List of ships (The Culture)

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This is a list of ships found in the Culture novels by Iain M. Banks. Except where indicated, all ships in this list are members of the fictional society known as 'The Culture'.

Contents

[edit] Naming

The machine intelligences called Minds (and, as a consequence, the Culture starships that they inhabit) usually bear names that do a little more than just identify them. The Minds themselves choose their own names, and thus they usually express something about a particular Mind's attitude, character or aims in their personal life. Warship names are similar in retaining the whimsical nature, though the humour tends to be more cynical and threatening.

Banks composed many of the Culture ships' names very carefully to express the attitude of the ship's Mind, and a few names contain puns where both meanings are appropriate to the ship's attitude. A few of the ship names are also installments in running gags.

[edit] Common ship types

Main article: Ship types (The Culture)
Class Acronym Description
General Systems Vehicles GSV Mobile habitats and / or factory ships, largest Culture ship type
Medium Systems Vehicles MSV Smaller versions of the above
Limited Systems Vehicles LSV Smaller versions of the above
General Contact Vehicles GCV Larger versions of the below GCU
General Contact Units GCU Ambassadors, scouts and light transports; also main warship in peacetime
General Offensive Units GOU Dedicated main warships
Rapid Offensive Units ROU Dedicated fast warships
Limited Offensive Units LOU Dedicated warships, smaller than GOUs
Demilitarized ROUs (d)ROU Civilianised ROUs used as courier ships, all or most weaponry removed
Very Fast Pickets VFP An euphemism for (d)ROU, used in the same role.

[edit] Novels

[edit] Consider Phlebas

Civilisation Name Ship type Comments
Culture Nervous Energy GCU (Mountain-class)
Culture Prosthetic Conscience GCU
Culture Bora Horza Gobuchul GSV (Ocean-class, later Range-class)
Culture Determinist GSV (System-class) Largest GSV class mentioned in the books so far.
Culture Eschatologist (temporary name) GSV (Ocean-class) Sent by the Culture to destroy Vavatch orbital.
Culture Irregular Apocalypse GSV
Culture No More Mr Nice Guy GSV
Culture Profit Margin LSV
Culture Revisionist ROU (Killer-class)
Culture Trade Surplus ROU (Killer-class)
Culture Ulterior The Ends Of Invention GSV
Non-aligned (Ex-Hronish) Clear Air Turbulence Armoured assault Pirate ship, one of the main settings of the book.
Idiran The Hand of God 137 Light Cruiser Advance force invading the planet Sorpen to rescue Horza.

[edit] The Player of Games

Ship Type Name Class Comments
n/a Screw Loose Clipper
GCU Flexible Demeanour n/a
GSV Just Read The Instructions n/a
GSV Of Course I Still Love You n/a
GOU Limiting Factor Murderer Jernau Morat Gurgeh's ship to the planet Azad. An allegedly demilitarized GOU (heavy-hitting warship).
GSV Cargo Cult n/a
GSV Little Rascal Plate 'Throughput'-ship (ship assembly and crewing).
GSV So Much For Subtlety n/a
GSV Unfortunate Conflict Of Evidence n/a
GSV Youthful Indiscretion n/a
LOU Gunboat Diplomat n/a (Special Circumstances)
dROU Zealot n/a
n/a Kiss My Ass Superlifter
n/a Prime Mover Superlifter
(Azadian) Invincible Battlecruiser Flagship of the Azad Empire.

[edit] Use of Weapons

Ship Type Name Class Comments
GCU Just Testing n/a
dROU Xenophobe Torturer
GCU Very Little Gravitas Indeed n/a Part of the "... Gravitas ..." running gag.[1]
GSV What Are The Civilian Applications? Continent Limited Edition "Prompt" subclass. Can outrun a Very Fast Picket.
GSV Congenital Optimist n/a Rescued Zakalwe from Fohls.
GSV Size Isn't Everything n/a The GCU Sweet and Full of Grace was constructed aboard this ship.
GCU Sweet and Full of Grace n/a

