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Last week, io9 ran an article about space. Shocking, I know. However, it was not your everyday musing about theoretical life off planet or whatever. This story was about the recently-discovered mathematical provability of creating a warp drive. A REAL warp drive. As in, go to Alpha Centauri (a star system 4.3 light years from Earth) in two weeks. TWO WEEKS. Listen: clean, sustainable energy, medical robotics, and increasingly intelligent AI are great. Just dandy, really. But c'mon. All we really want from science is to figure out a way to travel in space, right? Exploring the infinite cosmos, discovering the wonders of the universe... it's nerd heaven. I mean, more than half of the science fiction genre is just a space travel pipe-dream, so it's no surprise that the stars are on our collective minds.
The possibility of traveling amongst the stars got me thinking. Science fiction, as much it romanticizes space travel, rarely implies that the final frontier is anything less than chock full of danger. Plus the itinerant lifestyle of a spacefarer would force you to give up a lot of the things you take for granted (there's no internet in space you know). That being the case... would you go? What would you give up for space travel? Could you do the things that sci-fi characters do to wander amongst the stars?
Constant vigilance reader: spoilers ahead.
Would you...
...join the military?
Star Trek is a canonical tale of space adventure, of exploring every corner of the universe for "new life and new civilizations." Even the technology described in the io9 writeup is a reference to that which enables the Enterprise's own star trek. But as fun as it may seem to be on the bridge of the Enterprise (or any Galaxy-class starship), one must remember that Starfleet is a military organization. I don't know about everyone else, but I forget that all the time. Captain, Commander, and Lieutenant... turns out those aren't just cool words prepended to their last names. This begs the question: if you're not current interested in enlisting, would space convince you? Sure, the human civilization of the Star Trek universe is much less disposed to war than to peace and diplomacy, but that doesn't stop conflict from happening TO them (Klingons, Borg, Dominion, Romulans, depending on your favorite timeline) And beyond your feelings about military involvement, you run the risk of dying or being mentally altered in a plethora of terrible ways. Let's face it: you could end up being a Red Shirt? Someone has to be. Is the seeing the infinite worlds worthwhile if you come down with a case of Andorian shingles? Will you still be so relaxed when your eyeballs are bleeding? Remember kids, space is disease and danger wrapped in darkness and silence.
...get in a box with a stranger?
When you were a kid, your parents told you not to go anywhere with strangers. People don't forget that message because there's really no grey area to it (Unlike refusing to eat your beans. Because fuck beans). You also realize just how dangerous strangers can be the older you get. But would you throw that rule out the window to travel in space? Oh, and did I mention in time? Certainly the beautiful and spunky companions of Doctor Who don't seem to mind hopping into his wibbley-wobbly timey-wimey love shack to gallivant across the stars and/or eons. Normally, this works out just fine, because the Doctor(s) has a (two) big and loving heart(s). On the other hand, consider the incredible danger. You're essentially being kidnapped by an oddly-dressed man who can always escape in his person-stealing crate (in fact, many of the Who-niverse moms believe that that IS what's going on) and will never EVER be caught. Well... except by Daleks, but then you have bigger problems. Oh, and there's that too: not only have you gotten in this unmarked blue space-van with an alien you know nothing about, but you have NO IDEA WHERE HE'S GOING (to be fair, neither does he). Also, HALF THE KNOWN UNIVERSE WANTS TO KILL HIM. So that's a thing. Still wanna jump in the TARDIS? On the bright side, if you're not a gorgeous gal (preferably blonde), you're not going to be presented with the choice at all.
...live a life of crime on the run from intergalactic fascists?
All of the anti-hero space-faring rogues of science fiction tend to have the same job: smuggler. Usually these travelers of the inky black are charismatic, attractive, and clever enough to escape trouble (sometimes). Which makes them the good guys. And we all want to be good guys, right? (well, maybe) Here's the thing about smuggling though... it's a crime. At the very best you're doing the Robin Hood thing: stealing government food stuffs, selling (hey, even rogues need to eat) them to starving border planets and the like. On the other hand, you could be moving contraband across solar systems for alien crimelords who wouldn't hesitate to put a massive bounty on your head if you cross them. So beyond the fact that you are a definite criminal (a problem in itself since most people have a hard time stealing a candy bar), you are also getting in deep with the Intergalactic Sopranos. Crossing them is a bad idea. Oh, and then there's the government that made what you're doing illegal in the first place. The good guy is typically an anti-hero because the interstellar authority is WAY WAY WAY WAY WORSE. Whether it's the Empire or the Alliance, crossing the law leads to bad things. Like an IT-O Interrogator Droid. Or an Operative. Could you manage all the threats to your life for the space-jumping freedom of the galactic rogue?
