Would Earth Join the Republic?

Cygnia · Post by **Cygnia** » 2004-10-04 11:43am

Let's say the galaxy we're living in is the SW galaxy, and we're living in the first several thousand years or so of the Old Republic's history. Galactic civilization is just now reaching us way out here almost at the galaxy's edge. What would be the result for earth be? Would we be ignored completely, immediately be ushered into whatever the procedures for membership are, or something in between, like some sort of protectorate status?

And on a less serious (or more serious, perhaps) note, who among you would I have to knock over to be first on the first ship to Coruscant?

--
Cygnia@Cygniapolis

Praxis · Post by **Praxis** » 2004-10-04 12:21pm

Me

But I expect it wouldn't happen. I think that while most of us (the people) will want it to happen, the governments will refuse. The Unites States, Canada, Russia, China, the EU, etc, etc- nobody will want to surrender control of their government to an alien government. They want to keep in power- therefore they refuse.

Jean Paul · Post by **Jean Paul** » 2004-10-04 01:34pm

I think a planet can only have one seat in the senate, which means a single planetary government. Obviously that isn't the case on Earth - with all our different countries we would not be ready to enter the republic.

Anyways I don't think the republic is exactly a nation per se. It seems to be... an organisation partway between the US and the UN. Actually it's probably more similar to the old US, before the civil war and the massive increase in the power of the federal government.

Bertie Wooster · Post by **Bertie Wooster** » 2004-10-04 01:53pm

If Earth was on the fringe of galactic civilization, we wouldn't refuse admission to the Galactic Republic because it would be apparent if we stayed isolated, we'd be inviting threat from pirates, slavers, and resource-hungry corporations like KDY or Tagge Industries (or their counterparts in early Republic history).

Butterbean569 · Post by **Butterbean569** » 2004-10-04 07:35pm

Is there any documented instance of this happening in the SW galaxy? I doubt it since most of the galaxy was explored by the time the EU was written. I just wonder how we would cope with such a huge event as discovering a galactic civilization, and how long it would take us to adapt to it. We would be millenia behind in technology and the like...just how long would it take for us to get up to speed? Do you think the Republic would even bother with years and years of education, or just leave us be?

Praxis · Post by **Praxis** » 2004-10-04 08:08pm

Butterbean569 wrote:Is there any documented instance of this happening in the SW galaxy? I doubt it since most of the galaxy was explored by the time the EU was written. I just wonder how we would cope with such a huge event as discovering a galactic civilization, and how long it would take us to adapt to it. We would be millenia behind in technology and the like...just how long would it take for us to get up to speed? Do you think the Republic would even bother with years and years of education, or just leave us be?

Well, they left the Ewoks be...
Then again, inviting Ewoks into the galaxy would be like breaking into a hospital to steal a vial of a virus, then drinking it

JointStrikeFighter · Post by **JointStrikeFighter** » 2004-10-04 08:16pm

MMMM Virus Juice

I certainly hope the gov't's of the earth would at least be smart enough to trade with the republic, even in not part of it per se this would still be an incredible boost for earth

Praxis · Post by **Praxis** » 2004-10-04 09:21pm

JointStrikeFighter wrote:MMMM Virus Juice

I certainly hope the gov't's of the earth would at least be smart enough to trade with the republic, even in not part of it per se this would still be an incredible boost for earth

Trade implies an exchange of equal value.

What the heck could we have that the Old Republic could POSSIBLY want?

Money? They don't use our currency.
Resources? With billions of planets, why would they need ours?
Technology? Don't make me laugh.

el blanco · Post by **el blanco** » 2004-10-04 09:32pm

What value could Naboo have possibly had?

Plus, they may see potential. Like a pro team drafting a rookie. Sure, he hasn't done much., but given some time to adept and access to the right resources, he can easily be a productive member or the team.

Then again, we may have a precious metal or something they have never seen.

