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Posted: Mon Feb 11, 2008 9:08 am
by Eddie Pinz
my username
ender saved the earth and all but peters just smarter even though he made a few mistakes. peter actually got into power while ender was just a tool 4 graff
Peter is smarter than Ender = overstatement. He was supposed to be on par with him until the Shadow series destroyed that notion.

Peter made a "few" mistakes = understatement. Peter's coming into power is almost none of his own doing. Obviously, we see with that Peter leads the earth into peace and keeps the peace, but getting Peter that power is most definitely Bean's acheivement.

Jezebel,

Speaking personality wise, Val is certainly the most likable and Peter is far beyond unlikable. But I don't see Ender as unlikable. Care to elaborate on that?
Now as a character, I think Peter (in EG) is certainly the most interesting and somewhat unpredictable person, but certainly not likable.

Posted: Wed Feb 13, 2008 6:10 am
by EA_Cru_2002
I voted Peter because if we are talking in most general terms of leader, as in leader of men, then it's got to be Peter.

When Ender was young, he was a great military leader. A soldier's leader. He was able to lead the smartest kids in the world and manage to avoid any jealousy or resentment and even inspire outright love from his jeesh. However, Ender is not "ruthless" enough to transplant that level of leadership to the political spectrum. Because the simple matter of the fact is, political decisions tend to be a lot more screwed up than military ones. Especially when the former affects the latter. For instance, do you think Ender would ever be able to delay something like the world finding out Achilles' masterplan just so he'd be put in the position of Hegemon at the right time? Of course not. Peter did. That was a bit ruthless. But in the long run, it set off the chain of a course of events that saved the Earth from devouring itself. Peter views everything as chess. Sometimes you have to be willing to sacrifice some of your pieces for ultimate victory. And if you don't play like that, if you try to save every single piece, you will lose. The enemy will win. Ender won decisively against the buggers but only when he thought it was a game. If he were playing with real, human lives and he knew about it, he wouldn't be able to do the ugly deeds in service to the greater good.

And when Ender grows older, he does become a leader of that group of super genius family members that shape the course of the universe, but it's similar to his Battle School in that he can lead a small group of super talented people. That's his niche. He can do that better than Peter, whom Graff mentioned was not suited to military life since he wouldn't respect those above and below him enough. But he's really more a great mediator at that point. Between the family members and the different alien races.

But Peter, he sets up the pieces and makes the moves to favor things his way. Granted, Bean helped out a lot there. But Bean is a military asset. Peter has no skills in that. He simply used the tools he had available at his disposal. That doesn't mean Peter was always on his game and there wasn't more than a few instances where Bean had to bail Peter out, but Bean also bailed Ender out a few key moments, not to mention being the inspiration, albiet indirectly, of the final key decision Ender had to wipe out the Buggers. But just like how Bean could never have done what Ender did, Bean could never ever have done what Peter did. He's just not ambitious enough.

Valentine, now she's a great character, but she's no leader compared to the other two Wiggins. If she didn't have the brothers there to overshadow her, then she'd be a fine leader in her own right. But her role was always mostly to support and provide contrasting viewpoints.

I love Ender's character as much as the next guy but there was just something about Peter's story that I felt really satisfied by reading. He's portrayed so monstrously in the beginning but as you keep reading the stories, it's his story of slowly learning how to join the human race. Some of you disliked the parts in the Bean series where we would be shown Peter in not the most flattering light, doing some not so smart things and whatnot, but I found those parts to endear me more to him slowly and slowly. Because he was learning from his mistakes. And he was learning to accept humility in his life. To not be so damn arrogant.

SPOILERS to the end of Shadow of the Giant:

I just really felt his character made a real complete journey by the end of this book. When his parents tell him how proud they are of him and you see how much that meant to him emotionally. How alot of the bad things he did in his life was not because he hated, but because he didn't feel loved, or as loved, by everyone around him. And when Graff (or was it Rackam) asked him, after they found Bean's missing babies, if they should tell him now or if Peter wants to use Bean more, Peter straight up tells Graff to give the man his babies, he's a good man and he's earned it. That's something the old Peter would never have done. And at the very end, when you see old Peter and young Ender's ansible conversation but from Peter's perspective, a lot of those lines were heart tugging. Peter had the clarity to realize that root cause of a lot of his early faults. But he had the maturity not to hide behind them as justification for everything he did. When he tells Ender throughout his career that he'd always think in the back of his head when he'd make a decision, it was important to him to think, "Ender would have liked that." That was it. I honestly think Peter showed Ender such honesty and emotion that young Ender, still fresh from the memories of "bad" Peter, didn't really know how to deal with, and that's why it took several years for him to write The Hegemon.

