posted
I could be wrong since I don't have the books with me to look it up, but in 'Ender in Exile' Ender wonders why the Formics didn't make the MD device themselves, but if I recall correctly (again, sorry if I'm wrong, its been a couple of years since I read 'Ender's Game') just before one of the battles theres something along the lines of 'and now the buggers had their own version of the MD device', or something like that.
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posted
The closet thing to that line that I can recall is a line stating that by the later battles the Buggers were aware of the capabilities of the M.D. Device, and thus spread out their ships. I don't recall any mention of them having the weapon itself though.
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posted
Yeah, I don't think the Buggers had actual scientific knowledge of the specific capabilities of the Dr. Device, but it's pretty plain that they'd seen it in action and knew how to account for it.
In dubloe's defense I'm pretty sure it was mentioned specifically that the Buggers had weapons that could take out huge groups of ships at once, though this isn't associated with any MD technology.
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posted
actually, clumpy, I remembered this specifically because it is revealed in 'Ender in Exile' that the md device is basically Formic technology repurposed, and that they would have recognized it immediately.
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posted
Wikipedia says you're right, dubloe. They probably just hadn't adapted it into a weapon themselves.
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posted
dubloe, I remember that too -- I think the buggers used the same technology to power their ships, but they hadn't realized they could make it into a weapon (or didn't want to). So they knew what the technology could do but didn't have the weapon themselves.
I remember in 'Exile' Ender being really shocked when he realized that the buggers used the same technology -- it meant the HQ was letting Ender kill her, or something like that.
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posted
Yeah, the buggers had the technology to do it, they just didn't want to. Once they discovered they came so close to destroying the human race, they were terrified of actually doing it. In Ender's Game, they only stated that they could build the MD device since it was used.
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posted
It occurred to me at some point that it might have been 'Ender's Shadow' that mentioned this, but I can't find it in there either. It might also have been in some flashback from one of the other books in the series... Also, I know the reason given in 'Ender in Exile' why they didn't use it in its weaponized state, but maybe OSC forgot, or didn't have the idea to make the MD device and the star drives the same technology yet. Either way, upon (very briefly) skimming both novels (at least the relevent portions of them), I am unable to find the reference, though it is a single sentence in a novel, I may have missed it. If anyone is planning a more thorough reread I would appreciate it if you would keep an eye out.
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posted
I remember something in ender's game about ships being spread apart until they looked like tiny points of light because of the distances amd weapons involved, but I don't remember it stating that the buggers also had a MD device.
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posted
I believe the line people are thinking of was in Ender's Shadow, when the narration is of Bean's inner monologue, to paraphrase: "The buggers would have to attack now, they would have no choice, because every species needs to survive, only this time, they would have Dr. Device."
That thought only makes sense in the context of Bean's own narrative, because he alone knows the attack on the buggers is real, and he is the only character who's inner monologue would represent this point of view in the story. We never hear Graff's or Rackem's inner monologues in Ender's Game or Ender's Shadow, and of course in Ender's Game, Ender's own inner monologue does not reflect the knowledge that the attack is real, until it has already passed. So Bean is the one who shares this thought in the narrative- he is the only one with the knowledge and voice to do so in the books.
Alternatively, this might be rationalization on the part of Graff, explaining to Ender that he had made the right decision using the MD against the planet.
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Orincoro had it right. It was in Ender's Shadow. page 449.
quote:Maybe it isn't hopeless. Maybe there's some way to get down to the planet's surface and wipe the Buggers out of the universe. Now is the time for miracles. For Ender, the others will do their best work. If I took over, they'd be so upset, so distracted that even if I came up with a plan that had some kind of chance, it would never work because their hearts wouldn't be in it.
Ender has to try. If he doesn't, we all die. Because even if they weren't going to send another fleet against us, after this they'll have to send one. Because we beat all their fleets in every battle till now. If we don't win this one, with finality, destroying their capability to make war against us, then they'll be back. And this time they'll have figured out how to make the DR. Device themselves.
We have only the one world. We have only the one hope.
Do it, Ender.
On a related note I discovered its very easy to search books using Google Books. In this case I went to advanced search, entered DR Device and under author Orson Scott Card.
posted
thanks steve, I knew I wasn't crazy enough to have created that line out of nowhere. I was remembering: And this time they've figured out how to make the DR. Device themselves. instead of: And this time they'll have figured out how to make the DR. Device themselves.
I had .txt files of both books and I thought that I had looked at every instance of: dr., doctor, device, m.d., and molecular in both books and couldn't find it. I guess I must have missed it.
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