Goonhub
06-03-2015, 06:16 PM
Let's review the pros and cons of being borged vs. being cloned, shall we?
Borged
+ Kickass (and sturdy, assuming the roboticist is competent) metal body
+ Ability to participate in AI subversions
+ Massive storage of various tools
+ Access to extremely useful modules and upgrades
+ Ability to remotely access electronics and bolt/electrocute doors
+ Immune to poisons and suffocation, don't need to breathe
+ All access
- Loss of free will except in the case of aforementioned AI subversions or emagging
- Inability to harm humans even when being attacked (under default laws)
- Don't really have any "weapons" in the conventional sense
- Can't pick shit up
- Lack of versatility unless your module is switched
- Dependency on the roboticist or anyone else with access for upgrades and getting borged in the first place
- Can be killed without question if the killswitch gets activated
- Much more resource-intensive
- A bit more complicated, meaning that you might not get borged because the roboticist can't figure out how to borg you
Cloned
+ Retain all the versatility of a human being, like the ability to pick shit up
+ Can still murder if necessary
+ No harmful long-term (or even short-term) effects assuming the cloning cycle runs fully, which it almost always does
+ Still have free will
+ Still have independence
+ Extremely simple to perform
= Reliant on a supply of biomass, though this is very easily replenished to the point of being rendered a non-issue
- Reliant on someone actually bothering to scan your corpse and clone you
- Can be cut off by someone shutting down the power, leaving you horribly mutated and probably dead within a few minutes
- Can be easily jumped by nefarious types upon exiting the cloner
- Takes longer
This is by no means comprehensive and is basically off the top of my head, but the pattern is clear. As BruiseCruise said, the superiority of cloning is not up for debate, stifling cyborg production to the point of rendering it redundant.
Borged
+ Kickass (and sturdy, assuming the roboticist is competent) metal body
+ Ability to participate in AI subversions
+ Massive storage of various tools
+ Access to extremely useful modules and upgrades
+ Ability to remotely access electronics and bolt/electrocute doors
+ Immune to poisons and suffocation, don't need to breathe
+ All access
- Loss of free will except in the case of aforementioned AI subversions or emagging
- Inability to harm humans even when being attacked (under default laws)
- Don't really have any "weapons" in the conventional sense
- Can't pick shit up
- Lack of versatility unless your module is switched
- Dependency on the roboticist or anyone else with access for upgrades and getting borged in the first place
- Can be killed without question if the killswitch gets activated
- Much more resource-intensive
- A bit more complicated, meaning that you might not get borged because the roboticist can't figure out how to borg you
Cloned
+ Retain all the versatility of a human being, like the ability to pick shit up
+ Can still murder if necessary
+ No harmful long-term (or even short-term) effects assuming the cloning cycle runs fully, which it almost always does
+ Still have free will
+ Still have independence
+ Extremely simple to perform
= Reliant on a supply of biomass, though this is very easily replenished to the point of being rendered a non-issue
- Reliant on someone actually bothering to scan your corpse and clone you
- Can be cut off by someone shutting down the power, leaving you horribly mutated and probably dead within a few minutes
- Can be easily jumped by nefarious types upon exiting the cloner
- Takes longer
This is by no means comprehensive and is basically off the top of my head, but the pattern is clear. As BruiseCruise said, the superiority of cloning is not up for debate, stifling cyborg production to the point of rendering it redundant.