Sector General: What do the letters mean?
Brian A. Williamson
James White's Sector General novels use a four letter classification for
life forms, e.g. AUGL. Does anyone have the complete story on how to
decode this? I know the first letter is something like "level of
physical evolution" with A being the first level of water-breathing.
What are the other letter positions, and the values of each letter?
In which book(s) is this all explained? Is there a FAQ somewhere? A
Web site?
Thanks.
--
+----------------------------------------------------------------------+
+ bri...@halcyon.com | Faith is a party at which +
+ | nobody notices that +
+======================================== the guest of honor is absent=+
Larry J Lennhoff
In article <01bbab18$8fcc0d20$4b101dcc@brianwi>,
Brian A. Williamson <bri...@halcyon.com> wrote:
>James White's Sector General novels use a four letter classification for
>life forms, e.g. AUGL. Does anyone have the complete story on how to
>decode this? I know the first letter is something like "level of
>physical evolution" with A being the first level of water-breathing.
>What are the other letter positions, and the values of each letter?
>In which book(s) is this all explained? Is there a FAQ somewhere? A
>Web site?
"The first letter denotes the level of physical evolution
reached by the species when it acquired intelligence.
The second level indicates the type and distribution of
limbs, sense organs, and body orifices, and the remaining two
letters refer to the combination of metabolism and food
and air requirements associated with the home planet's
gravity and atmospheric pressure, which in turn gives a
indication of the physical mass and protective tegument
posessed by the being".
A,B, and C are water breathers. D - F are warm blooded O2 breathers.
G - K are insectile O2 breathers. L and Ms are low gravity winged
beings. Chlorine breathing life forms are O and P. After that come
the exotics. V prefix denotes "extrasensory powers sufficiently
well developed to make ambulatory or manipulatory appendages
unecessary". One anomaly is the AACP, which is an intelligent plant.
>
>Thanks.
>
>--
>+----------------------------------------------------------------------+
>+ bri...@halcyon.com | Faith is a party at which +
>+ | nobody notices that +
>+======================================== the guest of honor is absent=+
>
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l...@netcom.com
Dr Morbius
In article <01bbab18$8fcc0d20$4b101dcc@brianwi>, "Brian A. Williamson"
>James White's Sector General novels use a four letter classification for
>life forms, e.g. AUGL. Does anyone have the complete story on how to
>decode this? I know the first letter is something like "level of
>physical evolution" with A being the first level of water-breathing.
>What are the other letter positions, and the values of each letter?
>In which book(s) is this all explained? Is there a FAQ somewhere? A
As far as I am aware, the system was created by several Authors, and I
have heard rumours that a detailed version of it exists. Certainly White
is the most regular user, though EE Doc Smith uses it in children of the
Lens.
If anyone knows the full details and its origin, I too would be
interested.
Dr Morbius
--
I'm a paranoid, schitzophrenic, Walter Mitty'ish Mad Scientist
NOW who said I've got personality problems then!!
<-Alan S. Ward, London, Uk----> <ALTAIR 4 -- Home of the KRELL>
Jorj Strumolo
> l...@netcom.com (Larry J Lennhoff) writes:
LL> One anomaly is the AACP, which is an intelligent plant.
Maybe more of an expansion, at least in this one case. "A"
is water-breathing, and AACP are "slow-moving water-breathers
whose remote ancestors had been a species of mobile undersea
vegetable." My source does say vegetable intelligences were
added to A when found, but unless A had previously been
"water-breathing animals" and not simply "water-breathers"
you'd need air-breathing plant races to be a real anomaly, IMO.
> Brian A. Williamson <bri...@halcyon.com> writes:
BW> In which book(s) is this all explained? Is there a FAQ somewhere?
_The Visual Encyclopedia of Science Fiction_, ed. Brain Ash,
1977 has a full page on the classifications, plus a score of
example races. Unless there's an appendix in one of White's
novels, this is probably as concentrated a list as you'll find.
> Dr Morbius <mor...@altair4.demon.co.uk> writes:
DM> As far as I am aware, the system was created by several Authors,
> and I have heard rumours that a detailed version of it exists.
