Space Politics and the New Age of Colonialism

In this video I speculate as to how we may colonize space, covering everything from actual plans for lunar settlement to more speculative topics such as how future colonies may be governed.

[@17Uhr23]

If anything, this video shows how much we need a solar system real-time strategy game. Not only on one planet, but on all planets & larger moons combined. Kinda like Stellaris, but starting today. Would be awesome!

[@chill.8426]

Terra Invicta could be what you want

[@nataliekennedy4646]

yep

[@connorthomas2667]

ekite dangerous you can see millons of diffrent systems with everthing and anything can be manipulated for all other players by helping a specific politcal group or tradeing with a specifc colony.

[@spacedoutorca4550]

@@connorthomas2667 Um, since when was elite a RTS game? Plus the guy is literally talking about a game that focuses solely on the solar system. Elite may be big but it’s as deep as a puddle. This is coming from someone with thousands of hours in the game lol

[@janeymers7154]

Falling Frontier , you will love it

[@llamastudiosoffical9947]

Imagine looking up at the moon at night and seeing lights and cities on the surface. The future will be a fascinating place.

[@lmul1441]

Feel bad for the turtles and other creatures that depend on the moons natural reflective light.

[@salutic.7544]

@@lmul1441 when has feeling bad for lesser lifeforms ever stopped humans lmaooo

[@TheCashWilliams]

@@salutic.7544 ok edge lord 😭

[@Drakonus_]

@@lmul1441 That won't do anything. Settlements on the moon will be on places that avoid sunlight, meaning you won't get to see them from Earth.

[@Neatling]

@@Drakonus_ Well the moon has day/night cycles just like Earth, but they are a month long. It's just that at the poles there are craters without sunlight which I mentioned in the video. If we dug a deep enough hole in Antarctica it wouldn't get any sunlight either as the sun never passes directly overhead. Same ordeal. If we had settlements on the side of the moon facing Earth, their lights would be visible whenever that part of the moon is dark. So during a half moon or whatever, if the bases are in the dark portion. But I don't think city lights on the moon would be anywhere near enough to have much of an impact on wildlife here. They would look like pretty bright stars basically, they wouldn't illuminate Earth at all like a full moon does.

[@kriegofficergary6921]

No guns in space, so we going back to melee combat? **Smiles in shovel**

[@jameshailerthepostmaster4389]

I see Brother, then I shall take My Bolter, since it not a Gun but a Bolter.

[@crodsbye]

pike formations galore

[@LunaNicoleTheFox]

Of course we'll bring back melee, I mean what are we? The Tau?

[@kevinthiago413]

May the emperor blessing be with you

[@quenguin7866]

Dune

[@Edith_Puthie96]

The phrase "Born too late to explore the world, born too early to explore the universe" couldn't be more true. I was born in 2001, so I don't expect to live into 2100. But I can at least die happy knowin I witnessed the beginning to what humanity can achieve in the future.

[@patrickmurphy6578]

Also born in 2001, kinda sucks. We are living at the pinnacle of current human advancement, and probably one of the last generations to know how earth is before we become an interplanetary species. Makes me hope we’ll get reborn a few centuries later so we can see how it is then

[@carso1500]

@@patrickmurphy6578 or maybe inmortality (or at least life extensión) gets invented before that and we all live to see that great future

[@somerandometopic]

@@carso1500 life extensions are much more realistically possible in our lifetime.

[@birb2330]

it is estimated that today's average people will live 200 years, so don't worry we have a future just in sum, what will this future look like? imagine that in 2170 they will ask you how it was in your youth, it's only exciting, ask you how it was when everything was different,

[@lawior3576]

@@birb2330 except by that time you will forget pretty much everything from your childhood

[@trafichat]

Man this makes me wish I was able to live forever.

[@kayseek1248]

Who knows, maybe we could achieve biological immortality within our lifetimes.

[@superpangamer]

@@kayseek1248 immortality is a curse

[@Neatling]

@@superpangamer I don't think curing ageing would be bad. Then you could live as long as you prefer, and end it on your own terms with your loved ones around you. As well as live a life in almost perfect health, without the problems that come with old age.

[@kayseek1248]

@@superpangamer biological immortality is different than the “you can’t die” immortality, with biological immortality you don’t age but you could still die from other causes (sort of like vampires, they don’t age but can still die), so in other words you’d be able to live as long as you wanted (and then eventually die).

[@egyptianmapper612]

@@Neatling living forever is better then dying with your loves one because you can always make new loved one

[@glassychap1141]

I think the US would claim area where Neil Armstrong made his famous step, probably serve as a tourist attraction

[@pluto6383]

The areas called Mare Tranquilitatis

[@glassychap1141]

@@pluto6383 Oh Yes I did know that guess I forgot to mention it thanks tho!

[@OK-ws7ti]

Pluto just call it the sea of tranquility

[@stantrien8106]

@OnePlayer480 Probably everything within viewing distance from the landing site would declared a National Park so as to maintain the original view the astronauts saw. The way in and up to the site itself would be a raised platform/boardwalk to preserve the footprints and other detritus. Maybe with some holographic/light up acrylic screens as information providers.

[@Thoralmir]

And then build a theme park next to it. :P

[@Infrared01]

There's a scifi novel series by Jack Campbell called "The Lost Fleet" that had a neat idea about Earth. In the distant future, Earth is still nominally divided among the old nations, as there is simply too much history to warrant the planet unifying. However, Earth as a whole is seen by most humans as a semi-holy site, being revered for being the Homeworld of Humanity. I think in a similar vein, it would be neat if eventually Earth essentially becomes one massive UNESCO World Heritage Site, or international mandate or park.

[@Jem_Apple]

That would be so far in the future lol like thousands of years. It would have to be cheap to transport the probably more than 20-30 billion people 😂

[@tooschoolforcool1858]

Watch space pirate captain Harlock, it delves into something very similar to what you described, with a twist.

[@FranticErrors]

*UGESCO Galaxy heritage*, and there would probably be 25b people by then, if we got mars. If we had more, maybe 30-35b.

