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Problems with Human Development in Star Wars
Posted: 2004-12-16 08:53am
by Robert Treder
Or, at least with some dates I'm seeing.
The
Time Tales Chronology places the height of the Taung civilization on Coruscant at ~200,000 BBY, but also puts the complete urbanization of Coruscant by humans at ~100,000 BBY. I'm no anthropologist, but 100,000 years doesn't seem like enough time for the human race to develop from hunter-gatherer to planet-covering city-dweller.
My guesses:
a) Time Tales (and/or the official sources) got the dates wrong, and the Taungs were a much earlier species.
b) The Taungs were humans (I've yet to see it mentioned that they specifically were not human, though that seems to be the intent)
c) Humans were brought to Coruscant at an already-developed stage by a higher power (Corellian system builders, hyperspace aliens, etc.)
Posted: 2004-12-16 09:04am
by Spanky The Dolphin
I think it's actually more than clear that Humans colonised Coruscant after developing much of their technology while spreading away from Corellia.
Posted: 2004-12-16 09:33am
by Robert Treder
Spanky The Dolphin wrote:I think it's actually more than clear that Humans colonised Coruscant after developing much of their technology while spreading away from Corellia.
Source? It's okay for conjecture, but that's completely unsupported.
It's true that the Corellians are the only humans that we know exist at the time that human civilization develops on Coruscant, but the utter lack of mention of any early Corellian colonization attempts cannot go unnoticed.
Re: Problems with Human Development in Star Wars
Posted: 2004-12-16 09:34am
by The Duchess of Zeon
Robert Treder wrote:
c) Humans were brought to Coruscant at an already-developed stage by a higher power (Corellian system builders, hyperspace aliens, etc.)
Or by humans themselves. After 200,000 years any tales about the origin of humans, even with literate civilization the whole while, would be close to creation myths.
Posted: 2004-12-16 09:48am
by Spanky The Dolphin
Robert Treder wrote:Spanky The Dolphin wrote:I think it's actually more than clear that Humans colonised Coruscant after developing much of their technology while spreading away from Corellia.
Source? It's okay for conjecture, but that's completely unsupported.
It's true that the Corellians are the only humans that we know exist at the time that human civilization develops on Coruscant, but the utter lack of mention of any early Corellian colonization attempts cannot go unnoticed.
It's conjecture based on evidence and information. It's more or less known that Humans couldn't have been from Coruscant. For one thing the planet is slightly too cold naturally.
This following is based on a conjecture shared by IP and myself. After being deposited on Corellia by the Hyperspace Aliens, Humans gradually develop spaceflight and spread across the Core, colonising among others, Alderaan and more importently Coruscant. The Taung were already gone by the time Humans arrived and gradually turned the planet into the urbanised capitol of the Galaxy.
Posted: 2004-12-16 10:00am
by Robert Treder
Fair enough. Although to nitpick, Alderaan is known to have been colonized by ships from Coruscant, relatively recently (only a few thousand years before the creation of the Republic).
Chandrila is a candidate, though. The Chandrilan civilization's origins are unclear, but it is probably older than hyperspace.
Posted: 2004-12-16 10:12am
by Spanky The Dolphin
Corellia is better, though, since it unites a purpose for both the Corellian System and the Maw.
Posted: 2004-12-16 01:52pm
by Executor32
Then there's the KOTOR version, which holds that humans are the descendents of an advanced civilization on Tatooine, which was destroyed in a war with the Rakata.
Tatooine used to be an Earth-like planet, and the sentient race inhabiting it had a civilization at least as advanced as our own, possibly more so. At some point between 100,000 BBY and 30,000 BBY, the Rakatan Infinite Empire discovered the planet, and began using the inhabitants as slaves. When the Rakata began losing their Force sensitivity and the slave races (Tatooinians included) rebelled around 30,000 BBY, the Rakata attacked Tatooine, utterly devastating the surface and transforming it into the wasteland it is today. Humans are descended from the slaves who were off-planet, and the survivors on-planet went into hiding, adapted to the new climate, and are now known as the Tusken Raiders.
It doesn't really jibe with other sources, but it is a nice story. It also explains why Tuskens hate humans so much (they remind the Tuskens of their former civilization, which the have come to believe was destroyed by the gods for becoming too 'excessive')
Posted: 2004-12-16 01:53pm
by Spanky The Dolphin
Um, I think you've got it a little off.
