We have a slight problem at Ambrosia HQ. Many of you probably know about Hector, our African Grey Parrot mascot. His cantankerous deeds are the stuff of legend, and he was even immortalized as the infamous "Captain Hector" in Escape Velocity and the sequel, EV Override.

Well, to use the famous words of Lou Reed, "...he was a she" -- that's right, folks. Hector D. Byrd turns out to be female all of this time. Hector, we hardly knew ya!

For those who might ask, yes, sexing an African Grey Parrot is difficult -- it required our vet to do bloodwork to verify Hector's shemale status. And unlike OJ, we're not going to contest the blood evidence: we're currently trying to cope with the fact that Hector is a she, not a he.

That's where we'd like your help. Can anyone think of a good female name for Hector? Or should we just keep calling her Hector? Help!!

Oy vey! The world has gone topsy-turvy... there is a disturbance in the proverbial force. My initial thought is "Andromache", the wife of the mythological Hector. It simply doesn't roll of the tongue quite as well, though.

--bbz


[This message has been edited by ian (edited 04-17-2001).]

Sadie.

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If you leave your eyes
open for a long time they
start to feel really
fun

I think that if you feel comfortable using the name Hector then you should be perfectly able to continue using that name. After all, Hector knew that she was a she and probably responded quite well to the name. In fact, I think changing the name will be difficult for Hector to accept and might not respond to a new name. In addition, Hector has become famous as Hector and so changing it now would take away from Hector's fame.

In short, I don't think you should change it.

Shector?

How about "HectHER?"

Then you won't confuse the poor parrot with name crisis--but still convey the proper gender.

I thought Hector's sex was old news. I think the company said something about it before. Oh, well. Keep the name Hector. Otherwise, I'll feel that much emptier when playing EV or EVO or Avara. And who's going to convince Hector that her name isn't Hector?

My favorite is "Hecate", an evil sorceress from Greek mythology. That would fit hector pretty well.

Possible others:
Hera
Helen
hectora
Hectorina
Hell Spawn


Since she's female, you might need to think up a prefix other than "captain".

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"A celibate clergy is an especially good idea, because it tends to suppress any hereditary propensity toward fanaticism." -- Carl Edward Sagan

It wouldn't seem right without seeing Captain Hector in unregistered copies of EVN. A name change just ... wouldn't seem right(?). Just keep the name, or else it wouldn't seem right. WOULDN'T SEEM RIGHT WOULD'NT SEEM RIGHT WOULDN'T SEEM RIGHT!!!!!!!!!

Okay, I think I WOULDN'T SEEM RIGHT point across.


P.S. wouldn't seem right

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The vampire squid from
hell is real, and there
is more than one.
Mwahahaha... oh, sorry,

Man... I guess this means I'll have to cut down on the obscene gestures made to Hector in those carefree first few unregistered days of EVN... >;¬)

So Hector is female... why can't she be a Captain Yoda?

*thinks: this does all sound very familliar*

I vote for keeping Hector(no need to confuse the poor bird(note: Hector had nothing to do with this paragraph... honest!), and you can always make Hector short for something more feminine... I guess. :¬}

*honk*
Cappy Red

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"Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known."
-Carl Sagan
"Never trust a computer you can't throw out a window."
-Steve Wozniak

It's official -- take a look at Hector's sex certificate:

http://www.AmbrosiaSW.com/news/newswire/im...s/hectorsex.jpg


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Andrew Welch / el Presidente / Ambrosia Software, Inc.
Never argue with an idiot. They drag you down to their level then beat you with experience.

Well, if her name's on a certificate, you can't go changing it now. If you did, what proof would you have that she was female? That thing only says Hector is female, not some parrot named Hectare (100 acres), or Dora or whatever.You'd have to get another certificate. So Hector can only be Hector.

I would stay with Hector. She has lived with that name since the beginning of time, and should be allowed to keep it, if she wants.

Hector's sex could explain why she was always having mood swings, and why she won't talk to you (since you guys named her a he).

If you decide to change the name, however, then please let it be the chic that Hector ran off with to Troja, k?

Schönen Tag noch,
Der Ami

Just give the bird a sex change operation and forget about names, its much less complicated. (:

In fact, I say you make a shirt for this. A picture of Hector on the front, and on the back, "It's a girl!" Anything for a shirt even remotely related to EV.

