I’m going to go out on a limb here and assume that Dmitri has so many tracking devices planted on the Spacetrawler that the ship, itself, probably qualifies as a giant bug. That or he’s piggybacking off a few of King’s… actually, that sounds more likely.
Martin
Great sound effect on Dmitri’s ship! I’m going to be making it all day, much to my wife’s chagrin.
Thanks. Making up sound effects is one of my pet pleasures in life.
Peter Rogan
That one was, I admit, Don Martin-worthy.
If a tree fell in the forest and there was no one around to hear it, it’s said, Don Martin could still do the sound effect,
TB
I still use “FAGROON!” on occasion.
Jude
I think that’s the sound of its ‘air’ brakes.
andreas
And how may I help you, kind sir, you look down-trodden… Oh, I see, the contraption prevents you from holding a glass of vodka in your left hand, oh dear.
I can see how that could lead to a negative attitude on life. Let me attach a glass-holder to your thingy on your arm and you’ll be much more happy at being miserable.
Remember, when life serves you lemons, make human-lemon hybrids, and you’ll get to be proud of them when they grow up…
The Gorram Batguy
I would love to upvote this.
The Gorram Batguy
A very nice page. Philosophical “debate” and loving father-daughter banter. Really sweet and enjoyable, aside from the whole Mauricio-is-upset-because-of-the-mass-murder bit.
Seeing Mauricio try to teach Jabby ethics filled me with a sense of hope, and excitement. First, I had a momentary glimmer of hope that he might eventually make headway, and turn things around with his death-appendage. I was also excited, for lack of a better word, because of Mauricio’s eloquence. It’s one thing to be a softy who blanches at the sight of violence, but it’s a much grander thing to be a person who has thought through the meaning of violence and who is able to explain his ideas to others.
Of course, Jabby’s response makes it clear he’s not amenable to being reformed. And we know Mauricio ultimately does not make it.
That arm is straight-up evil. He’s programmed to pin it all on “the law” and “justice” but it’s clear that the AI’s personality is that of a violent, murderous sociopath who is just making excuses for doing what he wants to do. Of course, based on what we saw of Jabby’s maker, I’d suppose the cybernetic apple did not fall far from the wetware tree.
andreas
Seeing Mauricio try to teach Jabby ethics
Yes, this is the point, isn’t it?
Like you, I expect Jabby to be un-reformable. On the other hand, what if Jabby would actually come to develop a sense of ethics, even a glimpse at the notion “We met the enemy, and he is us”. As a creature of action, maybe Jabby would also enact such ethical intuitions…
A somewhat similar situation is explored in Cameron’s genial low budget movie Dark Star.
Spoiler alert.
It also does not end well.
Gregg Eshelman
“Uh…? Bomb?”
Meran
LOVED Dark Star! It should be seen “under the influence ” though, for better entertainment and understanding. 😉
Jude
I’ve got a sneaking suspicion Jabby will be amenable to Mauricio’s moral views near the end of his life. As you said, we know Mauricio dies. But remember, Jabby needs to protect Mauricio and keep him alive if it’s going to continue existing. However it happens, I could see Jabby faced with the dilemma of keeping Mauricio and itself alive and allowing their protagonist(s) to continue living too. By hesitating over its decision, Mauricio dies and Jabby is destroyed.
See https://www.baldwinpage.com/spacetrawler/2016/12/14/121416/
So Chris, do I get the job as ghost-writer? 😉
Night-Gaunt49
It seems that Mauricio was the right choice for The Weapon. Still The Weapons is a sneaky SOB since for it killing enemies is the logical step in its prime function. Including purposely misidentifying the word “no” as “know” to save his host.
I also the the father/daughter talk too.
“Dark Star” loved it.
Muzhik
Hmmmmm…. Now, for SOME reason, all I can think of are late night college-sophomore philosophy discussions. And now I think of those philosophy discussions occurring between Jabby and Binkie.
“The same thing we do EVERY night: try to take over the world.”
Peter Rogan
Stormbringer, wielded by Gandhi.
Meran
Hah! That would certainly be interesting!
Jude
Chris, I went through lots of the strips in archives, taking a closer loom at Jabby. Originally, it had one pink dome on the end. After Mauricio cut it off, it regret with one elongated dome and four small spaced around the big one. When Jabby cut loose and wiped out the Beejahs (Beejans?), Jabby still looked like that. But now, it has a larger recessed pink circular middle with seven smaller parts around it. The configuration on the sides is different as well as overall size has increased.