[edit] Excession

Civilisation Ship Type Name Class Comments
Culture GCU Different Tan Mountain
Culture GCU Fate Amenable To Change River
Culture GCU Grey Area (AKA Meatfucker) n/a (Eccentric) Ostracised for nonconsensual mindreading.
Culture GCU It's Character Forming n/a
Culture GCU Jaundiced Outlook Ridge
Culture GCU Problem Child Troubadour Early (vs Excession-contemporary) GCU, historical mention.
Culture GCU Reasonable Excuse n/a
Culture GCU Recent Convert n/a
Culture GCU Tactical Grace Escarpment
Culture GCU Unacceptable Behaviour n/a
Culture GCV Steely Glint Plains
Culture n/a Highpoint n/a (Ulterior)
Culture ROU Shoot Them Later Gangster (Eccentric, Ulterior)
Culture LOU Attitude Adjuster Killer
Culture ROU Killing Time Torturer a pun: 99% of war is just killing time (waiting) ; the rest is the killing time.
Culture ROU Heavy Messing Gangster
Culture dROU Frank Exchange Of Views Psychopath
Culture GSV Anticipation Of A New Lover's Arrival, The Plate
Culture GSV Death and Gravity n/a
Culture GSV Ethics Gradient Range
Culture GSV Honest Mistake n/a
Culture GSV Limivourous Ocean
Culture GSV No Fixed Abode Ex-Equator (Sabbaticaler)
Culture GSV Quietly Confident,
later Sleeper Service		 Plate (Eccentric, Ulterior) Known as storage ship for biological persons in stasis. The name Sleeper Service is a pun on sleeping car (transport) and sleeper agent (espionage).
Culture GSV Uninvited Guest n/a
Culture GSV Use Psychology n/a
Culture GSV What Is The Answer and Why? n/a
Culture GSV Wisdom Like Silence Continent
Culture GSV Yawning Angel Range
Culture GSV Zero Gravitas n/a Part of the "... Gravitas ..." running gag.[1]
Culture LSV Misophist n/a
Culture LSV Serious Callers Only Tundra
Culture MSV Not Invented Here Desert
Culture Superlifter Charitable View Cliff
Zetetic Elench Stargazer Appeal To Reason n/a
Zetetic Elench Stargazer Break Even n/a
Zetetic Elench Stargazer Long View n/a
Zetetic Elench Stargazer Peace Makes Plenty n/a
Zetetic Elench Stargazer Sober Counsel n/a
Zetetic Elench Stargazer Within Reason n/a
Affront n/a Kiss the Blade
Affront n/a Frightspear n/a
Affront Light Cruiser Furious Purpose Meteorite Class
Affront n/a Riptalon n/a
Affront n/a Wingclipper n/a
Affront n/a SacSlicer II n/a
Affront n/a Xenoclast Battleship
Homomdan Main Battle Unit Full Refund (Ex-'MBU 604') Empire Class (Convertcraft)
Culture n/a Just Passing Through Cruise Ship, n/a

[edit] The State of the Art

Most of the Culture ship names in this collection are only used as chapter names of the title novella. However, they all represent real ships of a particular production series.

Ship Type Name Class Comments
GSV Bad for Business n/a
GCU Arbitrary Escarpment (middle series) Produced by a manufactory of the Yinang Orbitals of the Dahass-Khree, known for ships that are "a bit crazy."[2]
GCU Cantankerous n/a
GCU Only Slightly Bent n/a
GCU I Thought He Was With You n/a
GCU Space Monster n/a
GCU A Series Of Unlikely Explanations n/a
GCU Big Sexy Beast n/a
GCU Never Talk To Strangers n/a
GCU Funny, It Worked Last Time...Boo! n/a
GCU Ultimate Ship The Second n/a
GCU It'll Be Over By Christmas n/a
GCU A Ship With A View* n/a
GCU Ablation* n/a
GCU Arrested Development* n/a
GCU Credibility Problem* n/a
GCU Dramatic Exit, Or, Thank you And Goodnight* n/a
GCU Excuses And Accusations* n/a
GCU God Told Me To Do It* n/a
GCU Halation Effect* n/a
GCU Happy Idiot Talk* n/a
GCU Helpless In The Face Of Your Beauty* n/a
GCU Heresiarch* n/a
GCU Just Another Victim Of The Ambient Morality* n/a
GCU Minority Report* n/a
GCU Not Wanted On Voyage* n/a
GCU Perfidy* n/a
GCU Sacrificial Victim* n/a
GCU Stranger Here Myself* n/a
GCU Synchronize Your Dogmas* n/a
GCU The Precise Nature Of The Catastrophe* n/a
GCU Unwitting Accomplice* n/a
GCU Undesirable Alien* n/a
GCU Well I Was In The Neighbourhood* n/a
GCU You Would If You Really Loved Me* n/a
GCU You'll Thank Me Later* n/a

*Names mentioned in the chapter names of the title novella only.

[edit] Look to Windward

Most of the Culture ship names in this novel are only mentioned in a humorous conversation about ship names in Chapter 11, Absence of Gravitas, and do not represent characters in the novel. The Chelgrian ships are not artificial intelligences like those of the Culture.