[@Mark_Jonas]

Yeah I don’t think Earth will be United

[@augu345]

"Human greed for power, is simply unpredictable, no wonder we all will end into space conflicts" - Tzu

[@g4fly4ever8]

Moon Tzu

[@Ak-br7br]

Mars Tzu

[@imintheforest8289]

Indian

[@patrikcath1025]

"Most quotes you read on the internet aren't true so don't trust them" - Albert Einstein

[@redshuttleredacted6422]

Can't wait for this headline: *US and Chinese diplomats meet up in Spain for the 2080 Convention of Tordesillas to partition the Moon*

[@aclassicguardsman946]

I imagine it'd go down in a similar way to the scramble for Africa.

[@salutic.7544]

why Spain tho? I get the joke but at that point it’d jus b overdone lmao

[@MaximusCaesar632]

Gonna pin this comment for future predictions.

[@miguelpadeiro762]

@@salutic.7544 Because Tordesillas is in Spain

[@NautilusSSN571]

@@salutic.7544 because the original treaty of Tordesillas was a deal in which Spain and Portugal agreed to divide the world for each other.

[@wartrix6046]

We're about to Manifest our Destiny across the Solar System.

[@constantinethecataphract5949]

>implying we will stop only in our solar system

[@Maximooch]

Universe*

[@juantamayo5295]

Mexico: First time?

[@KoolSpool]

We have the god given RIGHT to go to get to the Oort belt.

[@igbotimehopper64yearsago46]

we were made to rule the entire universe it is our divine right to rule over every non-human in all of existence .

[@user-zz3sn8ky7z]

i really hope sub-light speeds and communication are possible somehow. Having numerous human civilisations completely cut off from eachother feels, from the perspective of a person born in the 21st century, weirdly frightening Edit : yes I meant FTL/super-light speed, thank you for correcting me

[@MCLooyverse]

*super-light speeds IMO, it's actually kinda cool. I understand that feeling of loneliness(?), but if I spend a bit of time thinking about it, it's just neat.

[@qantj]

We already travel at sub-light, do you mean ftl? There are many people working on it and it might be here within the next century.

[@atlasfrog5730]

@@qantj Even half of light speed is great, Alpha Centauri would only be an 8 year journey, not bad for another solar system

[@qantj]

@@atlasfrog5730 The Orion project could have gotten much higher fraction than that and have gotten there even faster!

[@cinnamon-skateboarding5987]

Already are, it's called nuclear propulsion.

[@pluto6383]

MARS 2222 “Syrtis Major bans mandatory space helmet wearing in schools”; “Senator McDade of Tharsis Montes introduces legislation to outlaw mining in Jezero Crater”, “Activists demand 21st-century Curiosity Rover to be returned to Gale Crater”

[@valac7820]

And now we thanks Raid Shadow Legend which sponsored our Martian News Programs.

[@valentinmitterbauer4196]

"In other news: Mars- born tourists collapsing on earth; Is gravity discrimination? Let's ask celebrities and social media instead of scientists and experts!"

[@ls200076]

@@valentinmitterbauer4196 Next on our news, Human purists protesting against Machine Rights and Human modification. Will this increase the discrimination against Human-Machine relationships? Stay tuned on SolNews!

[@PETRIXXXX]

based syrtis

[@cinnamon-skateboarding5987]

Why would you need to wear a helmet in a school on mars? Wouldn't the school be built to withstand the Martian environment?

[@Drakonus_]

Paradox Interactive is gonna be milking the shit out of this.

[@ortherner]

stellaris

[@vincedhilandulay7798]

@@ortherner what's that

[@user-lp7tx1fe6t]

@@vincedhilandulay7798 a space strategy game

[@tonykristhiofan1113]

Paradox need to make a game in the great alexander era, cold war era, modern era, and an era between the modern era and stellaris

[@pi1523]

they already have its called stellaris

[@tristemsaris7739]

It's wild seeing all this happening after over half a century of stagnation. Although I'm still not convinced it's for real this time. It wouldn't surprise me in the least if this ends up getting abandoned like we did after Apollo

[@Neatling]

Reusable rockets is the game changer here, that lowers the cost of launching things into space by orders of magnitude. But it's not like we actually stagnated in space exploration in the past half century, the feats just weren't as headline worthy. The main thing that happened is that NASA didn't get a lot of funding, so we had to wait till space exploration became cheap enough and profitable for companies. SLS, Falcon 9 and even the Space shuttle are/were *much* more efficient than the Saturn V used in the 60's and 70's. And don't forget that we've had a permanent human presence in space since the 90's, the International space station. We've also landed two car-sized rovers on mars and sent probes to the outer solar system. And that's with a fraction of the funding NASA had during the space race.

[@Cortizelic]

Elon plans to get what? 1 million people on mars by 2050? Mans passionate about space, and an passionate man is an determined man. Regardless, the die has been cast. Whether we want this or not, its going to happen.

[@LuisAldamiz]

I concur: it's overly optimistic, the environment out there is much worse than the worst places on Earth, even under the oceans, which remain unsettled in spite of the optimism about sub-sea settlement when I was a kid in the 70s.

[@Jay_Johnson]

@@Cortizelic the fact Elon musk says he wants to have glass domes on Mars goes to show how out of touch with reality he is. That is a great way to build a Mars colony a if you want everyone to die of radiation poisoning within a few years. Not to mention the fact he wants to build an extrajudicial plutocracy.

[@theshimario253]

@@Jay_Johnson i think he was joking when he said that. I think they're just going with underground domes.

[@LucasDimoveo]

The big thing that the Expanse got wrong was that there was 3 factions, instead of 300

[@NA-AN]

*3 million

[@LucasDimoveo]

@@NA-ANyea, I agree

[@cave3141]

Maybe but like the Expanse has alot of different factions including the 3 main factions, which is the Martian, United nation, and belter faction which are also made up of hundreds and thousands of different factions

[@darkithnamgedrf9495]

The reason there are only three is because the Epstein drive was invented in the expanse allowing for much easier travel

[@myownspace9666]

well, technically the belters exist as hundreds of smaller factions (which is why the OPA failed), and Mars exerts a lot of military control around the outer belt, and Jupiter. Earth is only unified because nations fought each other too much, and needed to unify to face climate change in the 2100s, which is why the UN is the governing body (but trade zones do have a level of self governance).

