bioengineery technology in the world of cyberpunk 2077 and its military use

[j3lly_m3lly]

in 2020 there already was bioengineery technology that was used to efficient full human cloning but as far as i know, nations are against making artificial humans. considering how some corporations are the law in some areas, do you think that in 2077 corporations would be able to mass produce bioengineered, upgraded humans for their armies? if so, they wouldn't really have to hire any personnel and would only have to pay for their training and equipment.
if soldiers would be clones, they would all be predictable, but they could edit their DNA during production so they wouldn't be clones of each other, but indvidual units that makes different choices on the battlefield. what do you think of something like this taking place in the cyberpunk?

 

[Suhiira]

Why?

One of the basic tenants in Cyberpunk is most people are dirt poor, and life is cheap. There should be a virtually endless supply of people wanting to get into the military for the sake of a decent living and a regular paycheck.

 

[j3lly_m3lly]

Why?

One of the basic tenants in Cyberpunk is most people are dirt poor, and life is cheap. There should be a virtually endless supply of people wanting to get into the military for the sake of a decent living and a regular paycheck.

because they need to be paid and will be way less capable than bioengineered units who are having their DNA tailored for the best performance possible. such bioengineered soldiers would be also taking less time to be trained.
some of them could even be assigned to the laboratories to make like nourishing syringe doses from plants and minerals (or even artificial molecules if technology allows their mass production), making them all self sustainable. none of them would mind it not being "real food" unlike not bioengineered humans.
some of them could be assigned to the corporate nuclear reactors, basically making the whole corporation self sustainable, having free, bioengineered personnel everywhere and free power from their nuclear reactors.

 

[Suhiira]

because they need to be paid

True.

and will be way less capable than bioengineered units who are having their DNA tailored for the best performance possible

Maybe, BUT there's a cost to creating such units that doesn't exist when recruiting real people. It's probably cheaper to just pay people then buy, set up, and operate cloning labs and pay doctors and technicians.

such bioengineered soldiers would be also taking less time to be trained.

Probably more.

People learn certain social skills growing up, they tend to learn why teamwork pays off, they learn VAST amounts of everyday knowledge ... how to flush a toilet, where and how light switches operate, tieing their shoes, how to use a knife and fork, etc. etc. etc. that your boiengineered clones don't. The have to be taught even something as incredibly/fundamentally basic as how to speak (and presumably read and write).

THEN you have to train them how to be soldiers ... and don't forget various types of essential technicians.

 

[Sild]

While it's certainly an interesting idea, full blown genetically engineered super clone armies might be a bit too much for cyberpunk. It's more a high sci-fi thing. A few genetically engineered super soldiers made so in extreme secret and as a result of an extremely expensive and risky process by certain Megacorps? Very likely. Equip them with state of the art cyberware/bioware and gear and the resulting "product" will give the most seasoned teams of edge-runners - or any other governmental or non governmental squad - a fight they'll never forget, or rather, survive.

Anyway, genetic engineering isn't a big part of the 2020 lore, it was almost left out entirely. Doesn't mean it can't play an important part in 2077, but i see its application more in terms of special forces instead of armies of them.

 

[Suhiira]

Special Forces for certain VERY specialized missions I could see.

Deep sea divers that can breathe water and don't suffer from decompression issues.
Bio/Cyber space forces that need little oxygen, don't suffer vacuum problems, and are adapted to zero-g.
This sort of thing, where all you need is a handful of "people" with highly specialized skills/cyber.

 

[Sild]

Special Forces for certain VERY specialized missions I could see.

That, yes, but not only.

If you can genetically alter a human being, freely, to that extent then things like increased bone density, muscle efficiency maybe even neuronal synapse speed whithout the inherent invasive implants downsides.. All while looking seemingly mundane.. I mean, exciting, but also terrifying.

 

[Atalvyr]

Bio-modding is in fact very common in the Cyberpunk universe. Just not in the US where the game will take place.

In Europe, bio-mods mostly take the place of the cybernetic enhancements seen in the US.

 

[Sild]

Not bio modding (bioware) which is indeed, common.

Genetic engineering is a different beast. A sleeping one, so far.

