September 24 2014
10 Space Empires that actually make economic sense.
The Econ 101 of SF empires, according to io9 -- the Alliance checks in at #5.
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Simon | September 24, 21:52 CET
The Japanese anime Moretsu Pirates (Bodacious Space Pirates) has a lot of similarities with Firefly that could had deserved a place in the list: The central government, called Alliance who won the War of Independence, the universe has a mix of technology with retro style, the main characters are a group of good space pirates and there is a Serenity Royal Family.
Brasilian Chaos Man | September 25, 03:34 CET
ManEnoughToAdmitIt | September 25, 06:53 CET
I was glad to see Dune on this list, as Frank Herbert's construction of a complete and complex society (religion, economics, myth/history, politics, and class structures) has always stood out from the rest of the SF that I've consumed.
tomg | September 25, 06:53 CET
True the article isn't saying that, but it occurred to me while I read it. But if you're going to recreate a civilisation in another solar system, it would make sense for the governing powers to make sure some planets are incapable of being self-sufficient.It's good for business and makes sure that the citizens are dependent on the government. Ironically this may have helped sown the seeds for the Unification War.
Simon | September 25, 08:18 CET
tomg | September 25, 11:50 CET
tomg, I think you're on track with the idea of the verse as the Old West..but the Old West and Manifest Destiny was not, to me, specifically about individual liberty (as in someone was restricting it, so they went West to get it back). Manifest Destiny was primarily about people believing it was their duty to go West in order to promote a more agricultural or "of the land" way of life. But people put down stakes, formed towns, regulated themselves and each other.
the ninja report | September 26, 06:51 CET
DaddyCatALSO | September 27, 11:20 CET