Cutting Room Floor: To Boldly Go, Part II

Originally published May 29, 2013

Continuing from last time, I want to share with you some more of the material I prepared for my space exploration game. The hard science fiction setting looks to replicate some aspects of Star Trek but with (hopefully) a more realistic set of technologies and societies. I hope to use this work at some time but for now perhaps it can inspire you.

Future History

Previously we discussed the premise and technologies for the campaign. Now I want to put this together into a campaign background, to establish how things are now and how they came to be that way.

There are a few key events in our history. First off we have the development of FTL technology. This technology is key not just to exploring the galaxy but also seeding the universe with human colonies so we can see how they have developed into alien societies.

That brings up the next event, the cause and timing of the dispersal of these colonies. We want them to have time to develop into unique societies and we need them to be isolated during that time (so we can "discover" them). My choice for this is a war that ravages the entire solar system. The danger posed by the war to the orbital colonies was so great that exodus was safer than staying. The war was also so devastating that it took a long time before the survivors could begin to reconnect to the colonies.

This war also allows us to determine why the current society, the Federation, doesn't use its advanced technology in way that might make them seem completely alien. Perhaps these technologies were exploited in the war and afterwards society recoiled from their use, much like eugenics were discredited by the Nazi regime of the early 20th century.

So here is my rough timeline. I've tried to keep reasonable gaps to allow for the natural slowdowns and complications that any technology takes to reach widespread usage.

• Analysis of Higgs Boson leads to a Grand Unified Theory (later determined to be incomplete) ~2020: this serves as the basis for the gravity technology that will lead to FTL.
• Orbital Factories ~ 2030
• Landing on Mars ~ 2040: a nice conservative exploration of the solar system using conventional technologies.
• Orbital Colonies & Lunar Colony ~ 2050: this will eventually lead to the colonies that will populate the universe.
• Contra-Higgs Field created ~ 2050: this allows for gravitational propulsion.
• Gravitational Propulsion ~ 2090: assuming a nice gap between the invention of the technology and its realization as a usable technology
• Discovery of Slipknot Mechanism ~ 2100: this allows rapid transfer between solar systems and is more of an accidental discovery than a new technology.
• Martian Colony ~ 2100: with faster travel interplanetary colonies become easier to maintain.
• First Test of Slipknot Drive ~ 2130
• First Colony in Another System ~ 2150: FTL allows mankind to reach the stars.
• Gravitational Weapons Deployed ~ 2210 : gravity technology leads new weapons and then to war.
• The Exodus ~ 2200 – 2250: fleeing the war, the colonies spread across the galaxy.
• Reconstruction ~ 2260- 2420: the survivors of the war rebuild.
• Reconnection ~ 2430: modern-day as the Federation sets out to reconnect to their lost cousins.

Conclusion

That is it for now. In our next installment, I'll share a useful resource of solar system creation and some visions for the colonies.