> Certainly White is the most regular user, though EE Doc
> Smith uses it in Children of the Lens.
TVEoSF says White based his classification on Smith's,
substantially modified. (It also describes Smith's. His was an
eight-letter system "exhaustively documented by Ron Ellik in
_The Universe of E.E. Smith_ [1966] which he co-authored with
Bill Evans." The first letter describes the air the being
breathes [A=oxygen, stranger gases near the end of the
alphabet], the second letter describes the "blood stream" [a
weird term, since the example is "Warm-blooded beings with two
arms and two legs are As, whereas creatures extending into
hyper-space, so that their appearance shimmers to a three-
dimensional observer, are Zs."] Briefer now: fourth letter
covers the head, fifth arms or upper limbs, sixth legs, seventh
skin, eight guidance or locomotion control.)
-+-
Jorj.S...@chowda.com * Fido 1:323/2012 * jo...@juno.com
Sean Eric Fagan
In article <ljlDyB...@netcom.com>, Larry J Lennhoff <l...@netcom.com> wrote:
>A,B, and C are water breathers. D - F are warm blooded O2 breathers.
>G - K are insectile O2 breathers. L and Ms are low gravity winged
>beings. Chlorine breathing life forms are O and P. After that come
>the exotics. V prefix denotes "extrasensory powers sufficiently
>well developed to make ambulatory or manipulatory appendages
One thing to keep in mind is that a species is not described by a single
four-letter group -- this is mentioned in a couple of the earlier stories,
but didn't get used or explained.
Humans and the caterpillars were the same in three of the first four
letters, but a comment was made that the subsequent groupings made the
differences more obvious.
I think I have given up on the series, however -- the original stories were
fine, but it started losing its appeal. I think about the time they had the
"ruler's healer". But that may have been because I liked the original
doctor (whose name I can't recall now ;)).
Gharlane of Eddore
In <01bbab18$8fcc0d20$4b101dcc@brianwi>, "Brian A. Williamson"
<bri...@halcyon.com> writes
>
> James White's Sector General novels use a four letter classification for
> life forms, e.g. AUGL. Does anyone have the complete story on how to
> decode this? I know the first letter is something like "level of
> physical evolution" with A being the first level of water-breathing.
> What are the other letter positions, and the values of each letter?
>
In <j92PcDAm...@altair4.demon.co.uk>
Dr Morbius <mor...@altair4.demon.co.uk> writes:
>
> As far as I am aware, the system was created by several Authors, and I
> have heard rumours that a detailed version of it exists. Certainly White
> is the most regular user, though EE Doc Smith uses it in children of the
> Lens.
> If anyone knows the full details and its origin, I too would be
> interested.
>
The first formalized version came about over a series of magnificent
bull sessions conducted during the Unofficial Nonscheduled Irregular
Nonmeetings of a group of devoted fen called the "Galactic Roamers,"
a bunch of crazed loons who socialized with E.E. Smith and liked
feeding him ideas, suggestions, and loads of hassle.
To the best of my knowledge, "Doc" Smith was the first to use it
in print, and it got very little other publication mileage until
James White exhumed it and revamped it.
You can find a discussion of the early form in "THE UNIVERSES OF
E.E. SMITH" by Ellik & Evans, and two recent articles on James
White's current form of the classification system in the
recently-published "THE WHITE PAPERS," from NESFA press.
Trevin Matlock
In article <DyD4H...@kithrup.com>, Sean Eric Fagan <s...@kithrup.com> wrote:
Lots of snips.
>
>I think I have given up on the series, however -- the original stories were
>fine, but it started losing its appeal. I think about the time they had the
>"ruler's healer". But that may have been because I liked the original
>doctor (whose name I can't recall now ;)).
Interesting. I haven't enjoyed the latest two in the setries very much,
but my favorite one is the one just before them. This is "Code
Blue-Emergency", the one with the "ruler's healer". Aren't differences fun?
