History Literature / CitizenOfTheGalaxy

* ChasteHero: As usual for a Heinlein juvenile-novel hero, Thorby has a gift for [[ObliviousToLove missing other characters' romantic overtures]], even after still other characters try to explain it to him. He's still not above feeling pleasantly embarrassed by some engineered romantic moments (like the "Spirit of Sisu" play that Grandmother Krausa tries to use to [[TheMatchmaker pair him with]] Loreen), and does show symptoms of TheDulcineaEffect when the situation seems to warrant it (Margaret has to pre-emptively discourage [[ThePlan the cunning plan]] Thorby was starting to form after learning that she would be leaving the ''Sisu'' alongside Mata).

* NotBloodSiblings: Defied with Mata, Thorby's adopted niece. Although the two grow close after some BelligerentSexualTension during Thorby's training as a fire control officer, she's [[NotBloodSiblings technically part of the same moiety (group of the Sisu's crew treated as blood relations)]]. Mata's brother Jeri, coincidentally Thorby's roommate, acts as a chaperone to keep things under control at first. However, the Sisu's Chief Officer (Thorby's adoptive grandmother) takes swift action to trade her to another Free Trader vessel as soon as possible once Mata asks to be adopted into the other moiety to become a legitimate potential mate. As the sociologist Margaret explains to Thorby as soon as he finds out about most of this, this form of the incest taboo exists for valid reasons in the culture of the People, and Grandmother did the right thing.

* PassiveAggressiveKombat: The Sisu's crew use both formalized descriptions of their positions (e.g. "Starboard Second Assistant Cook") and overly specific familial relations (e.g. "Cross-Cousin-in-Law by Marriage") to refer to each other, depending on a social situation. The sociologist Margaret Mader explains that the excessive politeness of the ship's society is used as an escape valve to avoid tensions that would otherwise lead them to come to blows: "you could go through a day and not utter a phrase not found in the Laws of Sisu." Thorby briefly tries to put this into practice early in his training as a fire control officer, until his rival and adopted niece Mata uses PuppyDogEyes to persuade him to relent.

** BetterToDieThanBeKilled: On a related note, part of the standard combat readiness drill among the Free Traders is for the Chief Engineer to arm the [[SelfDestructMechanism "suicide switch"]] on the ship's power plant, allowing it to be detonated like a hydrogen bomb to "deliver his people into the shelter of death" if all else fails.

* NuclearOption: Free Trader ships routinely use missiles armed with 2 megaton nuclear warheads against SpacePirate ships. It's presented as a legitimate option as a successful boarding would mean the enslavement of the entire crew and there's no other defense available. [[spoiler:Thorby at the end starts the development of what is implied to be DeflectorShields as an alternative to the nukes, but it's unknown how much it will take or if it will be successful at all]].

* ChasteHero: As usual for a Heinlein juvenile-novel hero, Thorby has a gift for [[ObliviousToLove missing other characters' romantic overtures]], even after still other characters try to explain it to him. He's still not above feeling pleasantly embarrassed by some engineered romantic moments (like the "Spirit of Sisu" play that Grandmother Krausa tries to use to [[TheMatchmaker pair him with]] Loreen, and does show symptoms of TheDulcineaEffect when the situation seems to warrant it (Margaret has to pre-emptively discourage [[ThePlan the cunning plan]] Thorby was starting to form after learning that she would be leaving the ''Sisu'' alongside Mata).

* FutureImperfect: While Thorby and Leda visit [[NewNeoCity New Washington]] in order to contact the lawyer Garsch, they stop to visit the Replica [[UsefulNotes\AbrahamLincoln Lincoln Memorial]]. As far as Leda knows, Lincoln founded America. Thorby knows at least one other thing about him:

** MarsNeedsWomen: The raid happens while ''Sisu'' is on the planet of StarfishAliens where they have to trade by silent auction because of no common language. The ship's supercargo decides to put the confiscated smut out with the rest of their trade goods instead of having it incinerated. The response is immediate, and the aliens eventually work out an exchange rate of one carved jewel per individual page. The bachelors of the ''Sisu'' swiftly offer their remaining {{Porn Stash}}es for the common good. (The book implies that the pictures are valued by the aliens because they are "brightly colored pieces of paper," rather than any squicky interest in human women.)

