Betans refer to the inhabitants of Beta 3, Star System C-111. This planet is in "Return of the Archons".
The reason that I ask the question is that there appear to be similarities in the civilizations of the two planets. And there is one major difference-the Betans didn't have space travel.
So, do you think the Borg are like the Betans? And do you think that there is a theme in how these civilizations interfaced with humans?
Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on July 15, 2001 09:16 AM:
Uh, no. I think drawing a parallel between Landru and the Borg is like building a suspension bridge out of saltwater taffy.
Posted by TSN (Member # 31) on July 15, 2001 09:30 AM:
Mmm, taffy...
Posted by The Mighty Monkey of Mim (Member # 646) on July 15, 2001 11:31 AM:
Saltwater taffy, no less. DEEEEEEEEEE-LISH!!!!!!!!!!! Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on July 15, 2001 02:52 PM:
I didn't mean to drown out your thread in a flood of sugary confections, targetemployee.
Posted by TSN (Member # 31) on July 15, 2001 02:54 PM:
Mmm, confection...
Posted by Vogon Poet (Member # 393) on July 15, 2001 04:51 PM:
WTF is saltwater taffy? Sounds like some grizzled old Cajun singer. . .
Posted by Mr. Christopher (Member # 71) on July 16, 2001 12:17 AM:
Lee: Must be a US thing, 'cause I've never heard of it, either. Posted by AndrewR (Member # 44) on July 16, 2001 02:05 AM:
I've never understood what the US word 'taffy' was... it sounded like TOFFEE... as in toffee apples.
There was that Lisa Loeb song "Pulling Taffy" that just seemed to make the word more confusing.
I'm gathering if you can 'pull taffy' - and that it's a sweet confectionery... that it must be something like either, fairy-floss, 'toffee', or even like the 'candy' that is the hard sweet lollies that are those 'old fashioned' hard-boiled lollies... usually multi-coloured.
Andrew
Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on July 16, 2001 04:42 AM:
Taffy is a soft, chewy sort of candy. I'm not exactly well versed in taffy lore, but the saltwater bit comes from the fact that there is salt in it, and it is most often associated with piers and other beachfront sorts of places.
To prepare taffy, you have to stretch, or pull it. A lot.
Posted by Dukhat (Member # 341) on July 16, 2001 07:15 AM:
Leaving the taffy-related subjects and actually trying to answer TE's question (which I'm sure he's more than happy about):
I always envisioned the original Borg race as being isolated from the rest of the galaxy as well. Instead of making contact with other species (or even being aware of their existence), they ended up becoming slaves to their own technology to the point where they couldn't exist without it. Very similar to the Cybermen of Doctor Who, the technology became a part of them, and as other forms of flora & fauna life died out on their world, they "adapted" to life without it. But since you can only go on like this for so long on your own planet, they realized the need for expansion into space. And coincidentally, instead of having to rely on their own technology, they now had to survive by assimilating someone else's.
That's my theory.
Posted by The Mighty Monkey of Mim (Member # 646) on July 16, 2001 08:04 AM:
Not a half-bad one, either.
Posted by TSN (Member # 31) on July 16, 2001 02:27 PM:
Apparently, the word "toffee" is derived from the word "taffy". I think the difference is that taffy is soft and toffee is hard. That's what I gather from the dictionary definition, anyway. I know what taffy is, but I'm not sure about toffee.
Posted by The_Tom (Member # 38) on July 16, 2001 02:44 PM:
*smacks Tim hard* Americentric Bastard!
Taffy is an American bastardization of Toffee. It refers specifically to the softer, stickier, saltwaterier species of the genus Toffeeae.
Posted by Michael_T (Member # 144) on July 16, 2001 05:39 PM:
What book did you get this out of Tom?
Posted by PsyLiam (Member # 73) on July 17, 2001 05:02 AM:
One of those banned books in the US. You know, the sort that mention that the world is not a barren, anarchic wasteland outside the US. Posted by TSN (Member # 31) on July 17, 2001 12:38 PM:
The dictionary I have says "taffy" dates back to "1810-20" while "toffee" dates to "1820-30" and its etymology is "var. of TAFFY".
Posted by PsyLiam (Member # 73) on July 17, 2001 09:16 PM:
See? It's like 1984. They are gradually changing all the books in the US so that, eventually, EVERYTHING will have come from America. Even Caesar. And Jesus. And John Cleese.
Posted by TSN (Member # 31) on July 18, 2001 01:11 PM:
I wonder how they'll explain the accent...?
Posted by PsyLiam (Member # 73) on July 19, 2001 10:14 AM:
Tall people speak differently due to the fact that there's less oxygen higher-up. It's God's way of making sure taller people are punished for being closer to Heaven.
Yes.
Posted by TSN (Member # 31) on July 19, 2001 04:04 PM:
Ah, yes... It's all becoming clear. I see the light...
