The plot summary contains spoilers. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 204.108.8.5 ( talk) 18:26, 20 December 2007 (UTC) reply

What the heck is a "sooner"? Clarityfiend 08:09, 20 September 2006 (UTC) reply

Good question! I wondered about the definition the entire time I read the trillogy. There's a sooner page on wikipedia, and I linked to it in the article. — Dave Harding 16:23, 20 September 2006 (UTC) reply

I don't think it has anything to do with the Oklahoma land rush. Clarityfiend 21:34, 20 September 2006 (UTC) reply

I disagree. The OED (Second Edition, first defintion for sooner) says:

One who acts prematurely; esp. one who endeavoured to get into Government territory in the West before the time appointed for its settlement (chiefly with reference to the settlement of the territory now know as Oklahoma before the official opening of the area to settlers on 22 April 1889)...

I think David Brin deliberately used an obscure word to describe the settlers on Jijo (I also think Dr. Brin is fond of using obscure words), but I think the sooner entry on Wikipedia or Wiktionary [1] is the place to emphasise Dr. Brin's (odd, but acceptable) usage of “sooner.” — Dave Harding 23:37, 20 September 2006 (UTC) reply

Oops; I didn't see your edit of the article page until after I wrote my above response. If you agree with my reasoning, can you please restore the link to sooners on the article page? If you don't write a response in two days (by Friday 2006-09-22) or restore the link, I'll restore it myself. Thanks. — Dave Harding 23:40, 20 September 2006 (UTC) reply

When I followed the link to the article, I was scratching my pointy head, wondering why I was there - and I already knew about the historical Sooners (I saw the first part of Cimarron). How about this: add a trivia item to the sooner article explaining Brin's idiosyncratic usage and link to that particular section? Clarityfiend 02:50, 21 September 2006 (UTC) reply

Please see my revision of the sooner article. Is that sufficent? -- Dave Harding 15:26, 21 September 2006 (UTC) reply

Works for me. Clarityfiend 18:42, 21 September 2006 (UTC) reply

In the Uplift trilogy a sooner is someone who illegally settles on a planet that has been declared fallow, (given time to recuperate from sentient presence) but the settlers on the Slope use it to describe those who do not live on the slope. Hydrazulu 01:00, 29 July 2007 (UTC) reply

The article should atthe very least talk about the critical reception. find the reviews and discuss them. DGG ( talk) 18:35, 26 April 2009 (UTC) reply