[MicroPsycho]

This is just something to generate some discussion that has nothing to do with inter-species mating.

Do Shivans eat? And if so what?

[aldo_14]

I'd say no, as the techroom mentions them as possibly having some form of organic fusion used to power their beam weapon.  Plus I think they could probably have adapted their bodies not to rely on food; it'd make sense for a cybernetic organism to do so (assuming, of course, they weren't designed in the first place).

[ToecrusherHammerjaw]

Do Shivans eat? And if so what?

Hang on a sec. <shouts to guys in maintenance> Hey! Somebody go up in the vents and find Carl! We got a question needs answered!

 

Seriously though, it's a possibility that they do in fact eat.  We Terrans know so little about them.

[Admiral Nelson]

They also eat Headz.  Hence their hatred of Vasudans.

[Flipside]

Hmmmm.. Well, it seems pretty certain that Shivans don't eat organic matter, certainly, though theres little doubt, if they are evolved, or related to an evolved species that they are predators. It'd be kind of hard, even if they were designed, to place that kind of behaviour in prey.
It's possible they could take nutrition from Energy of some sort, possibly Subspace?

[achtung]

Maybe they have cold fusion reactors inside?

[Nuclear1]

Do Shivans eat? And if so what?

Yes. Babies.

[/pointless]

[Taristin]

Hmmmm.. Well, it seems pretty certain that Shivans don't eat organic matter,

Umm. Can I ask how you came to this conclusion?

I'd imagine that if they are biological in any way, they need something other than energy to survive, no?

[FireCrack]

Definitley, law of conservation of energy.

[Flipside]

True, but I can't say I've ever seen any kind of 'mouth' on them

[Trivial Psychic]

You're all ignoring the greater question:

What does Shivan taste like? 

[CP5670]

Someone within SOC probably knows. What do you think happened to the Shivans who were originally in those Maras you fly in Into the Lion's Den? A Shivan BBQ, of course.

[Black Wolf]

Yes. Carl has consumed the lunch of many a newbie IIRC.

[aldo_14]

Hmmmm.. Well, it seems pretty certain that Shivans don't eat organic matter,

Umm. Can I ask how you came to this conclusion?

I'd imagine that if they are biological in any way, they need something other than energy to survive, no?

What is food but a way to get something that is converted to (essentially) energy?

[TrashMan]

Yeah, but you still don't power your body by sticking your finger in a socket, now do you?

[Kie99]

IIRC in FS1 some Shivan cargo containers are revealed to be containing food.

[aldo_14]

Yeah, but you still don't power your body by sticking your finger in a socket, now do you?

Because I'm not designed to.

 Eating is messy and inefficient; you have the problems of storing food (internally for processing and in ships for supplies), extracting nutrients, removing waste from the body and ship, etc.......

[TrashMan]

There are severaly types of energy - kinetic, heat, etc...

Food if fuel for the body - it needs nutrients to keep it's growth, to generate new cells, etc.
Heat is the product of kinetic energy that is again the product of moving muscles and blood flow.
While our body functions are controled by electroical impulses, you can't just eat energy, and genetic modification in that direction are ilarious to say the least.

and kitoftheworld said, there was food in some shivan containers, thus tehy eat.

[Flipside]

But this assumes that Shivans use a standard genetic process to create cells. If indeed they are Bio-Engineered, they might require materials, but not need the injest them. After all, do Shivans grow? Have we seen young Shivans, Old Shivans, different sized Shivans even?

[aldo_14]

There are severaly types of energy - kinetic, heat, etc...

Food if fuel for the body - it needs nutrients to keep it's growth, to generate new cells, etc.
Heat is the product of kinetic energy that is again the product of moving muscles and blood flow.
While our body functions are controled by electroical impulses, you can't just eat energy, and genetic modification in that direction are ilarious to say the least.

and kitoftheworld said, there was food in some shivan containers, thus tehy eat.

It's only, er, 'ilarious' if you wish to apply it to present day human physiology.  With something like the Shivans - whether built from scratch by a designed or evolved over many years (i.e. of adding technology and genetic engineering) - it becomes more plausible.  Particularly given their - suggested - organic fusion capacity.

I'd note that kinetic energy is produced through friction, so you get that (and heat) from any mechanical object anyways.   Muscle movement in particular  IIRC is caused as a result of the activation of certain proteins in the muscle via electrical impulses.  Nutrients... the main issue IMO is the ingestion of nutrients used to get chemicals not naturally produced by the body.  However, this does not preclude an engineered solution to produce these chemicals internally.  Stuff like growth, movement, etc could all be powered using some form of 'direct' energy source.

Remember this is sci-fi, after all; there's no reason why it couldn't happen, and I guess the main reason is which is more likely.  To me, the Shivans seem more likely to be 'powered' in this way then through conventional eatery - largely because of their apparent lack of interest in resources like planets (this would obviously depend on what they eat), and the suggestion of some form of electrical/energy source within them from the Hallfight ani.  It's not necessary to assume the Shivans were always 'designed' this way, of course.

I can't remember the mission with 'Shivan food'.  Albiet I'm not sure we should always be regarding the content of containers as deadly serious canon, given those in the last mission of FS1 (and how would the GTVA identify Shivan food?).