 What is NOT a similarity between Taphetta and the rest of the crew?
In repose, Taphetta the Ribboneer resembled a fancy giant bow on a package. Taphetta rattled the head fronds together in a surprisingly good imitation of speech. "There are at least a hundred kinds of humans, each supposedly originating in strict seclusion on as many widely scattered planets. Obviously there was no contact throughout the ages before space travel— and yet each planetary race can interbreed with a minimum of ten others ! "It is impressive," admitted Taphetta. "Outside of your own world, there's nothing like your species, except superficially, and that's true of all other creatures, intelligent or not, with the sole exception of mankind. Actually, the four of us here, though it's accidental, very nearly represent the biological spectrum of human development. Taphetta rustled his speech ribbons quizzically. It's reasonable to assume that, if men were set down on a hundred such worlds, they'd seem to fit in with native life-forms on a few of them. That's what happened on Earth; when Man arrived, there was actually a manlike creature there. "But there are other worlds in which humans who were there before the Stone Age aren't related to anything else there. "And so, to account for the unique race that can interbreed across thousands of light-years, you've brought in the big ancestor," commented Taphetta dryly. Taphetta rearranged his ribbons. Man was the most numerous though not always the most advanced—Ribboneers had a civilization as high as anything in the known section of the Milky Way, and there were others—and humans were more than a little feared. Still, Taphetta the Ribboneer was an experienced pilot and could be very useful. The theory is that humans who can mate with each other were once physically close. When we project back into time those star systems on which humans existed prior to space travel, we get a certain pattern. This is one arm of it as it is today and here are the human systems." I've never seen it demonstrated," murmured Taphetta, flexing his ribbons. We have men who could do the job in a makeshift fashion, but the region we're heading for, while mapped, is largely unknown. "I'm complimented that you like our contract so well," said Taphetta, "but I really must have our own unsimplified version. "You can read it if you want," offered Taphetta. Firmon of hydroponics slouched in, a tall man with scanty hair and an equal lack of grace.
 All of them have a comparably good reputation
 All of them are critical to the success of the mission  All of them are respected in their fields  All of them have a comparably good reputation  All of them are smart