Author: Cordwainer Smith

Length: short story

First Publication: Beyond the End of Time Anthology, 1952

What the Story is About: In the future starships are operated by “Habermans” – convicts and other undesirables who have had all of their sensory inputs other than vision disconnected from their brains so that they can survive “The Pain of Space” while awake. They are supervised by the “Scanners”, who have undergone the modifications voluntarily, and thus lead lonely, difficult lives. Because of that, the Scanners have formed an elitist confraternity, where they meet to look out for their own interests. That all changes, when a method to prevent the Pain of Space in normal people is developed, that renders Scanners obsolete. (Read the Wikipedia article)

Author: Cordwainer Smith

Length: short story

First Publication: Galaxy, 1964

What the Story is About: One of Smith’s stories set in his Instrumentality universe, about Elaine, a woman mistakenly made a medic, and the dog girl, D’Joan.

Related Biology in Science Fiction blog post: Is Cordwainer Smith’s Future Today?