Alealea
Alealea asked Lois McMaster Bujold:

Listening for the first time the audio version of the Penric novellas, I found a great similarity between Desdemona, and how Penric views her as unique being and repository of knowledge through centuries (and what a waste it would be to lose it) AND the Trill like Dax from Star Trek Universe. Is it a coincidence or not ?

Lois McMaster Bujold
Coincidence; I barely watched that era of Star Trek. But notions of various sorts of spiritual or alien body possession or sharing have been kicking around fantasy and SF since before they were even genres. For earlyish examples on the SF side, Heinlein's The Puppet Masters for a negative, Hal Clement's Needle for a positive spin, both of which I read back in the 60s. For fantasy, too numerous to list. Who knows how many variations in anime by now.

Not a new or unique idea. Whatever freshness any given writer may bring to it is all in the details. On the other hand, no one complains that they've already read one story about a human being, they don't need to read any more...

Ta, L.

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