[@WarriorTech_FTW]

Imagine, one day, the moon is a half moon, and you see on the dark half, a sprawling network of lights... That would be cool and interesting to see

[@arthurbriand2175]

Wait until we discover Phoebe is an alien weapon.

[@igbotimehopper64yearsago46]

Don't worry it will crash on Venus

[@BallMuncher555]

Well anyone living on Eros would be fucked.

[@logic1093]

You cannot stop the work

[@igbotimehopper64yearsago46]

@@logic1093 150 times a second

[@aresskay639]

i see what you did there XD

[@Wustenfuchs109]

Crucial mistake in your comment about distance deciding which part would Earth maintain its hold on. In history, countries retained control over territories that took months to get a simple message to. They kept them for centuries, and didn't lose them because there was poor communication. Yes, being far away is a problem - just like it was 2000 years ago to send a simple message from one corner of a relatively small kingdom to another - yet we still had empires that lasted for centuries, some even going over 1000 years in continuity. Mars being 20 or so minutes away means that we will not have a real-time conversation with anyone there - true. But why would we have to? 200 years ago, letters that traveled for months were the only form of conversation over distance and it did not cause problems. Is it better if it is instant? Yes. Would we have territories breaking off because it is not instant? No.

[@beatrix1120]

I'd like to add that, of all the places collinised during the European age of discovery, the only ones that are still dependent on their colonisers are remote islands, most of which lacked indigenous populations before the colonizers arrived. Unless there's some kinda little green men we don't know about, this will be the case for all space colonies

[@lmul1441]

Good point you made there. If we met Aliens more advanced than us and they were not hostel (no way to know really) and they gave us superior communication equipment then that might not even be an issue. Only time will tell

[@aclassicguardsman946]

Plus these celestial bodies don't have the capacity to support plant life as of now, and I don't see us changing that anytime soon, any and all self-sufficiency efforts will be relatively small scale.

[@foty8679]

@@aclassicguardsman946 Mars will always have self-sufficiency (at least they would survive 1-2 yars at minimum! because you cant send rockets the entire year.

[@owentucker6215]

I agree that distance/travel time is not as much of an issue, but you know what is? Actually getting there. It takes so many more resources to get to space than to cross an ocean, even in history. Rockets are expensive, one use vehicles (currently) and even with new innovations like skyhooks, tethers, and even space elevators (the last of which may never be practical), it will still be incredibly difficult to transport things to other planets. What does this mean? It means that once other planets are self-sufficient (a reality that may take sometime), there’s no good way for other planets to exercise their influence effectively. Sure they may remain a de-jure part of their parent countries. But new colonies will have significant autonomy by nature, unless space travel can be made significantly cheaper, a prospect that currently doesn’t seem feasible.

[@dopplesoddner2899]

This makes me rather happy that we will become an interplanetary species sooner due to competition between nations .

[@cinnamon-skateboarding5987]

And the rise of corporate owned space agencies that can help alleviate the budget.

[@carso1500]

Humanity will colonize space because we can, because we want and because it's finally becoming profitable to do so

[@cinnamon-skateboarding5987]

@@carso1500 it's fucking pathetic that the U.S didn't bother expanding its operations in space until it became profitable to do so. Exploration of space should never be profitable, or have profit in mind. It's an investment for advancement of technologies that need to be available to the public.

[@carso1500]

@@cinnamon-skateboarding5987 its not pathetic, its just simply logical, resources are finite, the dangers are real, there was for example only a 70% probability of success with every saturn V launch the fact that no one died during the apolo missions is nothing short of a miracle but it was a gamble (and they did nearly lost a crew but it was salvaged) simply speaking the tech wasnt there yet and it hasnt been there until relatively recently, also just dismising economic constraints is childish, yeah everyone want to just ignore economics have infinite money cheat enabled and make a giant dyson sphere and continent sized space habitats and what not but the real world isnt a firaxis game where you can write a code and cheat your way into victory, resources are finite, the public trust is finite, human lives are finite, apolo was insanely expensive and unsustainable and all the money that was spend on apolo was money not spend on mantaining infrastructure, on education, on healthcare or on other just as important science programs space is important yes, the most important venture indeed, but it also has to be economical, viable and sensical because again resources are finite, public trust is finite, human lives are finite also economic insentives are the best way of getting people to do stuff, talking about advancing humanity is great but people need to eat, companies need to pay their shareholders and the investors who invested their resources to develop the technology and want a return of that investment everyone wants to live in a perfect world but this world is imperfect and you need to learn that and live with it, if you learn to accept those facts and go on despite them then you can accomplish whatever you want, if you want an example look at elon musk, the guy is legitimately a space nerd, he loves space and his purpose in life is to make humanity multiplanetary, but he understands the constraits and limitations, but since he knows it he knows what needs to be done so instead of just sitting in front of his computer writing stuff like "it's fucking pathetic that the U.S didn't bother expanding its operations in space until it became profitable to do so." or "Exploration of space should never be profitable, or have profit in mind." he worked hard to make space exploration profitable so that he can furfil his dream in a realistic way, and he did, and thanks to that we are going back to the moon and mars im not throwing shade at you btw, its nice that you think like you do

[@cinnamon-skateboarding5987]

@@carso1500 if resources are finite (which they are) then you'd simply not capitalize on it, simply because one rich dude can buy up all the resources and resale them at a hiked price. This Is what many corporations do. If the privatization of space is inevitable, then it needs to be regulated as all hell, if it isn't them there's no law protecting the people that don't have an army of lawyers working for them, or any law protecting the people living in other worlds. Imagine living in mars and having to constantly fear dying due to pollutants like radioactive material, or not having enough money to eat on a dead planet.

[@gherve222]

This could be the Genese of a of a scifi trilogy. Just imagine your home planet get invaded by aliens, then you discover that the alien civilisation that invade your planet belongs to a divided empire with billions of factions fighting among themselves for domination and independence, and all that tight to a singular "mother planet"

[@E4439Qv5]

Massive multiplanet empires would most definitely not be the normal state of space-faring political powers. We'd need FTL travel and communication. A forseeable exception could be AI or self-replicating robots.

