Brainship
Encyclopedia
A brainship is a fictional concept of an interstellar starship. A brainship is made by inserting the disembodied brain and nervous system of a human being into a life-support system, and connecting it surgically to a series of computers via delicate synaptic connections (a Brain-computer interface
.) The brain "feels" the ship (or any other connected peripherals) as part of its own body. Flying, taking off, landing, and controlling all the other features of the ship are as natural as moving, breathing and talking are to an ordinary human. Being wired into a computer speeds their reactions, but still allows their human brains to make intelligent decisions based on calculations.
, by Anne McCaffrey
. The brainship was popularized in this short story about the brainship Helva. However, McCaffrey cited as her inspiration an earlier story. She says,
1965 - Becalmed in Hell, by Larry Niven
. This short story was about Eric, an injured man who became a brainship, and his mobile partner Howie. Eric could not take off from the hazardous surface of Venus because he "felt" something wrong with his "wings". Howie had to find a solution before they both died.
1966, 1969 - Additional Short Stories, by McCaffrey
. These short stories were published in the The Ship Who Sang
collection.
1992 - 1994 - Additional Novels, co-written by McCaffrey
.
1996 - The Ship Errant , by S.M. Stirling.
1997 - The Ship Avenged , by Jody Lynn Nye
.
1994 - Starfire board wargame - Alkelda Dawn expansion, originally created in 1979 by Stephen V. Cole
. This "4X
" (eXplore, eXpand, eXploit and eXterminate) board wargame
simulates space warfare
and empire building in the 23rd century. In it, the J'rill are a race of cybernetic brainships. Originally humanoid, their meritocracy needed to process more and more information as their world grew and computerized. Development of Brain-computer interface
s improved their services to society. However, the Directors became more distant from their bodies as technology advanced. Eventually, their bodies required only life support, making them effectively immortal. As they lost their humanity, their policy decisions became heartless, eventually leading to civil war. The J'rill directors suppressing the revolt by destroying nearly all of their subjects.
2. The sheer bulk of a brainship makes it ill-suited to performing certain tasks. To this end, fictional brainships generally have a mobile partner(s).
In Niven's story, ambulatory partner Howie found no mechanical reason for brainship Eric's claim of immobility, which was endangering both of their lives. Howie could not examine Eric's physical body without harming him. Eric could not come up with evidence to convince Howie, and had no way to help himself. Howie concluded privately that the problem is psychological, and risked his life with a ruse which enabled Eric to take off. Only when they escape and Eric was checked out by maintenance personnel was the truth discovered.
In the Starfire board game, the J'rill directors destroyed nearly all of their subjects during a revolt/civil war. This also meant loss of materials and repairs for their life support and cybernetic systems. The J'rill spread out into space to conquer star systems for resources. They depended upon drones for ordinary tasks, and remotes for more independent tasks such as combat.
Brain-computer interface
A brain–computer interface , sometimes called a direct neural interface or a brain–machine interface , is a direct communication pathway between the brain and an external device...
.) The brain "feels" the ship (or any other connected peripherals) as part of its own body. Flying, taking off, landing, and controlling all the other features of the ship are as natural as moving, breathing and talking are to an ordinary human. Being wired into a computer speeds their reactions, but still allows their human brains to make intelligent decisions based on calculations.
Publishing History
1961 - The Ship Who SangThe Ship Who Sang
The Ship Who Sang is a science fiction novel by Anne McCaffrey, a fix-up of five stories published 1961 to 1969. Alternatively, "The Ship Who Sang" is the earliest of the stories, a novelette, which became the first chapter of the book...
, by Anne McCaffrey
Anne McCaffrey
Anne Inez McCaffrey was an American-born Irish writer, best known for her Dragonriders of Pern series. Over the course of her 46 year career she won a Hugo Award and a Nebula Award...
. The brainship was popularized in this short story about the brainship Helva. However, McCaffrey cited as her inspiration an earlier story. She says,
1965 - Becalmed in Hell, by Larry Niven
Larry Niven
Laurence van Cott Niven / ˈlæri ˈnɪvən/ is an American science fiction author. His best-known work is Ringworld , which received Hugo, Locus, Ditmar, and Nebula awards. His work is primarily hard science fiction, using big science concepts and theoretical physics...
. This short story was about Eric, an injured man who became a brainship, and his mobile partner Howie. Eric could not take off from the hazardous surface of Venus because he "felt" something wrong with his "wings". Howie had to find a solution before they both died.
1966, 1969 - Additional Short Stories, by McCaffrey
Anne McCaffrey
Anne Inez McCaffrey was an American-born Irish writer, best known for her Dragonriders of Pern series. Over the course of her 46 year career she won a Hugo Award and a Nebula Award...