* ChasteHero: As usual for a Heinlein juvenile-novel hero, Thorby has a gift for [[ObliviousToLove missing other characters' romantic overtures]], even after still other characters try to explain it to him. He's still not above feeling pleasantly embarrassed by some engineered romantic moments, and does show symptoms of TheDulcineaEffect when the situation seems to warrant it.

** At the Rudbek estate, "Uncle" John tries to foist Leda on Thorby, and she isn't completely against the idea. Thorby is {{Squick}}ed out at first, until he goes over their lineage in his head and realizes that, at least by Free Trader standards, she's not taboo. He still remains against the idea though, because he intends to stay a ChasteHero and doesn't want to hurt her by being an absentee husband because of the X-Corps.
** When he is on the ''Sisu'', Thorby's adopted niece is interested in him (they're roughly the same age). Their relative stations in the family make any romantic relationship taboo, despite the fact that there is no blood relation between the two.

** MarsNeedsWomen: The raid happens while ''Sisu'' is on the planet of StarfishAliens where they have to trade by silent auction because of no common language. The ship's supercargo decides to put the confiscated smut out with the rest of their trade goods instead of having it incinerated. The response is immediate, and the aliens eventually work out an exchange rate of one carved jewel per individual page. The bachelors of the ''Sisu'' swiftly offer their remaining {{Porn Stash}}es for the common good.
** The book implies that the pictures are valued by the aliens because they are "brightly colored pieces of paper" rather than any squicky interest in human women.

* FailedASpotCheck: A sergeant of the guard has a conversation with a fortune teller about how he is searching for Thorby, while Thorby is standing mere feet away pretending to be changing the letters on a theater marquee (although to be fair, Thorby is currently standing on a ladder with his head masked by the glare of the lights, so the only thing the guardsmen could see would be his feet) It's also entirely possible the guy knew it was Thorby, and was trying to subtly tell him to run as far and fast as he can.
* FantasticRacism: Like any clannish society, the Free Traders (or the People, as they call themselves) consider everyone else beneath them. Interestingly, they don't differentiate between humans and aliens: if you're not People, you're nobody. Captain Krausa of ''Sisu'' (and possibly other ship captains) is a bit looser about this, probably because he is often in direct contact with outsiders.

* NotBloodSiblings: Defied with Mata, Thorby's adopted niece. Although the two grow close after some BelligerentSexualTension during Thorby's training as a fire control officer, she's [[NotBloodSiblings technically part of the same moiety (group of the Sisu's crew treated as blood relations)]]. Mata's brother Jeri acts as a chaperone, but the Sisu's Chief Officer (Thorby's adoptive grandmother) takes swift action to trade her to another Free Trader vessel as soon as possible once Mata asks to be adopted into the other moiety to become a legitimate potential mate. As the sociologist Margaret explains to Thorby as soon as this is explained to him, this form of the incest taboo exists for valid reasons in the culture of the People, and Grandmother did the right thing.
* NuclearOption: Free Trader ships routinely use missiles armed with 2 megaton nuclear warheads against pirate ships. It's presented as a legitimate option as a successful boarding would mean the enslavement of the entire crew and there's no other defense available. [[spoiler:Thorby at the end starts the development of what is implied to be DeflectorShields as an alternative to the nukes, but it's unknown how much it will take or if it will be successful at all]].
* PassiveAggressiveKombat: The Sisu's crew use both formalized descriptions of their positions (e.g. "Starboard Second Assistant Cook") and overly specific familial relations (e.g. "Cross-Cousin-in-Law by Marriage") to refer to each other, depending on a social situation. The sociologist Margaret Mader explains that the excessive politeness of the ship's society is used as an escape valve to avoid tensions that would otherwise lead them to come to blows: "you could go through a day and not utter a phrase not found in the Laws of Sisu." Thorby briefly tries to put this into practice early in his training as a fire control officer.

* CasualInterstellarTravel: Played with. Space travel is definitely common, and Thorby spends most of the book travelling the galaxy, much of which has been colonized. However, it's also mentioned in dialogue that fewer that 1% of people ever leave their birth planet.

* KissingCousins: At the Rudbek estate, "Uncle" John tries to foist Leda on Thorby, and she isn't completely against the idea. Thorby is {{Squick}}ed out at first, until he goes over their lineage in his head and realizes that, at least by Free Trader standards, she's not taboo. He still remains against the idea though, because he intends to stay a ChasteHero and doesn't want to hurt her by being an absentee husband because of the X-Corps.

