h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Yesterday I wrote a short story. Actually, I've been doing a different one each day during April, but yesterday's short led me to create an idea for a sci-fi series.

To come up with this one though, I've come up with a type of spaceship, one I'm calling a Duality Ship, because it needs two people to fly it. The premise is really rather simple, in that the ship's engines can go *really* fast, but the human pilots can keep up with them. So the ships go a lot slower than they could. Now, also, to combat the possibility of errors there are two pilots.

Each pilot flies the ship as though they were the only pilot, but the ship's computer then takes the middle path, the mean/average of what the pilots do. This way, if one pilot makes an error, it gets smudged out by the other pilot. With two pilots flying like this, the margin for error is a lot less, and therefore the ships can fly faster.

I've also added a third crew member, a navigator/comms person who keeps an eye out for other fast flying ships, and warns the pilots about them.

Now, in the story/world, it's seen that the psychic link between twins means that they're able to fly with even less margin of error, and therefore can fly the ships even faster. So the space programme (as it were) evolves around the nurture of twins, which are very rare, and the enrolment of them as potential pilots.

My story/series though is set to follow Matt and Hugh, two pilots who go through the training and probationary period, and then on their first solo flight, a cargo run, steal the ship with their navigator, Clare. It then turns out that Matt and Hugh aren't twins, but triplets, with Clare. They rewire/jury-rig their stolen ship to be flown by three people, with even less margin of error, and therefore faster than the twin piloted ships.

This idea and world then gives me a lot of scope to write short stories and longer novels, to introduce new characters and worlds. It's currently sitting in my head as a sort of a cross between Firefly and Dr.Who, but something different.

Too many modern sci-fi stories start post-apocalyptic, or are all shiny surfaces and daring do. What I want to write is some realistic sci-fi. Something that you read and think, "Yes, that could actually happen." Hopefully this idea will allow me to do that.

Nothing to do with your post Pastey
But the title sounds like it should be an Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark Album

D'you know, it does doesn't it

Yes, the key element of a good sci-fi plot is to make the reader think. Think big.

I'm currently listening on my commute to a dramatisation of Asimov's Foundation series - an 8-hour epic covering the first 3 books. Even though the plot spans several centuries, it has so many themes - science, religion, war, politics, bravery. But when you boil it down, it's Asimov's blueprint for how the human race can learn to live with each other in peace and harmony.

The Foundation books were brilliant. I don't think anything really competed with them until Banks' came along with his series.

I like Arthur C Clarke too, but to a lesser degree. 2001 certainly made me think, but I'm still wondering what on earth it was all about.

You do need to anchor in reality a little.

Ooh
2001 really was about "life the universe and everything" at least that's my reading of it.
Very difficult book to discuss as a lot of people just put it down and never pick it up again.

Another big-thinking sf trilogy is the Helliconia series by Brian Aldiss, who explored the culture of a planet whose seasons span centuries.... and the spacecraft that orbits the planet and observes the inhabitants. If you've read the books you won't soon forget the great stone wheel.

Thanks for reminding me about Orchestral Manoeuvres, I've mailed a youtube link to my niece (11) who is quite the drummer - she impressed me with her ability of simultaneously banging on several things at the same time when I visited to celebrate her birthday.

Pardon my ignorance - Banks?

Oh, hang on - Iain M Banks - yes, I've come across that name, but I'm not sure if I've read any of his books What? I've read thousands of books, I can't possibly remember them all!

If anyone's interested, I've done a much longer short story around the duality ships. I think this is definitely going to turn into a full length book.

http://nopandas.com/30shortsin30days-new-gaia/

Very interesting idea

I think I would let Hugh and Matt be identical, with Clare being the fraternal twin (probably a most unusual occurrence).

I would also add a bit about how the ship could be piloted for hours, if not days by the computer, allowing the crew to rest so they can be at peak performance when needed for landing, take-off or chance encounters. You might want to look up a few sites on single-handed sailing to get an idea about how this can be done, or I will be happy to add any comments on the subject

F S

Cheers FS!

I've been doing a bit of research on how pilots and co-pilots fly jets, and have worked into the story how two people can sleep with the ship being flown the third person on their own. I hadn't even thought of reading up on how sailing could be used as research, having never sailed in my life (only been a passenger a couple of times) but will certainly look into it now!

I guess you are already familiar with duality control in pair programming. I'd certainly research the experiences of people who have used this on major IT projects.

I enjoyed that read. Reminded me a little of John Scalzi's Old Man's War, though I get the impression that your universe is a bit less dangerous than his.

TRiG.

Just out of interest, have you seen Pacific Rim?

No, but I've read the "science" behind it, and the need to have two minds controlling the one robot thing.

I should watch it, just to make sure that what I write isn't open to the same ridicule as it is.

Hey, Pacific Rim is brilliant. It's a really clever, thoughtful film masquerading as a hyperactive popcorn flick.

It's either the dumbest "smart" film ever made, or the smartest "dumb" film ever made.

The articles I read on the "science" behind it reckon it's taken a small idea that sort of been proved, and then put it out as something it's got no basis on. A bit like Hollywood history films really.