Stellaris- People of the Stars

by Robert E. Hampson

  “Their mission of helping couples conceive perfectly places them in a position to determine what populations are interfertile with each other through not just genetic testing, but through actual production of embryos,” Boberto said.

  “These embryos also bring the joy of children to otherwise childless couples,” Cindellou added in an exuberant tone. “I myself was conceived from interfertility testing for the one hundred and ninety—”

  “Now, Cindellou,” Boberto said, cutting her off. “Don’t tell us what Expo it was. You’ll let your age out, and I don’t want to believe that you’re out of your first century yet.”

  “Oh, Boberto,” Cindellou said slapping him playfully on the arm. “You’re just trying to flatter a girl!”

  Cindellou’s grin faded back to the normal announcer smile and she continued, “There is another benefit to helping couples with the embryos created during the Baby Pageant. This regular donation of genetic material from the colonies back to Earth allows for the home planet to remain a true mix of all populations and serve as a default genetic blend.”

  Boberto took up the narration. “I was speaking to one of our guest experts about this for a segment we will be showing in just a few minutes. It will help explain some of the science that goes on in the background of the Baby Pageant. Because the major biomedical centers are still here on Earth, this genetic blend is important to researchers. It makes modifying their research easier if that is needed by the colonies, in case there are differences between Earth and their populations.” Boberto paused and gave a self-deprecating grin. “I have to admit he was very excited about the subject, but I was only able to follow the basics of it.”

  “Well, we will get to view that segment right after these messages from some of The Expo sponsors,” Cindellou said, turning to face directly into the camera. “Stay tuned!”

  * * *

  Chuckling as the screen faded back to the presenters, Cindellou said, “I see what you mean about not following everything in his explanation, Boberto. You looked a little lost a few times.”

  “Well, I have to admit I was. It would have been far worse if I hadn’t had the assistance of our staff science reporter,” Boberto said grinning wryly. “With that I would like to not only give thanks to our guest, Master Researcher Wohlrabben, but also to Francolin for his help with understanding Herr Wohlrabben.”

  “Now, we’ve covered what is involved in the Baby Pageant, and why it is important,” Boberto said.

  “In more detail than some of us would wish,” Cindellou said, as an aside, without looking at Boberto.

  Acting as if he hadn’t been interrupted, Boberto continued, “As Herr Wohlrabben mentioned in his explanation, detailed information on the interfertility of the different populations won’t be available for public release for two decades due to the privacy protections for minors and health-related data.”

  “Because of this we won’t be going into detailed results of the Baby Pageant, but only announcing the overall results. That said—” Cindellou picked up an envelope from the small table between her and Boberto, “we can now announce the results of the first phase of The Expo.”

  Tearing open the envelope Cindellou pulled out a card and read what was on it before passing it to her co-host to read.

  “It is with great excitement that I am able to announce that all populations have met the requirements to complete this decade’s Baby Pageant!” Boberto exclaimed, looking into the camera.

  “This is great news! Especially for the colony of Crismithian!”

  “Their delegation must be ecstatic at this news,” Boberto agreed.

  “In the last nine Expos they have successfully completed the Beauty Pageant but were just below the cutoff requirements for the Baby Pageant,” Cindellou expounded. “This was believed to be due to a nasty outbreak of Spanglish flu on Chrismation that resulted in widespread sterilization. The colony has been aggressively recruiting immigrants to help with their genetic diversity, and it looks like it’s worked. If they hadn’t completed the Baby Pageant this decade, then they would have not only been determined to no longer be human, but they would have been the first population to have that happen!”

  “Based on their past results for the Beauty Pageant, they should have no problems meeting the minimum requirements to complete all of The Expo,” Boberto added. “This is exciting news for their colony.”

  “Well, Boberto, we have our correspondent Trischah Takanai on site with the Chrismithian delegation,” Cindellou commented. “She says that it is a veritable party there.”

  “Sounds like a good time! Why don’t we take a look at the festivities,” Boberto answered.

  Smiling and nodding in agreement, Cindellou turned to face the camera and said, “Trischah, over to you!”

  * * *

  “Welcome back, viewers,” Boberto said, grinning into the camera.

  “So far we’ve spent our time talking about the Baby Pageant requirement of The Expo,” Cindellou chimed in, “but we haven’t gone into detail about the attraction and attractiveness, or Beauty Pageant requirements. For our returning viewers what we are about to cover will be a bit of a review of our previous coverage, but don’t worry, we have some interesting segments that will make for more than just a recap!”

  “That’s right, Cindellou,” Boberto said mirthfully. “At the very least, our viewers should get a laugh out of my interview with another scientist!”

  “I know I’m looking forward to watching that,” Cindellou said, grinning at her co-host.

  Flashing a slightly embarrassed smile in response, Boberto continued. “If you have watched coverage of The Expo before, then you will know that the first stage of the Beauty Pageant, or as many people refer to it, ‘the swimsuit competition,’ has been completed.”

  “Why do they call it the swimsuit competition, Boberto?” Cindellou asked on cue.

