Regarding the whole Trin question:
I think it's obvious that the destruction of Trin by the Virus _is_ known to
the general public of the Regency. Recall that in the sourcebook the event is
called the "rape of Trin." Events that are kept secret don't get dramatic
nicknames like that. The Regency government might refer to it as "the Trin
Incident" or "Virus Event Trin," but a vivid term like "rape of Trin" would
point to a widely-known event, famous in popular media.
To diverge momentarily into psychobabble, would the folks at GDW have
picked a lethal computer virus as the agent of the Imperium's destruction if
AIDS was not a major concern in American society right now? The parallel is
awfully close. Most science fiction is really about the present anyway, and
Traveller appears to be no exception.
On an unrelated topic, what's the TAS up to these days? Did they die
with the Imperium, or has it survived as a secret underground brotherhood in
the Wilds?
Jim Cambias
When I Travel, I Only Take Along One 'L'
Misusing My Wife's Internet Account
At Duke