I don't know if it's possible to develop firearms without gunpowder but I wonder if it's possible that their focus was so narrow they couldn't imagine using gun powder for anything other than weaponry. They sure didn't want that C-4 to clear fields.
Hell no, they didn't. That was just Cowen's excuse for wanting that C4. But his want to get his hands on C 4 - this was honest, he wanted that stuff, of course, for weapons, you see that later also when he talks to John and Rodney in the underground bunker.
And that led me to the question: If they already have firearms, they *should* be familiar with the concept of explosives as a weapon. Somehow it didn't add up for me with his greed to get the C4. Sure, it's easier and safer to handle but I didn't get the impression that *this* was why he was so fascinated by the stuff.
First, thank you so much for taking the time to compose such an detailed and informative comment. That's ... wow! More than I've ever expected to get when I mused about the Genii's reaction to C4
( ... )
Well, they were making bombs, just nuclear instead of something made with gunpowder. The expedition had to fix up those bombs to make them a working model though so I don't think the Genii scientists were all that smart The Genii spent more time trying to steal other people's accomplishments in scientific advancement!
>>The Genii spent more time trying to steal other people's accomplishments in scientific advancement! <<
I think it's also possible that they kind of "inherited" scientific appliances and knowledge that they didn't completely understand by finding that in the underground bunkers which their own ancestors had built. From what Cowen said, I think that the Genii had once been more advanced technologically. Which makes it all the more strange that they apparently developed gunpowder-based firearms but seemed to be surprised at the idea of explosives on a non-nuclear basis.
Kristen999 has made a very interesting comment above that I have to look into a little closer now - perhaps that explains this somewhat (at least to me) strange situation of the Genii having firearms but also being surprised at the idea of having a means at hand to generate limited explosions.
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And that led me to the question: If they already have firearms, they *should* be familiar with the concept of explosives as a weapon. Somehow it didn't add up for me with his greed to get the C4. Sure, it's easier and safer to handle but I didn't get the impression that *this* was why he was so fascinated by the stuff.
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I think it's also possible that they kind of "inherited" scientific appliances and knowledge that they didn't completely understand by finding that in the underground bunkers which their own ancestors had built. From what Cowen said, I think that the Genii had once been more advanced technologically. Which makes it all the more strange that they apparently developed gunpowder-based firearms but seemed to be surprised at the idea of explosives on a non-nuclear basis.
Kristen999 has made a very interesting comment above that I have to look into a little closer now - perhaps that explains this somewhat (at least to me) strange situation of the Genii having firearms but also being surprised at the idea of having a means at hand to generate limited explosions.
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