  “Good question, Cindellou,” Boberto responded. “Historically, pageants were made up of differing parts, but three of the most common were the swimsuit competition, the evening wear competition, and the interview. In the early days of The Expo, the three phases of the Beauty Pageant were jokingly referred to by these names. Since then it’s become tradition.”

  “Swimsuits aren’t part of the competition, then?” Cindellou asked.

  “Nothing so exciting for us, Cindellou,” Boberto answered with a chuckle. “The swimsuit phase in old beauty pageants was all about physical attractiveness, just like the first part of the attractive and attractiveness portion of The Expo.”

  “I know this phase uses both an MRI and an EEG machine,” Cindellou joined in. “I don’t understand how these are supposed to determine if someone is attractive or not. Isn’t beauty in the retina of the viewer?”

  “I had the same questions, Cindellou,” Boberto answered. “It turns out the machines don’t determine if someone is attractive.”

  “But, Boberto…” Cindellou started, then trailed off as she looked at her co-host with an expression of doubt.

  “They can’t be used to determine if someone is attractive, but they can be used to see if you think someone else is attractive,” Boberto answered her unspoken question.

  “That makes more sense and is in line with what the experts told me when we talked about the attraction and attractiveness part of The Expo,” Cindellou said. “I know we use EEG in the later parts, so how do they use these machines in this part?”

  “First let me explain how the test is performed,” Boberto said.

  “Go ahead.”

  “Expo participants are connected to the EEG machine. They then lie down inside the MRI machine. Images of other participants are projected above them and all they have to do is look at these images,” Boberto explained. “We then find out which other participants they do and do not find attractive.”

  “That sounds a little too simple to be true,” Cindellou said in a tone of doubt.

  “Well, it’s easy for the participant, but not for our
scientists,” Boberto replied. “When a participant sees an image of another participant, their brain automatically reacts to them. Our scientists are looking at this activity and decoding whether they feel a sense of attraction or not.”

  “They can read the participant’s thoughts?” Cindellou asked in disbelief.

  “They can’t decode thoughts, but they can decode what someone is feeling,” Boberto answered. “We just need to see if someone feels attraction toward another. This gives us all of the information we need.”

  “Now hold on, Boberto,” Cindellou interjected. “When I was talking with the specialists about the remaining parts of the Beauty Pageant, they were talking about using EEG to determine whether someone feels attraction toward another. If we could do that with just an EEG, then why do we need an MRI machine for the swimsuit competition, but not the rest?”

  “You’re right, Cindellou, we only use EEG after this in the remainder of the Beauty Pageant,” Boberto agreed. “The way it was explained to me is that the MRI machine, using a special scan method called fMRI, has the ability to see more detail. Our scientists use this to calibrate the EEG for us to use after the swimsuit competition is over.”

  “Hmm,” Cindellou responded doubtfully. “I think it might be time to see your interview with Master Researcher Emmlelee Emilsdotter for a more detailed explanation.”

  “I think you’re right, Cindellou,” Boberto agreed, turning to face the camera. “We’ll be back with that interview right after these messages from our sponsors. Following the interview, the results of the swimsuit competition will be shown.”

  “Well, Boberto, I think Master Researcher Emilsdotter explained things a bit more clearly than you did,” Cindellou said with a teasing note in her voice.

  “Oh, I definitely agree,” Boberto said chuckling.

  “And for those of you interested in seeing the results of the swimsuit competition again…,” Cindellou added, “it is available on our netsite along with expert commentary and analysis of the data.”

  “Now that we’ve caught up to where we are in The Expo,” Boberto said, changing the subject, “you were mentioning earlier that you had talked to specialists about the remaining parts of the Beauty Pageant.”

  “That’s right, Boberto. Unlike the previous sections of The Expo, these two are run simultaneously. Both the evening wear competition and the interview phase require interaction between participants from different populations,” Cindellou explained.

  “This is the first time that many of these participants are going to have any interaction with people from other colonies, isn’t that right?” Boberto asked.

  “They haven’t been deliberately separated, but for many this is the first trip to the home planet for most of them. They’ve been busy with The Expo, as well as taking time to explore Earth,” Cindellou replied. “Our contestants haven’t had much time for interaction with different colonial populations until now.”

  “So, earlier I explained how the swimsuit competition got its name. Would you happen to know how the evening wear competition and interview phase got theirs?” Boberto inquired.

  “In historical pageants, the evening wear competition used to be where contestants competed in formal dress for an evening social event. This part of the Beauty Pageant is based on an ancient evening event called ‘speed dating,’” Cindellou answered.

  “Speed dating? I’d think that even our ancestors wouldn’t want to rush through a date with their significant others,” Boberto said with a faint tone of disbelief.

  “Apparently speed dating was where you would have a group of people that you talked to one at a time for a few minutes,” Cindellou explained. “The meeting itself wasn’t a date, but a chance to see if you wanted to go on a date with any of the other people.”

  “Odd name, but I see how it compares to the current evening wear competition,” Boberto said musingly.