 

[j3lly_m3lly]

Maybe, BUT there's a cost to creating such units that doesn't exist when recruiting real people. It's probably cheaper to just pay people then buy, set up, and operate cloning labs and pay doctors and technicians.

yes, however bioengineered units production would become cheaper and cheaper as all the laboratory personnel would be replaced one by one with free personnel who has their DNA tailored for being laboratory personnel and eventually, all the corporate personnel could be replaced with them, who would be not only way better, but also serving their corpo leader for free. the more bioengineered personnel corporation would have, the faster new units would be produced and the faster new technology would be researched. if there's corporation that seeks taking over the world, bioengineery is a way to do that.

 

[Suhiira]

If you can genetically alter a human being, freely, to that extent then things like increased bone density, muscle efficiency maybe even neuronal synapse speed whithout the inherent invasive implants downsides.. All while looking seemingly mundane.. I mean, exciting, but also terrifying.

Very!

yes, however bioengineered units production would become cheaper and cheaper as all the laboratory personnel would be replaced one by one with free personnel who has their DNA tailored for being laboratory personnel and eventually, all the corporate personnel could be replaced with them, who would be not only way better, but also serving their corpo leader for free. the more bioengineered personnel corporation would have, the faster new units would be produced and the faster new technology would be researched. if there's corporation that seeks taking over the world, bioengineery is a way to do that.

You're assuming they can genetically engineer specific MENTAL traits that make one person a skilled lab tech and another a skilled flower arranger. If they have that great an understanding of physical/psychological processes then I'd suggest someone would have long since created Khan Noonien Singh and the world would have a LOT more problems then mere corp wars and ecological disaster.

 

[j3lly_m3lly]

People learn certain social skills growing up, they tend to learn why teamwork pays off, they learn VAST amounts of everyday knowledge ... how to flush a toilet, where and how light switches operate, tieing their shoes, how to use a knife and fork, etc. etc. etc. that your boiengineered clones don't. The have to be taught even something as incredibly/fundamentally basic as how to speak (and presumably read and write).

THEN you have to train them how to be soldiers ... and don't forget various types of essential technicians.

brain's knowledge is stored as microscopic chemical changes at the connecting points between neurons (specialized cells that transmit signals from the nerves) in the brain. some portion of knowledge could be just replicated to the brains during their production or by the brain implants, making sure the units will be fully obedient and loyal to the corpo. in the process, new units that just left their biopod would already have some knowledge, have full obedience and loyalty.

Very!


You're assuming they can genetically engineer specific MENTAL traits that make one person a skilled lab tech and another a skilled flower arranger. If they have that great an understanding of physical/psychological processes then I'd suggest someone would have long since created Khan Noonien Singh and the world would have a LOT more problems then mere corp wars and ecological disaster.

just an army of enhanced soldiers that keeps growing faster and faster basically fueling itself. yea, who would see a threat in that.

 

[EngryEngineer]

To be good soldiers, especially for small unit and special forces, you'd likely have to select for traits that allow for some level of independent thought, aggression, ambition, etc, why would they stay loyal or not expect compensation once they start learning about the outside world (and this is assuming the extremely generous condition that you can control personality through genetic control)? If independent thought isn't important it is probably much cheaper and less risky to make automated factories & supply lines that crank out drone/robot soldiers.

 

[j3lly_m3lly]

To be good soldiers, especially for small unit and special forces, you'd likely have to select for traits that allow for some level of independent thought, aggression, ambition, etc, why would they stay loyal or not expect compensation once they start learning about the outside world (and this is assuming the extremely generous condition that you can control personality through genetic control)? If independent thought isn't important it is probably much cheaper and less risky to make automated factories & supply lines that crank out drone/robot soldiers.

i don't see how allowing the bioengineered units to have independent thoughts collides with tailoring their DNA to make them loyal. for people it's normal that they are having their thoughts centered around themselves, however it would be possible to tailor the bioengineered units' DNA to make their thoughts be centered around the corporation and its leader, basically making their corporation's good their own good, making them superior to any non-bioengineered paid employee. bioengineered units with independent thought would be unpredictable because each of them would be different, unlike drones who would all be the same.