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From: Tony Nance <tnusenet17@gmail.com>
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.written
Subject: Re: Things presented in-story as Good Ideas that seem like really Bad
 Ideas
Date: Wed, 11 Sep 2024 20:17:34 -0400
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On 9/8/24 11:49 PM, Ted Nolan <tednolan> wrote:
> Lucky Starr's "Council Of Science", the Venus Belt, the Federation's
> "Prime Directive".  Things like that.
> 
> Examples?
> 
> (How about we exempt Super-Powered Vigilantes)

This reminds me of an example I have mentioned here before, 1-2 years 
ago, but it's a rather large spoiler for the work in question (The Stars 
Asunder by Doyle & MacDonald).


Spoiler for The Stars Asunder below,
Tony


Spoiler for the stupidest first-contact strategy I’ve ever seen,
courtesy of Doyle & MacDonald in The Stars Asunder…


here there be spoilers...



last spoiler space for 50 miles...



A ship belonging to Civilization “A”, which I charitably won’t refer
to as The Civilization Of Tunnel-Visioned Militaristic Idiots, has 
occasion to make first contact with a ship from Civilization “B”.

They sincerely believe — as in, it is played straight in the book that 
these people think this will be a successful way to establish relations 
to the mutual benefit of both civilizations — it will go best if they 
grapple/tether the other ship, make a hole in their hull, and send an 
armed boarding party through.