Originally posted by Bandit LOAF
No reason to single this one out (except that it was probably part of his plan to lure Blair into joining his project) -- dozens if not hundreds of ships were attacked...
Originally posted by Nemesis
Well, he certainly rationalized just prior to his suicide that “the entire race need not be brought up to [the] genetic standard” embodied by Seether. But he continued to believe “The Plan” was essential for the survival of the human race, and he clearly still regarded humanity, with its humanity, as “the dregs”. Fairly unrepentant, I’d say.
Originally posted by Raptor
Well, as I've been arguing in the "Seether" thread, what Tolwyn proposed was nothing like Darwinism or natural selection. For one thing, natural selection looks at an induvidual's *overall* fitness to survive, not weeding out people who had particular induvidual genes like the Gen-Select does. Not only that, natural selection doesn't doesn't work on a predetermined ideal of the Master Race, but rather changes its selective pressures based on the challenges the population is facing at any one time and in any one place. And thirdly, natural selection rewards genetic diversity rather than encouraging genetic stagnation by locking us into someone's pre-determined ideals. I won't go into what we covered in that thread again, but there are quite a few instances where genes that where thought to be "bad" actually turned out to be a survival advantage in some situations.
Yes, well, that was his general intention, right? Kinda like the Shadows and gene selec...ooh yeah, no B5 refrences.
Apart from that though, a pretty good essay. It seems that you've really put a lot of thought into it.
Just spent a lot of time on these boards.
Originally posted by Bob McDob
He could abide anything, except knowing he had killed his race. He deserved the same punishment his miscalculation would visit on them. He stepped off the edge of the chair. The knotted and braided bed sheet closed about his throat, snapping his neck. As death released his grip, the Senatorial Medal of Honor which he had won for the defense of Earth, and the pips he had once worn as a newly commissioned ensign, fell from his hand.
- The Price of Freedom
Originally posted by Saturnyne
However, the people of Telamon would have certainly survived if Tolwyn was not around.
Originally posted by Bandit LOAF
Do not confuse blind Tolwyn hatred with actual facts -- the passage seems fairly clear that he realizes he was going about his plan *wrong*.
(And, to wit, *could* the human race have survived without Tolwyn? The old philosophical argument about whether you go back in time and kill Hitler as a baby takes on much deeper meaning here, as "Hitler" also saved mankind numerous times earlier in life <G>).
Originally posted by Wedge009
Despite all the shortcomings you guys have commented on, I applaud Bob's efforts in making a serious contribution the CZ. A concise essay on Tolwyn which goes straight to the point, even with the errors already pointed out.
Originally posted by Bandit LOAF
Ah, but would they? Tolwyn held back the Kilrathi -- who would have slaughtered those colonists anyway.