I had an interesting OSC related thought the other day. If you switched Bean and Ender's lives after battle school, who would have fared better? Ender on Earth while Peter tries to become Hegemon, or Bean, dealing with aliens and being contacted by Jane? Would Bean have become the Speaker for the Dead? What would he have done in Ender's place, finding the Hive Queen's egg on that first colony?
How would things have turned out differently? I know we can't know for sure, but it's interesting to think about.
- Abyss
Posted by camus (Member # 8052) on :
quote:Ender on Earth while Peter tries to become Hegemon or Bean, dealing with aliens and being contacted by Jane? Would Bean have become the Speaker for the Dead? What would he have done in Ender's place, finding the Hive Queen's egg on that first colony?
So many possible outcomes, but I don't think Jane would have contacted Bean, I don't see why Bean would have ever become a Speaker, and I doubt Bean would have found the Hive Queen's egg.
I imagine that Bean would likely eventually be drawn back to earth and Ender would eventually have felt compelled to leave earth.
Posted by JustAskIndiana (Member # 9268) on :
I've always wondered how Ender would have handled the situation on Earth. The thing that keeps comming to mind is that Bean and the rest of the Battle Schoolers keep saying "this country has the will to power, this country doesn't", etc. but would Ender have been able to ignite the will of an entire people? Assuming he wanted to of course.
Posted by pooka (Member # 5003) on :
So by after battle school, do you mean Bean commits the xenocide and Ender does not? The problem that happens is Bean wasn't into the fantasy game, so would there be a bridge built to form Jane? How would the Hive Queen be hidden in a recognizable form?
Bean did eventually learn to love, so I think he could eventually have the type of response that might result in the Speaker for the Dead. But if he has the accelerated growth, that creates other problems.
As for Ender, do we assume he still killed Bonso and Stilson? If he didn't do these things in the course of saving Earth, then he probably winds up in the criminal justice system unless he can be useful to Peter.