Marathon's Story... What's New (Jan-Feb 1996)


Feb 29, 1996
Simon Rowland <simon@eagle.ca> writes concerning Thoth's function. See the Thoth section of Facts and puzzling things about... for details.

Feb 28, 1996
Matthew Smith <matthew@quest.net> writes concerning the Gheritt White terminal on "Never Burn Money". See the Gheritt White section of Facts and puzzling things about... for details.

Feb 26, 1996
Matthew Smith <matthew@quest.net> writes concerning Thoth's obsession with balance. See the Thoth section of Facts and puzzling things about... for details.

Eylon Caspi <eylon@glue.umd.edu> writes concerning the S'pht'Kr clan's final message. See the Thoth section of Facts and puzzling things about... for details.

Matthew Smith <matthew@quest.net> writes concerning Durandal's seventeen year search for Lh'owon. See the Durandal section of Facts and puzzling things about... for details.

Feb 23, 1996
Bach <kirill@lava.net> writes concerning our possible origins (as a cyborg) on Thermopylae. See the You section of Facts and puzzling things about... for details.

Craig Durkin <durkin@mindspring.com> provides an interesting tidbit from the first terminal on "The Slings & Arrows of Outrageous Fortune". Craig writes "...look at the little code below the Marathon symbol. At the very beginning it says "jon3". Now if I remember correctly, that was the beginning of Jason's real e-mail address at the University of Chicago."

Yes! <jon3@quads.uchicago.edu>

Feb 22, 1996
OK story freaks... hang onto your hats cause have I got news for you Greg's Back and that's a fact.

Bungie announce Marathon Infinity. "...the saga continues. Marathon Infinity will elaborate the Marathon story, laying bare many of the mysteries raised in the first two games about Durandal, Tycho and the player."

Feb 20, 1996
Matthew Smith <matthew@quest.net> writes concerning Durandal's seemingly hostile actions towards us prior to the Pfhor attack on the Shuttle Mirata. See the Durandal section of Facts and puzzling things about... for details.

Matthew also adds something special to the the Simulacrums section of Facts and puzzling things about.... But you have to see it to believe it. Are icons sentient? Only if you have Netscape 2.0 it seems.

Feb 17, 1996
Oh no! not MORE icons from Matthew Smith <matthew@quest.net>? Yes ;-)

Feb 16, 1996
Matthew Smith <matthew@quest.net> provides some interesting information about the possible origin of the name Gheritt White. See the Gheritt White section of Facts and puzzling things about....

Added additional information to the Gheritt White section of Facts and puzzling things about.... Gheritt or Gherrit? That is the question.

Matthew Smith <matthew@quest.net> writes concerning one of the 'trash' terminals on Arrival. Added new section Trash Terms to Facts and puzzling things about... to discuss these.

Feb 15, 1996
Another icon from Matthew Smith <matthew@quest.net>. But this one is special. It was by request. You'll need Netscape 2.0 to see it. Well... where is it? You'll have to find this one yourself. Unlike Leela I give no hints ;-)

Feb 14, 1996
Eylon Caspi <eylon@glue.umd.edu> writes concerning the Thoth terminals. See the Thoth section of Facts and puzzling things about....

Feb 13, 1996
Matthew Smith <matthew@quest.net> writes concerning the number seven. Check out the The Number Seven section of Facts and puzzling things about....

Interesting to note that David Alexander Smith's book Rendezvous, the second volume in his Marathon trilogy, was a runner up in the Philip K. Dick Award for Best Original SF Paperback in 1989.

Yet another icon from Matthew Smith <matthew@quest.net>. You will need Netscape 2.0 to take advantage of this one. See the The UESC/UESG section of Facts and puzzling things about....

Feb 12, 1996
Matthew Smith <matthew@quest.net> writes concerning the apparently garbaged history term on "Smells Like Napalm, Tastes Like Chicken!". See The Chicken Term section of Facts and puzzling things about....

Some more icons from Matthew Smith <matthew@quest.net>. See the Leela , Thoth and The Jjaro sections of Facts and puzzling things about....

