defelination of the Aslan

[rancke]

I am watching this thing on tv about Madagascar and lemurs, maybe the Aslan are more like lemurs than felines? Just a thought...

Aslan are more like Aslan than felines OR lemurs.


Hans

 

[mbrinkhues]

They did grab something canine... every version of Traveller says the Vargr are genetically-modified Terran canines transplanted at the same time as the Vilani & Zhodani.

They all also state the Aslan are NOT related in any way to Terran felines... they are an independently-evolved species native to Kusyu (Kilrai' 0406).

AFAIC EVERY Version says the Vagr are uplifted/modifed members of the Canis species. Just like all versions stress that the Aslan are NOT uplifted Felis

 

[BlackBat242]

Is there an echo in here?

 

[sabredog]

"dignified sniff" The Aslan are merely proof of convergent evolution in biology. Nothing else to be said, except that while they look like cats, love anchovies on pizza, and are fanatic about Kurosawa movies they are totally alien. Honest.

 

[far-trader]

"dignified sniff" The Aslan are merely proof of convergent evolution in biology. Nothing else to be said, except that while they look like cats, love anchovies on pizza, and are fanatic about Kurosawa movies they are totally alien. Honest.

Sooo, I'm one third Aslan?

Cool

In a fun mood, having a choice malt beverage, and wouldn't mind a Kurosawa movie right now... I could watch The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly again... I really need to add some Kurosawa to my DVDs rather than rely on sporadic late night poor quality broadcasts for the odd fix. What was the subject again? Oh yeah, Samurai Pizza Cats! :rofl:

 

[Darkhstarr]

I need to stop reading this thread, I find myself thinking a blind Aslan wanderer & gambler would make a great NPC.

 

[far-trader]

I need to stop reading this thread, I find myself thinking a blind Aslan wanderer & gambler would make a great NPC.

Only because it would

(I went shopping for Kurosawa DVD's last night, yikes, pricey stuff, worth it sure, but I still gotta come up with it)

 

[sabredog]

He could carry an anti-grav, fusion-powered flying guillotine with a mono-molecular edged crystal blade that'll cut through any evil-doing Zho's battledress like a hot katana through a noodle.

 

[jatay3]

The characteristics of the Orions (name given them by Terra explorers) in David Webber's "In Death Ground" and "The Shiva Option" provide another way of looking at the Aslan.

There it is made expicit that there is no link between Terran cats and the Orions it is purely a human view of an evolved pouncer.

We have a bad habit of trying to pigeon hole things into terms that we find appropriate like the Indians of the Americas!!!

On a side note the idea of trying to justify "inteligent" design in the Traveller universe initially made me smile (the thought of the idea surviving tickled me) but then I thought that in the OTU you have intelligent design Grandfather is God!!!

The volume Humaniti clearly states that the Maar Zon believe that the Universe was created by a supernatural being(who then left the universe and let it be like eighteenth century deism). If you define ID as any belief that such a thing can occur it is certainly part of OTU. And in any case it probably has a better shelf life as an idea then the idea of everything taking place by accident.

Your definition of ID would include almost every belief except strict materialism . You need to be a bit more precise before you dismiss the idea of it surviving. If religion survives as obviously it does, the idea of creation will survive.

 

[jatay3]

Going back to the original point, I never had the slightest problem with that. Species with outwardly similar appearance exist often enough to justify it. A snake, an eel, and a worm are not the same thing but they sure look the same. I think it is made clear that Aslan only look like lions superficially. They don't even act like lions. If anything they act like humans. Which itself may be hard to justify, but it is common enough in sci-fi not to worry about to much.

Aslan being cats is a caricature. They are not the slightest bit like cats.