Quotation question

[Anonymouse]

There's a quote from a Star Trek novel, but I'm damned if I can recall which one:

"It is a Vulcan calculation that the lifetime of a culture after it discovers nuclear fission is either fifty years, or indefinite."

Any ideas, peeps?

[thenry]

Get out some more

Originally Posted by Anonymouse

There's a quote from a Star Trek novel, but I'm damned if I can recall which one:

"It is a Vulcan calculation that the lifetime of a culture after it discovers nuclear fission is either fifty years, or indefinite."

Any ideas, peeps?

One day AI will kill us all in our beds. For now, however, it is our ever-willing slave.

Spock’s World is the Star Trek original novel featuring the quote “It is a Vulcan calculation that the lifetime of a culture after it discovers nuclear fission is either fifty years, or indefinite.” Written by Diane Duane and published in 1988, the book explores Vulcan’s history, including its nuclear wars before Surak’s reforms, and this line highlights the Vulcans’ logical view on civilizations’ survival post-fission discovery. The novel alternates between a modern secession plot and historical flashbacks, with the quote appearing in a chapter on Vulcan’s ancient conflicts.

I guess we're ok then.

[Anonymouse]

Damn, I thought I'd checked that! Thanks!

[Anonymouse]

Except...I can't find it in my Kindle copy. Odd. I'll have a look in the physical copy.

Still can't find it.

Originally Posted by Anonymouse

Except...I can 't find it in my Kindle copy. Odd. I'll have a look in the physical copy.

It’s possible the reason AI hasn’t killed us all in our beds yet is that it has a habit of just making sh*t up. I don’t own a copy of the book in question so I have no way of verifying Grok’s claim …

Originally Posted by Chris

It’s possible the reason AI hasn’t killed us all in our beds yet is that it has a habit of just making sh*t up. I don’t own a copy of the book in question so I have no way of verifying Grok’s claim …

I have an e-book version of the book, and it can’t be found (using the search facility).

Various searches on google attribute to both Tuvak, and Spock, and also quote various episodes, films and books. Very odd, unless its been repeated multiple times.

[Anonymouse]

I thought the quote might be c/o Margaret Wander Bonanno, but it's not in Strangers From The Sky, and Dwellers In The Crucible isn't an e-book (why not? It was terrific).

Originally Posted by Hugh

I have an e-book version of the book, and it can’t be found (using the search facility).

In for a penny …

Originally Posted by me

I have searched the text of the e-book version of Spock’s World and cannot find this quote. Please think harder.

Originally Posted by Grok

The Final Reflection is the Star Trek original novel that features this quote (or a very close variant of it). Written by John M. Ford and published in 1984 as part of the Star Trek: The Original Series line (book #16), the story is a deep dive into Klingon culture and philosophy through the eyes of a young Klingon officer. The line appears in a reflective passage contrasting Vulcan logic with Klingon perspectives on technological advancement and societal survival, emphasizing how civilizations either self-destruct soon after unlocking atomic power or achieve lasting stability. The slight wording differences in some recollections (e.g., “lifespan” vs. “lifetime,” “basic fission” vs. “nuclear fission”) are common in fan discussions, but the core idea and phrasing match exactly to this book. My earlier attribution to Spock’s World was incorrect—apologies for that mix-up; further digging clarified it here. If your e-book search missed it due to edition variations or OCR issues, the physical copy or a digital search for “Vulcan calculation” should pinpoint it around the historical interludes.

edition variations or OCR issues

That’s a first - an LLM fronted by a chatbot with delusions of grandeur saying “not my fault, Guv - I blame the other software…"

[Anonymouse]

The Final Reflection! I never thought of that one!

FOUND IT! I knew I'd read it somewhere!

Cheers!

Originally Posted by Anonymouse

The Final Reflection! I never thought of that one!

FOUND IT! I knew I'd read it somewhere!

Cheers!

No worries, though it does usefully highlight the limitations of AI as a research tool. You still have to be able to recognise a wrong answer and challenge it to try again.