Feb 11, 1996
Another title graphic from the man. Check out the Robert Blake section of Facts and puzzling things about....

Feb 10, 1996
Planning a trip to Tau Ceti ? So just how far away is it? 92 light years or 11.77 light years?

Anybody out there? The Detectability of Extraterrestrial Technological Activities.

Matthew Smith <matthew@quest.net> provides another excellent title graphic. See The S'pht section of Facts and puzzling things about....

Feb 9, 1996
Added a picture of the level "Never Burn Money" to show the text "JJARRO WERE AT TAU CETI" in all its glory. See the Map Text section of Facts and puzzling things about....

Feb 8, 1996
Well sometimes you overlook the most obvious of things. Matthew Smith <matthew@quest.net> provides the full list of the map writings from the solo maps of Marathon and Marathon 2. And what is the first piece of text that comes up? Well you better check the new Map Text section of Facts and puzzling things about....

Many thanks also to Matthew for creating a very appropriate logo for the Map Text section. See the Map Text section of Facts and puzzling things about....

Feb 7, 1996
Eylon Caspi <eylon@glue.umd.edu> writes concerning the S'pht and their technological capabilities. Added new section The S'pht to Facts and puzzling things about... to discuss this.

Feb 6, 1996
Added new section to discuss the fate of Leela after the capture of the Marathon. See the Leela section of Facts and puzzling things about....

Eylon Caspi <eylon@glue.umd.edu> writes concerning the fate of Leela. See the Leela section of Facts and puzzling things about....

Eylon Caspi <eylon@glue.umd.edu> writes concerning the simulacrums and a possible Pfhor objective. See the Simulacrums section of Facts and puzzling things about....

Added additional information to Simulacrums section of Facts and puzzling things about....

Feb 5, 1996
Eylon Caspi <eylon@glue.umd.edu> writes concerning the relationship between the Jjaro and the S'pht. See the The Jjaro section of Facts and puzzling things about... for details.

Feb 3, 1996
Bach <kirill@lava.net> writes concerning the the cryptic Thoth message on "Beware of Abandoned Rental Trucks". See the Thoth section of Facts and puzzling things about... for details.

Edwin ten Dam <ebtd1@cam.ac.uk> writes concerning the level name "Charon Doesn't Make Change". See the Historical & Mythological References in Marathon section of Facts and puzzling things about....

Feb 2, 1996
Simon Rowland <simon@eagle.ca> and Bach <kirill@lava.net> both write concerning the black and white Thoth logo. See the Thoth section of Facts and puzzling things about... for details.

Eylon Caspi "eylon@glue.umd.edu" provides an interesting interpretation for the cryptic Thoth message on "Beware of Abandoned Rental Trucks". See the Thoth section of Facts and puzzling things about... for details.

Feb 1, 1996
Eric Jorgensen <jorge@execpc.com> provides some interesting information about a song called "Psychotron" from Megadeth's album Countdown to Extinction (1992). The lyrics describe a character similar to our own in Marathon and ask whether he is a man, mutant, or a cyborg?

Added additional information to The Number Seven section of Facts and puzzling things about....

Jan 31, 1996
Bach <kirill@lava.net> writes concerning the types of terminals available for use on certain levels. This helps to clear up some of the confusion over the apparent inconsistency in terminal use and how it relates to the story. See the Thoth section of Facts and puzzling things about... for details.

Jan 30, 1996
Added additional information to The Number Seven section of Facts and puzzling things about....

Added additional information to explain the existance of the Thoth-like terminal on "We're Everywhere". See the Thoth section of Facts and puzzling things about... for details.

Eylon Caspi "eylon@glue.umd.edu" also writes concerning the Thoth-like terminal on "We're Everywhere". See the Thoth section of Facts and puzzling things about... for details.

