Re: Re: Bio-Forces

Status: RO

<<ever-growing article on biological justifications/lack of same for
insectoid species snipped, but saved!>>

>Anyway,  I'm working on developing  a reasonable bug race for DSII that
>pretty much conforms to the laws of physics and biology; I'll post it
>when I'm done for critical review!

Please do...being a hard-science SF buff I'd like to see "real"
bug-aliens. Rhino/elephant sized (and therefor scaled) bugs do seem
possible, and interesting...except I can't see giant close-assault bugs
being too useful - too large a target area, etc. _ST_'s bugs are
tool-using (in the book) so there's no need to really stretch the
possibilities for them.

But bio-critters (SV, etc) are another matter. General consensus is
they're not tool using in the regualar sense, instead using massive
bio-engineering and specialization. So there's were our massive critter
talks come into play...

(That's another thing wrong w/ ST the movie...the bugs are straight out
of
old Japanese B-horror 'thing that ate Tokyo' trash...no guns, giant
size,
while in the book they have tools, starships, guns, and no mention is
made
of enormous size - they come across (to me at least) as roughly humanoid
size, give or take...certainly when the troopers are down in the Bug
tunnels, they seem cramped and the Sgt. has no trouble man-handling a
queen/drone/thingy to shield himself...sorry for the off-topic gripe,
I'm
just starting to wonder if _anything_ in the movie is correct to the
book...(except the title))

Later,

Brian. (burger00@camosun.bc.ca)