Who is the Hindmost in the Ringworld sequels?

Question

In Ringworld, the puppeteer Nessus leads the expedition with a goal of mating with the Hindmost.

In the sequels, the Conservatives took over power on the Fleet of Worlds and the deposed Hindmost kidnaps Louis Wu and Chmeee and leads them in the second expedition to the Ringworld.

We never get to know the name of this deposed Hindmost. He is always referred to as the Hindmost, even though he no longer is.

In Fleet of Worlds, set about 200 years before the discovery of the Ringworld, Nessus has a romantic interest in Nike, who ends up as Hindmost. Is Nike the same "Hindmost" we see in Ringworld? Is there anything that confirms or contradicts this hypothesis?

Answer 1

The Hindmosts, I recall, were Nike, then Baedeker, then Achilles (based on the XXX of Worlds series). Achilles is supposed to still be in power when the Ringworld saga occurs based on the end of Betrayer of Worlds.

Also there is a scene with all the past Hindmosts gathering for a decision. Chronos was a much previous Hindmost.

And in the latest Fate of Worlds, it is revealed that Hindmost is Baedeker. Together with Nessus they have children on New Terra. Fate of Worlds is a great wrap up that ties up a lot of loose ends nicely.

Answer 2

After I finished Betrayer of Worlds I did some digging around in the Ringworld sequels and tried to come up with a definitive answer. This is what I came up with.

• By Earth date 2780, at the end of Betrayer of Worlds, Achilles is the Hindmost of the Concordance. The second Ringworld expedition takes place in 2878, 98 years later.

• In Ringworld Engineers, "Hindmost" says:

  "I served my species well, and four Hindmosts served well before me, before the Conservative faction found power to replace my faction."

  He claims to be the fifth on a series of five Experimentalist Hindmosts. In Fleet of Worlds, we witness the raise of the Experimentalists to power, under the rule of Nike. After Nike, Baedeker and Achilles followed him according to Betrayer of Worlds. If we are to follow the word of "Hindmost", he is neither. Someone else replaced Achilles, and then "Hindmost" replaced that someone, and then he was deposed.

• When Louis asked him why he was deposed, "Hindmost" answered:

  "Some of my decisions were not popular. I meddled with human and kzinti destiny. Somehow you learned our secret, how we had tampered with the Fertility Laws on Earth in an attempt to breed lucky humans, and with the course of the First War With Men, to produce reasonable kzinti."

  Fleet of Worlds tells us that the meddling with the Fertility Laws was authorized by Nike in 2650. "Hindmost" seems to imply that this was his decision. If that is true, it means "Hindmost" is Nike.

  But "Hindmost" continues:

  "You know that I agreed to take Nessus as mate if he returned from the Ringworld. He demanded this concession. And he returned, and we mated. Then we did it again, for love. Nessus was mad, and the Hindmost has often been mad, and ... they deposed me."

  Nessus had been infatuated with Nike and then with Baedeker, so this seems to imply that either one of these is "Hindmost".

• When Louis asked when the superconductor plague was spread, "Hindmost" answered:

  "Eleven hundred and forty years ago by Earth time. The Conservatives ruled for six hundred years. Then the threat of the kzinti put Experimentalists back in power. When the time seemed opportune, I sent Nessus and his team to the Ringworld. If the structure had survived for eleven hundred years after the fall of the culture that kept it in repair, it would have been worth investigating. I could have sent a trade and rescue team. Unfortunately --"

  This seems to imply that the Experimentalists ruled since 2335 until the time of the first expedition. Which we know is not true, because Fleet of Worlds shows a Conservative Hindmost in power in 2650.

I have now read everything Niven has written so far in Known Space and I can't draw a definitive conclusion about this. I guess we'll have to chalk it up to "Hindmost" lying and to:

Known Space should be seen as a possible future history told by people that may or may not have all their facts right.

Personally, I think "Hindmost" is either Achilles, an unnamed Hindmost, or not a Hindmost at all. I don't think that either Baedeker or Nike are insane enough to act like "Hindmost", and Achilles is known to be incredibly insane.

Answer 3

Martinho lists everything I considered, but the one thing I think he missed was Ringworld Hindmost's engineering skill. No hindmost in Fleet of Worlds has that skill except for Baedeker. If it is another hindmost, then he has yet to surface, which would make little sense because Ringworld Hindmost points out his own involvement in earlier policies and programs. Particularly, Hindmost states that he helped develop the superconductor plague that destroyed the City Builders civilization. He felt what remorse from that I suppose a Puppeteer could possibly feel. Baedeker clearly was involved in that plot since he knew enough about the Ringworld to destroy the evidence of it prior to the Gwa'oth taking control of the Concordance. Also, Baedeker clearly is the better hindmost compared to Achilles. Lastly, Achilles is not a conservative, and never was one. Achilles would have no trouble leaving the Ringworld to fall into its star, and would not have been capable of exceeding the engineering and technical skill of a Pak Protector when guiding the flare at the end of Ringworld Engineers (really beginning of Ringworld Throne when Niven wrote that the Ringworld inhabitants did not suffer as great a loss).

It seems more reasonable to me that Baedeker eventually deposes Achilles, kicks the Gw'oth from the Concordance, and is then deposed by the Conservatives to make his way to Known Space and kidnap Louis Wu. The authors can do whatever they want with the plot, but I don't see any reasonable way to avoid making Baedeker one and the same as the Hindmost in Ringworld. One also should consider whether Nessus would produce offspring with Achilles of all people.

Answer 4

Looks to me like Achilles is still hindmost with Chiron (aka Ol't'ro) as Minister of Science a the time of Ringworld -- and they don't know about the Pupeteers previous meddling with the ringworld. The only places that information still exists is in Baedecker's brain (if he's still alive) and in the Hindmost's refuge with Nike.

On the other hand, the Hindmost of Ringworld Engineers does know about that. My money is that that is Nike, and that both he and Nessus and lying to Louis and the others about their motives and status and the the politics of the Fleet. Whether Achilles is still "in power" or whether the conservatives have taken over is not obvious.

Answer 5

Turns out it's Baedecker - "Fate of Worlds" p. 130 finally confirms this, after dropping lots of hints. a Conservative government is running the Fleet by this time so we don't know those Hindmosts. But at times during the "Fleet of Worlds" series, Nike, Achilles, and Baedecker all serve as Hindmost.

Answer 6

After having just finished Betrayer of Worlds, I find it really hard to believe Nessus would ever consider mating with Achilles, and it's clear Achilles despises Nessus. My guess is that it's either Baedecker returned to power as he claimed he could eventually do, even from imprisonment, or Nike. Achilles may still be in power under Chiron/O'ltro (Spelling?) and one is posing as Hindmost, or else they really ousted him and they are unaware (or hell, maybe cooperating with) Chiron. Considering the nightmare retconning can be, this could be worse. That even leaves Nivin room for a couple more books before butting up to Ringworld.