Trevin Matlock
Sean Eric Fagan
In article <trevinDy...@netcom.com>,
Trevin Matlock <tre...@netcom.com> wrote:
>Interesting. I haven't enjoyed the latest two in the setries very much,
>but my favorite one is the one just before them. This is "Code
>Blue-Emergency", the one with the "ruler's healer". Aren't differences fun?
I think the thing that blew it for me on that one was how he treated the
SSRT. Empathy through shape? Give me a break...
Trevin Matlock
It didn't occur to me to view this as a problem. It followed logically
(I thought) from one of the earlier Conway stories about the SSRT. But
now that you mention it I can see how it might grate if you hadn't read
the earlier story recently.
Trevin Matlock tre...@netcom.com
Sean Eric Fagan
In article <trevinDy...@netcom.com>,
Trevin Matlock <tre...@netcom.com> wrote:
>It didn't occur to me to view this as a problem. It followed logically
>(I thought) from one of the earlier Conway stories about the SSRT. But
>now that you mention it I can see how it might grate if you hadn't read
>the earlier story recently.
I had read the story. To the best of my knowledge, I've read all of the
Conway stories and books.
There was nothing in that story that mentioned anything about
pseudo-empathy; in fact, everything indicated completely the opposite.
Now, if he had just stuck with something like, the SSRT could make a better
doctor because the paitents would be more capable of trusting it, or it
would be more able to understand aspects of the physiological structure
(since it could mimic them), that would have been okay.
But instead, we had an entity that was not a *real* empath (like Dr
Prilicla), but just was just magically able to do the same thing because it
had the same form.
Again: I don't think so.
And that bit just completely blew me off of that story, which is too bad,
because it was a nice story -- we know SG has psychiatrists, but we've only
had one story following one of them.
Trevin Matlock
In article <Dyo74...@kithrup.com>, Sean Eric Fagan <s...@kithrup.com> wrote:
SNIP
>I had read the story. To the best of my knowledge, I've read all of the
>Conway stories and books.
>
>There was nothing in that story that mentioned anything about
>pseudo-empathy; in fact, everything indicated completely the opposite.
>
>Now, if he had just stuck with something like, the SSRT could make a better
>doctor because the paitents would be more capable of trusting it, or it
>would be more able to understand aspects of the physiological structure
>(since it could mimic them), that would have been okay.
>
>But instead, we had an entity that was not a *real* empath (like Dr
>Prilicla), but just was just magically able to do the same thing because it
>had the same form.
>
>Again: I don't think so.
>
I'll have to go back and read them both. Maybe I don't remember
correctly. But it is still one of my favorite Sector General stories.
>And that bit just completely blew me off of that story, which is too bad,
>because it was a nice story -- we know SG has psychiatrists, but we've only
>had one story following one of them.
The very next book after the one we are discussing is also about the
psychiatrists. It is The Genocidal Healer. A great title on a
dissapointing book. Sigh.
Trevin Matlock tre...@netcom.com
David Thomas Richard Given
>And that bit just completely blew me off of that story, which is too bad,
>because it was a nice story -- we know SG has psychiatrists, but we've only
>had one story following one of them.
I seem to recall a specific mention --- in, uh, _Code Blue_ --- that
Sector General *didn't* have psychiatrists. Because, I think, there
wasn't room.
Just sticking my oar in... :)
--
------------------- http://www-hons-cs.cs.st-and.ac.uk/~dg --------------------
If you're up against someone more intelligent than you are, do something
totally insane and let him think himself to death. --- Pyanfar Chanur
---------------- Sun-Earther David Daton Given of Lochcarron ------------------
Sean Eric Fagan
In article <53amot$a...@calvin.st-and.ac.uk>,
David Thomas Richard Given <dt...@st-andrews.ac.uk> wrote:
>>we know SG has psychiatrists, but we've only
>>had one story following one of them.
>I seem to recall a specific mention --- in, uh, _Code Blue_ --- that
>Sector General *didn't* have psychiatrists. Because, I think, there
>wasn't room.
Uh... Major O'Mara is a pshrink. I don't know if it was ever stated as such
in so many words, but it was very obious that that is what he was.
The "one story following one of them" I mentioned was the first Sector
General story -- in which O'Mara is working as a construction worker on the
station and has to care for an alien baby.
