Cyborgs in Fiction

[Snowman37]

I have a question for a character I'm developing for a novel. It's a cybernetic avatar for a massive starship. Originally, my cyborg was going to be an android with origins that differed from the vast starship. As the story evolved, they became more and more linked. Finally, I realized they had to be one. My question to you all is... if you were a vast computer intelligence, and you had to build a cybernetic avatar to give you a body, just how much would need to be artificial? The brain is obvious, but would that be all?

[Snowman37]

I am developing a science-fiction novel that revolves around an ancient and mysterious time machine. I have three main characters: two brothers and a woman from the past. I've been advised against head hopping, but if it's only between three characters, can it work?

[Snowman37]

I am developing a science-fiction novel, and a big part of the story is a vast starship. I've always been partial to the impractical flying saucer design. Given that shape doesn't matter in the vacuum of space, can you think of a reason not to go with the flying saucer concept? I would imagine that a flying saucer could fly through space and atmosphere, land upon a planetary body (with four landing feet), and float upon the ocean.

If you're for or against the flying saucer shape, do share why.

[YesNo]

My question to you all is... if you were a vast computer intelligence, and you had to build a cybernetic avatar to give you a body, just how much would need to be artificial? The brain is obvious, but would that be all?
If you were a "computer intelligence" wouldn't the hardware of the computer already be your "body"?

I do like the idea of consciousness generating a body. It flips upside down the usual view that the body might have a soul. In this case it looks like the soul has, and even generates, a body.

[Auriga]

I have a question for a character I'm developing for a novel. It's a cybernetic avatar for a massive starship. Originally, my cyborg was going to be an android with origins that differed from the vast starship. As the story evolved, they became more and more linked. Finally, I realized they had to be one. My question to you all is... if you were a vast computer intelligence, and you had to build a cybernetic avatar to give you a body, just how much would need to be artificial? The brain is obvious, but would that be all?

You might want to give the January/Febuary of 2011 edition of Analog Science Fiction and Fact a look. There's a story in there that uses that same premise. You might be able to draw some inspiration. The story is called "The First Day of Eternity". It's a novella and one of its main focuses is the space ship, which acts like a giant inter-planetary ark for the last survivors of Humanity. It's an intelligent thinking ship which creates a series of robotic extensions of its mind and "personality" as a way to interract with the pilgrims. Very interesting setup.

The robot extensions become representatives of a new religion that the ship created which is inspired by the ancient religions of Earth. They become "priests" of a sort. The story is a little bit tried, but that concept of a ship creating extensions of itself is rather unique, with obvious religious overtones.

[Snowman37]

YesNo: Think of the computer's hardware as your brain. It's contained within a vast spaceship. It can fly around and land, but it can't have the human experience. I like your analogy of the soul generating a body. That pretty much sums up what happens. However, there will be a conflict. What if a human being had an artificial brain, but there was no emotion nor soul. It would be both amazing and dangerous. Friend or foe? That's the question.

Auriga: The First Day of Eternity draws parallels to the origin of the spaceship in my story. I'll have to read it so my ship's back story remains unique. Thanks for making me aware. Do you think I could find the novella on it's own, or would I have to find it as part of a collection of stories?

[Auriga]

Auriga: The First Day of Eternity draws parallels to the origin of the spaceship in my story. I'll have to read it so my ship's back story remains unique. Thanks for making me aware. Do you think I could find the novella on it's own, or would I have to find it as part of a collection of stories?

I'm not entirely sure. I'm subscribed to the magazine through Kindle, so I got it directly as it is found in the hard copy version.

https://www.analogsf.com/2011_01-02/index.shtml

That is the linke to the official website for the magazine where you could purchase a copy as a digital download, I presume, or to order a hard copy. Enjoy!

[MystyrMystyry]

Hmmm...

Question the first: suppose the hardware is the brain, another linked hardware is the robotic extensions that can build a (robotic/organic) body, the software is the mind. The question of the mind designing and the body building a Schwarzenegger (what!) doesn't need to be an 'avatar', as that is a mere holographic projection. But perhaps you like the word/concept too much to abandon it (James Cameron picked up a few extra bikkies with it).

Question the second: don't be afraid to spurn smelly advice. Head hopping may work, or it may not, depending. The trick is to be prepared to draught - try it omnipotently, first person, third, past tense and present. You'll soo see for yourself which works and which doesn't. Sometimes a style that seems 'wrong' has all the more power because it 'strikes right'

Question the third: why this can't be elaborated in a novel I can't guess. In film and television sci fi I've seen organic, enormormous (yes, enormormous!) spacecraft that look like Spacedragons of Prey, equipped with photon torpedoes and other most advanced farfetched nonsense ever devised.

Farfetching seems to be de-rigeur in space opera, and these days vast distances in brief timespans are achieved with warp drives, wormholes, and assorted boojums.