If you had to be in a faction.....

[DarkCloud]

I bet that I would like to be either in the University, with the Morganites or Peacekeepers.
Since.
1. I'm not into fighting in a war (Spartans)
2. I'm not really a fanatic (Believers)
3. I don't want to lose my freedom (Hive)
4. I don't really feel like preserving planet at all costs (Gaians)

1. Peackeepers: A good lifestyle like good ol' America
2. Morganites: I am ambitious to make money
3. University: I like to research things and acquire knowledge.

[Emperor10]

My thoughts one by one(of the original 7 factions...the new ones seem to me to be extensions of these anyways so I don't really have strong opinions about them):
University- a life of intellectual knowledge and a rational, academic society. Now, who wouldn't be into that?
Gaians- Running around naked all day and living in trees could be fun. Of course you'd have to have the right body for it.
Peacekeepers- Creature comforts and liberal social policies...they could do worse.
Morganites- I have no problem with making money, but I want to be able to enjoy my life, not go around and collect wealth just for the sake of having wealth.
Hive- lets see: brutal sadistic dictator who wants to control every minute of every day of my life...um...no
Spartans- me in the military? not in this lifetime...(I believe that's the whole point)
Believers- A life of living totally by the Bible...how is that even possible when half the stuff contradicts the other half? To add insult to Inquisition, Miriam is un-"believably" annoying.

[RedFred]

Get ready for a long post!

Call me a card-carrying Gaian. And no, I'm not particularly keen on either running naked through the trees or forming a tryst with Lady D.

I would rate humans' warlike tendancies and degradation of the environment as two of the most pressing challenges ahead of us all. The Gaians are eco-friendly and (allegedly!) pacifist.

Many people have too narrow a view of the Gaians or the Greens. You don't have to chain yourself to an old-growth tree to be one. The only requirement is to realise how profoundly our actions can affect the environment. Careful consideration towards minimizing eco-damage will inevitably follow. This may include political activism but it should start with the example we set in each of our own daily lives.

What other faction comes close?

The "Morganites" have the upper hand these days but the tendancy towards conspicuous consuption and non-elected corporation governance must be fought.

The "UoP" is also a successful faction in our own world. One of our more pressing problems is the ability of scientific research to outstrip our ability to come to a consensus on what is ethical not to mention what is environmentally safe. Sure there are lab animals but the biggest guinea pigs are often ourselves.

I include all fundamentalists, not just the Christian ones, as Believers. Spirituality can be both important and deeply rewarding. But blindly obeying rules for the sake of rules is not productive. Our own ability to think independently must never be short-circuted by power-hungry leaders.

The Spartans are perhaps my least favourite faction. I'm not impressed by the idea that problems must be addressed by a military solution. Nor do I see the glorification of war as a sign of a healthy society. The record of governance of various military juntas in various countries around the world is the final nail in the coffin.

Yang has style and an interesting personal philosophy. His quotes are often the best in the game. Nonetheless, to me he represents a police state dictatorship where dissention is simply not tolerated. Critical and independent thinking should be encouraged, not shunned.

Finally, PK. This faction has should have some good aspects to it, but I find Lal to be the least charismatic of any of the original seven leaders. Perhaps they would be my second choice.

[Simpson II]

Well, having done a degree in astrophysics and maths, I guess my obvious place would be in the University .

They'd be high on my list, though the Data Angels would be my second(?) choice. I'm not into dogma, and a society of 'creative free-thinkers' (from the Firaxis site) sounds pretty fun. I'm not into hacking (these days, anyway) or causing mayhem, but life would be forever interesting. (And I must admit, I find Roze more intoxicating than Deirdre.. )

The Spartans would be hovering around as well. No, I would be shot after my first day in the army. However as a civilian on Chiron, I'd be reassured by being surrounded by a bunch of highly trained gun-nuts. Mindworms sound nasty, no?

[BuilderR]

UoP

[Jasonian]

Oooh! This again. I wonder if my optins have changed since last time. Let's find out...

Worst --> Best

Manifold Caretakers - Well, they're in a really lousy situation. The entire faction is based around preventing Trancendence. They don't even have an ideology!

