Science Fiction Trivia

[ffutures]

Just UNEXA left now, and another clue - the author is British and ISN'T W.E. Johns.

Another clue - it isn't the Kemlo series.

Another clue - In later books of the series a pair of telepathic twins are used to communicate with exploratory spaceships; one aboard the ship, the other staying on Earth. This causes problems because they are (shock horror) GIRLS!!!!

Final clue - The UN in UNEXA DOES stand for United Nations (and if it helps at all the A is Agency, but you probably guessed that)

This one is easy to find on line, folks, it isn't cheating if I know you're doing it...

[ffutures]

OK, since nobody seems to be interested in finding the last answer I'm going to declare Spud42 the winner - sorry to lumber you with the poisoned chalice!

If anyone was interested but didn't want to look it up, UNEXA was the United Nations EXploration Agency in the long series of juvenile novels by Hugh Walters, usually known as the "Chris Godfrey" series or the "Chris Godfrey of UNEXA" series. The first book was Blast-Off at Woomera (1957), UNEXA is a newly-formed agency in the fourth novel, Moon Base One (1960) a.k.a. Outpost on the Moon, and appears in most if not all of the subsequent books. I'm fairly surprised that nobody got this because it was a very popular series in its day.

[spud42]

bugger... i found that on wiki but was going to leave it for someone else..

give me a sec while i figure out a question................

[spud42]

ok here is a quick easy to get someone else asking a question... i honestly cant think of anything at the moment...

What Language does Rimmer fail at?

[spud42]

what? no Red Dwarf fans here?

[Cholmondely]

what? no Red Dwarf fans here?

What's a Red Dwarf fan?

[Disembodied]

ok here is a quick easy to get someone else asking a question... i honestly cant think of anything at the moment...

What Language does Rimmer fail at?

Esperanto, maybe?

[spud42]

big D has it. so much for a quick easy question..

take it away...

[Disembodied]

Um … OK. Name five cybernetic alien species - i.e. species where there is a significant melding on biological organism and machine. The cybernetic parts should be big: just having a cranial jack in your brain or a bionic big toe doesn't cut it. And it needs to be species-wide (I will accept cybernetic races which are made up of members from different biological species, as this is not uncommon); Luke Skywalker having an artificial hand doesn't mean that his species is cybernetic.

Usual rules: only one example per universe.

[ffutures]

Unerringly homing in on a really easy target - the Borg, in the Star Trek universe. Resistance is futile...

[Disembodied]

Unerringly homing in on a really easy target - the Borg, in the Star Trek universe. Resistance is futile...

That's one, definitely! Four to go …

[cbr]

Cymeks from the 7+ dunes

[Disembodied]

Cymeks from the 7+ dunes

Yup, they would definitely count. That's 2.

[RockDoctor]

Um … OK. Name five cybernetic alien species - i.e. species where there is a significant melding on biological organism and machine.

Berserkers have a small - but important component of biology in their biology-destroying warships. It's one of the few reasons they capture and use "Goodlife" humans - the uncertainty of having a biological component makes their strategy and tactics that much less predictable.
<P>I can't remember if this was in the original Saberhagen stories, but it certainly developed in the ensemble novels set in the universe.

[Disembodied]

Berserkers have a small - but important component of biology in their biology-destroying warships. It's one of the few reasons they capture and use "Goodlife" humans - the uncertainty of having a biological component makes their strategy and tactics that much less predictable.
<P>I can't remember if this was in the original Saberhagen stories, but it certainly developed in the ensemble novels set in the universe.

OK, there certainly seem to be cyborgs in Saberhagen's fiction … the short story "Starsong", for example, features "cyborg humans that had been under the thrall of the Berserkers". That's three.