How do Reavers pilot ships, them being insane cannibals and such?

POSTED BY: chrisisall
UPDATED: Thursday, December 2, 2021 20:06
VIEWED: 48258
PAGE 1 of 19

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 NEXT PAGE

CHRISISALL

Tuesday, October 11, 2005 1:24 PM

Citizen said they're too messed up to efficiently run a spacecraft or work together coherently; I maintain that they have selective psychosis, and are able to do what needs to be done in service to their insane bloodlust.

What are the theories regarding this, anyone care to set us straight?

Chrisisall creepafied

KRUNJ

Tuesday, October 11, 2005 1:32 PM

Reavers still maintain traces of their intelligence even after they went batshit loco.

You can tell it in the technology they have that they are capable of maintaining life on doomed spaceships.

MSCKAREN

Tuesday, October 11, 2005 1:37 PM

I've seen this complaint a few times. We judge them insane because they are so violent when they get into a killing spree. I have a couple of comparisons:

Carnivore pack animals like wolves. The reavers seem to hunt, kill and feed in packs when they can so they know how to cooperate to get what they want.

Remember in the pilot when the Reaver ship passes by and Wash(?) says, "They must not have been hungry"? Reminds me of the lions lying around while their food grazes...until the lions get hungry and they pick their most likely prey...

Second comparison: Some serial killers are known to have genius IQs. This doesn't stop them from being horribly vicious and insane - it just makes them better at catching their prey and evading capture.

Either of those work for you?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Appears they've cancelled the show and we're still here. What does that make us?"
"Big damn junkies, Sir!"
"Ain't we just."
http://karenallover.blogspot.com/

DIEGO

Tuesday, October 11, 2005 1:41 PM

I don't believe that the elevated agression suppresses all their other cognitive abilities. It simply can't be the case.

Not only do Reavers build, operate and maintain weapons (including some ingenious home-grown nonlethal capture devices) but they can maintain, modify, and pilot ships and seem to be capable of at least some level of planning.

Warning movie SPOILERS below!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Select to view spoiler:

I'm also not certain whether Reavers attack each other. I know there is the scene where one small ship is shown ripping another apart and some have suggested that they are both Reavers. I didn't get a close view but it could be a captured ship brought home to be dismantled for parts or could be the recycling of a damaged Reaver ship for parts. Have there been other alleged incidents of Reavers attacking each other? Also, why were the bodies of their fellow Mirandans left unmolested (besides dead people being less fun to despoil)? And how could 0.1% of the population have survived for twelve years if they were killing anything in sight? My own hypothesis to cover all these facts is that Reavers might not be simply randomly agressive at all times. I think that perhaps they have heightened xenophobia and attack "the other". The modifications and painting of their ships and the damage they do to their bodies might partially serve as a cultural identification badge. Thoughts?

Select to view spoiler:

BROWNTROUSERS

Tuesday, October 11, 2005 1:51 PM

Do you think the "Reavers" originally got their name from the fact that they had the "Reverse" effect when exposed to the device that was intended to calm the population?

GIXXER

Tuesday, October 11, 2005 1:51 PM

They use the same principles as drunk drivers.

Too pissed to walk, or hold a coherent conversation, yet able to do an entire bus queue with pinpoint accuracy.

EST120

Tuesday, October 11, 2005 1:54 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by chrisisall:
Citizen said they're too messed up to efficiently run a spacecraft or work together coherently; I maintain that they have selective psychosis, and are able to do what needs to be done in service to their insane bloodlust.

What are the theories regarding this, anyone care to set us straight?

Chrisisall creepafied

I have always felt that even though the Reavers are ultra-violent, they are not stupid. They are agressive and persistent when it comes to their hunting, but during "normal" times, perhaps they are more toned down.

STATIC

Tuesday, October 11, 2005 1:56 PM

I have to agree...

Nothing has ever said that the reavers were made unintelligent. . .just HYPER agressive. Their neo-primitive (like that? I just made it up!) weapons are a result of intelligent engineering making practical and effective weapons out of salvage (think "Junkyard Wars" from HELL).

I imagine their hyper-aggressive culture led to a rather inevitable 'tribal/pack' sort of society with "Alpha" leadership.

http://burstsofstatic.blogspot.com

QUIETUDE

Tuesday, October 11, 2005 1:57 PM

Makes me wonder about how alike the words 'River' and 'Reaver' are. Maybe River was going to help destroy the Reavers. Just wash them away.

MSCKAREN

Tuesday, October 11, 2005 2:05 PM

Quote:
Do you think the "Reavers" originally got their name from the fact that they had the "Reverse" effect when exposed to the device that was intended to calm the population?

Joss likes to use old words:

Reave1
v. Archaic reaved, or reft (rft) reav·ing, reaves
v. tr.

1. To seize and carry off forcibly.
2. To deprive (one) of something; bereave.

v. intr.

To rob, plunder, or pillage.

[Middle English reven, to plunder, from Old English rafian. See reup- in Indo-European Roots.]

From www.dictionary.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Appears they've cancelled the show and we're still here. What does that make us?"
"Big damn junkies, Sir!"
"Ain't we just."
http://karenallover.blogspot.com/

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 NEXT PAGE