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[Nadaka]

Well, that's what's supposed to happen. If by magic an object happens to travel FTL, then the object arrives at its destination before its destination can observe the object actually leaving. This is essentially a negative delay. The entire thing is moot anyways since it can't exactly happen in the first place, so it's not really clear how the universe would experience FTL in the first place.

No. That is not a negative delay. That is just getting somewhere faster than perception. You never hear the gunshot that kills you because the bullet arrives before the sound.

A negative delay allows you to go somewhere, get there before you left and come back and stop yourself from leaving before you do. That might, or might not happen if you managed to change speed without accelerating. We don't know because the only way to change speed we know if is to accelerate.

If you allow the conceit that FTL travel will be possible, you have to be able to either bypass the intervening space so you don't have to accelerate all that much, or you have to change speed without accelerating. Since in reality we can not change speed without accelerating, all bets are off on how magic will make it work.

I am sorry, I may be argumentative today for some reason.

[Max White]

I was under the impression FLT problem had been solved long ago by compressing space in front of you, and expanding it behind you, therefor allowing you to move faster then light without breaking things.

On a side note, this sounds like all sorts of win! I am now a parasite that will cling onto this thread...

[tNok85]

Well, that's what's supposed to happen. If by magic an object happens to travel FTL, then the object arrives at its destination before its destination can observe the object actually leaving. This is essentially a negative delay. The entire thing is moot anyways since it can't exactly happen in the first place, so it's not really clear how the universe would experience FTL in the first place.

Well, think of it this way... if a star 500 light years away exploded, and we see it explode in 500 years, we're not seeing 'the present'.

If a star 500 light years away exploded, and we learn about it in 250 years, are we learning 'the future'?

I'm glad to see some interest in this.


I think Virex's idea is a simple and elegant solution to prevent anybody from (the admittedly off chance) that somebody will try to profit off it:

Want to prevent commercial use? Make everyone who has worked on a page co-author of that page. That way if someone wants to publish something he'll have to find everyone who ever worked on the pages he's going to use and ask them for permission (At least, if he wants to publish anywhere were copyright laws are enforced). Good luck on that

[Normandy]

Actually, according to relativity, we are seeing 'the present' when a star explodes 500 light years away. It's the same reason why if you reach the speed of light, time stops.

[tNok85]

Actually, according to relativity, we are seeing 'the present' when a star explodes 500 light years away. It's the same reason why if you reach the speed of light, time stops.

Ignoring relativity - since we might need to for FTL - does the fact that it exploded 500 light years away mean it's actually *STILL THERE* for 500 years, and it only explodes when we *see it*?

[Normandy]

Yes. Hence, the whole thing about nothing can travel faster than the speed of light, including information. From our frame of reference, the star doesn't explode until the light reaches us.

[tNok85]

Yes. Hence, the whole thing about nothing can travel faster than the speed of light, including information. From our frame of reference, the star doesn't explode until the light reaches us.

Then you could say the same about the speed of sound - from our frame of reference, nothing makes a sound until it reaches us.

[Max White]

Can we not do the physics debate today on this thread? I mean wasn't that why this is a 'Space Opera' rather then sci fi? The thread maker didn't want us to go into the speed of information...

Wow, was that me trying to not go off topic? That can't be right, I always go off topic... What the hell! Well, carry on then, I need to go get my head checked.

[Normandy]

Right, forgot about that. Brought it to PM.

[IronyOwl]

Coherency would be a huge problem, I imagine. It's really easy to create a bunch of isolated races/empires/planets/phenomena and stick them in the same wiki. Making a vaguely unified setting with a hundred different authors is a whole different operation.

[tNok85]

Coherency would be a huge problem, I imagine. It's really easy to create a bunch of isolated races/empires/planets/phenomena and stick them in the same wiki. Making a vaguely unified setting with a hundred different authors is a whole different operation.

Well, I wouldn't expect a hundred authors. I wonder if a submission/approval system wouldn't work better, especially to avoid a hundred different authors going in different directions. Also, people would need to accept that their data may be tweaked in order to fit with the current state of the galaxy.

There would probably be people (I wouldn't mind myself) who would spend more time making sure things line up.


Edit: A key aspect of this project that contributors would need to understand is that this will not be a galaxy they alone imagined - if you want that, you can make on on your own. Things will be unexpected and the product of multiple imaginations.

[Max White]

Well, I wouldn't expect a hundred authors. I wonder if a submission/approval system wouldn't work better, especially to avoid a hundred different authors going in different directions. Also, people would need to accept that their data may be tweaked in order to fit with the current state of the galaxy.

There would probably be people (I wouldn't mind myself) who would spend more time making sure things line up.

I nominate tNok85!

[Nadaka]

One way to get around the problem of coherence is to make it a post apocalyptic space opera.

For example, there was once a golden age of exploration where the entire galaxy was settled. But a terrible event brought that mighty empire to its knees. Over time, we forgot the old ways as we struggled to survive and thousands of years passed. Now we are rediscovering the old technology (hyperspace gates/warp drive/teleporters/whatever) and making our way out into the galaxy, finding cultures divergent and convergent. Friends and enemies who share part of our history, even if they or we have forgotten most of it.

[tNok85]

One way to get around the problem of coherence is to make it a post apocalyptic space opera.

For example, there was once a golden age of exploration where the entire galaxy was settled. But a terrible event brought that mighty empire to its knees. Over time, we forgot the old ways as we struggled to survive and thousands of years passed. Now we are rediscovering the old technology (hyperspace gates/warp drive/teleporters/whatever) and making our way out into the galaxy, finding cultures divergent and convergent. Friends and enemies who share part of our history, even if they or we have forgotten most of it.

Establishing a baseline for the galaxy and an upper limit on the timeline (so people don't start writing 5000 years into the future and shoehorning the 'present' into storylines), but writing 'history' would be fine.

So you could write a page on an event that happened 10,000 or 10,000,000 years before the current timeline - an extinct race, an ancient war, as long as it didn't severely impair the 'present'. (The present being say, a hundred year time period, that could start at year one and advance progressively as we fill out details so the galaxy doesn't stagnate)

[Max White]

Also, can we all agree that midichlorians are black listed?