[@MrGnorts]

@@E4439Qv5FTL is unnecessary. It's too chaotic. Can't have time travel everywhere. 99% speed of light and much longer lifespans (thousands of years) is enough

[@vinayakkothari6162]

Sounds like an hfy story

[@sampy901]

Attacking space infrastructure would be devastating to everyone involved, because space debris causes all sorts of problems

[@samuelcrow4701]

Yeah there has to be a lot of research done before any sort of space combat becomes viable, hopefully it never will.

[@zwykhg364]

Star Wars predicted the solution already; lasers. We actually have laser weaponry at this moment, it's used to destroy incoming missiles, drones or engines for the most part. Just burn a big ass hole in the space infrastructure, much less debris.

[@sampy901]

@@zwykhg364 Debris works like a butterfly effect, big things crash in orbit into other things make many small things. It wouldn't take much to induce Kessler Syndrome. It's already starting to become a problem today.

[@sampy901]

@@Morrigi192 designated pvp areas lmao

[@kenos911]

@@sampy901 sounds cool, but make them so you don’t die Would make for a sick tourist attraction

[@bluewatson4341]

The quality has dramatically increased! Also the moon has a whole lot more to mine than just helium 3!

[@Wustenfuchs109]

We would not be mining helium 3. It is next to useless, and for what little we have a use for it, we can actually make it in large enough quantities. The only use we would have for it (currently, none economical) is for aneutronic fusion fuel. Helium 3 reaction is not even that energetic compared to reactions of D and T, which are orders of magnitude more abundant than helium 3. Plus, helium 3 can be made, and is made, by byproduct of certain decays as well as actually a "waste" product of the first two generations of fusion fuel cycles. So there is no reason for you to make an entire helium 3 mining enterprise on the Moon. Anyone with a fusion reactor (the thing you'd want your helium 3) could actually outproduce anything that you could mine, for a fraction of a price. It would be a colossal waste of money and resources.

[@marcozolo3536]

Don't forget rare earth metals

[@breadm8101]

Much titanium and maybe gold

[@alicorn3924]

@@Wustenfuchs109 Ok, but it's much better to mine it especially in the future where overpopulation is showing more.

[@cedriceric9730]

@@Wustenfuchs109 tritium doesnt occur naturally and even deteurium is very difficult to isolate! fusion is a scam , there are so many lies

[@a-drewg1716]

"With the Artemis 1 mission only months away" ok sweet so we can expect it to launch in roughly ~7-8 years

[@nathangriffiths2851]

Lmao

[@cinnamon-skateboarding5987]

I'm expecting Artemis to end up being canceled after budget cuts and a single launch.

[@carso1500]

@@cinnamon-skateboarding5987 what it most likely that after 1 or 2 SLS flights the SLS will portion of the flight will be quietly dropped and everything will be done on starship

[@bobminon439]

2 years in the future, and 1 and two have both launched now

[@a-drewg1716]

​@@bobminon439 two hasn't launched yet

[@WyrmrestAccord]

I appretiate the Stellaris background music.

[@nathancherd9109]

Where? Timestamps?

[@WyrmrestAccord]

@@nathancherd9109 9:30 onwards

[@joshuam.6027]

Basically, it's Manifest Destiny 2.0 without genocide over indigenous tribes or converting them, the only thing that is the same is resource galore.

[@mimotakito1114]

Depends on if we find life, then we could potentially give them diseases, potentially causing an extinction.

[@kashiogos]

@@mimotakito1114 Let's be real, even if we found life anywhere, it'd be very simple wildlife or micro-organisms, not anything that's actually sapient or complex like we see here on Earth.

[@alicorn3924]

@@kashiogos I dislike people that think that Aliens would originate on the moon. Except simple iced bacterium

[@kashiogos]

@@alicorn3924 I don't think anyone is implying that here, at least not on our moon that is. Even in other solar system moons, the chances of life, while incredibly low (even for micro-organisms) are still there. We'll see what our future has to say, but if I am still alive by then somehow, I don't think we'll find anything that's actually alive in any of the moons of the solar system, as cool as that might be. What I am hoping for is that we at least find evidence of something that used to be alive being present in some place in the solar system, even if it's fossilized microscopic life.

[@E4439Qv5]

I think we've already accidentally taken some tardigrades to Mars. (Not that it _really_ matters, but... lol.)

[@nathanloomis7508]

I think colonized moons around the same planet will overwhelmingly choose to unite. For example, people living on all moons of Saturn (aside from Titan) will more or less have the same lifestyles and have a very fixed range in which there distances can vary. So I think this will make moons of the outer solar system divide at most by the planet level with each moon maybe given semi-autonomous status within a hypothetical Jupiter or Saturn nation.

[@chazl9531]

I hope the human race can just unite without dividing even more. It’s just stupid and has the potential to create more wars. The economy on earth keeps getting larger and larger with the growing needs for more energy and resources. The government’s of the future will laugh at these colonies trying to secede themselves

[@VincentGonzalezVeg]

@@chazl9531 The souls of Sol, United Systems

[@CalvinNoire]

Why titan different? Because they have oil?

[@apersononlineyes6554]

I doubt it, I think the colonies will slowly decentralize once it gets more densely populated. This is probably for the better because federal govs aren't really good for serving the people.

[@VincentGonzalezVeg]

@@apersononlineyes6554 like communities of satellite civilizations/states I've been thinking about people doing this on the home planet with floating platforms Like spaceships, disconnected & they can even have group healthcare & governments with a public access template to get things going, like how airplanes get prompters you'd hear when different country ships are going to be arriving & leaving your local international waters Or however that's been worked out And like a cruise city, people living on the surface of the ocean

[@moonandstars1677]

My heart is beating so fast with the sheer awe and excitement of living to see even part of this.

[@bigboyart1]

I love how we're at a place in history where space colonies are not too far into the future.

