Law in Science Fiction: An Introduction

Lyall, Francis. "Law in Science Fiction: An Introduction." Foundation #55 (Summer 1992): 43-57.

Briefly describes and discusses several relevant themes and stories. Themes: "Technical developments" in trial procedures in SF (46-47), a complex cyborg as a judge of "Trials" (48), and computers as "Judges" (49—the quoted words and phrases are FL's section titles). Relevant fiction includes Frederik Pohl and C. M. Kornbluth's Gladiator at Law (1955), with its wired-for-sound judge and electronic jury; Alfred Bester's The Demolished Man (1953), with "Old Man Mose": the "Mosaic Multiplex Prosecution Computer"; H. Beam Piper's Little Fuzzy (1962) and Anne McCaffrey's Killishandra (1985), with their electronic truth detectors and just possibly in Killishandra, computer judge and "Judicial Monitor" (cf. truth detector in K. Vonnegut's Player Piano); and Robert A. Heinlein's Have Space Suit, Will Travel (1958), for a judge FL describes as "part machine a part a synergistic combination of representatives of many of the races of the Three Galaxies" (48). (RDE, 14/01/93)