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Author Topic: Alien law  (Read 2412 times)
waywardoctagon
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Alien law
« on: August 27, 2007, 07:58:47 am »

Okay, so we can't really know for sure--but what kinds of laws and legal systems (or substitutes) do you think the various races have?

Some thoughts:

*The Druuge would probably have a lot of it, and it would probably be pretty complex.  It seems like their society has a heavy emphasis on contracts, so their laws would reflect that.  There's also the whole "salvage" thing...
*Ilwrath?  Religious law.
*Would the Pkunk have any, in the strict sense?  The quote, "Although we Pkunk have no rank, no pecking order, no arbitrary scheme of dominance," suggests that they don't have any kind of cetralized government, so maybe they all (or, whoever happens to be around) "enforce" any laws or... strong customs... that they have.
*Anyone else think the Yehat might have/have had one-on-one duels as a way to settle disputes?  I also wonder if different clans have (partially, since they have one Queen) separate governance.
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Re: Alien law
« Reply #1 on: August 27, 2007, 02:45:10 pm »

Utwig have laws with their masks.
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Elvish Pillager
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Re: Alien law
« Reply #2 on: August 27, 2007, 04:07:01 pm »

Earthlings have laws, too!
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Re: Alien law
« Reply #3 on: August 27, 2007, 05:20:26 pm »

Yay, this thread looks a lot like those minutiae-ridden threads I was making some time ago (see Ground weaponry as an example).

Quote
*Anyone else think the Yehat might have/have had one-on-one duels as a way to settle disputes?  I also wonder if different clans have (partially, since they have one Queen) separate governance.
Hey, what a coincidence. I've had that thought too when I was brainstorming a "race intro" video for the Yehat. As to the clans - of course, clans joined the Revolution/the Royalists en masse, suggesting that there was someone making decisions for them. What would grant individuality to each clan if there wasn't a ruler, anyway?
___
*The Ur-Quan probably rely more on customs than law, and since they aren't a social species, they use their own force to apply justice, do not have police or similar organizations. And whoever has a higher rank is right, unless there's no violation of the basic customs. No Ur-Quan is allowed to kill another Ur-Quan... so they're probably left on a deserted asteroid or moon.
*The Thraddash - whoever can do something, may do it. If the others don't like it, they're free to force him/her not to do it anymore, provided they can.
*The Spathi - I think they're too scared to break law anyway. Who knows what horrible monsters the police may have...
*The Utwig - there has to be a lot of law... and bureaucracy, I'd say. Too bad we don't know if the Chief Groo got punished after he broke the Ultron. Or maybe he punished himself - maybe the Utwig culture inoculates them since the youngest age with the idea of respecting the traditions and taboos. The ruling and legislative body has to be the Proctor assembly, headed by the High Proctor, who has to be female and who has more of a honorific role, leading all important ceremonies. The Groo assembly, headed by the Chief Groo, is responsible for the design, manufacture and upkeep of the facial appliances and with foreign relations (you are speaking with the Chief Groo when you're talking with the Utwig on Fahz). Note that everything I've said is just my imagination and isn't based on anything.
*The Umgah - if they ever had law, there have probably been so many law infringements that it doesn't matter at all now. There is probably a strong friendship between the members of their species, though, otherwise it would've been all anarchy and chaos by now.
*The Melnorme - they probably rely only on fines and downgrading as punishment methods. They seem to place a lot of emphasis on common sense, though, so I don't think they have many written laws.
*The VUX - I don't know, they seem quite similar psychologically to humans, except the bigotry thing. Probably their laws are quite similar to ours.
*The Supox - another species we don't know much of. Their criminals are mostly or exclusively psychopaths anyway, I'd say, so they use insane asylums as prisons. Same for the Pkunk.
*The Mycon - Their programming renders them unable to act against Juffo-Wup anyway. If someone isn't productive any longer, he gets killed.
*The Arilou - No idea. Maybe breaking the law isn't an existing concept in their dimension.  Undecided
*The Chmmr and Mmrnmhrm - They're quite the robot type.
*Chenjesu - Being philosophical by nature, I guess they try to make the criminals regret their wrongdoings, by sending them to "re-education". Or  maybe their natural HyperWave Casters also serve as a way of detecting the location of other Chenjesu, so you can't avoid getting caught, so there aren't any crimes.
*The Shofixti - strict laws, a lot of capital punishments - a-la-feudal Japan.
*The Druuge - they get fired. And being fired, they're no longer in the Crimson Corporation, so they're stealing Corporation air. And the only fitting punishment for that is... "To the furnace!" Most of their laws deal with how to improve the life of those at the top of the social ladder, by the way, and how to rob other species (see Druuge Statute 3429, subsection A86).
*The Slylandro - as you know, "We have an egalitarian society here. All are equal. Of course, that doesn't stop some people from being stupid fools or jerks. But on a world as huge as Source, where there are no barriers to restrict your travel, if someone is bothering you, you simply go somewhere else."
*The Zoq-Fot-Pik - I'm sure they don't put criminals to death anyway. Or do they, since they seem to believe that everyone goes to the ZFP Heaven?  Undecided If it wasn't for that Frungy freak, maybe we would know.
« Last Edit: August 27, 2007, 05:46:39 pm by Valaggar the Wackrazy One » Logged
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Re: Alien law
« Reply #4 on: August 27, 2007, 09:57:38 pm »

Quote
*The Druuge would probably have a lot of it, and it would probably be pretty complex.  It seems like their society has a heavy emphasis on contracts, so their laws would reflect that.  There's also the whole "salvage" thing...

