Re:It looks like you’re trying to take over the world
by ethbr0 on Monday March 28, 2022 @12:48PM
(#30832529)
Have you read Vinge's A Fire Upon the Deep? You might enjoy it, if Excession sparked your fancy.
Note: Vinge is more circumspect and less obvious about what's going on, so expects you to infer more than Banks does. Also, would recommend reading Fire without Googling it, as that would spoil one of the nice literary sleights of hand.
The Federation: Freedom, independence, self-determination
The Borg: Hegemonic for the sake of it, absolutely opposed to individuality
Even beautiful Borgs would be horrendous, but depending on the context it might discount something from the ways they're different. Borg look like they do because they don't care about their bodies, beauty means nothing to them.
The Federation has very rigid and even conservative stance on body modifications - and of course their whole agenda regarding individual freedom.
Nowadays, my idea of absolute horror is an Outside Context Problem (viz Excession by Banks).