Posted: Sun Apr 20, 2008 2:15 pm
by petraXthebest
im just attracted to everything about him. I love how you get to see deeper into him, behind the 'evil' layers placed upon him in Enders game, and see him as so much more. Gotta be Peter Wiggin. both of them.

Posted: Thu Apr 24, 2008 4:39 pm
by lyons24000
I voted for Peter.

Everybody says that Peter relied heavily on Bean and they are correct. What you are overlooking is that a good leader will use whatever he can to fulfill his purpose. Overlooking Bean in his ultimate plan because he didn't want anyone assuming that he was incapable of accomplishing his goal on his own would have been a mistake.

Ender, although a good stragegist and leader, had many more flaws then Peter did. His empathy, while good in some cases, was something that showed up far too often in situation where it was not called for or even needed. Peter was able to put moral grievances behind him for the good of humanity.

This reminds me of the law of robotics, namely, the First Law versus the theoretical Zeroeth Law.

0. A robot must not harm humanity or, through inaction, allow humanity to come to harm.

1. A robot must not harm a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm except where such harm would conflict with the Zeroeth Law.

The Zeroeth Law is much more important then the First Law.

In a way, Peter was able to put aside the First Law and focus on the good of all of humanity, which is more important. Ender could have never done that. We all know that if Ender had known that the "games" were real, he would have never destroyed the Bugger world.

Posted: Fri Apr 25, 2008 8:02 am
by Pixel
As much as it pains me to just throw Valentine aside, I think this decision is pretty much a Peter vs. Ender choice. I recognize Valentine's accomplishments and importance, but it's easier to see, remember, and debate the accomplishments of the 2 boys.

This is a pretty hard choice. Ender did indeed accomplish a lot of things that everyone else couldn't, or were afraid or too ignorant to. By nature, as we can see in real life and in the books, humans are always violent against strangers. Mistrusting, suspicious. Ender was an exception to that, and he built peace between both the Buggers and between the Piggies, and got the 2 aliens to trust EACH OTHER, too. That's a MAJOR accomplishment. Imagine if we met multiple alien species here in real life. It'd be total mayhem. War, no doubt. Not only was Ender able to win this war, he was able to change the public view about it afterwards, and prevent a war like that from ever happening again.

While Ender stopped humanity's prejudice views of strange, alien species, Peter united the humans together, stopping their war conflicts within themselves. He stopped humans from fighting each other, to work together as one race. That's another major accomplishment that, if anything, might be harder to accomplish then befriending aliens. Did he use Bean, Petra, Suri, etc.? Yes. But, as everyone's stated, a good leader needs to use people. Otherwise, a leader's nothing. He'd just be a little boy playing as Locke.

And plus, [SPOILERS FOR SotG!] the Peter in the very end totally made up for any manipulation. His character grew and grew, and came full circle to look back on his past mistakes in personality. When Graff and Rackham were still strict and in control when it came to telling Bean and Petra about their babies, Peter put a stop to that. He did something he never did before...he sympathized with someone's hardships and emotions. Peter was known for being selfish and cold, thinking he always knew what he was doing. He finally grew to the point that he saw what he was doing, and felt bad for Bean and Petra. Also, he finally felt bad and apologized to Ender. He knew why he did the things he did, and in my opinion, that counts as both a good personality trait and a good accomplishment.

Peter wins narrowly. Probably because he made personal accomplishments to his character, too. Ender, on the other hand, didn't really want to change anymore.

question

Posted: Thu Nov 06, 2008 7:59 pm
by shadow_8818
How did peter win that poll

Posted: Fri Apr 03, 2009 10:48 am
by ^Peter
Peter, hands down. Personally, I find Ender's character a bit... too good. Peter's character is more believable, and I can relate to Peter's emotions more. The Shadow series, espeically Giant, was a great expansion on Peter's story. They were the books that made Peter my favorite. And then I read Xenocide and CotM last, so when they brought Peter back, I was happy happy happy :).

Posted: Sat Jun 13, 2009 5:13 pm
by not_vichyssoise
ender is the obvious best, but valentine is pretty good too. she was the peace keeper between peter and ender, or at least she tried. she didnt have the same agressiveness as peter and ender. peter was very arrogant, but i admire that because i am the same way. overall, i would have to say that the wiggin family is all-together pretty awesome.

one other thing though: how come nobody as brought up their parents?

Posted: Sat Jun 13, 2009 5:33 pm
by Jeesh_girl15
one other thing though: how come nobody as brought up their parents?
Haha, yeah. What about Teresa and John Paul? :D Aren't they the ones who produced the incredibly brilliant genius kids we know as Ender, Peter, and Valentine?