Cyberpromo delenda est.
John Moreno
David Thomas Richard Given <dt...@st-andrews.ac.uk> wrote:
] In article <Dyo74...@kithrup.com>, Sean Eric Fagan <s...@kithrup.com>
] wrote:
] >In article <trevinDy...@netcom.com>,
] >Trevin Matlock <tre...@netcom.com> wrote:
] [...] >And that bit just completely blew me off of that story, which
] is too bad, >because it was a nice story -- we know SG has
] psychiatrists, but we've only >had one story following one of them.
]
] I seem to recall a specific mention --- in, uh, _Code Blue_ --- that
] Sector General *didn't* have psychiatrists. Because, I think, there
] wasn't room.
]
] Just sticking my oar in... :)
Actually, they DO have psychiatrist. It's just that their use is
limited almost exclusively to the staff.
--
John Moreno
John Moreno
Sean Eric Fagan <s...@kithrup.com> wrote:
] In article <53amot$a...@calvin.st-and.ac.uk>,
] David Thomas Richard Given <dt...@st-andrews.ac.uk> wrote:
] >>we know SG has psychiatrists, but we've only
] >>had one story following one of them.
] >I seem to recall a specific mention --- in, uh, _Code Blue_ --- that
] >Sector General *didn't* have psychiatrists. Because, I think, there
] >wasn't room.
]
] Uh... Major O'Mara is a pshrink. I don't know if it was ever stated
] as such in so many words, but it was very obious that that is what he
] was.
It's stated in just about every story that mentions O'Mara that he's a
shrink - his job to shrink heads not inflate them. Everybody stays
sane, because they are too afraid of him too go crazy.
] The "one story following one of them" I mentioned was the first Sector
] General story -- in which O'Mara is working as a construction worker
] on the station and has to care for an alien baby.
At the end of _Code Blue_ the Warrior-Healer, I forget her name, is
inducted into the psychiatric department at SG. And in the _Genocidal
Healer_ a new member is inducted at the very beginning - in fact the
whole story is about his first case in a way.
--
John Moreno
Trevin Matlock
In article <53amot$a...@calvin.st-and.ac.uk>,
David Thomas Richard Given <dt...@st-andrews.ac.uk> wrote:
Snip.
>
>I seem to recall a specific mention --- in, uh, _Code Blue_ --- that
>Sector General *didn't* have psychiatrists. Because, I think, there
>wasn't room.
>
>Just sticking my oar in... :)
Yes and no. Its stated that Sector General doesn't provide psychiatric
care for the patients as this would be impracticable. However Major
Omara (sp?) is the chief psychologist who provides care for the staff.
This is said to be necessary because of the effect the educator tapes
have on the doctors.
In the "Genocidal Healer" we do get what I consider a psychiatrist for
the patients. Though it is not called that.
Trevin Matlock tre...@netcom.com
Andrea Hosth
dt...@st-andrews.ac.uk (David Thomas Richard Given) wrote:
>n article <Dyo74...@kithrup.com>, Sean Eric Fagan <s...@kithrup.com> wrote:
>>In article <trevinDy...@netcom.com>,
>>Trevin Matlock <tre...@netcom.com> wrote:
>[...]
>>And that bit just completely blew me off of that story, which is too bad,
>>because it was a nice story -- we know SG has psychiatrists, but we've only
>>had one story following one of them.
>
>I seem to recall a specific mention --- in, uh, _Code Blue_ --- that
>Sector General *didn't* have psychiatrists. Because, I think, there
>wasn't room.
Frankly, with those tapes they use to give instant knowledge of alien
physiology, you'd think they desperately _needed_ psychiatrists.
(And how many legs do you think you have today, doctor?)
A
Lionors
There are some after Code Blue: Emergency? Let me have them! I've read
Sector General, Ambulance Ship and Code Blue: Emergency, and I /love/
James White's aliens. It's good light reading, a change from Julian May
and other weird stuff. Give me some titles!
- Lionors
*who should be working on her novel*
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Censor (n): An official empowered to examine written or printed matter,
motion pictures, etc., in order to forbid publication if objectionable.