Posted: 2004-12-16 02:16pm
by Bob the Gunslinger
Executor32 wrote:snip
Wow. That whole story works so much better in Stargate.
Posted: 2004-12-16 02:19pm
by Spanky The Dolphin
Yet another reason why Bioware shouldn't write Star Wars, besides the fact that they just make it an AD&D rehash.
Posted: 2004-12-16 03:16pm
by Executor32
Spanky The Dolphin wrote:Um, I think you've got it a little off.
If you're saying that because it's not the real origin of humans in SW, then I totally agree: I think your and IP's conjecture best fits the 'facts'. However, if you're saying that because I misremembered what the Tusken storyteller and the Rakata said, then please feel free to correct me.
Posted: 2004-12-16 08:31pm
by Illuminatus Primus
If the Taungs are a civilization, then by definition their phase is not "hunter-gatherer." Also, Coruscant is NOT the human homeworld, so the Taungs and Zhell are not human and they have no relevance as to the speed of human societal development.
EDIT: The Rakata are dumb; they supposedly have an empire that spans the galaxy but contains colonies numbered only in the hundreds? There are thirty-thousand dependencies in the Chommell Sector alone.
Posted: 2004-12-17 04:42am
by Robert Treder
Spanky The Dolphin wrote:Corellia is better, though, since it unites a purpose for both the Corellian System and the Maw.
I meant a candidate for having been colonized by early sub-light Corellians, not for the human homeworld.
Illuminatus Primus wrote:If the Taungs are a civilization, then by definition their phase is not "hunter-gatherer." Also, Coruscant is NOT the human homeworld, so the Taungs and Zhell are not human and they have no relevance as to the speed of human societal development.
I didn't mean the Taungs were hunter-gatherers. I meant that if Coruscant is the human homeworld, then the humans would be those hunter-gatherers.
But, as you say, Coruscant isn't the human homeworld, and the Taungs and Zhell are evidence to that effect: if Coruscant were the human homeworld, humanity would have less than one hundred thousand years to reach a super-advanced state, lest their development overlap the period of Taung dominance on the planet.
Posted: 2004-12-17 11:20am
by vakundok
Excuse me, but what is the problem with the 100,000 years time frame?
As I know (my knowledge is limited, so feel free to correct), our race (the homo sapiens, I mean) developed around 40,000 years ago, then we did nothing for 35,000 years. But in the last 5,000 or so years we changed from hunter - gatheres to be ready to build the first fusion generator ...
Posted: 2004-12-17 12:01pm
by Spanky The Dolphin
Actually, the species Homo sapiens is about 300,000 years old.
12,000 years ago is around when we see dog domestication, pottery, and the beginnings of permanent dwellings. 11,000 years ago is when agriculture and more animal domestication occurs. 10,000 years ago is when agriculture becomes more widespread and long-term settlements appear. About 6000 years ago is the emerging of writing and the foundation of cities. And 5000 years ago is the beginnings of urbanisation and the establishment of city-states.
Posted: 2004-12-17 12:25pm
by vakundok
Thanks Spanky!
So I was wrong. 20,000 years ago, we were just hunting and gathering, and now we are ready to build a fusion power plant (after the politicians can decide where to build it). It still leaves dozens of thousands of years to fill ... And we cannot even predict how we will live in 100 years, not to mention thousands.
Posted: 2004-12-17 01:55pm
by Enforcer Talen
extinction or galactic civilization. one of the two.
Posted: 2004-12-17 02:13pm
by Bellator
slighty off topic...Is there any relation/connection between SW humans and earth's humans?
Posted: 2004-12-17 02:40pm
by Spanky The Dolphin
There has to be. The likelyhood of it being a cooincidence is astronomically low.
IP and my shared theory is that the Hyperspace Aliens travelled across time and space and transplanted Humans from prehistoric Earth to Corellia.
Posted: 2004-12-17 04:31pm
by Kurgan
I like Wong's theory. ; )
Posted: 2004-12-17 04:39pm
by Spanky The Dolphin
Bah. IP and mine's is less of a deus ex machina.
Posted: 2004-12-17 04:56pm
by Kurgan
And the 'Hyperspace Aliens'
are any less of one? C'mon now...
Posted: 2004-12-17 05:05pm
by Spanky The Dolphin
No, they aren't.
Posted: 2004-12-18 02:53am
by Kurgan
Good. Glad that's settled!