Posted: Sat Jun 13, 2009 10:39 pm
by ^Peter
Ooh, ooh. Have you guys read First Meetings? That's a fun read.

Posted: Sun Jun 14, 2009 11:58 am
by Jeesh_girl15
Yeah. I actually have that one. The only book I haven't read yet is Intergalactic Medicine Show, which I've been trying to find at the library for ages. Doesn't First Meetings have the story Teacher's Pest (is that what it's called? I don't remember)? I liked that story.

Posted: Sun Jun 14, 2009 3:55 pm
by ^Peter
Yup, Teacher's Pest. That was a very interesting story. It shows that the Wiggin parents aren't as naive as they seem in Ender's Game.

Oh, and where Peter and Ender get their nesty side :)

Posted: Wed Jun 17, 2009 12:32 pm
by buckshot
Thats funny Jeesh! :wink:

Posted: Wed Jun 17, 2009 1:00 pm
by Jeesh_girl15
Oh, I'm reading First Meetings again. I forgot how much of a smartass John Paul was.

Posted: Wed Jun 17, 2009 1:18 pm
by Aesculapius
Peter and Ender are tied for me...But I ended up voting for Peter.
Ender seems more like an ideal, and Peter seems more realistic and down-to-earth.
They're both great people, and if we have more people like that, more can be accomplished in the world.

Posted: Thu Jul 09, 2009 3:03 am
by swtwin87
I think if the question is who is more likeable then it's definitely ender or valentine , peter is mainly focused on his own ambitions, and though that makes him a good leader and powerful, it definitely doesn't make him likable to me because of his pretty selfish behavior (for a good part of his life).

Posted: Wed Dec 30, 2009 1:35 am
by Glass
It's all about Ender. His old jeesh practically regarded him as Jesus.

Posted: Wed Dec 30, 2009 2:23 pm
by Peterlover14
-cough, cough- Peter-cough

Posted: Wed Dec 30, 2009 2:33 pm
by Sonikku13
The best Wiggin is Ender in my opinion. When I read Ender's Game for the first time, Ender Wiggin was the one I could relate to the most, I could sentimentalize for his guilt he felt after he killed Stilson, Bonzo, and devastated the Formics. I could also sentimentalize for him when he was tortured by Peter, imagery in the comics helps in this case. And again when Mazer rams his knee into Ender's back and rams his head in the floor. All necessary for Ender to beat the Formics, it seems After the First Xenocide, Ender was still trying to understand the Formics. And Ender is the one who fixed Novinha's life and was one of many who saved Lusitania.

Mostly plot summary, agh...

I still think Ender is the best Wiggin.

Posted: Thu Dec 31, 2009 9:43 pm
by perspicacious.emperor
Hard choice between Ender and Peter.

Ender lost. It's mostly because I lost interest in him during Speaker. Half of my vote for Peter is also for Peter II, back when he was a sarcastic bastard. I know, I know. Technically, Peter II IS Ender.... but he's fresher, without the load of self-loathing.
His old jeesh practically regarded him as Jesus.
I know, eh!!
Part of why I lost interest in Ender is because he is so revered...

Poor Valentine ;-; No one really likes her.

Posted: Wed Jan 06, 2010 2:07 am
by PetraArkanianDelphiki
I think Valentine was the most likable, she was the thread that held everyone together, and above all, she is the only one that's in her own original body at the end of the book, and that counts a lot for me, since the series has more than enough lost love and misery, and that little radiance of hope in her makes me put her as number one. (I know Ender isn't really dead, but we had to go through a funeral for a transition between bodies.)

Posted: Wed Jan 06, 2010 7:46 pm
by Rodaka
As I expected when I saw the question, Ender and Peter are very close.

"Changing the world is good for those who want their names in books. But being happy, that is for those who write their names in the lives of others, and hold the hearts of others as the treasure most dear. - Olhado

This poll kind of proves that point, don't you think? Valentine wrote history books, but not about herself, she talked to people, but only wrote her name in the hearts of her family. You don't really get to know Valentine.

I chose Ender, because of all of what happened in Speaker for the Dead to Children of the Mind. The Shadow books did show that Peter was good at manipulation, but most of his actual success, as talking isn't everything, was Bean, as was said before.

Ender was just more of the person I'd like to be, and so, I like him more.