Adult (n): An individual of sufficient maturity to decide what he or she
finds objectionable, and to avoid such material.
Child (n): An individual of insufficient age or maturity to make his or
her decisions on what is objectionable.
Are we all children?
------------------------------------------------------------------------
da...@pls.ov.com
[Posted and mailed]
In article <Pine.GSO.3.95.961010...@clark.net>,
Lionors <lio...@clark.net> writes:
> There are some after Code Blue: Emergency? Let me have them! I've read
> Sector General, Ambulance Ship and Code Blue: Emergency, and I /love/
> James White's aliens. It's good light reading, a change from Julian May
> and other weird stuff. Give me some titles!
The ones that I know of are:
Hospital Station - Ballantine:1962
Star Surgeon - Ballantine:1963
Major Operation - Ballantine:1971
Ambulance Ship - Del Rey:1979
Sector General - Del Rey:1983
Star Healer - Ballantine:1984
Code Blue - Emergency - Ballantine:1987
The Galactic Gourmet - Tor:1996
Dave Lampe
Gerard Alan Latham
In article <53m46c$j...@pad-thai.cam.ov.com>, da...@pls.ov.com writes on
the sector general novels of James White
>The ones that I know of are:
>
>Hospital Station - Ballantine:1962
>Star Surgeon - Ballantine:1963
>Major Operation - Ballantine:1971
>Ambulance Ship - Del Rey:1979
>Sector General - Del Rey:1983
>Star Healer - Ballantine:1984
>Code Blue - Emergency - Ballantine:1987
>The Galactic Gourmet - Tor:1996
Also
Aliens Among us 1969
Genocidal Healer 1991
--
Regards,
Gerard Alan Latham. <ger...@galatham.demon.co.uk>
Simon Slavin
In article <p3GaaEAi...@galatham.demon.co.uk>,
Gerard Alan Latham <Ger...@galatham.demon.co.uk> wrote:
> In article <53m46c$j...@pad-thai.cam.ov.com>, da...@pls.ov.com writes:
> >
> >Hospital Station - Ballantine:1962
> >Star Surgeon - Ballantine:1963
> >Major Operation - Ballantine:1971
> >Ambulance Ship - Del Rey:1979
> >Sector General - Del Rey:1983
> >Star Healer - Ballantine:1984
> >Code Blue - Emergency - Ballantine:1987
> >The Galactic Gourmet - Tor:1996
>
> Also
> Aliens Among us 1969
> Genocidal Healer 1991
Can I mention his short-story or novella called 'Second Ending' ?
This is not a Sector General story but set in a similar hospital
based on the earth. It's a 'last man on earth' story, and is a
classic piece of good sci-fi. Very poetic stuff.
The novella version is in James White: _Monsters & Medics_, 1977
and I don't seem to have a source for the short-story version,
which is a pity because I remember that the shorter version as
being a little better. Sorry.
Simon.
--
Simon Slavin -- Computer Contractor Ordinaire
"Waddaya want a fake ID for ?" "So I can vote." -- _The Breakfast Club_
This isn't much of a .sig, but then that wasn't much of a post.
Junk email is /not/ welcome at my site.
Francis A. Ney, Jr.
In article <53m46c$j...@pad-thai.cam.ov.com> da...@pls.ov.com writes:
> The ones that I know of are:
>
> Hospital Station - Ballantine:1962
> Star Surgeon - Ballantine:1963
> Major Operation - Ballantine:1971
> Ambulance Ship - Del Rey:1979
> Sector General - Del Rey:1983
> Star Healer - Ballantine:1984
> Code Blue - Emergency - Ballantine:1987
> The Galactic Gourmet - Tor:1996
Is Star Surgeon part of the Sector General series, or is there another
SF/Medical novel by the same name? I remember reading a Juvenile by that
name, where the human race turns out to be the best race in the galaxy at
medicine and are trying to join the Federation on that basis. The story is
about an alien who is trying to become a doctor in Earth's system, and the
prejudice he faces.
