Alternate Lensemen

[Astromancer]

Wasn't the Green Latern Corps pretty much a comic book reworking of the Lensmen? InterGalactic Law Enforcement/Peacekeepers led/guided by the wisdom of the living Ancients? The Weaponers of Qward and the Manhunters being the equivelents of the Eddorians.

[robkelk]

Originally Posted by Astromancer

Wasn't the Green Latern Corps pretty much a comic book reworking of the Lensmen? InterGalactic Law Enforcement/Peacekeepers led/guided by the wisdom of the living Ancients? The Weaponers of Qward and the Manhunters being the equivelents of the Eddorians.

The original writers say the resemblance was coincidental. Later writers introduced Green Lantern Corps members names "Arisia" and "Eddore". Draw your own conclusions...

[Refplace]

Originally Posted by robkelk

Considering how many strong, capable, independent women are in the series, I suspect "chauvinistic" doesn't mean what you think it means.

(Oh, and women gained the right to vote in the USA seventeen years before Galactic Patrol was first published.)

My bad, they got the right to vote in 1920, I thought it was in the 40s after WW2.
As for the chauvinist I was looking for a less severe term then misogynist which I think all his books prove he wasn't that.
Women were not equal in the Lensman series, at least until the lensman kids showed up. And Clarissa was I think able to have a Lens based on ability but if I recall correctly was passed on by mentor. Or was that her choice?
Darn on the one hand its cool I remember as much of these books as i do but sad that I forgot so much at the same time. read these things in the early 70s

[David Johnston2]

Originally Posted by Refplace

My bad, they got the right to vote in 1920, I thought it was in the 40s after WW2.
As for the chauvinist I was looking for a less severe term then misogynist which I think all his books prove he wasn't that.
Women were not equal in the Lensman series, at least until the lensman kids showed up. And Clarissa was I think able to have a Lens based on ability but if I recall correctly was passed on by mentor. Or was that her choice?
Darn on the one hand its cool I remember as much of these books as i do but sad that I forgot so much at the same time. read these things in the early 70s

In order that Clarissa could be a special snowflake all other women were denied eligibility for the lens. None of the others could measure up. Apart from Clarissa, her ancestress Virgilia was a strong character with neato powers. I don't remember any other woman being anything special. (Not counting Lyranians who were the most alien mentalities this side of Eddorians.)

[Anaraxes]

In order that Clarissa could be a special snowflake

None of the males can live up to Kimball Kinnison, either. He's a special snowflake, and the rest of us are far inferior. Does that make it a feminist series? No, it's just a pulp hero convention.

[David Johnston2]

Originally Posted by Anaraxes

None of the males can live up to Kimball Kinnison, either.

There were other L2s. There were no other female lensmen because being a woman made you unsuitable. Period.

[robkelk]

Originally Posted by David Johnston2

In order that Clarissa could be a special snowflake all other women were denied eligibility for the lens. None of the others could measure up. Apart from Clarissa, her ancestress Virgilia was a strong character with neato powers. I don't remember any other woman being anything special. (Not counting Lyranians who were the most alien mentalities this side of Eddorians.)

Joan Janowick, the best mechanical-computer specialist in Civilization, plays a rather large role in the "Vortex Blaster" side-stories. If one allows nonhuman women to be considered, those side-stories provide many other examples as well.

[Refplace]

Originally Posted by David Johnston2

I don't remember any other woman being anything special. (Not counting Lyranians who were the most alien mentalities this side of Eddorians.)

Thier daughters :)
The Unit was 3 women and a man right?

[Nerik]

Now its been a while since I read these novels (about 20 years), so please forgive me if I miss remember, but I had a few issues with the GURPS adaption as well:

No Transistors
Maybe not, but I recall a number of examples of miniturised technology:
1) Kimball's 'pocket cloaking device' - a device that hid a ship from sensor systems - about the size of a cigarette pack.
2) Worsel's 'death ray' - small enough to fit into a ring, or an implant.
3) Also, one reasons for this alternate tech was to prevent cyberware - there are two characters in the book with prosthetic limbs good enough to fool a highly-trained nurse!
4) One of Civilisations advantages in later battles was a giant automated fleet control system (with a nifty user interface) (Kim thought up this one).
5) The super computers from Masters of the Vortex have already been mentioned.
Now I don't recall any AIs in the books, but considering the extensive use of what would nowadays be called psi, it can easily be justified that AI might simply not be possible.

Other nit-picks
This might be based on the later, non-Smith, books, which I have not read...

Commie Rigellians
Where did this come from - they have advertising bill-boards - giant psi-tech adverts designed for a race that uses ESP to see!
And an obsession with really fast cars!
(insert Top Gear joke here)

I found a few others as well.

[David Johnston2]

Originally Posted by Refplace

Thier daughters :)
The Unit was 3 women and a man right?

Chris's harem in theory were really powerful. But somehow...