Cult of Planet - If the whole thing wasn't a sham (using "Planet says so" as an excuse to do whatever Cha Dawn wants), then this might not be so bad. But this seems like more intolerant then Yang! I think not.

Human Hive - Too bad Yang's a nutcase. Survival of the species is important, but Yang's ways are just going too far.

Spartan Federation - I'm not a military guy, and it seems like anyone that's not in the forces would be looked down upon in this faction.

Peacekeeping Forces - This society is so filled with red tape, it's amazing they can decide on the name for their fist base, let alone have a faction.

Pirates - I get seasick . Sounds fun though.

Manifold Usurpers - They want to become Gods. Wow, what a goal! Too bad the ideology of the faction is focused on killing.

The Lord's Believers - I'm semi-religious myself, and I can understand that these people would be happy knowing they are in the care of God, but I fear the whole "God says so" thing similar to the Cult would cause problems.

Morgan Industries - All those luxuries are sure appealing, but the backstabing and general greed of the people must make them feel rather hollow inside.

Data Angels - I could probably do this, but they're probably a high-security faction, and that would become really bothersome. Everyone's a suspect!

Stepdaughters of Gaia - They have a very good point, but they take it too far. There is nothing wrong with consuming renewable resources - they can come back! Too extremist.

Cybernetic Consciousness - I'll bet some of your are suprised this didn't get dropped before now! What I like about these people is the fact that if I had a better idea then someone above me, they would use mine simply because it is better, and not care about the source. Still, giving up half of myself (the lesser half, however) seems rather painful, although it wouldn't hurt afterwords.

University of Planet - Ivory tower intellects. Gotta love it.

Free Drones - Yes, this is my #1 pick. They have the rights given by the Peacekeepers with the comforts of Morgan.

[Chowlett]

Hehe, got the exam results through on Thursday, so I am "joining the University".

Sorry, couldn't resist.

[xgman]

Yang: Could be fun to lead, if you don't have to actually become the insane Yang.

Miriam: Might be fun to be considered a prophet by millions of fanatics. Would build a raft out of fungus and risk the high seas if i woke up one morning as one of her subjects though.

Morgan: Would be fun to be the CEO and probably a phat place to work.

The Lady: One of my top choices. It seems to me they would build a harmonious paradise.

Lal: Love play as him in a long game on huge planet, but would not want to travel all the way from Earth and not try something radically different.

Santiago: It seems to me that her military mentallity is too short sighted, and that life would be pretty sh***y after conquest.

Zak: I love the idea of research, and it might be fun to lead, but the "unethical" part means I might be cut up just to see what how my insides look.

[Alinestra Covelia]

Massively incompetent multi post.
[This message has been edited by Alinestra Covelia (edited August 22, 2000).]

[Alinestra Covelia]

Massively incompetent multi post.
[This message has been edited by Alinestra Covelia (edited August 22, 2000).]

[Alinestra Covelia]

Massively incompetent multi post.
[This message has been edited by Alinestra Covelia (edited August 22, 2000).]

[Alinestra Covelia]

You get the idea.
[This message has been edited by Alinestra Covelia (edited August 22, 2000).]

[Alinestra Covelia]

I wonder how our mindsets would change if we really were 4.3 light years away from home, on a Planet that, although unforgivingly hostile in certain ways, we're already bloody lucky to happen across anyway.

I wonder how long it would take us to accept the need to kill actual animals for food. Not very long, I'd estimate - after worrying briefly about my nails and hygiene, I was skinning rabbits on military camp within a couple of days.

How long would it take for us to accept a need to kill humans? A bit extreme, perhaps, but there are seven factions on a world with no precursors to look to, no guidelines they have to follow, and seven different visions of the best path to survival and flourishing.

I've fired rifles and guns at targets and tin cans, but I've never actually fired at a live creature, or been shot at myself. I think I'd be able to do it, cerebrally and without hesitation if I had to, but that's just a peacetime estimation. Actually behind the gun I'd be different... but I estimate I'd be able to kill, in desperate situations, within a short time if I had to.

However, assuming that I could learn eventually to heft weaponry and/or fire rounds at people and perform well under fire, how long would it take for my entire mindset to change from an individual to a part of a whole?

