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Fridge Brilliance
- There are hints starting even in the first book that the Colonial Union's militarism might not be the only way for humanity to survive: the CU regulates colonization and coexists with a handful of alien species. Several books later, regulating colonization ends up being the path to coexistence with alien species.
- The Human Division is foreshadowed by the fact that in this setting, the Earth's governments are still not united and are separate from the CU.
- When Perry's squad is sent to run a seemingly outrageous distance in an hour, it is mentioned that the slowest runner (who still met the deadline) was one of the handful of the recruits who had previously served in the military on Earth. Why would he have the most trouble despite having a new superhuman body? Because he probably has the most experience running, and thus has ingrained habits regarding how he runs, to include pacing himself on long runs. Either he doubted he had the actual strength and endurance to perform at that level, or he figured out how fast he needed to run and saw no particular reason to run faster. The latter explanation makes even more sense if he figured Ruiz was going to find some reason to lean on them harder anyways.
- When John sees a boy he doesn't know put an arm around his adopted daughter Zoe, he gets ready to intervene. Jane stops him by wrapping her own arms around him and teasing him. The difference in responses might be chalked up to the very libertine attitude that Special Forces soldiers have about sex, given their being born as adults with no childhood integration into society. It's just as likely that Jane enjoys taking the piss out of him from time to time.
Fridge Horror
- We are introduced to the demographics of humanity in the Colonial Union through a jingoist and racist rant: to leave Earth for the stars, refugees and citizens of poor countries are accepted as colonists readily, but citizens of rich countries have to wait until they are old and then have to serve ten years in the military before they can retire as colonists. Because of the odious messenger, it is easy to overlook the national/racial caste system the Colonial Union has imposed on humanity:
- Life extension through body transfer is only available to citizens from rich countries.
- Willing colonists are not allowed to emigrate from the Earth. Some died waiting for enlistment age.
- The CU controls all aspects humanity among stars: communication, trade, colonization. The CDF controls the CU, which means that its higher-ups decide humanity's future. So while the rank-and-file CDF have as little self-determination as colonists, the interstellar elite come entirely from rich countries on Earth.
- Being a Special Forces soldier:
- They have complex feelings towards the "Realborn" who fear them, use them, and are as alien to them as they are to us.
- Their "birth": they pop into consciousness, utterly disoriented. It is especially traumatic for Jared Dirac, a failed experiment, who wakes up screaming.
- Imagine what the prototypes in the early days experienced!
- They are both child soldiers and indentured servants. Think Earth veterans have trouble adapting to civilian life? Imagine if you popped into existence in boot camp and knew no life except war!
- They are starved of human experience. It's why they are so eager to hear about John Perry's life before the CDF - because he got to have one! What is most tragic is that the first time most of them see a human child, that child is a gruesome corpse.
- Their habitual Brain Pal integration with their fellows has some horrifying implications:
- They are so addicted to Brain Pal integration that many don't want to leave the military.
- Through their link, Dirac experiences his squadmate and lover's death firsthand.
- When Boutin turns off their Brain Pal integration, soldiers who are stoic in the face of danger and dismemberment go mad.
- There is a subtly-implied possibility that your consciousness is not transferred to your new body as claimed, but instead, it is copied, and you die in your original body. If this is the case, then in your dying moments, you realize that the promise of youth was a lie and as your eyes close, you see your young, green doppleganger getting up.
- The CU is ruthless and secretive enough to be keeping this quiet.
- The mechanism of transfer is to connect your old brain to a computer to a new brain and then cut the connection. John experiences being in two bodies at once and then the doctor cuts the connection. Stimulating a brain primed for it could plausibly instantiate consciousness in a new body. But how does cutting the connection remove his consciousness from his old body?
- John's old body looks him in the eye and he interprets it giving him a supportive look before closing its eyes.
- As a matter of course, the doctor actively switches off vital functions in John's supposedly brain-dead old body. Is that so the old body - still a person - can't contradict this story?
- When Jared Dirac is created, Boutin's recorded consciousness didn't stick in his brain. But if it had, then clearly the two Boutins, separated by light years, would be separate individuals.
- Harry has thoughts along these lines in one of the later books.
