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Psionics and the imperium?

T

The Thing

SOC-13
On one hand I don't relish oppressing people with psionic abilities and would not be comfortable with people being persecuted for an ability they were born with.

But I was wondering if the imperium was really wrong to oppress psionics in it for one reason: The Zhodani consulate.

As I gather it, in zhoad space 90% of the people are basically slaves to the 10% that have psionic powers. They masses are called "proles" and have no rights to control their own lives, no privacy even of thought and no say in their government.

if that's what letting psionics go free gets you, sorry, but as a non psionic I don't want the thought police "correcting my opinions" regarding personal freedom, rights, etc.

So is the imperium justified in oppressing psionics based on what psionics did to the zhodani species? This is kind of a moral issue here, I suppose, but traveller should deal with moral issues and good RPGs make players face them on occasion.
 
The Thing said:
On one hand I don't relish oppressing people with psionic abilities and would not be comfortable with people being persecuted for an ability they were born with.

But I was wondering if the imperium was really wrong to oppress psionics in it for one reason: The Zhodani consulate.

As I gather it...
Click to expand...

Imperial propaganda, pure and simple, well not so pure and anything but simple.

The Imperial Suppressions? Smokescreen to make sure the only people in the Imperium with psionics were picked and trained as a special elite secret force.

The picture of the poor proles and psionic overlords in the Consulate? Compares about as accurately as all the 20thC Terran Wars propaganda. You know, how the "enemy" is always painted as less than human, ready to eat your babies ripped unborn from their mother's womb, that kind of stuff.

Spinward Scout said:
It sure seems to simulate the Big Brother Is Watching/Communist Scare ideology from the Cold War.
Click to expand...

Again more propaganda.

The view from within the Consulate is different. No lost productivity of lives to depression. No suicides tearing up the survivors. No shy loners locked behind walls of their own making hoping someone saves them. The depressed are noticed and the root of their depression is treated, instead of being medicated. The suicides don't get that far before their problems are noticed and they get the help they need, again addressing and correcting the actual problem rather than sedating them into walking zombies. The shy loners are found and the walls are torn down and they go on to lead full lives. Phobias? Treated and cured. Any psychological problem can be fixed.

Naturally their own view of the Imperium and beyond is one of horror. Not the gibbering run away and hide kind of horror. The shock that a people could live under such miserable conditions with only the hope of a good day now and then. They see us as a society of sociopaths, either active or simple ticking.

Neither side is quite right in the view of the other of course.
 
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The original inspiration for Psionics in Traveller (late 1970's) was probably the Force in Star Wars (MM stated that his primary inspirations were 1950's Sci-Fi and Star Wars).

That would explain the difficulty in locating a Psi Institute for training: how hard was it to find Obi Wan or Yoda?

Later Traveller lore added the Imperial suppressions and the Zhodiani which altered the picture, but I often find it helpful to go back to the original intent when evaluating something for "In My Traveller Universe".
 
well, A Bertram Chandler has psionic officers on his ships and he was penning his stuff well before Star Wars. Trek from the 60s had Vulcan psionics, not to mention out-and-out magic -- with villains trapping the Enterprise with a blink of their eyes every other week.

we'll have to ask Marc if he had a pipeline to George Lucas or not. Wonder if he ever gamed Traveller ?
 
Lensman predates Traveller by a decade or two...

And early traveller psionics made hidden references to the Lensmen.

Good ol' Doc Smith!
 
Ha this is necromancy at its best!

I thought about posting "Psi Institutes" in inMTU because I find Psionics an interesting subject within Traveller but I did a thread title search first. I thought The Thing's posting interesting plus informative, not to mention the responses. The Zhodani do come across as a Spartan/Sufi oppressive elite, less than admirable. But what of other psionics in Taveller?

"Psi Institutes"
I was also thinking of the Law & Communication thread, to read minds and communicate distances at a thought, wow! I guess I am fascinated by this hacker backdoor loophole into the Traveller universe.
 
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Otto Harkaman said:
Ha this is necromancy at its best!

I thought about posting "Psi Institutes" in inMTU because I find Psionics an interesting subject within Traveller but I did a thread title search first. I thought The Thing's posting interesting plus informative, not to mention the responses. The Zhodani do come across as a Spartan/Sufi oppressive elite, less than admirable. But what of other psionics in Taveller?

"Psi Institutes"
I was also thinking of the Law & Communication thread, to read minds and communicate distances at a thought, wow! I guess I am fascinated by this hacker backdoor loophole into the Traveller universe.
Click to expand...

You are the reason the Imperium suppresses psionics. ;)

It just doesn't work in Imperial society.

However, with the Zhodani philosophy of: "Psionics is a science through which one can know how to travel into the presence of the Divine, purify one's inner self from filth, and beautify it with a variety of praiseworthy traits."

Anyone trying to use it for nefarious activities would be turned on by all the people.
 
Spinward Scout said:
It sure seems to simulate the Big Brother Is Watching/Communist Scare ideology from the Cold War.
Click to expand...

I see the Zhodani consulate more like the civilization Second Fundation, as described by Asimov, planed to develop. One directed by psycologists who communicate among them telepathically (or near so) and use psycology and psycohistory to direct the course of the society, with little to none conscious imput from the society proper.

The Thing said:
As I gather it, in zhoad space 90% of the people are basically slaves to the 10% that have psionic powers. They masses are called "proles" and have no rights to control their own lives, no privacy even of thought and no say in their government.
Click to expand...

Seen as I explained above, the proles have no say in the government because they needn't to say it. Their thoughts are known and used as the proles' imput to the government, without them needing to express it.

In this way, proles may influence the government, even if not consciously, as the government may change its own view or plans due to those proles' imputs.
 
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Chandler's Psi's were 'off' a bit in the head. And needed a dog's brain to amplify their powers, giving them Interstellar Comms. Mayhew was the closet to normal of the Psi's in his books.


Interestingly look no further than Star Trek the Cage and Plato's Stepchildren for the power Psi's can abuse on mundanes.

The Zho's live in utopia with the masses compliant in their own conformity, the ultimate totalitarian dictatorship.
 
IMTU I restored psionics as a legitimate science and talent. With training done by the Ministry of Education, regulations and licensing by the Ministry of Justice, the armed forces (Navy, Scouts and IRIS) are still in house. With everything being subject to an oversight committee that reports 1st to the Emperor and 2nd to the Moot.

These are just ideas that still need to be fleshed out.

The idea of training by one branch and licensing by another came from The Lord Darcy series. The oversight committee is to keep the bureaucrats happy. :D
 
Dragoner said:
You are the reason the Imperium suppresses psionics. ;)
Click to expand...

My friend Dragoner, I fear you don't trust me but I think you are right. :)

I just downloaded most of the old Star Trek's so I'll have to watch these episodes you mention Easterner. I am in the middle of trying to figure out the Zhodani order of battle in FFW so I appreciate all information about them. Psi Institutes within the Imperium, this thing opens up a whole can of worms. Oh there must be a hidden Kabbala somewhere, Psionics are just too powerful for the powerful not to take notice of them. I think the Ine Giver within MTU will have some Psionic talent, It makes for a perfect spy network.
 
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Otto Harkaman said:
Yes you are right, thanks! Where are the other two institutes you mentioned located or referenced?
Click to expand...

According to MT:IE, page 50, one was on Regina and latter transferred to Wypoc (Lanth 0401), the other one was on Terra.
 
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