. These short stories were published in the The Ship Who Sang
The Ship Who Sang
The Ship Who Sang is a science fiction novel by Anne McCaffrey, a fix-up of five stories published 1961 to 1969. Alternatively, "The Ship Who Sang" is the earliest of the stories, a novelette, which became the first chapter of the book...
collection.
1992 - 1994 - Additional Novels, co-written by McCaffrey
Anne McCaffrey
Anne Inez McCaffrey was an American-born Irish writer, best known for her Dragonriders of Pern series. Over the course of her 46 year career she won a Hugo Award and a Nebula Award...
.
1996 - The Ship Errant , by S.M. Stirling.
1997 - The Ship Avenged , by Jody Lynn Nye
Jody Lynn Nye
Jody Lynn Nye is an American science fiction writer. She has frequently collaborated as a co-author or the author of a sequel....
.
1994 - Starfire board wargame - Alkelda Dawn expansion, originally created in 1979 by Stephen V. Cole
Stephen V. Cole
Stephen V. Cole is an American game designer and the CEO of Amarillo Design Bureau, Inc. which publishes Star Fleet Battles, Federation and Empire, Federation Commander, Prime Directive, and other wargames set in the Star Fleet Universe.Cole, an engineer and former US Army intelligence officer,...
. This "4X
4X
4X games are a genre of strategy video game in which players control an empire and "explore, expand, exploit, and exterminate." The term was first coined by Alan Emrich in his September 1993 preview of Master of Orion for Computer Gaming World...
" (eXplore, eXpand, eXploit and eXterminate) board wargame
Board wargame
A board wargame is a wargame with a set playing surface or board, as opposed to being played on a computer, or in a more free-form playing area as in miniatures games. The hobby around this type of game got its start in 1954 with the publication of Tactics, and saw its greatest popularity in the...
simulates space warfare
Space warfare
Space warfare is combat that takes place in outer space, i.e. outside the atmosphere. Space warfare therefore includes ground-to-space warfare, such as attacking satellites from the Earth, as well as space-to-space warfare, such as satellites attacking satellites.It does not include the use of...
and empire building in the 23rd century. In it, the J'rill are a race of cybernetic brainships. Originally humanoid, their meritocracy needed to process more and more information as their world grew and computerized. Development of Brain-computer interface
Brain-computer interface
A brain–computer interface , sometimes called a direct neural interface or a brain–machine interface , is a direct communication pathway between the brain and an external device...
s improved their services to society. However, the Directors became more distant from their bodies as technology advanced. Eventually, their bodies required only life support, making them effectively immortal. As they lost their humanity, their policy decisions became heartless, eventually leading to civil war. The J'rill directors suppressing the revolt by destroying nearly all of their subjects.
Weaknesses
1. The remaining human physical parts of the fictional brainship (brain, nervous system, possibly others) must be maintained on constant life support. Any interruption is life-threatening.2. The sheer bulk of a brainship makes it ill-suited to performing certain tasks. To this end, fictional brainships generally have a mobile partner(s).
Protection
In McCaffrey's stories the ship's physical component is encased in a "shell" with life support and connections to the ship's computers. The mobile human partner is referred to as a "Brawn", a specially trained companion and aide. In her stories, brain/brawn partnerships can be short-lived and professional, lasting only as long as the mission, or they may be long, deep, meaningful friendships. In some cases, they may fall in love. Brawn obsession was formerly a serious concern, as a love-crazed brawn might have attempted to breach the life-support shell in order to get at the body entombed within, only to kill the person and go mad with grief. This possibility was effectively eliminated by the brainship Hypatia Cade (during the events of the book "The Ship Who Searched") through the invention and creation of human-replica prosthetic bodies that shellpeople could project their consciousness into through short-range, high-bandwidth transmission.In Niven's story, ambulatory partner Howie found no mechanical reason for brainship Eric's claim of immobility, which was endangering both of their lives. Howie could not examine Eric's physical body without harming him. Eric could not come up with evidence to convince Howie, and had no way to help himself. Howie concluded privately that the problem is psychological, and risked his life with a ruse which enabled Eric to take off. Only when they escape and Eric was checked out by maintenance personnel was the truth discovered.
In the Starfire board game, the J'rill directors destroyed nearly all of their subjects during a revolt/civil war. This also meant loss of materials and repairs for their life support and cybernetic systems. The J'rill spread out into space to conquer star systems for resources. They depended upon drones for ordinary tasks, and remotes for more independent tasks such as combat.