Posted: Wed Jan 06, 2010 9:53 pm
by Sonikku13
Well, it could be interpreted this way. If you want a Wiggin that is still alive in the same body that they were born in during the period between 1195 and 1191 bsc., you have to go with Valentine Wiggin. She is still alive, and she has all her memories. Ender's aiua may be alive, but it's in Peter Wiggin II's body and he lost his memories. Peter Wiggin is dead, thats clear. But this bends the question too much.

Posted: Wed Jan 06, 2010 10:01 pm
by PetraArkanianDelphiki
Well, it could be interpreted this way. If you want a Wiggin that is still alive in the same body that they were born in during the period between 1195 and 1191 bsc., you have to go with Valentine Wiggin. She is still alive, and she has all her memories. Ender's aiua may be alive, but it's in Peter Wiggin II's body and he lost his memories. Peter Wiggin is dead, thats clear. But this bends the question too much.
The thing is, even though he doesn't have his memories, he has the personality that is the result of those memories, but with Peter's ambitions. So now he's a compassionate ambitious person.

I go with Valentine because she is the only one that is still happy over of all the years, and is still relatively unscarred. Ender has changed, and I don't really like Peter II even though he is compassionate, because he wants power, rather than mere happiness and a simple life like Ender.

Posted: Fri Jan 08, 2010 9:42 pm
by Larka
I'd have to go with Ender, but Peter comes very close. Peter's alot like me. Ender is who I want to be.
I agree that both are very close, but Peter is who I'd want to be

Posted: Fri Jul 23, 2010 9:22 pm
by Framling
Although I'm tempted to say Peter because of his cockiness (yes I like cockiness and that's okay because I'm usually right about everything) I have to say Ender because of the way he can size up people and "handle" them Like when he first met Novinha and her family.

Posted: Sat Jul 24, 2010 7:00 pm
by Jeesh_girl15
All three of the Wiggins could "size up" people. Just in three different ways for three different ways to "handle" the people. Ender sized up people as a commander and friend (in Battle School and lot's of other places). Peter sized up people to see what use they would be for him (just about all the time). And Valentine sized up people from a historian's view (in her books/histories). All three were commendably good at their own type of "sizing up."

Posted: Sun Jul 25, 2010 10:37 am
by Framling
I suppose your right. You could even say the same about John Paul And Teressa Wiggin in the way they handle Peter. I think I was more referring to Ender's gentile touch. He gets the job done without being to forceful or manipulative.

Posted: Sun Jul 25, 2010 9:11 pm
by Jeesh_girl15
Well, just like how each had their own way of sizing up, they were good at handling in their own way too. So I suppose you're right also.

Peter vs. Ender

Posted: Sat Aug 07, 2010 5:24 pm
by descaladore13
Peter Wiggin was better, if you think about it. At the age of 12 he began writing essays as Locke, and soon became very influencial around the world. By the age of 17, 5 years later, he was appointed the title Hegemon of Earth. At the time, this was an empty title, but, with his many contacts throughout the world, he gained much influence and soon governed the whole world. Ender's biggest achievment was destroying an alien race that had decided not to attack humanity again. This was seen as a bad thing to many people and so it was not a good accomplishment, however, three thousand years later he restored that race so his achievments come out even. the only other thing that he did was help a family from tearin itself apart. So, he had only one slightly good act going for him, while Peter had united the world under one gaverment.

Posted: Mon Aug 30, 2010 9:40 pm
by spanish_rockette
Peter, hegemon of earth, kindas creeps me out. i like ender the speaker for the dead. more HIM!

Posted: Sat Oct 09, 2010 5:59 pm
by Glaucon
John Paul Wiggin, hands down. He has so many of the best characteristics that constitute both Ender and Peter.

*spoiler warning* Someday I hope to use the keep-ordering-food-until-she-comes-out strategy! Great stuff.

Posted: Mon Apr 25, 2011 7:57 pm
by piers_styx
Best is hard to say. BUT I will say I love Peter more than I love Ender. Once he grew up, Peter changed not just the Earth but the entire universe since it was he who ushered humanity into the stars as Hegemon of Earth. Sure the IF had a part of it but in the end Peter would have ended up running it. There is a lot there to him, and it is all pretty interesting stuff.


Also..... PETER WIGGIN II FOR HEGEMON OF EARTH!!!!

Posted: Sat May 07, 2011 10:11 am
by Dr. Mobius
Young Val's body was used to save Jane, which I think greatly outweighs the trouble that it caused.
I disagree. I wouldn't want to sacrifice Kelly to get Ami back.

Posted: Sat May 07, 2011 10:20 am
by Gravity Defier
Young Val's body was used to save Jane, which I think greatly outweighs the trouble that it caused.
I disagree. I wouldn't want to sacrifice Kelly to get Ami back.
:lol:

Amen to that.