I thought Jabby grew when Mauricio tried to rid himself of it as a way of being dominant over him. Plus growing larger was at the expense of Mauricio’s body. So what makes Jabby grow? Or do we learn later on? And how did he do it this time without wasting Mauricio? Sorry to be a bother but your story has a way of dragging us deeply in.
Jabby grows mostly through usage. From an author point of view, sort of a symbolic thing. I have a couple of reasons “why” which I am waiting to make a decision on, and whether it adds to the story to HAVE a reason “why.” And I think I mentioned at some point it mines his body to do so, so it hurts like hell.
Peter Rogan
How Melnibonéan!
Gregg Eshelman
If you can find it, see the rejected pilot episode for “Infiltrator”, starring Scott Bakula. He did that between the quickly canceled “Eisenhower & Lutz” and getting the gig on “Quantum Leap”.
Scott plays a scientist at the Stuart Institute of Technology, SIT. He’s working on a teleportation system but is about to get his funding cut and project shut down. So he fires up the teleporter, steps in and ZAPPOW he appears in another lab. Problem is his target location contained an advanced space probe, which now seems to be gone.
When under stress he starts morphing into a cyborg and as the episode goes on more of him changes each time, in between returning to human.
I assume some wag made a comment about it being like a robot version of The Incredible Hulk. That pilot and some others were broadcast by ABC, with phone numbers for viewers to call to vote for their favorite. Of course I voted for “Infiltrator”!
Lil Sis
Maybe Mauricio doesn’t really die, but is just absorbed by Jabby? Or as Jabby becomes the majority of Mauricio’s body, Mauricio discovers a way to destroy himself that Jabby cannot avoid or survive.
David
“You told me my son was dead!”
“Your son’s body was gradually absorbed by the warped AI of the weapon. He ceased to be Marucio and became Jabby. When that happened, the good man who was your son was destroyed. So what I told you was true, from a certain point of view.”
David
* Mauricio – sorry! Bad typo, spelling people’s name wrong!
Yang_Tomoe
He needs to throw himself into a volcano and be done with it already I suppose.
That’s daddy’s little girl.
I’m going to go out on a limb here and assume that Dmitri has so many tracking devices planted on the Spacetrawler that the ship, itself, probably qualifies as a giant bug. That or he’s piggybacking off a few of King’s… actually, that sounds more likely.
Great sound effect on Dmitri’s ship! I’m going to be making it all day, much to my wife’s chagrin.
Thanks. Making up sound effects is one of my pet pleasures in life.
That one was, I admit, Don Martin-worthy.
If a tree fell in the forest and there was no one around to hear it, it’s said, Don Martin could still do the sound effect,
I still use “FAGROON!” on occasion.
I think that’s the sound of its ‘air’ brakes.
And how may I help you, kind sir, you look down-trodden… Oh, I see, the contraption prevents you from holding a glass of vodka in your left hand, oh dear.
I can see how that could lead to a negative attitude on life. Let me attach a glass-holder to your thingy on your arm and you’ll be much more happy at being miserable.
Remember, when life serves you lemons, make human-lemon hybrids, and you’ll get to be proud of them when they grow up…
I would love to upvote this.
A very nice page. Philosophical “debate” and loving father-daughter banter. Really sweet and enjoyable, aside from the whole Mauricio-is-upset-because-of-the-mass-murder bit.
Seeing Mauricio try to teach Jabby ethics filled me with a sense of hope, and excitement. First, I had a momentary glimmer of hope that he might eventually make headway, and turn things around with his death-appendage. I was also excited, for lack of a better word, because of Mauricio’s eloquence. It’s one thing to be a softy who blanches at the sight of violence, but it’s a much grander thing to be a person who has thought through the meaning of violence and who is able to explain his ideas to others.
Of course, Jabby’s response makes it clear he’s not amenable to being reformed. And we know Mauricio ultimately does not make it.
That arm is straight-up evil. He’s programmed to pin it all on “the law” and “justice” but it’s clear that the AI’s personality is that of a violent, murderous sociopath who is just making excuses for doing what he wants to do. Of course, based on what we saw of Jabby’s maker, I’d suppose the cybernetic apple did not fall far from the wetware tree.
Seeing Mauricio try to teach Jabby ethics
Yes, this is the point, isn’t it?
