SciFi and Fantasy Book Club discussion

Found this spaceship and crew generator while chasing links across the internet the other day.

http://tradewind-mvii.herokuapp.com

It’s one of the more interesting ones I’ve encountered, because you can determine things like the ship’s prefix (like USS or HMS or one you’ve made up), plus crew size, and it also generates the crew, complete with description.

I don’t know what database it’s using, but it seems mostly Western. I did get a couple Australia-based names and one that was India-based. Maybe it’s former British Empire.

The crew descriptions look like they’re based on an adjective-and-noun formula, which sometimes results in humorous bios, such as,

Charlott Krizan
Petty Officer 2nd Class

This invisible 22-year-old woman has green eyes, a dark olive complexion, and straight jet black hair in a long braid. She is very tall and attractive. She is originally from The Populus Terraform Complex.

If she’s invisible, how do you know the rest? 😝 But it’s pretty cool nonetheless.

Trike wrote: "Found this spaceship and crew generator while chasing links across the internet the other day.

http://tradewind-mvii.herokuapp.com

It’s one of the more interesting ones I’ve encountered, because ..."

She is invisible, but the uniform isn't? Although the attractive part might be harder to believe.

Trike wrote: "Found this spaceship and crew generator while chasing links across the internet the other day.

http://tradewind-mvii.herokuapp.com

It’s one of the more interesting ones I’ve encountered, because ..."

Maybe they mean like "invisible to her superiors?" Just too many gorgeous, tall, green eyed petty officers running around. How's a girl to get noticed? Find out in the Krizan Chronicles! Book 1 - Petty

I do like the names of ships, crew, and general descriptions, but I just got a ship entirely full of chief petty officers. This story/game would be "The Pettiest Crew"

Allison wrote: "Trike wrote: "Found this spaceship and crew generator while chasing links across the internet the other day.

http://tradewind-mvii.herokuapp.com

It’s one of the more interesting ones I’ve encount..."

Sweet.

I am sorry if this will throw some cold water on this subject but, as an author of science-fiction, I find this app to be a potential killer for true writers' imagination. This is basically an encouragement to writer lazyness and corner cutting. Readers want to see the ideas and visions that the authors are capable of, not a paint-by-number puzzle passing off as original inspiration. Everything in a sci-fi novel should hold together and not be a pick-and-pluck ensemble. If a true sci-fi author wants to write a space adventure novel, then he/she will hopefully do their own research, read up on relevant subjects like lists of ethnic/national names, military ranks of past and present navies and so on. He/she will then be able to write a story that is coherent and will reflect his/her imagination.

Michel wrote: "I am sorry if this will throw some cold water on this subject but, as an author of science-fiction, I find this app to be a potential killer for true writers' imagination. This is basically an enco..."

Or you know it's just for fun. It's not doing anything. Oh sorry it is doing something. Discouraging me from reading your books.

Kim wrote: "Or you know it's just for fun. It's not doing anything. Oh sorry it is doing something. Discouraging me from reading your books. ..."

And why would my desire to see true originality in sci-fi books be seen as a negative thing?

Sweet app! I love my frigate crew already.

I was kidding about the story. I'm not actually writing a Petty Officer series ;)

Good find Trike 😃

Now to start writing my scifi book about the USS Hannibal..... 😜

Allison, I'd read that series.

Michel, please remember that you're not allowed to talk about your writing or books outside of the appropriate threads.

Also, This is just for fun rather than spin a dial and get your plot. I think perhaps you misunderstood its purpose.

Michel wrote: "I am sorry if this will throw some cold water on this subject but, as an author of science-fiction, I find this app to be a potential killer for true writers' imagination. This is basically an enco..."

You say that, but I’m guessing you’ve never thought of something as cool as Solar Jesus.

😝😄😂

Solar Jesus
Frigate (FF-163)
COMMAND

Captain Catrina Tokihiro , Commanding Officer
Captain Tokihiro is a driving 59-year-old woman has blue eyes, a dark olive complexion, and fine light brown hair in a long ponytail. She is very tall and quite muscular. She was raised in the quiet city of Lyeasia on Hercules III. Her executive officer is Lieutenant Commander Cruz Southam .

GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS

Status: Active service as of 2258
Commissioned: January 26, 2240
Homeport: Archimandrita II

Trike wrote: "Michel wrote: "I am sorry if this will throw some cold water on this subject but, as an author of science-fiction, I find this app to be a potential killer for true writers' imagination. This is ba... You say that, but I’m guessing you’ve never thought of something as cool as Solar Jesus."

I am sorry, but this is becoming downright infantile. And no, I didn't make my remark number 6 to try pushing my books. I in fact haven't mentioned any of my books in this thread, only the fact that I am an author. My remark was a generic one about my wish for all authors to use one's own imagination when writing a sci-fi story. And this is considered a controversial remark?

No, it's a remark that shows that you're not getting the point. The purpose of this generator is fun, not for authors to find a plot. Infantile silliness. Play. Nobody seriously expects Trike to write a book with a character named Solar Jesus, including the generator's creators.

As for your status as an author, it is against group policy to even mention it. When you're on these threads, you're a reader and only a reader. I know we've had similar situations crop up in the past and I'm telling you flat out that you need to abide by the rules or you will be removed from the group.

[Anything] name generators are always fun.

