Sloth Arnini
Arcana Imperii Ltd.
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Posted - 2010.01.23 13:36:00 -
[1]
 Originally by: Stitcher
Edited by: Stitcher on 08/01/2010 03:15:42
Edited by: Stitcher on 08/01/2010 03:01:56
So on the contrary, it would actually be very, very likely indeed to have only human beings flying around in space. Expecting humans and extraterrestrials to ever meet by accident is a bit like standing on a cliff in England, throwing a rock, and expecting it to collide mid-air with a similar rock thrown by a bloke in Sri Lanka.
To be fair, while it is extremely unlikely for humans and aliens to meet by accident, it is not inconceivable that other aliens might have an interest in finding extraterrestrials, in which case they'll target their search efforts, just as SETI and people hunting for earth-like planets do. That doesn't change the fact that it is inconceivable with current science and technology to look for people in such vast volumes (the equivalent of looking for a needle in a barn full of hay) of course, but it suggests the likelihood of two intelligent alien species encountering each other is at least slightly better than blind chance would suggest ;)
As to the comment made in this thread about New Eden being in the centre of a galaxy, I recall reading that the centre of our galaxy is considered an extremely unlikely place to find life, on account of projected extremely high levels of radiation.
Which does of course beg the question of what sort of collection of stars New Eden is. The number of blue stars indicate it can't be a globular cluster (as these seem to be composed primarily of older stars), it doesn't seem quite open enough to be an open cluster (or else too large- it's been a while since I opened my astronomy books but I think open clusters usually consist of just a few hundred stars). Maybe space in New Eden is crumpled up like an unmade bed so that stars that seem close would in fact be much further apart if space was less folded. That might explain why there are so many different nebulae forming the backdrops to an area of space that is what... 50 ly in diameter? ;)
Not that I have any problem suspending disbelief of course. And I also find the idea of a human only cluster pefectly compelling. Much of the best sci-fi is not about exploring strange new worlds, seeking out new life and new civilizations but about how people respond to the technology that they make.
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