Like you, I expect Jabby to be un-reformable. On the other hand, what if Jabby would actually come to develop a sense of ethics, even a glimpse at the notion “We met the enemy, and he is us”. As a creature of action, maybe Jabby would also enact such ethical intuitions…
A somewhat similar situation is explored in Cameron’s genial low budget movie Dark Star.
Spoiler alert.
It also does not end well.
“Uh…? Bomb?”
LOVED Dark Star! It should be seen “under the influence ” though, for better entertainment and understanding. 😉
I’ve got a sneaking suspicion Jabby will be amenable to Mauricio’s moral views near the end of his life. As you said, we know Mauricio dies. But remember, Jabby needs to protect Mauricio and keep him alive if it’s going to continue existing. However it happens, I could see Jabby faced with the dilemma of keeping Mauricio and itself alive and allowing their protagonist(s) to continue living too. By hesitating over its decision, Mauricio dies and Jabby is destroyed.
See https://www.baldwinpage.com/spacetrawler/2016/12/14/121416/
So Chris, do I get the job as ghost-writer? 😉
It seems that Mauricio was the right choice for The Weapon. Still The Weapons is a sneaky SOB since for it killing enemies is the logical step in its prime function. Including purposely misidentifying the word “no” as “know” to save his host.
I also the the father/daughter talk too.
“Dark Star” loved it.
Hmmmmm…. Now, for SOME reason, all I can think of are late night college-sophomore philosophy discussions. And now I think of those philosophy discussions occurring between Jabby and Binkie.
“The same thing we do EVERY night: try to take over the world.”
Stormbringer, wielded by Gandhi.
Hah! That would certainly be interesting!
Chris, I went through lots of the strips in archives, taking a closer loom at Jabby. Originally, it had one pink dome on the end. After Mauricio cut it off, it regret with one elongated dome and four small spaced around the big one. When Jabby cut loose and wiped out the Beejahs (Beejans?), Jabby still looked like that. But now, it has a larger recessed pink circular middle with seven smaller parts around it. The configuration on the sides is different as well as overall size has increased.
I thought Jabby grew when Mauricio tried to rid himself of it as a way of being dominant over him. Plus growing larger was at the expense of Mauricio’s body. So what makes Jabby grow? Or do we learn later on? And how did he do it this time without wasting Mauricio? Sorry to be a bother but your story has a way of dragging us deeply in.
Jabby grows mostly through usage. From an author point of view, sort of a symbolic thing. I have a couple of reasons “why” which I am waiting to make a decision on, and whether it adds to the story to HAVE a reason “why.” And I think I mentioned at some point it mines his body to do so, so it hurts like hell.
How Melnibonéan!
If you can find it, see the rejected pilot episode for “Infiltrator”, starring Scott Bakula. He did that between the quickly canceled “Eisenhower & Lutz” and getting the gig on “Quantum Leap”.
Scott plays a scientist at the Stuart Institute of Technology, SIT. He’s working on a teleportation system but is about to get his funding cut and project shut down. So he fires up the teleporter, steps in and ZAPPOW he appears in another lab. Problem is his target location contained an advanced space probe, which now seems to be gone.
When under stress he starts morphing into a cyborg and as the episode goes on more of him changes each time, in between returning to human.
I assume some wag made a comment about it being like a robot version of The Incredible Hulk. That pilot and some others were broadcast by ABC, with phone numbers for viewers to call to vote for their favorite. Of course I voted for “Infiltrator”!
Maybe Mauricio doesn’t really die, but is just absorbed by Jabby? Or as Jabby becomes the majority of Mauricio’s body, Mauricio discovers a way to destroy himself that Jabby cannot avoid or survive.
“You told me my son was dead!”
“Your son’s body was gradually absorbed by the warped AI of the weapon. He ceased to be Marucio and became Jabby. When that happened, the good man who was your son was destroyed. So what I told you was true, from a certain point of view.”
* Mauricio – sorry! Bad typo, spelling people’s name wrong!
He needs to throw himself into a volcano and be done with it already I suppose.
https://youtu.be/zUTt9MYMcps
“What we have here is a failure to communicate” seems to be the theme of this particular page…
When you last went through Arizona, Chris, did you visit Benson?
“Benson, Arizona, the same stars in the sky
But they seemed so much kinder when we watched them, you and I”
I haven’t been there in years but you used to be able to see a whole lot of stars.