Jan 27, 1996
The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction, edited by John Clute and Peter Nicholls, London: Orbit, 1993 (ISBN 1-85723-124-4) has this to say about David Alexander Smith the author of Marathon (1982):

SMITH, D(AVID) ALEXANDER (1953 - ) US investment banker and writer who served as Treasurer of the Science Fiction Writers of America 1987-90 and has written several articles on wargame strategy. He began publishing sf with Marathon (1982), #1 in the Marathon sequence, which continues with Rendezvous (1988) and Homecoming (1990). The sequence is a First-Contact tale which depicts, with very considerable cunning, the slow process of learning and ultimate conceptual breakthrough attendant upon any genuine confrontation of Homo sapiens with the Other. In this case, the Cygnan aliens who are rendezvousing with humans in interstellar space, are intriguing perceived through flawed eyes. Although DAS succumbs to some clichéd presentation of sf conventions - for instance, the neurotic AI aboard the human starship - this slow, densely realized space-opera epic deserves considerable notice. [John Clute]
Jan 26, 1996
Seth Carus <seth@crystald.com> provides some interesting information about a book called Marathon by David Alexander Smith and published by Ace Books, copyright 1982 (ISBN 0-441-51943-1). Seth writes "It is interesting to point out that the premise of the story is about a crew of spaceship travellers who are terrorized by the ship's AI who becomes hyper aware and begins to deteriorate...".

Jan 25, 1996
Gabe Rosenkoetter <acrosenk@artsci.wustl.edu> writes concerning the Thoth-like terminal on "We're Everywhere". See the Thoth section of Facts and puzzling things about... for details.

Jan 24, 1996
Richard Williams <rswillia@mailbox.syr.edu> writes concerning the possibility that Blake was a cover for Durandal. Check out the Robert Blake section of Facts and puzzling things about... for details.

Richard Williams <rswillia@mailbox.syr.edu> provides an interesting observation about the Pfhor. "In M1, the middle eye was located below the other two... In M2, the middle eye is now above the other two... wonder what the story behind that little detail is?"

Edwin ten Dam <ebtd1@cam.ac.uk> writes concerning the number seven. See the The Number Seven section of Facts and puzzling things about... for details.

Jan 23, 1996
Edwin ten Dam <ebtd1@cam.ac.uk> writes concerning the possible origin of Blake's name. Check out the Robert Blake section of Facts and puzzling things about... for details.

Jan 22, 1996
Brian Blovett <bblovett@sdcc10.ucsd.edu> write concerning Robert Blake and his missing eye implant. Added new section Robert Blake to Facts and puzzling things about... to discuss this.

Dennis Keeler <dskeeler@math.lsa.umich.edu> speculates as to why the Blake terminals are identified by the word "piltdown". See the Robert Blake section of Facts and puzzling things about... for details.

Added additional information to the Robert Blake section to discuss why Blake lies to us and a possible origin of the name Blake.

Jan 21, 1996
Matthew Smith <matthew@quest.net> provides an answer to the Hexadecimal Term. Message on "Charon Doesn't Make Change". Check out the Charon's Hexadecimal Term. Message section of Facts and puzzling things about... for details.

Jan 19, 1996
Simon Rowland <simon@eagle.ca> writes concerning the hexadecimal terminals on "Charon Doesn't Make Change". Added new section Charon's Hexadecimal Term. Message to Facts and puzzling things about... to discuss this.

Added additional text from the Marathon 2: Durandal manual which provides further background to Marathon's Story. See page 16 of the Marathon 2 Manual Text for details.

Jan 15, 1996
Brian Blovett <bblovett@sdcc10.ucsd.edu> writes concerning the apparent confusion between the use of the abbreviations UESC and UESG. Added new section UESC/UESG to Facts and puzzling things about... to discuss this.

Noah Schaubaker <nms@spot.Colorado.EDU> writes concerning the Thoth-like terminal in "We're Everywhere". Check out the Thoth section of Facts and puzzling things about....

Noah Schaubaker <nms@spot.Colorado.EDU> offers an explanation for how Durandal could have "warned Sol of its impending invasion". See the Durandal section in Facts and puzzling things about....

