Standard Sci-Fi History: Difference between revisions
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# ''Exploration and Colonization of the Solar System'': Humanity explores the Moon, Mars, and the rest of the Solar System. Earth is always a looming presence. While travel times may be immense, [[Casual Interplanetary Travel|space trips are common]] and a message can always reach earth in under a day. Apart from the oldest SF, none of the worlds explored are humanly habitable. Typical plots also include the colonies starting [[The War of Earthly Aggression|Wars of Independence from Earth]].
# ''World War III'': Disaster strikes ([[World War III|often nuclear war]]), and Earth is devastated. When the Apocalypse occurs can actually vary, sometimes after Interstellar Colonization, sometimes before Spaceflight, sometimes during the Decline of the Empire. But often, a devastating war occurs in the beginning of the timeline. No matter how bad it gets, Earth and humanity eventually recovers.
# ''Interstellar Exploration and Colonization'': Superficially similar to #1, only spreading out to the Stars. However, unlike #1, the focus is on inhabitable worlds, and contact with earth is difficult at best. There's no phoning home for advice when the message round trip would take years. [[Lost Colony|Lost colonies]] were typically founded during this phase. This is also the period during which [[Casual Interstellar Travel|faster than light travel is generally invented]].
# ''Alien Contact'': Humanity makes [[First Contact]] with alien life forms. This can happen at any point. It's placed for here for convenience, since the best known Alien Contact tales occur before the Empire forms.
# ''The Cycle of Empire'':
## ''[[Rising Empire|Formation of Empire]]'': At this point, the independent human and/or alien worlds are united for whatever reason. [[The Alliance|Sometimes its for a common defense]], sometimes its by force. The result is the birth and expansion of new government. Note: ''Empire'' doesn't have to mean [[The Empire]] (although it often does). It could be [[The Federation]], or the rise of interstellar civilization. The ''First Empire'' is often [[Earth Is the Center of the Universe|centered on Earth]].
## ''Empire at its Height'': Here, civilization is at its apex, showing the best qualities and values. Technology is highly advanced and there is order. During the Interregnum, people will look back to this time as a Golden Age.
## ''Decline and Fall'': The Empire begins to decay, often due to [[Deadly Decadent Court|decadency and corruption]]. Outer provinces begin to revolt, barbarians begin to invade, internal conflict increase. At the end of this phase, [[Vestigial Empire|the Empire is but a shadow of itself.]] Expect this phase to bear at least a passing familiarity to [[The Roman Empire|Edward Gibbon's seminal text]] or Gibbon's own successors, though exceptions have been known to exist.
## ''Interregnum'': Interstellar trade and communication fails, final demise of the [[The Remnant|former Empire]], [[Lost Technology|knowledge and technology is lost]], rise of petty wars and [[Feudal Future|kingdoms]]. Overall, [[Crapsack World|not a great place to live]]. A lot of [[Space Opera]] tales are set in this stage. Rarely, this can end with humanity's extinction.
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