Would you want a prosthetic body?
I think I'd rather have a cyberbrain than a prosthetic body. Only bad thing is all the cyberbrain hacking that might happen.
Remember the Giants
Something they hint at occasionally in all versions of Ghost in the Shell (except maybe the video games) is the fact that Kusanagi and Bateau, and to a lesser degree the rest of the team, aren't free to do what they want with their lives, because of the maintenance that their bodies require. Kusanagi is clearly doing well for herself (I mean she's probably well compensated, and in the original comics it was suggested she was into a certain side line), enough to support herself without suckling on the government teat. (She has a collection of bodies even after she leaves Section 9...and then there's her huge apartment) But apart from his cars (even if they're replicas, they're quite pricey), there are no signs that Bateau is particularly wealthy.
The maintenance and parts for a full prosthetic body would be a huge problem...ensuring that one MUST either have an employer who will pay for it, or one MUST make a lot of money.
Then there's the issue of fuel. They don't really go into where these bodies get their energy. The cyborgs are shown eating, but not very much. They probably aren't getting their energy from food. So I'm guessing their requirements are rather particular. Not only that, a prosthetic body wouldn't be able to consume itself to keep going, like a biological body can. Basically, what this means is that if there is an interruption in fuel supply, you are dead. Period.
The dependence upon civilization operating without any major hiccups would be a little worrisome to me. One major national disaster...one major political upheaval, and you could find yourself...starving to death, sort of.
Sure, there are obvious advantages...but the disadvantages are pretty big.
Would i want a prosthetic body? Yes, i would.
Although you come up with some very good points for why not to, i would rather have a prosthetic body then a biological for a simple reason: Longer life time.
Though not explained in the series or movies, it would seem that life expectance have greatly increased for humankind. If a human can live for 100 years it's a long time. However if you had a prosthetic body like in the series, i would say you would be able to live for 150-300 years extra. And you wouldn't age in the prosthetic body, so you would be sexy all the time :D
"And you wouldn't age in the prosthetic body, so you would be sexy all the time :D"
Remember the Giants
Longer life time if nothing goes wrong. Shorter life time if anything does.
Think "Highlander," or "Warhammer 40,000" Space Marines...sure, you could live forever if nothing kills you, but damned if your chances of getting killed aren't high (if you're a combat cyborg, as many full-cyborgs are).
Or how about "Crank?" You stop running, you DIE.
That's what having a cyborg body, particularly a high-end one, would be like. You get a potentially unlimited life span, but only if all the support systems that allow your body to exist and to function remain in place, only if you don't lose your job or switch into something that can't support your body, and only if the reasons you got the body in the first place and the reasons that you can afford the body don't kill you outright.
You present a pretty good case. I just want to help you along with some details. Kusanagi, for the most part of the series, is always doing well. If you read Man-Machine Interface, the second GitS manga, Motoko is dirty, filthy, do- anything- she- wants rich. The manga gives you a good idea of what things are supposed to cost, and given that, it is safe to say Kusanagi has a rather LARGE sum of money. (Plus, in the 1st GitS manga, she hounded the chief for a higher salary constantly).
Batou's cars ARE pricey due to the amount of muscle and tuner tweaks he adds. His car in the Solid State Society closely resembles a hybrid of a Lambourghini and a Ferrari. Put the two expensive bodies together and add an engine and performance parts that were implied, it's clear the cars he gets costs a pretty penny. However, Batou also "wastes his money" on workout equipment. It is implied by Motoko that cyborgs just plain don't need workout equipment for any known purpose. So it's possible that physical fitness is a good reason to get a prosthetic.
Yes, maintenance is a pain. In the episode where Motoko is having her body repaired, you can see just a few of the many things that can go wrong with her body..
I'm pretty sure cyborgs don't NEED to eat. In the episode where Batou and Togusa are steaking out on a resaturant, Togusa begins eating the cyborg-sandwiches they had stocked, although he quickly realized what it was after it didn't taste right. Batou pointed out that the cyborg food was mostly composed of glutten, and if I recall correctly, cyborgs DON'T have taste buds, which is why the sandwich is nasty. (Also, Togusa accidentally drank Cyborg coffee once too, also tasting terrible, why would cyborgs need coffee?). So I'm thinking, if you paritcularly enjoy eating, the lack of taste buds and lack of necessity to eat may be a downer, but the upside being you can PROBABLY eat whatever you want without consequences.
As far as core power, I actually don't know what they use, but I do believe it's some sort of perpetual energy core or something. I don't know at all.
Don't type at ME in that tone of voice!
in sss, batou's car is the ford gt that came out a few years ago to resemble the lemans winning gt40, and in the series it was the lancia stratos, a factory ferrari powered car, not as elaborate as making you're own car, but given the time they're in, both would still be very pricey, the stratos goes for about a quarter mil now. but you have read the manga, did they ever say anything about kuze's pke body?
share"Batou's cars ARE pricey due to the amount of muscle and tuner tweaks he adds. His car in the Solid State Society closely resembles a hybrid of a Lambourghini and a Ferrari. Put the two expensive bodies together and add an engine and performance parts that were implied, it's clear the cars he gets costs a pretty penny. "
It was a Ford GT or GT40. The lines don't match either precisely, so it would be hard to say. His previous car was a Lancia Stratos. Both would probably be replicas (particularly the Ford, because, like I said, the lines are wrong). That would make them expensive, but not fabulously so. Nothing is implied re: performance parts in either car, but in a custom-built replica, there'd be no telling what's under the hood.
There are cyborgs in the show who aren't wealthy (the refugee pilot, for example), but they all seem to have institutional support of some kind.
There is no such thing as a perpetual energy source. If there were, I guarantee the world in GITS would be a more peaceful place.
And yes, cyborgs would need to eat, or take in nutrients in some way, since they still need to support their brains. Just not nearly as much as a natural human would. It is also possible that their bodies could use chemical fuel, and in that case food could be a fuel source for the cyborg body as well as the meat components. (Think Bender from "Futurama" and how he's powered by alcohol)
The exercise equipment and food things are examples of Batou's psychological attachment to his meat body.
In the first movie (and possibly the manga, I don't recall, it's been a while) Kusanagi mentions something about being able to drink, and immediately sober up when needed (presumably through whatever artificial blood-filtering system replaces the kidneys and liver). So they still do have some chemical connection to the outside world.
Thanks for the correction on those tidbits. I DO know what I'm talking about (I swear), I just don't always have my facts straight. That bender was brilliant.
As for the other guy, Kuze was never in the mangas.
Don't type at ME in that tone of voice!