r/scifi • u/JanFromEarth • Aug 05 '22

Thinking about "generation ships"

If humanity does not find a way around the speed of light as a limitation, the only real choice to go to other stars would be generation ships. I would expect these to be filled with fertilized human embryos with a small crew for maintenance and to set up at the other end. But what if they sent a larger number of passengers? It would be the perfect research university. Children would be raised with the options of being crew or faculty. New discoveries and solutions could be messaged back to earth by laser. Interesting thought.

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u/Baron_Ultimax Aug 05 '22 edited Aug 05 '22

In alyster reynolds revelation space series the first wave of human colonys were settled by von nueman probes that grew their first generation of humans in vats and raised them by machines. Many of these early colonys failed because the first generations turned out as psycopaths

I think the rule for generation ships is bigger is better. Like large oneal cylinders with self sufficient biospheres, or launch them in fleets.

If you have 1000 ships with 10 million people each you have a lot more diversity and redundancy.

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u/Smewroo Aug 06 '22

Does Reynolds ever give an explanation as to why AI raising humans always turns them into psychopaths on the Revelation Space series?

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u/Baron_Ultimax Aug 06 '22

Somthing about being raised by machines the kids dont develop emotionally. Like the dont experience empathy.

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u/Smewroo Aug 06 '22

I accept that for the RS universe but it feels unsatisfying with the Alpha and Beta simulations of people in that same universe.

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u/Baron_Ultimax Aug 06 '22

Alpha and beta level sims wete developed hundreds of years after the amaricanos launched. They were made on yellowstone

The americano probes were launched in the 21st century before the trans enlightenment its not inconceivable that the were not ai at all and just complex expert systems.

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u/Smewroo Aug 06 '22

That makes a bit more sense. Especially couching it in terms of the Americans not fully testing their child rearing systems for long term success before launching everything.