Insurance Claims in Space – Cult Times

One of the niggling unanswered questions of science fiction – other than “where are the toilets on the Enterprise?” – is: who takes the blame when things go wrong? When parts of the ship inexplicably malfunction, or break down? There’s a certain amount of hassle involved in trying to prove that, actually, some terrifying space monkeys really did break in and wreck havoc, and that’s where the insurance companies step in. Here’s a run-down of the top 10 most common insurance claims in space:

10. Holo-disaster: The safety gets inadvertently turned off on the Holodeck.

Insured: Holodeck manufacturers.

Claimants: Affected crewmembers; families of any deceased.

Circumstances: If the safety option isn’t working, any scenarios created might as well be real. In practise, that tends to mean that any number of fictional or historical characters can run amok, attacking any crewmembers in the holodeck.

Decision: Provided it can be proven that the holodeck wasn’t tampered with, and that it was being used to manufacturers’ specifications, the manufacturer will be wholly liable for any consequences; otherwise, a degree of contributory negligence may be involved. If no one was seriously harmed, it may be difficult to claim for emotional distress, though a nominal sum may well be awarded.

9. Culinary Nightmare: The replicator malfunctions.

Insured: Replicator manufacturers.

Claimants: Crewmembers.

Circumstances: Replicator malfunctions range widely in severity: from ceasing to work entirely, causing a food shortage; to creating harmful food resulting in widespread food poisoning; to getting stuck on the Pot Noodle setting.

Decision: Again contributory negligence will have to be ruled out by investigating whether the machinery had been tampered with by any non-authorised personnel. The age and condition of the machine, as well as the dates of its last service, will play a part in determining how much compensation is warranted. It’s likely that in less severe cases, when perhaps only several hundred gallons of tomato soup were produced, there won’t be much of a payout.

8. Code Roswell: Some drunken cadets crash the spaceship.

Insured: Claim will be against the spaceship’s insurance policy.

Claimants: Ship’s owner/occupiers.

Circumstances: Newly-qualified space cadets can get reckless, and carelessness can lead to damage ranging from a mere prang, to a bump involving another ship, to flat-out writing-off the ship by crashing it into a planet.

Decision: Bang goes the no-claims bonus. A claims handler will probably need to inspect the damage to determine how much needs to be spent on repairs, and estimates from various dealers will need to be sought – but if the craft has been crashed on an unknown planet, things can get much more complicated, possibly requiring search and rescue operations.

7. Make a Jam: Inertial dampeners malfunction.

Insured: Product manufacturers/suppliers.

Claimants: Grieving families, ship’s owners.

Circumstances: Maintaining a reasonable atmosphere inside a spaceship is tricky – after air, gravity is probably one of the most important factors, and when you’re travelling at warp speeds, inertial dampeners are vital. Without them, your highly trained crew will be nothing but a soupy mess of organs, which is extremely inconvenient for all involved.

Decision: Provided that there have been no noticeable alterations made, and there’s no evidence of extraneous damage, there’s a pretty good case here against the manufacturers. Life insurance for the crew should also pay out, and it’ll be necessary to contract someone to retrieve the ship, as well as potentially very high cleaning bills.

6. Avast, ye landlubbers: The crew are attacked by space pirates.

Insured: Claims of this nature are usually covered by spaceship/contents insurance.

Claimants: Crewmembers.

Circumstances: Due to insufficient safety measures, or sometimes just plain bad luck, ships are often hijacked by opportunists. Occasionally, the crew will be massacred and the ship itself stolen, but just as often the thieves will just take whatever is onboard that strikes their fancy.

Decision: As long as the terms of the policy were adhered to, any stolen goods should be replaced (assuming provenance and value can be accounted for). In more extreme cases, settling the case can be more problematic and there is a litigation risk; it’s unlikely this can be settled out of court.

5. Lost in Translation: The universal translator fails.

Insured: Translator manufacturers.

Claimants: Crewmembers/fleet; potential for a class action suit.

Circumstances: Peace negotiations are often very tense, requiring a great deal of tact and sophistication. If the translators fail, things can do dramatically wrong, with possible results including immediate damage being done to the ship, crewmembers being killed or injured, and, in the long-term, some areas of space becoming off-limits, damaging trade relations and generally making life more difficult.

Decision: Claims of this nature have the potential to become high profile and highly expensive. Payouts vary, depending on the degree of damage done to intergalactic relations as well as more physical losses, but pure economic loss can be complicated to prove.

4. Scrambled Legs: The teleporter breaks down, mangling crewmember data.

Insured: Teleporter manufacturer.

Claimants: Grieving families; remaining crewmembers.

Circumstances: If there’s a teleporter malfunction mid-transporting, a scrambling of the data can occur, meaning crewmembers don’t come back again – or at least, not in one recognisable piece. Data is occasionally completely lost, but more often becomes corrupt; either way, this can result in messy death.

Decision: As always, condition, age, and extraneous damage to the machinery need to be taken into account, but if a teleporter randomly redesigns human anatomy, there’ll be someone to blame – usually, the programmers. Replacement or repair of the product will be necessary, and probably some kind of payment to placate those unlucky enough to have to witness/clear up the mess.

3. Lost in Space: The compression coil blows, leaving the engine inoperable and crew stranded.

Insured: Ship retailer; parts manufacturer.

Claimants: Crewmembers.

Circumstances: Spaceships don’t just run on goodwill and fresh air: they need power, whether that’s beryllium spheres, dilithium crystals, or any other such unpronounceable necessity. If one tiny-yet-essential part goes wrong, it can have disastrous consequences, especially if there’s no back-up life support.

Decision: Quantum will vary based on the age and provenance of the part in question. Usually, a payout will be merited for replacement of the part, and possibly for general damages. Medical supplies, food, and anyone kept in suspended animation may also have been affected by the lack of power and compensation should be issued accordingly.

2. The Time Warp: The crew get stuck in a time-loop.

Insured: Claim will likely be against the spaceship’s insurance policy.

Claimants: Crewmembers.

Circumstances: A temporal anomaly forces crewmembers to re-live the same day over and over again; as a result, excessive amounts of food and fuel are used in the course of one day, and some mental and emotional distress may be suffered.

Decision: This is essentially an employers’ liability claim, for failing to provide a safe and suitable place of work. However, claims of this sort are open to abuse, as it is often impossible to conclusively prove any of the details. Actual physical loss will probably be small, and only a nominal payment should be considered in respect of psychological distress.

1. Codename HAL: The AI goes mad and kills the crew.

Insured: The AI manufacturers/programmers.

Claimants: Grieving families, mostly.

Circumstances: A lack of sufficient built-in safety measures, and the inability of artificial intelligence to successfully replicate human values, results in the entirely logical extermination of the entire crew.

Decision: Meddling with the AI’s programming (or offering it chocolate) may result in some degree of contributory negligence, and the ship’s records should be scrutinised. Otherwise, the manufacturer or programmer will be held liable, and a product recall may have to be issued to prevent this from becoming a class-action suit. (Undoubtedly, it will be better to pay over the odds to settle out of court in this case, as it has the potential to become extremely high profile.)

This article was originally written for Cult Times magazine.