[@KraNisOG]

I believe a human ran empire could exist, we did have Republics, empires, and kingdoms have large territories that could take months to get news, or even years for some areas. However, I do not think it would exist beyond our solar system, or even beyond Jupiter.

[@cedriceric9730]

If humanity can reliably settle the moon , they can go anywhere in the solar system.

[@omarjaafar2961]

@@cedriceric9730 and if humans devolpe a way for faster tarvel we could go outisde of our solar system for more land but that would take centuries

[@Hunter-im3tg]

@@maliziosoeperverso1697 i think Alpha Centauri A is a better target, a G2V 4.85 billions years old star with a (candidate) Neptune planet in orbit of 1.1 AU, it could have moons that will be hospitable, planets around red dwarfs are anything but hospitable.

[@Hunter-im3tg]

@@maliziosoeperverso1697 that why i said candidate, while Proxima B is an Earth-sized planet in the habitable zone the star is a very violent red dwarf, some people are optimistic planets around red dwarfs could be suitable for human life but all the data we have shows it's very unlikely. Tidal lock, short and intense seasons due to orbital periods less than a week and violent solar flares, even building a colony at the twilight zone of a planet around a "calm" red dwarf star is unlikely, humans will go crazy with short years and no day-night cycle, a twilight zone will make the temperature bearable but the lack of day-night cycles would be a huge burden.

[@jak2396]

Lmao we can't even run our world right. As much as I love space exploration and stuff since I was kid, it doesn't feel the same. It's all grey with a taste of the same industry first mindset that got us to where we are now, but I'm just a dude with an opinion

[@zinedinezethro9157]

Every major powers be like: Boys, I'm feeling a bit of Manifesting Destiny today

[@heliowolf6334]

You can't Manifest Destiny if there aren't natives to genocide. Space colonization is going to be different.

[@ZettyLad]

@@heliowolf6334 I’m sure there’s plenty of natives to genocide out there, sapient or not. 👀

[@midgetman4206]

Well someone's got spread democracy

[@tonykristhiofan1113]

But it fine tho, they are aliens they don't have human rights

[@zinedinezethro9157]

@@tonykristhiofan1113 bro that kind of thinking, is exactly what led to the colonization of the third world country back in the imperial age my guy. that's gonna kick us in the ass later down the line fr.

[@enta_nae_mere7590]

I don't think that Europe needs to federalise to have a significant presence in space, the ESA need only act at the intermediary for the various nations of Europe. The ESA may control the transportation but bases could still easily be national but negotiate through the EU. This type of organisation would also work for other unions such as the African Union or private companies.

[@Merecir]

The EU could never decide on anything. The emerging mega corporation would outrun them in the colonization game. The more likely future for the EU is total dissolution, with a possibility of a much smaller federated core remaining.

[@martinmendl1399]

@@Merecir That’s bullshit, beacuse: 1) After UK left (wich has always been more of an associated state anyways), none of the remaining members (especially € zone) can realistically secede and maintain their economies in…existence. The dissolution of the EU would have to be a coordinated, organised and thoroughly planned process. But, 2) There aren’t many high profile politicians left who actually want to completly dissolute the Union. Because it would be too difficult and politically costly to do something like that, while the Germans or Benluxers would never agree to it. It would take a war (and a looot of unrest) to dissolute it. And European nations are pretty much unable to lead wars nowdays. We already have integrated Europe, and there is no realistic way to take that back. The only thing we can do is try to make the EU more effective.

[@captainvanisher988]

@@martinmendl1399 funny how you say that when right wing anti EU parties are on the rise all over Europe. From Italy's current government, to the AfD in Germany, to LePen in France to the current Swedish government. The union is just no sustainable at this point. Especially after the series of idiotic decisions done in the industry of energy. The UK was lucky to leave early but I don't see it working. People want to rule their own nation and they dislike the ultra federation route that the EU has been taking the past few decades. And the downgrade of the euro along with the extreme population decline show just the start of the problems of EU.

[@spukyon]

Colonies always go through the same stages when it comes to their status related to their colonizer. They're outposts at first (no material independence), then they become something akin to provinces (partial material independence), then they become truly independent once they become fully self-sustaining

[@nathanaelsallhageriksson1719]

"There would never be a unified human empire" probbebly not, but what are the chances people wouldn't try?

[@igbotimehopper64yearsago46]

My son will lead a rebellion on earth overthrow the government, make himself emperor of the planet and go on a decade long campaign to conquer every human settlement in the sol system

[@igbotimehopper64yearsago46]

The empire would last for at least 40 years until my great-grandson mismanages it

[@nathanaelsallhageriksson1719]

@@igbotimehopper64yearsago46 Based.

[@Skywarslord]

@@igbotimehopper64yearsago46 That looks like a bloodbath

[@igbotimehopper64yearsago46]

@@Skywarslord About 700 million dead in the conquest

[@pipolwes000]

Whoever the players in the colonization of the solar system will be, the time it takes to travel between Earth and Mars will mean we can look forward to a coming Second Age of "Sail". It simply won't be feasible for states on Earth to maintain total control of colonies off-world.

[@JohnSmith-tx1mz]

Not really whoever has the guns and money will own the colony. Humans will never be like Star Trek that is a fantasy. I predict when we are all dead a few hundred years from now we will have wars in space, embargos and political strife. Newer tech doesn't change the core of human beings. Just look at the past 3000 years of human history.

[@arminius6506]

@@JohnSmith-tx1mz it will be a totally different paradigm than what we're used to. Lets suppose US has got complete control over space but China rise up and take over the earth. Or Moon rebel against and take over the whole space mission from the earth

[@PedroOrtega1993]

It will be just like the Insurrection from the _Halo_ universe.

[@williamking1081]

@@arminius6506 that is pointless fear mongering in my option

[@juggo]

8:20 I use a railgun for home defense, just as the founding fathers intended

[@ls200076]

American Colonists fighting for independence be like:

[@bryelop]

I love this kind of International Relations/Global Politics video! You should do more!