---
Frank Ney WV/EMT-B VA/EMT-A N4ZHG LPWV NRA(L) GOA CCRKBA JPFO
Sponsor, BATF Abuse page http://www.access.digex.net/~croaker/batfabus.html
West Virginia Coordinator, Libertarian Second Amendment Caucus
NOTICE: Flaming email received will be posted to the appropriate newsgroups
- --
"Politically speaking, we're compelled by circumstances to resign ourselves
to the unpleasant fact that 1996 isn't going to be a very good year for the
cause of individual liberty. Not with the Democratic Fascist Party being led
by a terrorist mass-murderer and his crooked wife, Lady Macbeth, the
Socialist Republican Party opting to run a retarded zombie for President, and
the Drool-chinned Stumblebum Party (oops, make that 'we' Libertarians) giving
a spastic nod and a belch to an electoral cross between Werner 'EST' Erhard
and Immanuel Velikovsky." - L. Neil Smith
Jorj Strumolo
> cro...@access.digex.net (Francis A. Ney, Jr.) writes:
> Is Star Surgeon part of the Sector General series, or is
> there another SF/Medical novel by the same name? I remember
> reading a Juvenile by that name, where the human race turns
> out to be the best race in the galaxy at medicine and
> are trying to join the Federation on that basis.
That's _Star Surgeon_ by Alan E. Nourse, 1959. The _Star
Surgeon_ by James White is a Sector General novel.
-+-
Jorj.S...@chowda.com * Fido 1:323/109 * jo...@juno.com
Mary K. Kuhner
In article <znr845465064k@Digex> cro...@access.digex.net writes:
>Is Star Surgeon part of the Sector General series, or is there another
>SF/Medical novel by the same name? I remember reading a Juvenile by
>that name, where the human race turns out to be the best race in the
>galaxy at medicine and are trying to join the Federation on that
>basis. The story is about an alien who is trying to become a
>doctor in Earth's system, and the prejudice he faces.
I believe this is _Star Surgeon_ by Alan Nourse. I liked it a lot
when I read it several decades ago, but I haven't seen a copy since.
Might be worth a look at libraries.
He also wrote _The Universe Between_ which was a favorite of
mine as a teenager.
Mary Kuhner mkku...@genetics.washington.edu
Robert A. Woodward
In article <znr845465064k@Digex>, cro...@access.digex.net wrote:
> In article <53m46c$j...@pad-thai.cam.ov.com> da...@pls.ov.com writes:
>
> > The ones that I know of are:
> >
> > Hospital Station - Ballantine:1962
> > Star Surgeon - Ballantine:1963
> > Major Operation - Ballantine:1971
> > Ambulance Ship - Del Rey:1979
> > Sector General - Del Rey:1983
> > Star Healer - Ballantine:1984
> > Code Blue - Emergency - Ballantine:1987
> > The Galactic Gourmet - Tor:1996
>
> Is Star Surgeon part of the Sector General series, or is there another
> SF/Medical novel by the same name? I remember reading a Juvenile by that
> name, where the human race turns out to be the best race in the galaxy at
> medicine and are trying to join the Federation on that basis. The story is
> about an alien who is trying to become a doctor in Earth's system, and the
> prejudice he faces.
>
You are thinking of _Star Surgeon_ by Dr. Alan Nourse (titles are not
copywrited).
<snip>
Elisabeth Carey
Francis A. Ney, Jr. wrote:
>
> In article <53m46c$j...@pad-thai.cam.ov.com> da...@pls.ov.com writes:
>
> > The ones that I know of are:
> >
> > Hospital Station - Ballantine:1962
> > Star Surgeon - Ballantine:1963
> > Major Operation - Ballantine:1971
> > Ambulance Ship - Del Rey:1979
> > Sector General - Del Rey:1983
> > Star Healer - Ballantine:1984
> > Code Blue - Emergency - Ballantine:1987
> > The Galactic Gourmet - Tor:1996
>
> Is Star Surgeon part of the Sector General series, or is there another
> SF/Medical novel by the same name?
There are at least two sf novels with that title. One of them is a
Sector General novel by James White.
