came across as self-damaging for you as an author.
You would, of course, need tight copyright control and royalty management if you allow people to take off with one Bob-strands.
In any case, I will be waiting for No 2.
My best regards and compliments
Edward Bristol
Author
Your earlier post is there. You posted it under “Outland”–maybe you thought it went somewhere else.
Regarding your suggestions, actually fan-fiction and franchise stories pretty much cover that area. There are craptons of Star Wars and Star Trek novels done by miscellaneous authors, and I’d imagine they pay a royalty to the franchise-owner. I’ll bring it up with my agent. I’m sure he knows all the ins and outs.
We are Bob, resistance is futile, Bend over and prepare for replication!
Some fanart of a Delta
http://imperator-zor.deviantart.com/art/Deltan-642860647
Thumbs up!
Just a thought, an upgrade for the “Bobs” fusion reactor. How about giving them a Kugelblitz reactor? The Black Holes are theoretically able to be contained and are near 100% efficient in mass to energy conversion. Also they are more practical than anti-matter reactors as if you loose containment they will either start eating the ship or just desegregate into nothing.
Loved the book and pre-ordered the second book.
One tip to save the deltons from the gorilloids: put a pointy end on the busters so you don’t need to ram the busters against the gorilloids with so much speed that you destroy the buster.
Bob really needs to put in some effort into weapons that don’t relay on explosives. There are plenty of those
Ever since I took on my current job that forces me to travel, I had to go through the painful adjustment of changing my reading habits to be primarily based on Audible (for fiction titles). On the bright side, I feel that I have discovered a broader set of titles than what I limited myself to as an avid text-reader. I would not have discovered this title otherwise, and have recommended it highly to my peers, clients, strangers, and random Uber drivers alike.
Unfortunately, audio-books can’t give me the the luxury of being able to easily skim back a few pages or quickly get to a chapter to re-read details that have escaped me (especially when they’re scattered through a series).
Can I ask for a Wiki-like set of references on this site? I stumbled on the genealogy tree (perfect!), but I’m also looking for the list of acronyms and abbreviations used throughout the series; not just for FAITH and Earth’s other political groups, but for ones like SCUT and AMI. Renderings of the various Heavens would be fantastic too!