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"The Cold Equations "
by Tom Godwin

• Publishing Data • Preview • Background • Navigation Guide •
Publishing Data

Originally published in Astounding, August 1954
Collected in The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume 1

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Preview
An EDS (Emergency Dispatch Ship) pilot with a finite fuel supply is ferrying supplies to men stranded on a remote planet when he discovers a stowaway whose presence imperils the safety of his mission.
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Background
  • "The Cold Equations" is one of the most famous purely scientific science fiction short stories. James Gunn calls it the touchstone story for hard science fiction, the story that for him encapsulates the qualities of the genre.
  • Gary Westfahl remarks that the story is good physics but lousy engineering because engineers always build a fudge factor into their systems.
  • This story was made into a mediocre television movie for the SciFi Channel in 1997.
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Navigation Guide
What is your immediate reaction to the story? Why?
Characterize Marilyn Lee Cross. How believable is her ignorance?
What laws has Marilyn broken?
Characterize Barton, the EDS pilot.
Why does Barton hesitate to carry out his orders?
How do those (the commander, the records clerk) on the hypercruiser Stardust react to Barton's report? Are these reactions dated?
Was it cruel or kind to allow Marilyn to contact her brother Gerry?
How does Marilyn react to her fate? Compare her reaction to Gerry's and explain.
Is Marilyn at fault?
What is the story saying about Nature?
How is the theme of the amorality and unyielding nature of the laws of the Universe a uniquely science fictional theme?
 
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