Looking for the name and author of this story. The premise is that interstellar space travel is really simple, with one (unspecified) insight. So, many alien races have space travel, but minimal technology. Here on Earth we missed the insight, so built up tremendous technology and, in particular, weapons, without getting interstellar travel. One alien species invades Earth, using their primitive weapons (if I remember correctly, Molotov cocktails were the most powerful weapon they had), and their primitive, leaky starships. They get decimated by Earth's weapons, and the parting comment is that it wouldn't have been so bad if they hadn't looked like cuddly teddy bears.
4
-
I.e. the Harry Turtledove novelette: "The Road Not Taken"– beichstCommented Jun 9, 2018 at 23:31
-
1@beichst - "He watched the Teddy bears as they took their positions. Somehow their positioning did not suggest that they were forming an honor guard for the mayor and his party. Yet it did look familiar to Cox, although he could not quite figure out why."– ValorumCommented Jun 9, 2018 at 23:41
-
@beichst -- thanks; I've just skimmed it, and while it fits the plot that I described, I'm pretty sure there were teddy bears. <g> I'll dig around a bit more.– Pete BeckerCommented Jun 9, 2018 at 23:44
-
1Okay, "The Road Not Taken" does refer to them as teddy bears. That's it. Thanks!– Pete BeckerCommented Jun 9, 2018 at 23:46
Add a comment
|