How did the predator become a hunter?

[Thedus]

That is very true. I always wondered how there could be a significant population of male predators with only one pyramid and three hunters maximum. Maybe theyjust choose the best hunters to go to said pyramid, and if they return successful they achieve a higher social rank? Or maybe they do the same ritual on many different planets...It is a very thought provoking idea. But if you look at the elder in AvP, completing the hunt is definitely helpful in rising up the social ladder: the head of the hunting ship completed one himself, and seemed to have complete respect and obedience.

But you do bring up a good point.

Or perhaps the Predators employ a caste system in their society and only those from the highest caste are permitted to hunt. ...or perhaps only those from the wealthiest families are able to afford to hunt.

Ever since the first Dark Horse Predator novel that I read, I felt the dread in the dreadlocks. When they started to have names, we got inside their heads, learned their vocabulary, and there was mention of a split in their races, all that was missing were the gagh and bloodwine.

Kids hero worship them! They have hunting clans! What do we call them? "Preddies"?

See... you've got to go and ruin it for everyone, don't you, Mal!

Jeeze!  Why couldn't you just play along?  ...Now I have to take my ball and go home!



Seriously, tho.  I had a similar thought cross my mind last night (as I was writing up a response that wound up being criticized as being too smart).

[PredBabe]

Now where the hell am I supposed to wear my damn net outfit?! 

[LargeLeader]

Now where the hell am I supposed to wear my damn net outfit?! 

[PredBabe]

LOL! 


Well I was going to post up my own opinion on them, before dah party poopah came.

On a more serious not though Thedus and Deez have basically said exactly how I felt and put it in far better words than I could. Kudos to you guys!

[deezelboy]

I actually thought that was because all other ancient civilizations inhabiting the pyramids had been wiped out by self-destructing Predators trying to contain an Alien infestation (as per the flashback).

Shouldn't matter - there'd been no one living on Bouvetøya for a long time, but the Predators found ways to stock that Pyramid.  And it's not like they couldn't build new ones next to other population centres every time a Pyramid got nuked.

Maybe they relocate to different planets, but if they use each like Earth they're still going to run out after a while.  You've also got the problem that they'll end up travelling further and further out to get to the next available Pyramid planet, even though there are suitable planets like Earth much nearer, which they're travelling to for hunts anyway.

There's a chance that they may be colonising as they go, which would solve the travel distance problem, but then such a strategy would increase the reach and size of the Predator population very quickly, again depleting the number of available Pyramid planets.

All of which could be solved by just replacing a Pyramid when it got nuked...

Or perhaps the Predators employ a caste system in their society and only those from the highest caste are permitted to hunt. ...or perhaps only those from the wealthiest families are able to afford to hunt.

I'd agree. I can't see space travel being particularly cheap, or there'd be a lot more Predators turning up to hunt or scout for potential opportunities.

[BLAIN]

I think that what Thedus said (I.E the caste system) and what I said (only the best of the best can go) could be interchangeable...I think both could explain the population issue. And if it has to do with finances, I quit: I don't even want to start with Predator economics.

[deezelboy]

Whether you're human, peacock, ant or interstellar hunter, it's all going to come down to economics at the end.  Might be hardwired, might be adaptive behaviour, but you're going to be running an economic model.

Caste system or meritocracy, they're just solutions to economic problems.  Forget about finance.  Everytime you think about finance, start thinking about peacock tails or the biological caste systems of ants.

Space travel isn't cheap because it costs a lot of money, it's expensive because it takes a lot of accumulated knowledge and resources.  Who supplies all that, and who benefits from it - that's where economics comes in.

[Nev]

I figure the more we rationalise what they do, the more they become Klingons.

Exactly the reason why I despised the team-ups in AvP and Predators, no matter how much sense they made in their contexts.

[dude]

I justified Predators by assuming the Predator would've activated a tracker on his spaceship and hunted Royce on Earth.

I'm not sure what this AvP you mention is.