Technology and Control

Where it surfaces

• Star Ship

  The star ship represents advanced technology and the struggle for control over its use and direction.

• III

  The Star Ship and rocket boat represent the ultimate power; control of them determines the future of Khazak.

• Inside Earth

  Advanced surveillance and weaponry are used to maintain order, raising questions about freedom.

• Lord of a Thousand Suns

  The Vwyrddan energy devices and the mind-scanning technology represent advanced tools that can control or destroy civilizations, central to the conflict.

• Sargasso of Lost Starships

  The abandoned ships represent the remnants of advanced technology and the loss of control over such power.

• II

  The Empire uses advanced technology like hypnoprobes and parabeams to control and interrogate prisoners, while the Black Nebula's mysterious radiation threatens technological and mental stability.

• III

  The ship's advanced technology is challenged by the Nebula's inhabitants, who project themselves and manipulate matter without engines, undermining human control.

• IV

  The Arzunians use telekinesis to control matter and energy, rendering human technology like guns nearly useless.

• I

  Urushkidan's revolutionary physics knowledge is coveted by the Jovians, who seek to build faster-than-light ships for military dominance, illustrating how technology can be a tool of power.

• III

  Urushkidan's theoretical work is exploited for military applications by the Jovian state.

• IV

  The development of a faster-than-light drive represents a technological breakthrough that could shift the balance of power and enable escape from Jovian domination.

• V

  The star drive represents a breakthrough that could give Earth control of the galaxy, but its inventors struggle to control the technology itself.

• VI

  Urushkidan's inventions (faster-than-light drive, tractor beams, disintegrators) are used to empower the barbarian fleet, while Ray deliberately designs the drives to burn out after one use to prevent uncontrolled spread.

• Security

  The government's monopoly on advanced weapons (atomic bombs, space rockets) is challenged by the potential development of a cheap, accessible super-dielectricity weapon that could equalize power.

• Sentiment, Inc.

  The mind-control machine is a central technology that enables Kennedy's domination, highlighting the dangers of technological tools used for social and political control.

• I

  The mysterious experiments at Sentiment, Inc., using brain wave measurements, hint at technology being used to manipulate emotions or behavior.

• II

  Kennedy's use of hypnosis and encephalographic machines to alter emotions and behavior raises questions about technological mind control.

• III

  Kennedy's mind-control machine represents the ultimate technological threat to free will and personal liberty.

• IV

  The encephalographic machine as a tool for mind control and the technical countermeasures Fraser employs to sabotage it.

• The Sensitive Man

  The use of enhanced senses as a form of technological or biological control over one's environment and interactions.

• I

  Dalgetty uses mental training to eavesdrop, and the Institute's psychotechnics represent technological control over minds.

• II

  The chapter explores how the emerging science of human behavior could be used as a tool for mass manipulation, raising questions about the ethical limits of technological power.

• IX

  The advanced psychological techniques used to create Dalgetty represent a form of technological control over the human mind and body.

• Snowball

  The invention of capacitite disrupts existing economic and social structures, leading to government attempts to control its spread and public backlash.

• III

  Valeria's interplanetary power beam represents scientific solution to energy crisis, while Lundgard argues technology cannot solve all human problems.

• VI

  The use of space suits, air tanks, and orbital mechanics as tools for combat and survival highlights the theme of technology as both a weapon and a means of control.

• Catalysis

  The failure of the heating system exposes humanity's dependence on fragile technology for survival.

• What Shall It Profit?

  The debate over whether to release or withhold a potential immortality cure highlights the tension between technological progress and societal control.

• Industrial Revolution

  The cryotronic computer system of the Sword is central to station operations, and its vulnerabilities are discussed in the context of security and autonomy.