I set it on the largest crew size possible to see the variation in names. Although it was really good on not duplicating names (which would be evidence of too limited a database), it was very biased against Asian, French, and African names.

I found several E. European names, plenty of Anglo names, and a pretty good sample of Latino names. But only one Asian last name (Sung), no African or French. There are probably a lot of other blind spots as well (the vast diversity of Asian names for example includes Chinese, Korean, Japanese, SE Asian, and Polynesian ... etc.).

I guess because they're just for fun, name generators always seem limited or lazy ... I say that as a joke really, reminiscing about a friend of a friend who back in the early '90s or so created a program to generate star systems for his gaming group, which was playing the Traveller RPG at the time. His program didn't just do one star system at a time, it did an entire section of a galaxy with something like 60,000 star systems in it, each detailed with the star's name and scientific details, the planets of each system, the moons of each planet, the asteroid belts and Ort clouds and all that. Printed it all out and had it in a huge 3-ring binder. He he.

Where are the obsessive compulsive programmers these days? (I.e., "Why, back in MY day....")

This is pretty funny. I haven’t seen invisible yet, but most of the crew I got is blonde and attractive, and “a little tall” or “a little short”. One was described as glamorous.

Now- is there a spaceship crew generator out there that can filter in a few aliens?

Michel wrote: "I am sorry if this will throw some cold water on this subject but, as an author of science-fiction, I find this app to be a potential killer for true writers' imagination. This is basically an enco..."

While I don't necessarily disagree with you, that first one to come up could be used as a writer challenge. After all how would you incorporate and Invisible crew member into a story. The rest of the description would most likely have to be tossed.

Jacqueline wrote: "Good find Trike 😃

Now to start writing my scifi book about the USS Hannibal..... 😜"

USS Hannibal? I hope no one is being invited to dinner!

Sarah wrote: "This is pretty funny. I haven’t seen invisible yet, but most of the crew I got is blonde and attractive, and “a little tall” or “a little short”. One was described as glamorous.

Now- is there a sp..."

Oh, sure, just because they have European names and are all blonde and roughly the same height, they can't be natives of the planets they hail from? Maybe it's their mold spores or tentacles that are blonde, ever think of that? Way to be xenoist, Sarah =P

Allison wrote: "Sarah wrote: "This is pretty funny. I haven’t seen invisible yet, but most of the crew I got is blonde and attractive, and “a little tall” or “a little short”. One was described as glamorous.

Now-..."

Doh! Walked myself into that one.

Sarah Anne wrote: "No, it's a remark that shows that you're not getting the point. The purpose of this generator is fun, not for authors to find a plot. Infantile silliness. Play. Nobody seriously expects Trike to wr..."

I think it was more likely created, and this is just a guess since I haven't actually taken any time to play with it...yet, for gamers. Lots of character and those types of generators are Game Master tools that are very helpful for guiding and fleshing out campaigns.
Just at a guess as it were. But if I was gaming in a Space Opera Universe I would be all over that tool.

Sarah Anne wrote: "No, it's a remark that shows that you're not getting the point. The purpose of this generator is fun, not for authors to find a plot. Infantile silliness. Play. Nobody seriously expects Trike to wr..."

These generators are super useful to DMs for campaigns, and are pretty cool sometimes for coming up with character names for video games if you don't use default or just always use the same ones.

I just got a really odd mixture of descriptions:

"suave and impassive but excitable"
"forecful but criminal"
"painstaking and cute but flamboyant"
"empathetic but hostile"
"aggressive and businesslike but disconcerting"

Still no invisible though. :(

Aaron wrote: "These generators are super useful to DMs for campaigns, and are pretty cool sometimes for coming up with character names for video games if you don't use default or just always use the same ones."

Exactly. As a long time Traveller RPG DM and Player I can see this generator being very useful for generating ship and crew info on the fly.

Sarah wrote: "I just got a really odd mixture of descriptions:

"suave and impassive but excitable"
"forecful but criminal"
"painstaking and cute but flamboyant"
"empathetic but hostile"
"aggressive and busines..."

lol! I got an effeminate woman as one of my 10 petty officers. Still not sure how that works, but I think it makes her slightly masculine?

An effeminate, empathetic woman with a tendency toward painstakingly cute hostility.

Sarah wrote: "An effeminate, empathetic woman with a tendency toward painstakingly cute hostility."

Probably an alien. Idk that a human could pull this off.

AndrewP wrote: "Aaron wrote: "These generators are super useful to DMs for campaigns, and are pretty cool sometimes for coming up with character names for video games if you don't use default or just always use th..."

Traveler, where you have A and B as numbers. What a great game. I still have a copy of the Imperial Survey module.

Allison wrote: "Sarah wrote: "An effeminate, empathetic woman with a tendency toward painstakingly cute hostility."

Probably an alien. Idk that a human could pull this off."

What? Why not, I think that would equate to Tonya Harding during her skating days? No?

This thing is great for a few laughs or spark your imagination:
Admiral Pearce is a self-denying and determined 49-year-old woman has blue eyes, a pasty complexion, and thick red hair pinned neatly back. She is tall and thick. She was born in the gas mines of Rynaos VI. Her executive officer is Lieutenant Commander Ginette Heiden .

Self-denying, tall and thick? Probably was those gas mines...