Where's It All Heading?

[Thasc]

I disagree. Even in the Culture'verse, the Iridians are an example of a biological species with a sufficiently powerful infrastructure to threaten and even possibly destroy the Culture.
And SG has a lot more exotic technologies to play around with.

I don't see how old fashioned nukes would become the main weapon. They make nice enough mines, but as a missile, they leave much to be desired, especially since radiation, their main way of inflicting damage in space, would be less effective due to increased (or total) automation on ships.

I didn't say anything about the Idirans or any other Involved civilisation, I was just referring to the Culture itself. The most essential foundation of that society is its ubiquitous automation. If human beings are still required to do work to maintain our civilisation after advanced Stargate technologies have been properly applied, then we're not like the Culture. Hope that's clearer.

[thekillman]

no need for fighters. fighters are not usefull. the only thing comparable that would be, is a large "fighter" and gunship, capable of hyperspace travel or perhaps another form of FTL altogether, which is designed for short distance jumping (capacitor systems allow to build up a charge so no uberpowersource is needed), can carry numerous "missiles" or better said, RPN's (rocket propelled Nukes). the RPN's wouldn't be much more than a nuke with a small ion engine. not a missile as a missile would generally imply that it is extremely maneuverable and smart. an RPN isnt and does not have to be as automated defences could cut them out of the sky anyway. the goal is overwhelming.

[Thasc]

Here's something I'd like to see: someday, Ancient shielding is developed to the point of being so reliable that they just keep it switched on all the time, and pressurise its interior so people can walk around on top of the ship.

(Yeh I love GSVs. :3)

[Giantevilhead]

As weapons evolve, ships would probably become more decentralize, "fuzzy" in the sense that their more like big webs of parts connected by forcefield, that can alter shape to let weapons fire pass through.

Human form replicators.

Mind upload technology would lead to most people "plunging in" to do their work or pilot a ship per say, then returning to their bodies when it's over, or even forsaking bodies altogether for nanotech forms, immune from death, disease, and capable of living anywhere.

Ancient chair device.

Have we ever seen anti-gravity on the show, or was it all the old fashioned kind?

We've seen it plenty of times. Halla and Orilla were full of floating structures. In "The Abyss," where Baal tortures O'Neill. There's also "Orpheus," where Teal'c gets captured and sent to a camp where they're building a Ha'tak on an anti-gravity dry dock.

The question becomes, what do people live for in a society where your every material need is satisfied, and you can life forever if you chose to?

Ascension.

[Crazy Tom]

I didn't say anything about the Idirans or any other Involved civilisation, I was just referring to the Culture itself. The most essential foundation of that society is its ubiquitous automation. If human beings are still required to do work to maintain our civilisation after advanced Stargate technologies have been properly applied, then we're not like the Culture. Hope that's clearer.

Ah, of course. My original point wasn't to say they were like the Culture either, simply that it was similar, sorry for the misunderstanding.

no need for fighters. fighters are not usefull. the only thing comparable that would be, is a large "fighter" and gunship, capable of hyperspace travel or perhaps another form of FTL altogether, which is designed for short distance jumping (capacitor systems allow to build up a charge so no uberpowersource is needed), can carry numerous "missiles" or better said, RPN's (rocket propelled Nukes). the RPN's wouldn't be much more than a nuke with a small ion engine. not a missile as a missile would generally imply that it is extremely maneuverable and smart. an RPN isnt and does not have to be as automated defences could cut them out of the sky anyway. the goal is overwhelming.

Macross has it partly right for a change.

Here's something I'd like to see: someday, Ancient shielding is developed to the point of being so reliable that they just keep it switched on all the time, and pressurise its interior so people can walk around on top of the ship.

(Yeh I love GSVs. :3)

We've seen it plenty of times. Halla and Orilla were full of floating structures. In "The Abyss," where Baal tortures O'Neill. There's also "Orpheus," where Teal'c gets captured and sent to a camp where they're building a Ha'tak on an anti-gravity dry dock.

Indeed, through those could be using some sort of "gravity shielding" rather than anti-gravity, through you are right on it's existence, I just remembered the hyperspace window in The Lost Tribe. When they emerge over the ocean, it create a depression in the water below it, so definitely anti gravity.

[thekillman]

Macross has it partly right for a change.

well, i do not see how high quality and low quantity ships can win. if you can strike from anywhere, it's gonna be stellar hide and seek. being big and outnumbered is a disadvantage, mostly it's just shooting hypermissiles and fighters

[Crazy Tom]

well, i do not see how high quality and low quantity ships can win. if you can strike from anywhere, it's gonna be stellar hide and seek. being big and outnumbered is a disadvantage, mostly it's just shooting hypermissiles and fighters

It's always a balance between quality and quantity.

The ability to generate anti-gravity fields however has applications beyond making stuff float. Ag is an integral component of creating an Alcubierre metric, which would allow ships to be larger on the inside than on the outside or simply "disappear" by spiriting their bulk into a bubble that on the outside would be at most several nanometers across.

This creates all sorts of possible ways to sneak things past security. I wonder... could you carry a planet in your handbag?

[thekillman]

the size for your "cube" generators would be immense, but it might be possible.

[Crazy Tom]

the size for your "cube" generators would be immense, but it might be possible.

Cube generators?

[thekillman]

Alcubierre metric

that's what i meant