Timeline for The Galactic Cold War
Current License: CC BY-SA 3.0
23 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 9, 2021 at 20:26 | vote | accept | Nick | ||
| Oct 9, 2020 at 15:02 | answer | added | Tyler Mc | timeline score: 1 | |
| Jan 21, 2018 at 19:27 | history | edited | kingledion | CC BY-SA 3.0 |
added 21 characters in body
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| Jan 17, 2018 at 14:44 | comment | added | Nick | The first shot could end it because weapons can travel much faster than ships, so you can imagine what a RKV the size of the Chrysler Building coming out of hyperspace right in front of a planet and impacting it an instant later would do. As far as mutually assured destruction goes, no. The first shot might wipe the other out, but the key word is might. If that fails they would be open to retaliation, and quite a lot of it. | |
| Jan 17, 2018 at 12:09 | comment | added | Eth | @Nick If travel takes so long between systems, how can they end the war in one stroke? Also, is it a case of MAD like the Cold War, or is the first one to strike can wipe the other side out without retaliation? In the second case, it won't last - which is precisely why there were Cold War treaties limiting anti-ballistic defence: if any side could efficiently defend itself from nukes, it could wipe the other side at will. Meaning that if any side was starting to develop a defence, the other side would have no choice but to attack before it was complete. | |
| Jan 16, 2018 at 0:36 | comment | added | Nick | The main seat of their power is each in one system. The problem is that even with FTL travel, it can take years to travel between systems without a gateway. This is why systems with gateways are so important, because they allow instant travel to other systems, no matter how far away they may be. Each empire has scouted other systems, but they are only established in the few that their gateways lead to. | |
| Jan 15, 2018 at 23:48 | comment | added | M. A. Golding | Nick - You write "The Galactic Cold War" and "Two large and powerful space empires". Then you write that the Colonists are concerned with the safety of their "system", and that the Outsiders want to expand from their system and make ONE colony in the Colonists system. That implies that each realm rules only one single solar system. A "galactic cold war" in our galaxy would imply that each empire ruled about 10,000,000,000 to 100,000,000,000 star systems. "Large space empires" implies they each rule about a million star systems. Yet you imply that each rules only one solar system. | |
| Jan 15, 2018 at 19:52 | answer | added | Olga | timeline score: 1 | |
| Jan 15, 2018 at 18:29 | answer | added | Len | timeline score: 2 | |
| Jan 15, 2018 at 17:03 | comment | added | Ross Millikan | For empires as far-flung as these seem to be it is hard to imagine the first shot ending the war. Neither side has a single resource that the loss of would destroy the empire. This lets you get to the Mutually Assured Destruction of the Cold War. Each side can ravage the other but will (probably) not strike first. | |
| Jan 15, 2018 at 12:55 | comment | added | Nick | I know right, seems like the gateways are a lot more advanced and the creators may have built some kind of super weapon that utilizes similar technology... | |
| Jan 15, 2018 at 8:44 | answer | added | Real Subtle | timeline score: 2 | |
| Jan 15, 2018 at 8:09 | comment | added | Separatrix | I'd be more worried about whoever built those gateways | |
| Jan 15, 2018 at 7:40 | comment | added | a4android | This situation is similar to the Cold War between the NATO and Warsaw Pact nations during the 20th Century. Neither side wanted to start a full-scale war because they both would be annihilated. There are historical studies of the Cold War that can suggest how this scenario could play out. | |
| Jan 15, 2018 at 6:42 | review | Close votes | |||
| Jan 15, 2018 at 12:03 | |||||
| Jan 15, 2018 at 5:15 | comment | added | Nick | That's ok. The stalemate doesn't have to last forever, and the more strained and unstable it is the better! | |
| Jan 15, 2018 at 4:53 | comment | added | Thucydides | This seems to be a version of the Prisoners Dilemma", each can remain where they are with the status quo, but stands to make huge gains (or losses) if they break the pattern. This is an unstable equilibrium, and while the stalemate amy last for some time, it will eventually break down. | |
| Jan 15, 2018 at 4:14 | answer | added | Ville Niemi | timeline score: 2 | |
| Jan 15, 2018 at 3:44 | answer | added | Willk | timeline score: 13 | |
| Jan 15, 2018 at 3:26 | answer | added | Henry Taylor | timeline score: 4 | |
| Jan 15, 2018 at 3:22 | answer | added | Cognisant | timeline score: 3 | |
| Jan 15, 2018 at 3:09 | history | edited | Nick | CC BY-SA 3.0 |
added 214 characters in body
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| Jan 15, 2018 at 3:02 | history | asked | Nick | CC BY-SA 3.0 |