Divided the rapidly expanding What's New section into bi-monthly parts. This will hopefully improve download times.

Jan 13, 1996
Added additional information to the Thoth section of Facts and puzzling things about... to discuss the appearance of a Thoth-like terminal on "We're Everywhere".

Added additional information to the Durandal section in Facts and puzzling things about... to discuss Durandal's life on Mars.

Jan 11, 1996
Manfred <fred@chemeng.stanford.edu> writes concerning the possible role of the Jjaro in the S'pht origin. See the The Jjaro section of Facts and puzzling things about... for details.

Simon Rowland <simon@eagle.ca> writes concerning the Marathon/PiD story tie-in. Check out the The Jjaro section of Facts and puzzling things about... for details.

Jan 10, 1996
Simon Rowland <simon@eagle.ca> provides further elucidation of the exit terminal on Fire! Fire! Fire! Fire! Fire! Check out the The 10th military Mjolnir Mark IV cyborg section of Facts and puzzling things about... for details

Added additional information to the Durandal section in Facts and puzzling things about... to discuss:

  1. at what stage Durandal contacted the Pfhor;
  2. at what stage Durandal become rampant;
  3. Durandal's life on Mars.

Jan 9, 1996
Peter Koetters <koetters@hsc.usc.edu> provides some interesting information on the possible origin of the name Bernard Strauss. Check out the Bernard Strauss section of Facts and puzzling things about... for details.

Loren Petrich <petrich@netcom.com> points out that there is an interesting connection between "teilhard" and "piltdown", names which appear on the Robert Blake terminals. Full details in the Historical & Mythological References in Marathon section of Facts and puzzling things about....

Both Dennis Keeler <dskeeler@math.lsa.umich.edu> and Jeremy Condit <afn02635@afn.org> supply the credit text to Pathways into Darkness. Check out The Jjaro section of Facts and puzzling things about....

Dennis Keeler <dskeeler@math.lsa.umich.edu> writes further on a possible Marathon/PiD tie-in. See the The Jjaro section of Facts and puzzling things about....

Jan 8, 1996
Many thanks to Jeremy Condit <afn02635@afn.org> for providing the background to the Jjaro in Bungie's earlier game Pathways into Darkness. The full text can be read in The Jjaro section of Facts and puzzling things about....

Jeremy Condit <afn02635@afn.org> also provides a possible explanation for the apparent temporal discrepancy between the Jjaro in Pathways into Darkness and the Jjaro in Marathon 2. Check out The Jjaro section of Facts and puzzling things about... for details.

Many thanks also to Dennis Keeler <dskeeler@math.lsa.umich.edu> for sending the introductory text to Pathways into Darkness. Some additional information is added to the text Jeremy Condit sent. See the The Jjaro section of Facts and puzzling things about....

Dennis Keeler <dskeeler@math.lsa.umich.edu> also provides some interesting speculation on a possible Marathon/PiD tie in. It's in the The Jjaro section of Facts and puzzling things about....

Jan 6, 1996
Jim MacLeod <jim@condor.sccs.swarthmore.edu> writes concerning the Jjaro and S'pht legend of Yrro and Pthia. Added new section The Jjaro to Facts and puzzling things about... to discuss this.

Excerpts from the Song of Roland are now available on the net.

Added information concerning the word "olifant" to the Historical & Mythological References in Marathon section of Facts and puzzling things about....

Jan 5, 1996
Corey Halpin <chalpin@tcs.itis.com> writes concerning Durandal's means of escaping the closure of the Universe. Full details in the Durandal section in Facts and puzzling things about....

Jan 2, 1996
Corey Halpin <chalpin@tcs.itis.com> writes concerning the identity of Traxus IV. Check out the Tycho section of Facts and puzzling things about... for details.

Added additional information to the Durandal section in Facts and puzzling things about.... This is based on Corey Halpin's <chalpin@tcs.itis.com> submission above.


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Hamish Sinclair
Hamish.Sinclair@tcd.ie
Last updated Feb 29, 1996