  “Just like the ancient practice, all of our participants dress in their population’s evening wear and then meet and talk with the participants from other populations. Now obviously there are too many people to meet all in one evening,” Cindellou said with a grin.

  “That would be a marathon of a night,” Boberto replied with an answering burble.

  “For this competition, we take the participants from two populations and pair them for an evening,” Cindellou continued. “All of the populations will rotate so that they will have been paired with all of the other populations. The populations will alternate between participating in the evening wear competition and the interview phase, with, of course, some nights off.”

  “Now that you’ve told us about this competition, can you tell us more about the interview phase? My understanding is that it, too, is based on an ancient practice,” Boberto said.

  “The interview phase is based on an ancient idea called a Turing test,” Cindellou agreed. “According to historical records, it was originally a test using a pair of computers to try to determine if someone was telling the truth. Two people would talk to each other using only the computer terminal to communicate. Historians today aren’t totally sure how it was supposed to work, but we know that it only allows a person to be judged on what they say without any influence from looks, tone, body language, or any other conscious or subconscious signals that could be used to communicate.”

  “I’d think that we would not want to restrict any communication between people,” Boberto said in apparent objection.

  “Well, Boberto, we do, and we don’t,” Cindellou hesitated. “We want the people to communicate, but we want to try to limit miscommunication. Body language and other signals can strongly be affected by different cultures. It’s not just the genetics of the different populations that can change.”

  “I think I understand,” Boberto said with a look of apparent dawning comprehension. “We don’t want someone to make a gesture that might be friendly in their culture, but—”

  “Be something rude in the other person’s,” Cindellou finished for him.

  “So, the swimsuit competition is on looks, the interview phase is on communication with limited cultural influences, and the evening wear competition is a combination of looks, communication, and cultural interaction,” Boberto summed up.

  “That’s the intent,” Cindellou agreed.

  “Now the one part I am missing is how the EEG comes into play,” Boberto said. “We covered how the MRI is used to detect attraction and to calibrate the EEG for the swimsuit competition, but not how the EEG is used.”

  “Well, Boberto, that calibration of the EEG using the MRI is the key. The EEG lets us detect the brain signals that corresponded to the detection of attraction by the MRI,” Cindellou explained.

  “So, just like with the MRI…” Boberto said with gradual understanding.

  “The participants don’t have to report attraction,” Cindellou finished. “The EEG alerts our technicians whether attraction is present and lets us score the level of attraction.”

  “How the scoring works sounds like something we are going to have an expert explain,” Boberto said with a smile.

  “That’s right,” Cindellou responded. “It’s my turn to show an interview with a scientist. Hopefully you’ll find it as informative, and as amusing, as I found your interviews.”

  “Well, before we go to that interview I just want to let our viewers know what is coming up later in the program,” Boberto said, turning to look into the camera. “After Cindellou’s interview with Master Researcher Cathrein Smoith, we will come back and have live coverage of the delegates from the colonies of Urbanek’s Folly and Ehrewemos in the evening wear competition, and in the interview phase we’ll visit the delegates from the colonies of Crayona Carpasinus and Castor Nova.”

  “And we’d like to remind our viewers to vote for their favorite delegates from these events,” Cindellou added. “Viewer favorites will be brought in studio for exclusive interviews. If you’d like the delegates to answer your questions, then you can go ont
o our netsite to submit them. Selected questions will be…”

  * * *

  “Honey…”

  The man watching the program turned as the seductive voice called from behind him.

  “The kids are asleep. Come to bed.” As he looked over his shoulder at his wife, she gave a wink with her nictitating membrane and wiggled her tentacles at him in a little wave before slipping down the hallway out of sight.

  “Coming dear,” he called excitedly, but quiet enough not to risk waking the children. Hopping up from the couch, he reached out for the remote and mashed the power button with his thumb to turn off the entertainment system before hurrying to bed.

  Acknowledgement: The author and

  editors thank Sandra L.H. Medlock

  for editorial assistance on this story.

  Homo Stellaris—Working Track Report from the Tennessee Valley Interstellar Workshop

  Robert E. Hampson and Les Johnson

  At the Tennessee Valley Interstellar Workshop (TVIW) 2016 Symposium, the Homo Stellaris (People of the Stars) Working Track discussed adaptations that humans and society may undergo to sustain the dream of going to the stars. Participants were divided into groups to discuss subtopics including physiological, sociological, psychological, and political adaptations to support interstellar exploration and colonization. A Synergy Group was formed to synthesize the results and prepare a report. The first conclusion of the Synergy Group was that many of the adaptations would be mission-specific. In particular, exploratory missions that do not result in colonization would have different adaptations than those establishing colonies. Thus, exploratory crews would have to concentrate on adapting humans to space conditions: low gravity, low atmospheric pressure, confinement, isolation, small crew military or mission-oriented social structure, and well-defined mission objectives. In contrast, colonists would need to adapt to a specific planetary environment, community-based social structure, a growing population, and high flexibility in tasks and goals supporting colony growth.