Re: (ReacTor) Five SFF Works About Contests and Competition

On 2025-06-02, Don <g@crcomp.net> wrote:

An egg shaped cell activator in Perry Rhodan bestows immortality upon
whoever wears it around their neck. In PR151 "Signals of Eternity" the
superintelligence collective called IT releases twenty-five activators
into the wild. Those with the wits to win one and keep it will live
forever. The collective's competition continues in the background
through several ensuing PR novellas.

I wouldn't really call this a competition.  It was more like a
treasure hunt.

    The race is on for the 25  cell activators distributed by [IT]
    across the Milky Way. The new cell activators are freely
    transferable and, unlike Atlan's and Perry Rhodan's activators,
    do not adapt to the individual cell vibrations of the wearer.
    [IT] denied its former protégés from the United Empire the
    usual cell shower, as the superintelligence is threatened by
    a danger of as yet unknown proportions, and [IT] must withdraw
    indefinitely.

IIRC, the danger from which IT supposedly fled at that time was
later deemed too trifling for IT's powers and some retconning ensued
that IT had actually fled from... this other new danger... but had
misjudged the timing.  Because those god-like superentities are
always a bit absent-minded, it seems.

--
Christian "naddy" Weisgerber                          naddy@mips.inka.de