* {{Mutant}}: Humans have mutated in several different directions since spreading out among the stars. When Baslim first buys Thorby, he thinks the boy is between 10-12 years old, but is unsure since some mutants look like normal humans, but age at different rates. When Baslim is able to determine that Thorby is non-mutated, this causes Baslim to conclude that Thorby is probably from the Terran Hegemony, and possibly even Earth.
** Though, the only example seen is one of the other buyers at the slave auction, a "Syndonian" with PointyEars who finds the auctioneer pointing out Thorby's seemingly "perfect" round ears quite insulting.

** There are several references to Colonel Baslim's rescue of the ''Hansea'' from slavers, but the subject is a taboo among the People so we never find out exactly what happened.
*** The only hint is a comment by Col. Brisby, C.O. of HGC ''Hydra'': "That was a hand-weapons job. Messy."

* ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney / ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections: Weemsby is used to being able to throw money at his problems, and to use the massive influence of his company if that doesn't work. Unfortunately for him, Thorby has money to burn, too.

* NoSuchAgency: X-Corps - the elite branch of the military that [[spoiler: Baslim]] belonged to.

* NoodleIncident: We never find out the exact details of how Thorby himself became a slave [[spoiler:and how his parents died in the same incident]], although the book drops tantalizing hints that it might have been set up by [[spoiler: profiteers within his parents' company who were benefiting from the slave trade themselves]].

* NoodleIncident:
** We also never find out the exact details of how Thorby himself became a slave [[spoiler:and how his parents died in the same incident]], although the book drops tantalizing hints that it might have been set up by [[spoiler: profiteers within his parents' company who were benefiting from the slave trade themselves]].

* {{Auction}}: This is where the novel opens, as Thorby is put up for sale. The novel's first line: "Lot ninety-seven," the auctioneer announced. "A boy."

** MarsNeedsWomen: The raid happens while ''Sisu'' is on the planet of StarfishAliens where they have to trade by silent auction because of no common language. The ship's supercargo decides to put the confiscated smut out with the rest of their trade goods instead of having it incinerated. The response is immediate, and the aliens eventually work out an exchange rate of one carved jewel per individual page.

* ChasteHero: As usual for a Heinlein juvenile-novel hero, Thorby has a gift for missing other characters' romantic overtures, even after still other characters mention it to him. He's still not above feeling pleasantly embarrassed by some engineered romantic moments, and does show symptoms of TheDulcineaEffect when the situation seems to warrant it.

* DueToTheDead: Krausa makes sure that Baslim is remembered at the Free Trader ceremony, despite first taking Thorby to a Terran Guard base; the base commander orders Krausa to be shuttled back to the ceremmony ASAP.

* ExactWords: Thorby's first experience on the ''Sisu'' is as a "fraki" who is literally ignored by the crew to the best of their ability -- until the Chief Officer of the ship, Captain Krausa's mother and superior officer, hears the message and concludes that Baslim's request to care for Thorby "as if you were I" means that Krausa must adopt the boy himself.

* KissingCousins: "Uncle" John tries to foist Leda on Thorby, and she isn't completely against the idea. Thorby is {{Squick}}ed out at first, until he goes over their lineage in his head and realizes that, at least by Free Trader standards, she's not taboo. He still remains against the idea though, because he intends to stay a ChasteHero.

* DueToTheDead: Krausa makes sure that Baslim is remembered at the Free Trader ceremony.

'''''Citizen of the Galaxy''''' is a science fiction novel by Creator/RobertAHeinlein first published as a serial in 1957.

* UsedFuture

** It's never said what exactly Baslim did that left the Traders so deeply in his debt. It's apparently something so shameful that no one wishes to discuss it. Hints throughout the book seem to indicate that a Trader ship was involved in the slave trade, and Baslim exposed them/brought them to justice.

* TechnologyMarchesOn: Just a single example — computerized aiming systems widespread in that universe are apparently unable to plot and predict the target's behavior, and are only good for generating a firing solution ''here and now'', requiring the presence of a skilled operator who can subconsciously "feel" the target. This largely corresponds to how the naval radar-guided gunnery worked during WWII[[note]]Even if the WWII analogue radar directors ''already'' could follow the target, despite being primitive to the point of sometimes being ''mechanical'' -- as in, made of rods, cams and gears, not even relays[[/note]], and was already obsolete by the time the novel was published: in 1958 SAGE, the first computerized air defense system capable of automatically plotting and tracking the targets across the whole US, was starting to get online. Heinlein really didn't get computers at all.