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Author: Xtifr

Jan 25th 2017 at 7:59:11 PM

In packs, the term "alpha" comes from a now thoroughly discredited theory of wolf behavior. As far as I can tell, the beta and gammas, which were never part of that theory, derive more from Creator/AldousHuxley's classic dystopia, ''Literature/BraveNewWorld'' (which was a major influence on ''Literature/NineteenEightyFour''). But really, the wolf-pack-style alphas are a bit of a different category from the BNW-style alphas/betas/gammas.

So, I'm torn. Two different-but-related tropes, or one with two divergent sources? I can live with the latter, but it seems like it would need a deeper explanation than we have so far.

Oh, and, obvious examples:

* In ''Literature/BraveNewWorld'', one of the TropeCodifiers, people are ''all'' genetically engineered and designed to fit into the categories of Alpha (the best and brightest) to Epsilon (simple-minded workers for the simplest jobs).
* In the ''Literature/AllianceUnion'' series, the clones created by the Union are created and trained in categories designated alpha through epsilon in an obvious shout-out to ''Literature/BraveNewWorld''. The alphas are the smartest clones--the ones most likely to graduate to full citizenship--while the epsilons are slow and stupid and assigned to all the most boring jobs. This only applies to clones created by the Union government to address it's horrible manpower shortage; clones made by private citizens and raised as normal children are outside of the alpha-epsilon system and are always considered full citizens.