Ship Type Name Class Comments
(Chelgrian) Winter Storm n/a
(Chelgrian) Piety n/a (Temple ship)
(Chelgrian) Soulhaven n/a (Temple ship)
ROU Nuisance Value Torturer
n/a Vulgarian Superlifter
GSV Sanctioned Parts List n/a
VFP Resistance Is Character-Forming Gangster
OU All Through With This Niceness And Negotiation Stuff * n/a
n/a Someone Else's Problem * n/a
n/a Lacking That Small Match Temperament * n/a
GCU Poke It With A Stick * n/a
OU I Said, I've Got A Big Stick * n/a The small print is a pun on " Speak softly and carry a big stick."
n/a Hand Me The Gun And Ask Me Again * n/a
n/a But Who's Counting? * n/a
n/a Germane Riposte * n/a
n/a We Haven't Met But You're A Great Fan Of Mine * n/a
n/a All The Same, I Saw It First * n/a
n/a Ravished By The Sheer Implausibility Of That Last Statement n/a
n/a Zero Credibility * n/a
n/a Charming But Irrational * n/a
n/a Demented But Determined * n/a
n/a You May Not Be The Coolest Person Here * n/a
n/a Lucid Nonsense * n/a
n/a Awkward Customer * n/a
n/a Thorough But ... Unreliable * n/a
n/a Advanced Case Of Chronic Patheticism * n/a
n/a Another Fine Product From The Nonsense Factory * n/a
n/a Conventional Wisdom * n/a
n/a In One Ear * n/a
n/a Fine Till You Came Along * n/a
n/a I Blame The Parents * n/a
n/a Inappropriate Response * n/a
n/a A Momentary Lapse Of Sanity * n/a
n/a Lapsed Pacifist * n/a
n/a Reformed Nice Guy * n/a
n/a Pride Comes Before A Fall * n/a
n/a Injury Time * n/a
n/a Now Look What You've Made Me Do * n/a
n/a Kiss This Then * n/a
GSV Lasting Damage n/a Later mind-state copied into other ships, becomes Masaq orbital.
GSV Lasting Damage I n/a
GSV Lasting Damage II n/a
GSV Experiencing A Significant Gravitas Shortfall n/a Part of the "... Gravitas ..." running gag.[1]

*Names mentioned in a humorous conversation about various Culture ships in Chapter 11 of the novel.

[edit] Matter

Civilisation Name Ship Type Comments
Culture Don't Try This At Home MSV (Steppe-class)
Culture Eight Rounds Rapid (ex) GOU (Delinquent-class)
Culture Experiencing A Significant Gravitas Shortfall GCU Part of the "... Gravitas ..." running gag.[1]
Culture It's My Party And I'll Sing If I Want To GCU (Escarpment-class) Pun on the song It's my party, and I'll cry if I want to, which continues "... You would cry too if it happened to you."
Culture Lightly Seared On The Reality Grill GCU
Culture Now We Try It My Way (ex) General Transport Craft (Interstellar-class)
Culture Liveware Problem Superlifter (Stream-class, modified Delta-class) Likely Special Circumstances operative. Pun on a common computer systems term.
Culture Pure Big Mad Boat Man GCU
Culture Qualifier GCU (Trench-class)
Culture Seed Drill GSV (Ocean-class)
Culture Subtle Shift In Emphasis GCV (Plains-class)
Culture Transient Atmospheric Phenomenon GCU
Culture Xenoglossicist LSV (Air-class)
Culture You Naughty Monsters GCU
Culture You'll Clean That Up Before You Leave (d)ROU (Gangster-class)
Nariscene Hence the Fortress Comet (Star-cruiser)
Nariscene Hundredth Idiot, The White Dwarf
Morthanveld Fasilyce, Upon Waking Cat.5 SwellHull
Morthanveld Inspiral, Coalescence, Ringdown Great Ship Comparable to a GSV
Morthanveld On First Seeing Jhiriit Cat.4 CleaveHull
Morthanveld Now, Turning to Reason, & Its Just Sweetness Cat.3 SlimHull

[edit] Guardian interview

The following ships have not appeared in any books, however they were named by Iain Banks in an interview with The Guardian.[1] These ships obtained their names as a result of another (unnamed) Involved civilization criticizing Culture ship naming policy, claiming that such powerful ships ought to have names with a little more gravitas.

  • Stood Far Back When The Gravitas Was Handed Out
  • Gravitas, What Gravitas?
  • Gravitas... Gravitas... No, Don't Help Me, I'll Get It In A Moment...
  • Gravitas Free Zone
  • Low Gravitas Warning Signal
  • Absolutely No You-Know-What

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d e Interview - Banks, Iain M., originally published in The Guardian, 2000
  2. ^ The State of the Art - Banks, Iain M., 1991