[This message has been edited by Vaska (edited 04-21-2001).]

I'm gonna have to agree with Erica, Vaska, Vampire Squid, and Captian Red. Hector is legend and if you change her name it will change the legend. Her name should stay Hector. Names such as Cody (mine), Casey, Robin, Kelly, and Aubrey are all names used for both guys and girls, I guess we'll have to make Hector a name like that. Plus we won't know the difference when we're yelling at her for pranking us in future games.

Basically I'm saying keep the name Hector for all our sakes as well as her's.

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I would think it obvious… Hecuba! In Greek mythology, she's Hector's mother. She's also the mother of Paris, who gave the apple to Aphrodite in turn for Helen's hand in marriage, which set the Tojan war into motion. Hecuba got carted off with Ulysses after the war, eventually got revenge on some guy who killed one of her sons, and was ultimately metamorphosed into a dog. Anyway, Hecuba is probably the closest female name to Hector there is.

Heh, love that certificate, "Sex made easy!"

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If there's anything more important than my ego around here I want it caught and shot.

[This message has been edited by greensubmarine (edited 04-24-2001).]

Hmmm....Why would Hector being female need you to change the name from Captain...I mean..there are females in the military after all. And perhaps the name should remain Hector, I mean we all remember "Pat" from SNL, lets just say that the bird is androgines and leave it at that.

To change Hector's name at this point, would be evil, plain and simple. So much history dating back through Ambrosia's games would be tainted. From Captain Hector flying around shooting us for not paying for EV, to those wonderful walkers in Avara.

If it must change, find some way to just feminize the name Hector. Hectorina, Hectorette, or such.

"Sex Made Easy DNA Analysis"?

Uh huh...

I say get rid of our female hector and buy a brand new male parrot and name it Hector. Yup. This would solve the current problem. Are parrots tasty? Maybe you could eat the current Hector before you buy a new one. Yup. I'll eat the parrot. I like parrots. I also like chocolate milk, its tasty. Do you like chocolate milk?

Hector could eisily be a multisex name. Hector is just fine for a girl. Good grief I know a guy who's first name is stacey.

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Cowards die many times before their deaths,
The valiant never taste of death but once.
Julius Caesar

I also favour Hecate, but I'm surprised that nobody has realised that this may explain Hector's infamous temper - I mean, I'd get pretty pissed off if everyone around me kept referring to me as a male, when it's obvious to every other parrot that I was female!

Mike

P.S. No, I was never a parrot in a previous life. Next time round, who knows?

While I agree that Hector's attitude may be due to people mistaking her sex, just imagine if she was just naturally bad-tempered and suddenly had a bunch of people calling her a new name. That would tick ME off, anyway. Also, she would lose all the prestige given her by her ability to tear into pilots in EV and EVO, and imagine what that would do to her attitude. Plus there's the ego thing with having a 2-meter-tall walking machine with lasers and grenades and missiles named after you. Keep the name, or Hector might just get even angrier.
Neither was I a parrot. And I'm glad, because I'm sure human fingers taste nasty.

I had always suspected that Hector was female, especially after John Champlin told me that female parrots hate female humans. Just looking at the way she treated that hottie UPS delivery woman was proof enough.

Damn. How a surprising thing. After so many tales heard from her…
Keep Hector. The poor animal would be disturbed if ever named something else. Just rename her "captainin Hector" in EVN…

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M'enfin!
Y'a personne qui parle français ici?

I think Hector is a good name. Why change it because of the results of a sex determination test?

I think she should stay Hector
i mean theres a boy named Sue
Why not a Girl named hector? (:

I knew ahead of time Hector, driving that beloved invicible Raiper, was female from a plug someone made. They called he/r "hectorina" but that's to obvious.
Pollina is much better.

Hector...
There is no other...
She is the Hector...
If you change it, she wouldn't be the Hector...

Hector's a girl huh? Well i think it should stay hector i mean ambrosia just wouldn't be ambrosia without good old hector.

Hectoria.

It rolls of the tongue, its easy to remember, and plus, it was my idea so Captain J orders it. Hector's new name IS Hectoria.

Keep it as Hector. I won't register EVN if it's not Hector!

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Three rings for the Elven-kings under the sky, Seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone, nine for mortal men doomed to die, One for the Dark Lord on his throne, In the land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.
One ring to rule them all, one ring to find them, one ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them, In the land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.