Disease and poisons have killed off more soldiers throughout history than the fighting casualties of all the battles combined. Could I look at myself one day and believe myself to be an insignificantly small part of something greater? A society that will last after my death? A society unperturbed by my birth, and which would recover unsurprisingly quickly with my demise? If I were shot in the field and nobody came to rescue me, because the logistics were bad (two sound men to stretcher a wounded back to base), how long would I need to be able to overcome my pain and understand or maybe even sympathise with the society at war who cannot come to my individual aid?

Could I, instead of changing ideological allegiance (for example) from a capitalist to a communist or political allegiance from imperialist to socialist, could I actually change my entire concept of myself to be "one with many" instead of "one apart from many"? In other words, could I embrace the logistically-sound rationale of surrendering my own goals, in order to work towards a goal to aid others besides me?

It has been tried before on Earth, and failed. Always, the problem has been that of leadership... if everybody does as they're told and obeys the leader, we are putting all our social eggs in one big basket, and if that leader directs our efforts in the wrong direction, willfully or otherwise, then we are wasting effort on a monumental scale.

If you have played a game called System Shock II, you'll have a vague idea of the distinction I am drawing. I have always been interested by the western resistance to collectivism and fear of loss of individuality. The Hive, with its assimilation and dictatorship, is more or less the most "evil" of all the factions, including the Progenitor races. Loosely based on the Chinese race, which (I gather) has at present fallen somewhat out of favor with politicians and humanitarians around the world, I wonder whether or not a different viewpoint needs to be entertained before the Hive can be understood.

What if the somewhat more oriental social view could be entertained, that servitude is not always bondage? That humility is not always humiliation? That the western credo of "individual" and "human rights" might not be a fundamental cornerstone in the history of human evolution?

Yang's character is a merciless tyrant and a villain, both in the game and in the story (Journey to Alpha Centauri). That's partially because, I believe, he was written by a westerner. In actuality, I hold his in-game voiceovers to be more "true" to his nature: he is nihilistic, but not malevolently so. He can be brutal, but not maliciously so. He can be inhumane, but does so merely intending to dispel what he views as quaint overdelicacy, to foster a new approach to a new world.

Those were all brain-ticklers about the character of Yang and what Firaxis might possibly have intended as undertones and implicities. However, these are what I personally think the character of Yang might be like:

I do not think he is a hypocrite. I think he is rightly feared by many because his view of humanity is a rather inhumane one (whatever that word may actually mean... it is used almost as often as the meaningless word "unnatural" to express disapproval), but that nihilism extends to himself as well. If he is injured in a battle where his men are quitting the field, I do not think he is the type to curse and gnash his teeth and yelp for aid like a coward. Likewise, he would be happy enough to enter the Recycling Tanks at the end of his life, and rejoin his chemicals thus.

I do not think that the Chairman believes himself to be an ultimate power. I think it is a monstrous caricaturization to make him into a brutal Communist thug who delights in causing others pain. I interpret his indoctrinations as an effort to pass a less finicky, more logically sound method of society onto others, and if they can assume his position with equal ability, he would certainly admit to this... at least, to himself.

He does not sympathize with certain emotions that others feel, especially if they feel revulsion for something "morally" disturbing. The idea of combining human tissues, post mortem, in a communal Recycling Tank, may be repulsive to some. Not to the Chairman: his view is very much one of "materials, not manners". I would also imagine he would take a very dim view of all complaints about this.

He takes a view that "one's opinion is only as good as one's knowledge". ie Freedom of Speech is secondary to merit. Understandably, America would probably take extreme issue with this sentiment, perhaps rightly so. I do believe that the Chairman is not a Pol Pot - he has an abiding respect for the educated and the intelligentsia... after all, according to his history, he is one of them himself.

As I said in my earlier (shorter!) post, I think of the Hive as being a society rather akin to a meritocracy, but with considerably different methods of judgement than we know today. I do NOT believe that Yang is a sadist, a Commie, or even a "control freak" as the Western conception of this goes. He loves control, and wishes that everybody else too would love control as much as he does. Then, when the individuals have mastered control over themselves, they can apply themselves more selflessly to the needs of the society as a whole.

*bats chirp* *owls hoot*

*Allie goes home now*