List of ships (The Culture)

List of ships (The Culture)

This is a list of spaceships found in the Culture novels by Iain M. Banks. Except where indicated, all ships in this list are members of the main fictional society known as 'The Culture'. In this fictional universe, all Culture ships, and also some others, are also artificial intelligences with quite distinct personalities. Many of them are significant characters in the novels. [ [http://www.waterstones.com/waterstonesweb/displayReviewsByBookSellerID.do?id=757 Excession review] (from a bookseller reviews page of the Waterstone’s bookstore chain, Orpington store. Accessed 2008-03-29.)] " [http://books.guardian.co.uk/reviews/generalfiction/0,,96044,00.html Iain Banks writes books about sex and drugs. Iain M Banks is a sci-fi nerd. Are they by any chance related?] " - "The Guardian", Tuesday 20 May 1997]

Naming

The machine intelligences called Minds (and, as a consequence, the Culture starships that they inhabit) usually bear names that do a little more than just identify them. The Minds themselves choose their own names, and thus they usually express something about a particular Mind's attitude, character or aims in their personal life. Warship names are similar in retaining the whimsical nature, though the humour tends to be more cynical and threatening. Banks composed many of the Culture ships' names very carefully to express the attitude of the ship's Mind, and a few names contain puns where both meanings are appropriate to the ship's attitude. A few of the ship names are also installments in running gags.

Common ship types

"Use of Weapons"

"*"Names mentioned in the chapter names of the title novella only.

"Look to Windward"

Most of the Culture ship names in this novel are only mentioned in a humorous conversation about ship names in Chapter 11, "Absence of Gravitas", and do not represent characters in the novel. The Chelgrian ships are not artificial intelligences like those of the Culture."*"Names mentioned in a humorous conversation about various Culture ships in Chapter 11 of the novel.


= "Matter" =

Guardian interview

The following ships have not appeared in any books, however they were named by Iain Banks in an interview with The Guardian. [http://homepages.compuserve.de/Mostral/interviews/guardian00.htm Interview] - Banks, Iain M., originally published in The Guardian, 2000] These ships obtained their names as a result of another (unnamed) Involved civilisation criticizing Culture ship naming policy, claiming that such powerful ships ought to have names with a little more gravitas.

*Stood Far Back When The Gravitas Was Handed Out
*Gravitas, What Gravitas?
*Gravitas... Gravitas... No, Don't Help Me, I'll Get It In A Moment...
*Gravitas Free Zone
*Low Gravitas Warning Signal
*Absolutely No You-Know-What

ee also

*Ship types (The Culture)
*List of fictional spaceships

References


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