[@RenMagnum4057]

Imagine UN establishing the UNSC

[@dentlos806]

Or EarthGov

[@PHDiaz-vv7yo]

I’m waiting for Mars to secede and form the MCR. And don’t get me started on those Skinnies…. Sorry Belters

[@tristanbackup2536]

The UNSC already exist today. United Nations Security Council, what you're talking about being the United Nations Space Command is the further evolution of the Security Council today.

[@someweeb3650]

@@PHDiaz-vv7yo My Chemical Romance?

[@victoralexandervinkenes9193]

@@tristanbackup2536 I do believe he was possibly referencing a United Nations of Earth (UNE) with chances of UNM. (You probably know what planet i'm referring to)

[@alex29443]

This was great, always worth remembering that humanity represents a hell of a lot of potential.

[@lukesmhudson]

Just want to say this is beautiful food for thought, you have great ideas

[@jayyt9584]

Its like reading a history book but in reverse! Man I hope people make their own country in space.

[@jaredbullock5366]

I don’t know what a part 2 of this video would be like but I need it! This was an incredible and inspiring video. Thank you for making it.

[@thomasbarca9297]

Well I feel the Sol System will be divided between certain nations or companies

[@TAKE_BACK_BRITAIN]

Doubt it. I think earth could be united by then (unfortunately). But corporations could certainly play a big role.

[@AJeazy]

@@TAKE_BACK_BRITAIN I think united by continents at least. Thinks like the USMCA and the EU could eventually become actual countries. I mean, could you imagine if the entire EU was just one country and the entirety of Canada, the US, and Mexico was one country?

[@AJeazy]

Countries that are run by dictators are going to have a harder time. I mean, could you imagine if North Korea and China united. Likely in NK's best interests however i doubt kim would be too happy about giving up some of his power in order to be united with china.

[@uhohmemebiggestboy212]

In the game elite dangerous a space game with a 1:1 scale of our own galaxy you can find sol put you need a permit to be able to get close or even jump to it In this game there is faster than light travel yet so much of the Galaxy is left unexplored

[@jacobkobald1753]

Love the concept wish I was gonna be around to see it

[@WasatchWind]

I was quite afraid from the title of the video that this would be a rant from someone who didn't know much about space, saying only that colonizing space is evil. Thank you for actually making something meaningful.

[@wanderingkernel5002]

Well is there anything that's "good" about it? I'm just trying to find an answer because I ultimately just find it pointless.

[@NA-AN]

@@wanderingkernel5002 I mean: It would solve some of our resource issues (finding space rocks that can make up for our decreasing supply of minerals like phosphorous), it can help us understand way more about our universe and the planets and to top it all off: SPACE IS FUCKING AWSOME!

[@wanderingkernel5002]

@@NA-AN But I mean how would it really solve our resource issues. This is kind of like a similar argument I've heard some people make about colonizing due to overpopulation. But, let's say for the sake of argument that we do go ahead and start mining space rocks so we can replenish resources. What then happens after we run out of space rocks? We're simply right back where we started. It isn't so much a solution as it is more just kicking the can down the road. And I'm not denying that space is fucking awesome, but I've yet to understand why we need to interject ourselves into it.

[@radioactivemeta3321]

@@wanderingkernel5002 uhh u do know space is bigger than u think

[@wanderingkernel5002]

​@@radioactivemeta3321 Yes I do realize that. It's bigger than anyone can imagine, but that still doesn't change the problem that it is still a finite resource. For instance, oil is a finite resource. From what scientists seem to understand, there are exoplanets that have been deemed habitable, so there is likely some alien life, either intelligent or non-intelligent living on those planets, meaning therefore there is likely oil. But if we just keep chasing after these oil bearing planets, it is a fact that we will eventually run out, and, as was said, return to square one. Simply chasing after resources doesn't answer the question, it only kicks the can down the road until the issue comes up again.

[@sketchye5943]

Wow I’m interested in space but never really kept up, didn’t know we were going to put a base on the moon.We are witnessing history!

[@osacrpro]

Yes and i assume at the rate were going there is no telling what we will do in the next 100 years especially after the singularity if you believe in that

[@boygenius4640]

@@osacrpro the singularity?

[@scholaroftheworldalternatehist]

They had plans for a moon base 50 years ago. But the money and public support wasn't there

[@sketchye5943]

Oh a moon base 50 years ago would of been incredible

[@beanboi8838]

@@scholaroftheworldalternatehist Too bad the US spends a shit ton on military.

[@20ZZ20]

the good bit about space is that there is enough resources for everyone out there. even with billions or trillions of humans competition for materials might be lower at least...

[@user-zz3sn8ky7z]

exactly, with things like asteroid mining we actually have a chance of reaching a future where things like food, shelter and water are a basic human right

[@jon33709]

@@user-zz3sn8ky7z never going to happen. Companies/nations are going to fight over who gets to control 100% of space and it’s resources. Most of these resources will never be used to improve life for the vast majority of people on here on earth.

[@501thtrooper4]

Too bad we're all TOO human and countries will try to fight for resources

[@JcoleMc]

In Space Resources are plenty full , but the distant traveled to get them is also Huge

[@carso1500]

@@jon33709 they will, like they have before, every time humanity reaches for a new resource base it benefits us all one way or the other

[@nene_aka_bloobinub]

This is tremendously good! Love it!

[@SomeTomfoolery]

I almost fell over when you casually referred to humans living on Mars as "Martians". Like it makes sense, but I'd never thought about it that way before.

[@dagdbot83]

It was so simple and obvious but yet, I too never thought of it

[@fiercetoast8338]

I would assume most new colonies would be democratic once they got big enough, even corporate-run ones. Keep in mind, Elon's base would likely be the first, and he has said that it would be a direct democracy.

[@emib6599]

I imagining that we could have an "united colonial federation" that declared indipendente from the little divided states in the Earth.

[@requiemlul3140]

I mean, if the entire colony is just workers working in government, owned jobs then eventually they could actually democratically vote the CEO.

[@jeffbenton6183]

IIRC Elon said "I *guess* it would be a direct democracy. As excited as I am about SpaceX, one of the two things that worries me about their Mars plans is that it doesn't seem that Mr. Musk or anyone else has put *serious* thought into what politics on Mars should actually be like.