>I remember reading a Juvenile by that
> name, where the human race turns out to be the best race in the galaxy at
> medicine and are trying to join the Federation on that basis. The story is
> about an alien who is trying to become a doctor in Earth's system, and the
> prejudice he faces.
And the other one is the one you describe, a juvenile by Alan E. Nourse.
I have a nagging memory that there may also be a third by the same title
and a different author, but if so, I'm currently blanking on it.
Lis Carey
Rlmarler
In article <1996100723...@roxboro-182.interpath.net>,
phe...@interpath.com (John Moreno) writes:
>Subject: Re: Sector General: What do the letters mean?
>From: phe...@interpath.com (John Moreno)
>Date: Mon, 7 Oct 1996 23:09:10 -0400
>
>Sean Eric Fagan <s...@kithrup.com> wrote:
>
>] In article <53amot$a...@calvin.st-and.ac.uk>,
>] David Thomas Richard Given <dt...@st-andrews.ac.uk> wrote:
>] >>we know SG has psychiatrists, but we've only
>] >>had one story following one of them.
>] >I seem to recall a specific mention --- in, uh, _Code Blue_ --- that
>] >Sector General *didn't* have psychiatrists. Because, I think, there
>] >wasn't room.
>]
>] Uh... Major O'Mara is a pshrink. I don't know if it was ever stated
>] as such in so many words, but it was very obious that that is what he
>] was.
>
>It's stated in just about every story that mentions O'Mara that he's a
>shrink - his job to shrink heads not inflate them. Everybody stays
>sane, because they are too afraid of him too go crazy.
>
>] The "one story following one of them" I mentioned was the first Sector
>] General story -- in which O'Mara is working as a construction worker
>] on the station and has to care for an alien baby.
>
>At the end of _Code Blue_ the Warrior-Healer, I forget her name, is
>inducted into the psychiatric department at SG. And in the _Genocidal
>Healer_ a new member is inducted at the very beginning - in fact the
>whole story is about his first case in a way.
>
>--
>John Moreno
O'Mara reviewed the fish alien's case and (_Code Blue_) after the new
alien doc gets the resident fish all excited and desperate, it is shown
that O'Mara had made a mistake. So I guess O'Mara isn't limited to staff
when his powers are called upon. Also, when he first got his "job" it was
due to helping a child of staff (not strictly staff). Obviously the line
is not well defined here. Personally, O'Mara is a bit of a dweeb. He
improves considerably in _Code Blue_ when he is shown that his one-way
thinking is inhibiting people getting well.
My biggest complaint with this series is the treatment of women, which
White is desperately trying to fix with later books.
"The female mind can't handle the mind tapes," so says O'Mara who is a
pompous idiot to begin with anyway. It shows why O'Mara hasn't got a
girlfriend. If you compare the female and the male mind, let's face it
women are far more likely to adapt to multiple personalities than a male
mind.
Also, it is rather asinine to think that an ALIEN female mind will always
operate in the same manner as a HUMAN female mind, or for that matter that
a MALE ALIEN mind will always operate in the same manner as a MALE HUMAN
mind. Completely illogical and does not sync with the medical and science
orientation at Sector General (there are no suppositions that the BODY is
the same between different life forms, so why is the MIND considered the
same??).
It's pretty obvious that White started this series when women were to be
seen but not heard; now he has to re-think and stick females in more
powerful roles, hence _Code Blue_ where a FEMALE alien accesses Conway's
memories but that's okay because she is an alien (as opposed to a human)
and thus can survive the multiple personalities. Actually this incident
shows that she has a stronger mind than anyone on the station because she
does it without any coaching from O'Mara or any other preparation.
Even Conway's wife, Nurse Murchison, has now become a "doctor" so now she
can be whitewashed into a more feminist role.
Does anyone remember the _Battlestar Galactia_ episode where they had to
give all the male pilots a disease (hmmm I wonder what kind :-) so the
females needed to be recruited to fly also????? Whoops someone at the
studio didn't include female pilots....
This is one of my pet peeves with this series, other than that I enjoy the
stories.
Also, someone had mentioned that White was going blind. Does anyone know
anything further about this? Is it just a rumor or reality?