...commit alien genocide/leave your loved ones behind?
Much like with Doctor Who, we'll probably be presented with this scenario, as (I assume) none of us are 10. Or geniuses. But what better way to venture into space than as a child drafted into an alien war for your strategic intelligence? Oh... almost all of them? Fine, but it's still an option. If you could bring interstellar colonization and faster-than-light communication to the human race, would you be alright with destroying an entire alien civilization that you don't fully understand? Would it be worth it to go to Battle School to experience leaving the Earth, exploring alien-invested asteroids, and playing Ultra Laser Tag in zero gravity? (Probably not) Alright then. Assume instead that you or some other unfortunate child had already pointed Dr. Device at the Formic menace. Even when there are no murderous (?) aliens, faster-than-light travel and relativistic physics would eventually kill everyone you know. Could you leave your life behind for another chance on another world? Hopefully you're saddled with neither Ender's guilt nor resentment, and, if that's the case, living forever as a result of relativity and interstellar joyrides could take a toll on your psyche. Would you be interested in the mysteries of the universe with the burden of relativity on your shoulders? Could you leave everything familiar behind for the sake of a permanent galactic holiday?
...risk being exposed to radiation that might alter your humanity?
What am I saying? Of course you would. That'd be FUCKING GREAT.
...become a governor of a highly politically contested planet, risking native rebellion and rival assassination?
Sometimes you have to leave your homeworld because the Emperor requests (read: orders) it. Perhaps this is a good thing. Maybe you'll go to a nice planet. Or maybe you'll go to the most politically charged world in the Empire: an environmentally hostile desert planet populated by irate and dangerous natives and containing the most valuable and contested substance in the known universe. Also, FUCKING SANDWORMS. You think an agony box is bad? Wait until you get to Arrakis. Be afraid, be very afraid. But hey, maybe even consuming the Water of LIfe is worth it to venture to a would you had never seen before. Would you fight the worms, the Fremen, the Harkonnens, and Arrakis itself to experience the wonders of space travel? I do hear the spice is very good.
...go on some damn fool crusade like your father?
Imagine you've lived up your entire life on a farm. Every day you help your uncle out with the chores. Occasionally you jump in your jalopy, head into town, and pick up some power converters. Then one day you pick up two new farm hands with some minor memory glitches and everything goes straight to hell. First Tuskan Raiders beat the SHIT out of you. Not fun. They also try to rob you. Then, when you finally head home, your aunt and uncle are dead and your home is destroyed. Bad day. After that, you go to the seediest city on the planet with a creepy old stranger, have your life threatened in a nasty bar (that plays the same music over and over), get shot at by the foot-soldiers of a galaxy-spanning fascist regime, and, on top of it all, get insulted by the skeezy criminal that's ferrying you between worlds. AND THAT'S JUST THE FIRST DAY. Still want to join the Rebellion like Biggs? Props to you, Luke, because that's some serious bullshit for the first day you leave Tatooine. But let's not forget some of the other speed bumps along the way: ancient, powerful religion (and it works - atheist's worst nightmare), planet-destroying space stations (TWICE), severe daddy-issues, accidental incest, an entire Galactic Empire out to kill you, the burden of being the last hope of a sect of warriors that prospered for millenia AND a struggling cadre of rebels, fear, anger, hate, loss of limb, and one extremely obnoxious protocol droid. *pant pant* ... Then again, you do get a lightsaber ...and Force powers ...and a robot hand. Hold on... this is starting to sound awesome. I could jet around the galaxy IN A FUCKING X-WING. I'm... pretty sure that makes up for the rest of it. Or does it?
Humanity could be traveling the stars in mere centuries. If this warp drive is created, we could see everything out there. EVERYTHING. But would you want to? Knowing the potential consequences, would you throw your fate to the stars?
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In case you're wondering, my answer is YES. YES TO ALL THE THINGS.
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