[@elseggs6504]

@@jeffbenton6183 If he treats his workers on Earth like shit, what odds do Martians have?

[@jeffbenton6183]

@@elseggs6504 Fair point. Do you have a link describing what working conditions are like at SpaceX and Tesla? I remember reading years ago that 60 hour work weeks were practically required at SpaceX (and turnover was high), but that was years ago when the company was still sort of an underdog, and not the undisputed market leader.

[@BejeweledInvasionNannies]

I recently finished watching For All Mankind and it was brilliant.

[@mr.lonewolf8199]

Yeah man , great show... any news on season 3, when is coming out?

[@stormycat774]

Having music from Stellaris in the background is absolutely genius for a video like this, love it!

[@trifarianboi3043]

This is a surprisingly insightful video

[@shzarmai]

Magnificent Video as always

[@randomobserver8168]

Well, it can be colonialism in the most traditional sense of planting colonies of one's own people to develop in a new place, and in the more modern economic sense, loosely, of opening up new resources for oneself, but not in the sense the word is usually, darkly, used today- exploitation of an indigenous population and their resources. There are no indigenes and the resources belong to no one at present. Pure terra nullius. Or Luna and Area Nullius.

[@genghiskhan5701]

stellaris players: *sweats genocidedly

[@Darth_Insidious]

While there aren't any natives to colonize on other worlds in the solar system, I am worried about space colonization from a preservation perspective. We might convert the untouched landscapes of the solar system into mere resources for exploitation, stripping worlds of all that makes them beautiful to be replaced by machines. Its not hurting anyone who lives there, but it could very well hurt the people who will live there. Care should definitely be taken when deciding the limits of space colonization.

[@onewatch488]

@@Darth_Insidious those planets are already devoid of life its not like you'd be ruining anything but dust

[@RutakoVon]

@@Darth_Insidious These places are more like barren deserts in different shades than any earthlike picturesque environment.

[@captainvanisher988]

while it's used darkly today as a word, the concept of colonization has actually helped 100 times more those indigenous populations many claim to have harmed. Yes there were atrocities committed but the technological benefits and the relative peace and unity (compared to past times in these regions) far outweigh them. And that goes to every single former colony. You can just see the birth rate improvements and calculate them over a period of a decade or two and you'll understand how in that small time frame more humans there have been saved by this than the total human lives that were taken during the colonization process of said area.

[@harrykerr7547]

Love the For All Mankind clips - Hi Bob!

[@miketacos9034]

Super cool video, been thinking about this a lot lately.

[@kayseek1248]

Yes! One of my favourite topics!

[@salutic.7544]

This is just the video I was looking for when since I’m writing a book in this exact topic

[@UnkyHamHam]

"No one can predict centuries of human history." *Hari Seldon has joined the chat

[@miguelhuaman8280]

He... Is... A... Fictional character?

[@UnkyHamHam]

@@miguelhuaman8280 i appreciate you pointing that out to me. I must have forgotten in a (failed) attempt to be silly. That's on me. The internet has spoken. Sheesh

[@miguelhuaman8280]

@@UnkyHamHam Seldon doesnt even predict history correctly in the fiction novels of Asimov, his master plan falls apart at the 2nd book if I remember (Its been over a year since I read the Foundation trilogy) and later they say that the vision of Seldon, his supreme plan, is a mistake, and the Gaia folk end up adopting a New project for humanity.

[@sreea2365]

Is the Apple show good?

[@miguelhuaman8280]

@@sreea2365 Haven't seen it, might be decent, but knowing how adaptations work, it will be very simplified and different to the books.

[@Christian_Mechwart]

That was an amazing breakdown of the current situation in space and love the level headedness you provide! I'm mostly worried about the inequalities that could arise generations in the future if only a handfull of countries controll the infrastructure on the moon and it makes me think that a moon treaty needs to be signed sooner rather than later. I make content about our journey to becoming a Type 1 Civilization, what are your thoughts on the likelyhood of that happening on Earth?

[@dragon_ninja_2186]

Potential alien life should also be brought up. If humanity somehow doesn’t find or run into different species, than like the end of your video we’ll eventually slowly spread and colonize the Galaxy system by system. But if first contact contact is made, than we should consider the possibility of them be hostile or peaceful and maybe even helping us expand.

[@ls200076]

Humanity discoveres intelligent life: "Oh yeah, it's manifest destiny time!"

[@SenorGuina]

i doubt it would be on the solar system tho, so not something we'll have to worry about for now

[@proger1960]

@@SenorGuina *Don’t jinx it fam*

[@kylegivens3120]

I wonder how different this potential alien species evolution would be.

[@Chris-55]

It'd be cool to see Lunar and Martian bases not working as nations but as one, all the world collaborating together

[@JeWbLaSt23]

I wrote my political science thesis on this, but this video blows it away good job!

[@WawamuStats]

This is fascinating! Imagine in the future, our passports will say USA, Earth or China, Mars.

[@herberthoover1790]

I guess we'll be living like it's star wars by 2100, I like it!

[@AxeltheKing1000]

nice

[@donichiro]

@@AxeltheKing1000 *noice*

[@josephanglada4785]

Imagine we are the founding species of the galaxy and all intelligent species will be our children. It will be so beautiful. We all are important in this.

[@scholaroftheworldalternatehist]

Yeah I actually think we may be one of the first intelligent species since the universe is only 13b years old

[@crusadinginc28]

I appreciate the stellaris music in the background

[@lukasfrykas7188]

As a worker, the labor aspect was refreshing and terrifying. Thankyou

[@Givemepeanutbutter]

I know this might never happen, it might even be crazy talk, but I can't help but imagining these long ass chain of events that would lead to America having a state on the moon. That'd be cool as shit.

[@stolyartoad8640]

Space Florida Oh God...

[@dashisworstpony]

I wish I could be there when the colonies declare indepedence in a delightful twist of irony.

[@E4439Qv5]

Moontana. Delunaware. Satellabama.