I'd say it's pretty much free market capitalism with no restrictions. I don't think that they actually would have any constitutional laws, or if there were any then they would have been so subverted by the Crimson Corporation that they wouldn't carry any weight. So while you're probably right that the CC's policies would have a heavy emphasis on contracts, I think that any actual law (in the sense that we Earthlings usually consider it) would be vestigial.
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Re: Alien law
« Reply #5 on: August 28, 2007, 01:24:58 am »

There is no evidence that the High Proctor has to be female. There is one, maybe two High Proctors that are stated to be female. That hardly constitutes all Utwig High Proctors, ever, at any point in time, as having to be that.

Other than that point of my contention, it seems to be a pretty good list, particularly Ur-Quan.

We don't know much about the Androsynth, so guessing as to whatever their law systems are is difficult. Since they all look virtually identical, in appearance and genetics, it would be difficult to discover who the guilty party is at all -- possibly they use some kind of mind-reading tool, if it could be done.
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Re: Alien law
« Reply #6 on: August 28, 2007, 02:14:23 am »

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*The Druuge would probably have a lot of it, and it would probably be pretty complex.  It seems like their society has a heavy emphasis on contracts, so their laws would reflect that.  There's also the whole "salvage" thing...

I'd say it's pretty much free market capitalism with no restrictions. I don't think that they actually would have any constitutional laws, or if there were any then they would have been so subverted by the Crimson Corporation that they wouldn't carry any weight. So while you're probably right that the CC's policies would have a heavy emphasis on contracts, I think that any actual law (in the sense that we Earthlings usually consider it) would be vestigial.

I kind of get the feeling the CC has actually replaced, or become the government... so company policy has the force of law, anyway.  In the salvage bit, they do specifically mention "law", though... so it seems they do call it that, at least with some of them.  Or maybe they were just making it up (it's not like you'd know, so they can say anything they want). 

I disagree that it would be vestigial, though.  If you visit the homeworld while unarmed and unescorted, they say:

Quote
While I am sure, Captain, that you would never make this foolish mistake
I still feel I should warn you about one of our laws, specifically
Druuge Statute 3429 - subsection A86, Definition of Starship Derelicts.

They can call up the exact statute (which it seems like they'd be unlikely to know if their laws weren't important anymore).  Also, the large numbers make it clear that there's a lot of it (and that it's probably complex, if there are at least 86 subsections).

If you visit them with the Burvixese Caster in your posession, they refer to the salvage law again:

Quote
Have no fear, Captain. It was abandoned on the Burvixese moon
and by our law it belongs to you; however

So, it seems that they don't just bring it up when it's convenient for them; they do respect at least that law.  (And it would have been easy enough for them to claim that it was rightfully theirs, and demand it back.)
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ScwyciDraig
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Re: Alien law
« Reply #7 on: August 28, 2007, 08:43:04 am »

Quote
I kind of get the feeling the CC has actually replaced, or become the government... so company policy has the force of law, anyway.

You could be right. Actually, you probably are. But given that it (CC) is a corporation (and not, say, a hierarchial dictatorship), one has to assume that there was at some point other corporations that it competed against. Which in turn suggests some kind of system under which they are all governed by (or interact with regards to, i.e. if different corporations were considered seperate states, one might imagine a loose set of alliances and trade deals if nothing else).

That's total speculation on my part -- but that's kind of what this thread is about, so bear with me. So, assuming that there was at least some kind of previous system (a leap of logic, perhaps, but IMO a fairly reasonable one since the Druuge are mentioned to have a varied and human-like history in one of the SC2 manuals IIRC), it would seem to me that such statutes (like the salvage laws you mentioned) are simply company policies and not overreaching laws that are actually intended to aid the people. Policies which are enforced while not, perhaps, in the interest of individual Druuge you may meet  for the sake of the bureaucracy and the corporation in general.

I suppose that's just the pedant in me talking though (in fact, upon further thought, probably not even the dictionary-correct pedant in me).

Quote
*Would the Pkunk have any, in the strict sense?  The quote, "Although we Pkunk have no rank, no pecking order, no arbitrary scheme of dominance," suggests that they don't have any kind of cetralized government, so maybe they all (or, whoever happens to be around) "enforce" any laws or... strong customs... that they have.

On an unrelated note, that is pretty much precisely how I would imagine the Pkunk. Very anarchist.
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Re: Alien law
« Reply #8 on: August 28, 2007, 09:03:03 am »

From the Role Playing Resource Guide:
At present, all living Druuge are employed by a single entity, the
Crimson Corporation. In the past there were other businesses, but with
the relaxation of anti-monopoly laws, the formation of a single, monolithic
company was inevitable. Using leverage buyout tactics, the
Crimson Corporation has purchased all land on all Druuge planets, and
the atmosphere as well. Breathing, as such, is considered a perq of
working for the Corporation, and consequently there is limited job
turnover. Retirement benefits most often include continued breath provisions,
though at reduced levels.

Looks like the CC has replaced their government(s), to me.

Quote from: C. Bob
There is no evidence that the High Proctor has to be female. There is one, maybe two High Proctors that are stated to be female. That hardly constitutes all Utwig High Proctors, ever, at any point in time, as having to be that.
Quote from: Valaggar
Note that everything I've said is just my imagination and isn't based on anything.
« Last Edit: August 28, 2007, 01:05:50 pm by Valaggar the Wackrazy One » Logged
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