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Noon UniverseThe Noon Universe is a fictional future alternate universe that serves as a setting for a book series written by Strugatsky brothers. The universe is named after Noon, XXII Century, the chronologically first novel from the series. While the Noon Universe shares many Utopian qualities with the early Star Trek universe (such as world peace and high standards of living), it has its share of problems and internal conflicts. The technological progress on the Earth of the Noon Universe resulted in an over-abundance of resources and eliminated the need for most types of manual labor. This, in turn, effectively rendered traditional credit-based currency obsolete. Knowledge became the most valuable commodity. The Earth of Noon Universe is governed by a global technocracy. The main governing body is the World Council, a legislative/executive body composed of the brightest scientists, philosophers, historians and strategists. The council primarily deals with matters of global and interstellar policies. The local matters are handled by the regional versions of the council. While the knowledge-based society managed to successfully provide all human beings with the most basic necessities, it created a class of people who weren't bright enough to join the elite yet too smart to settle for low-level jobs. Many of them took to space exploration, traveling to previously uncharted worlds, exploring them, and in some cases, establishing contact with whatever sentient races happened to reside there. While the practice is generally frowned upon, the government tends to let it slide. The universe is populated by a number of sentient races. Some of them are humanoid, while others are so alien humanity didn't realize that they were sentient for decades. Several sentient races maintain diplomatic relations with Earth's government. Many planets in Noon Universe are inhabited by races similar to humans in all but minor genetic differences. It has been speculated that they were humans who wound up on other worlds due to the Wanderers' manipulations (as Beetle in an Anthill shows, that is hardly unprecedented). The Wanderers are, without a doubt, the most mysterious race in the Noon Universe. Incredibly technologically advanced and highly secretive, the Wanderers manipulate sentient beings throughout Noon Universe for their own purposes. While those purposes were never clarified, it was hinted that they try to "progess" various sentient beings. Novels These novels by brothers Strugatsky are set in the Noon Universe (listed chronologically): - Noon, 22nd Century (Полдень, 22-й век)
- An Attempt to Escape (Попытка к бегству)
- Faraway Rainbow (Далекая Радуга)
- Hard to be a God (Трудно быть богом)
- Disquiet (Беспокойство) — the initial variant of the Snail on the Slope (Улитка на склоне)
- Inhabited Island (Обитаемый остров)
- The Little One (Малыш)
- A Guy from the Purgatory (Парень из преисподней)
- Beetle in an Anthill (Жук в муравейнике)
- Waves Put Out Wind (Волны гасят ветер)
There are loose connections of early stories Strana bagrovyh tuch, Put' na Amal'teyu, Stazhyory, Hishchnye veshchi veka (through Ivan Zhilin), Ispytanie "SKIBR", Chastnye predpolozheniya, mainly through Bykov's family. In the late 1990's, a collection of fiction by notable Russian scifi writers, titled The Time of the Apprentices, was published in Russia (with an endorsement of Boris Strugatsky). The pieces in the collection build upon Strugatskys' ideas and works, and many of them are set in the Noon Universe. Planets (1) Although the planet was never officially named, this the name commonly used by Russian fans. Races External links
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