Oh, of course you can do whatever you want IYTU; that's a given. I figure the TML is (more) about sticking close(r) to canon and trying to make sense of the results.

It is very definitely the case that if you let entirely plausible automation and AI into the TU, it stops being the TU very quickly. You almost need to posit something like the Butlerian Jihad from Dune to make sense of it. But then you run up against several problems with *that* model, and despair follows. :P Basically, you have to eliminate most AI and automation by fiat, and then put an ill-fitting fig leaf over the resulting oddities in the background.

On Tue, Jan 10, 2017 at 2:45 PM, Christopher Sean Hilton <xxxxxx@vindaloo.com> wrote:
On Tue, Jan 10, 2017 at 02:12:50PM -0800, C. Berry wrote:
>    This is the (re)opening salvo in the great "jump torpedo" debate.
>    Summary:
>    1) Realistically speaking, in a world where self-driving cars and the
>    like are happening at TL8, not only should biological sophonts not be
>    required as crew, they should be considered hazardous to the smooth
>    operation of a ship.
>    2) The Traveller esthetic is one which explicitly rejects pervasive AI,
>    transhumanism, and the like, so to keep the feel you have to ignore
>    (1).
>    3) Traveller canon has examples (e.g. "Leviathan", IIRC) of
>    jump-capable fully autonomous vessels, but these don't show up in other
>    places where they would seem a perfect fit (most notably, X-Boats). So
>    canon is at best a poor guide.
>

You can do what you want in your universe. In my opinion slavish
dedication to the canon rules doesn't necessarily make for a great
campaign. Having said that, you should carefully think through what
you want with an eye towards for unintended consequences. Were I you,
some questions I'd ask are:

     How will a self-piloting starship react in the face of a pirate
     attack?

     How will self-piloting starships affect trade between worlds?

--
Chris

      __o          "All I was trying to do was get home from work."
    _`\<,_           -Rosa Parks
___(*)/_(*)____.___o____..___..o...________ooO..._____________________
Christopher Sean Hilton                    [chris/at/vindaloo/dot/com]
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