If he was imprisoned on another world, then they would be responsible for his detention, the manifold confusion over the practicality would be their responsibility.

Also, bearing in mind that this is an advancing field, where we have already made significant developments in the past decade, we consider it extremely likely that technology may have advanced in the next hundred years that we may be able to safely remove an operator from a Kruus-class.

My son also retains the option to take his own life if he chooses to do so with age, as is often the custom with Neimoidians of a certain age if they feel that living longer may diminish their posessions.

If one observes the vessel's gunnery accuracy, this in itself shows a marked improvement on the data goggles you mention, essentially it enables the single operator to operate as a full bridge crew, and even to take manual control of individual droids aboard if necessary. A simulator using similar technology is available for the "Kruus-lite" systems found on Neimoidan Space Stations and Corvettes is available to demonstrate the "feel" of the use of the system. The Kruus-lite is roughly equivalent to a Borg Construct Aj^6 system but without the associated dissasociative effect.

Essentially a Kruus-class operator is able to perform the work of perhaps 100 sentient bridge crew, not to mention advanced control of other droids allowing them to act as efficiently as sentients in some respects. If the Kruus-class was to be crewed (even with the Neimoidian tradition of massive automation) it would require a crew of atleast 250, that is 249 more beings put in the firing line every day of active service instead of the one of the Kruus-class.

The project may have been a rushed one, which would likely not have been implemented in todays political climate, however, due to the urgency of the situation and the crises in the years leading up to the class' creation, Neimoidia's Defense Council considered such a project to be the only practicable way of securing a significant technological advance ahead of the Empire, and to defend against assaults such as those on Raithal, without full militarization, and of securing the shipping lanes which at the time were constantly threatened by predation from the Empire.

I question your impartiality which has clearly been breached and your opinions have clearly been voiced in this case through the use of questions which imply our government is at fault.

BioTech has had no involvement with our project, BioTech has never been involved in our project and has never had the ability to see the schematics for the system (which are not available to them as they are classified by our Government).

As for the question regarding "taking a chance with ones mind", we all take such chances when we alter our conciousness, whenever we drink a stimulant or a depressant, an ethnobotanical etc.. there is always a chance to your mind. Is it ethical? I believe that is a very subjective question... is it ethical to sell alcohol? I believe if you wish to continue this line of questioning you would find better answers from a philosopher. Chances or not... no harm has been caused, and that is surely the major relavent point. The first space exploration involved risk, the first hyperspace travel.. risks are always taken in the cause of progress, and so long as an individual voluntarily undertakes them then I see no problems with this.

As for there being progress to be made.. there is progress to be made in every field, that is the point of science. Just because a technology is progressing does not mean that it is not already at a surgically high degree of safety and technology.

With respect to the question relating to crewing levels. I am making the argument that the fewest men in the firing line the better. I make that argument in all fields.. and yes it is acceptable for one individual to take the same risk as 250 would have to make if it allows those 250 to stay at home, safe, and if the individual chooses to do so.

I would remind the committee we are becoming circuitous here.

Neimoidia also highlights a technoloy which has been tried and tested for a decade is clearly not untried. Equally the Imperial Neural system was a very primative example, linking sensors and controls directly to a brain would always be foolish. Our system does not directly link them but runs the inputs through computer banks to prevent the organic element becoming overwhelmed. Comparing the two is akin to comparing a simple circuit to a modern database in its sophistication.