[@kaushiksheshnagraj7176]

Wow this video is fantastic. Every line is a point. Your channel deserve more subscriber. According to my account your channel is the best channel on KZbin I liked your channel very much. Your channel is my favourite .I liked your all videos. Please keep up this type of work in future please. Your all videos are stunning. I am your old subscriber from 500 subs But can you please make a video on Skanderbeg?

[@Nae_Ayy]

I like the vsauce music, lots of nostalgia. Cool video, man. subbed

[@FalseOrbit]

The stellaris music was a nice touch

[@ronanlewis6119]

Great video!

[@ladahieno2382]

Empire of japan vol.2 Now commiting war crimes in space!

[@scoutgaming737]

Germany is the most influencial nation in the Eu

[@ladahieno2382]

@@scoutgaming737 I'd rather it be France... And I'm not even French

[@scoutgaming737]

@@ladahieno2382 Maybe

[@Thetoadwatches]

Solar system reich when?

[@NautilusSSN571]

@@ladahieno2382 France 🤮🤮🤮

[@reachxskys]

stellaris ost. great choice

[@kemicalhazard8770]

Interesting video, thank you!

[@cossacktwofive4974]

So, there is a chance that any settlement outside Earth sphere is gonna be ruled by a megacoropration which in the long run will become independent planetary states and in distant future might become a "Sol Federation" or "Sol Confederacy"

[@jameshailerthepostmaster4389]

Or if we are lucky ( really Unlucky) The Imperium of Man

[@cloud_sus1409]

Me thinking i left Stellaris run in the backround

[@Masicka123]

loving the stellaris bgm

[@jacobdawson8264]

This video was awesome!

[@mariolis]

10:30 I also see the UAE by the 2060s/2070s , they seem to really be interested in Mars Perhaps they are a partner to India ? Who knows that far into the future ?

[@nerobernardino88]

Maybe even Brazil if we get our shit right for once

[@marcozolo3536]

@@nerobernardino88 Latin American union would be a better way forward for a space program to rival the top 3 space super powers

[@polarbear7]

Hmmm yeah UAE.nd INDIA have good connection It's possible

[@shivanshna7618]

Actually india already works with UAE and Brazil on few space matters specifically satellites

[@Orthane]

The UN: Colonialism is and was bad The UN when we can get into space: *THIS QUADRANT IS MINE NO SINGLE NATION CAN OWN IT*

[@HotHeadCJ]

Excellent analysis

[@JuanGonzalez-nn6dw]

Incredible Video!

[@kausardatta6821]

Maybe we can have a Berlin conference style of dividing the moon and Mars between US, Russia, China, EU, Japan, and India where each get at least some territory on the moon and mars. Maybe some other countries might be invited

[@anonymousentertainment9823]

I wouldn't invite US and EU to be honest

[@fgqgqlfqsfsffeff]

@@anonymousentertainment9823 Thanks for letting us know your opinion! Really cool!

[@anonymousentertainment9823]

@@fgqgqlfqsfsffeff I didn't

[@Callistemon]

The end of the video sound like the early stage of Dune universe.

[@karimshebeika8010]

I am currently working on a review of literature dealing with the space-security/post-colonialism nexus and this just gave me so many ideas! Great video! Are you by any chance Dutch?

[@williamteskey528]

That’s really cool how you played stillaris on the background

[@redwing554]

Born to early to explore the world, born just in time to explore space

[@risingmoon893]

Elon Musk has announced that his Mars colony will not follow the laws set up already by the U.S. government.

[@billylauwda9178]

Doesnt he wants to be the Emperor of Mars.

[@constantinethecataphract5949]

Well his colony will die quickly or be conquered without USA

[@thefatbob3710]

@@constantinethecataphract5949 Nah not really there are plenty of resources on mars to maintain a stable population

[@constantinethecataphract5949]

@@thefatbob3710 wont be able to use them for the first years

[@thefatbob3710]

@@constantinethecataphract5949 How? There literaly on the planet Elon could just send a astronaut with a transport to mine the materials

[@overforker2623]

We remaking For All Mankind with this one 🗣️🗣️🔥🔥🔥

[@anthe999]

Stellaris music in the backround, nice

[@AGenericFool]

The grabby aliens theory makes human earliness in the shadow of the fermi paradox seem highly plausible.

[@troyskeete8372]

Seriously now, I tend to agree with the posters view, what scares me is when eventually the ban on WMDs is ignored, there isn't the same ecological fallout of nukes in space and then there kinetic weaponry and this scares me...

[@peetesmi]

In the case of a company-made colony, I can imagine the administration being led by an appointed director, answering to an upper house, a board of investors of some sorts, and in place of a lower house some kind of board of workers unions.

[@lynxoflight72]

important thing i wanted to mention is the cooperation plans between china esa and roskosmos. they are already talking about cooperation for a followup to the ISS and its likely that they will, given political relations dont worsen more, also cooperate with further space ventures. I really wouldnt underestimate the possibility of it, epecially since we dont know what chinas true plans are. they might be trying to establish themselves as the number 1 space fairing nation first, to then further their presence with international coalition with europe and russia.

[@SimpleNobody2420]

Nice video, But I have a couple questions. 1) I doubt we could discover faster than light travel when we colonize our solar system, but what if we found something while we're colonizing other star systems that may lead to that grand discovery? 2) What would you think would happen if we discover alien life?

[@kittygiatanidon4980]

We have some stuff for faster-than-light travel, so there u have it, its possible when they are done with mars they will head to Venus and ceres and maybe mars moons, or Pluto, charon, hydra, and the other 3 moons of Pluto. What will happen if we encounter aliens is that they will most likely be peaceful and understand because they have encountered us or another alien civilization or they will freak out and try to attack us. Its likely we can bring guns fit for firing cobalt 60.

[@keagaming9837]

Awesome video! I can definitely see Mars being colonized and maybe even a local government pop up within the next 50 years. If humanity does not go down the path of Star Trek, I think a few countries based around planets would still be nice. It would be a *Solar System Trek* Like Star Trek, but more realistic, closer to our time, and more local. I think if we invent warp drive or at least faster then light communication, multiple planets moons and other celestial bodies could be part of one government. 15:37

[@scyobiempire4450]

At around 10 minutes I hear Stellaris music, a man of culture I see