RM and spouse agrees completely, MF
Harry H. Howard
On 19 Oct 1996 12:51:15 -0400,
>
>Also, someone had mentioned that White was going blind. Does anyone know
>anything further about this? Is it just a rumor or reality?
>
>RM and spouse agrees completely, MF
>
worldcon for a while and his vision seemed excellant to me. He seems
frail but then he is old enough to remember Michael Collins and was
under a cold or something I think while at Con. I wish to believe I'll
grow old as gracefully as he has. I wish I could write as well as he
does.
If wishes were horses,we'd all own stables!
Harry
Robert Sneddon
In article <54b0u3$e...@newsbf02.news.aol.com> rlma...@aol.com "Rlmarler" writes:
> [Clip] someone had mentioned that White was going blind. Does anyone know
> anything further about this? Is it just a rumor or reality?
>
Jim has had diabetes for a long time, and his eyesight is not great.
If you have seen him at a reading or a talk, he uses a magnifying glass
to read his script - he always makes a terrible joke about how he can
see as far as his glasses, and that gets him as far as the magnifying
glass, and so he can read the paper. Apparently his makes him a
second-stage Lensman...
--
.sigQuiz: What is Wellington J. Fransworth Spookingdorf III better known as?
Answer on http://www.ibfs.demon.co.uk/nojay/quiz.htm
Robert (nojay) Sneddon
Francis A. Ney, Jr.
In article <845927...@ibfs.demon.co.uk> no...@ibfs.demon.co.uk writes:
> In article <54b0u3$e...@newsbf02.news.aol.com> rlma...@aol.com "Rlmarler"
> writes:
>
> > [Clip] someone had mentioned that White was going blind. Does anyone know
> > anything further about this? Is it just a rumor or reality?
> >
>
> Jim has had diabetes for a long time, and his eyesight is not great.
> If you have seen him at a reading or a talk, he uses a magnifying glass
> to read his script - he always makes a terrible joke about how he can
> see as far as his glasses, and that gets him as far as the magnifying
> glass, and so he can read the paper. Apparently this makes him a
> second-stage Lensman...
Were this alt.callahans you would be under a pile of peanuts the size of Mount
Rushmore. . .
888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888
BetNoir
Francis A. Ney, Jr. wrote:
>
>
> > In article <54b0u3$e...@newsbf02.news.aol.com> rlma...@aol.com "Rlmarler"
> > writes:
> >
> > > [Clip] someone had mentioned that White was going blind. Does anyone know
> > > anything further about this? Is it just a rumor or reality?
> > >
> >
> > Jim has had diabetes for a long time, and his eyesight is not great.
> > If you have seen him at a reading or a talk, he uses a magnifying glass
> > to read his script - he always makes a terrible joke about how he can
> > see as far as his glasses, and that gets him as far as the magnifying
> > glass, and so he can read the paper. Apparently this makes him a
> > second-stage Lensman...
>
> Were this alt.callahans you would be under a pile of peanuts the size of Mount
> Rushmore. . .
>
> 888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888
ROFL!
I just discovered James White after this year's WorldCon and have been
scouring bookstores to find his Sector General stuff...a real fun
challenge to try to solve the cases along with the characters!
--
BetN
'We close our eyes...and the world has turned around again...' D. Elfman
'It's just the night in my veins....' C. Hynde
NEVER parry with your head
Robert Sneddon
> Francis A. Ney, Jr. wrote:
>
> I just discovered James White after this year's WorldCon and have been
> scouring bookstores to find his Sector General stuff...a real fun
> challenge to try to solve the cases along with the characters!
>
You have a treat in store - Jim is truly a gentleman, in both senses
of the word. You will find few climactic space battles in his work,
but much humanity (with a lower-case "h").
P.S. Watch out for the Gogleskans (FOKT). Jim introduced these
plaid-coloured aliens who become more irrational when they gather
together after he was GOH at one of the Glasgow Albacons, run by
a group of *Glaswegian* SF fans operating under the name "Friends
Of Kilgore Trout" or FOKT for short...