Praxis · Post by **Praxis** » 2004-10-04 09:38pm

el blanco wrote:What value could Naboo have possibly had?

Plus, they may see potential. Like a pro team drafting a rookie. Sure, he hasn't done much., but given some time to adept and access to the right resources, he can easily be a productive member or the team.

Then again, we may have a precious metal or something they have never seen.

Naboo was already a republic world, with republic technology. And it was a core world.

The guy I was replying to suggested that they would trade with Earth. My point was that we have nothing they wouldn't already have. Naboo, on the other hand, has the same technology as they have- they probably have manufacturing plants, etc, that are up to SW standards.

el blanco · Post by **el blanco** » 2004-10-04 10:30pm

But, unless they were a founding memeber, how did they get in in the first place? And why did they hold so much sway in the Galactic Congress?

It seems to me that the Republic isn't really based on quid-pro-quo when it comes to membership.

Praxis · Post by **Praxis** » 2004-10-04 10:52pm

el blanco wrote:But, unless they were a founding memeber, how did they get in in the first place? And why did they hold so much sway in the Galactic Congress?

It seems to me that the Republic isn't really based on quid-pro-quo when it comes to membership.

Again, I was referring to TRADE. I said they wouldn't JOIN because the governments on Earth wouldn't want to relinquish power, and the other guy said that hopefully the governments of Earth would trade with the Republic, and my point was that there is nothing useful they could trade. They could probably become a MEMBER if the governments relinquished power, but I doubt that if they didn't join they would have anything to trade.

el blanco · Post by **el blanco** » 2004-10-04 11:06pm

Oops, misread. Sorry about that.

Are we working under the assumption that those humans are the same as us? Maybe we could go into food production or tourism.

England didn't start out with vast resources. They helped create the banking system as we know and became expert sairlors and traders.

You don't neccisserily have to be sitting on a giant ore to be useful.

Butterbean569 · Post by **Butterbean569** » 2004-10-04 11:33pm

I'm sure we could find *something* useful for trade...even if it was only letting them use our planet as an outpost of some sort. If they just reached this part of the galaxy, then we would be on the fringe and they'd want to keep some sort of presence out here.

This is assuming, of course, that they just don't force us to let them have an outpost

The Dark · Post by **The Dark** » 2004-10-04 11:42pm

Simple law of economics: there is always something to trade. Even if it were just us allowing factories to be built on Earth to take advantage of cheaper labor (c'mon, people would pay through the nose for some SW tech). We'd basically be the Mexico of the Republic (no insult intended to Mexico), using cheaper, less-skilled labor until we caught up to the Galactic level.

As far as Jean Paul was saying - the Republic always struck me somewhat as the United States under the Articles of Confederation: while all the members are allied to each other, and there is a relatively weak central government, each member is also mostly independent, a sovereign nation that chooses to remain in the alliance.

Typhonis 1 · Post by **Typhonis 1** » 2004-10-05 01:31am

As a training ground for the clone army perhaps? I mean uplift the local tech and you hve ,in a relatively small area, multiple hostile environments to train your soldiers in.

For the most part it seems like the planets in Star Wars offer one type of terrain.Earth we have desert,artic,alpine,swamp, etc ect to train the troops in .

Enforcer Talen · Post by **Enforcer Talen** » 2004-10-05 04:49pm

we could trade art and music. god only knows how the beatles would do in the republic, but with 10 million artists on earth, we could get some incoming trade. and with a market of a galaxy, that gives us a nice amount of incoming.

Bertie Wooster · Post by **Bertie Wooster** » 2004-10-05 06:41pm

Enforcer Talen wrote:we could trade art and music. god only knows how the beatles would do in the republic, but with 10 million artists on earth, we could get some incoming trade. and with a market of a galaxy, that gives us a nice amount of incoming.

Luckily for us, humans are one of the dominant species of the Republic so we'd be able to contribute porn, alcohol, and drugs as well.

el blanco · Post by **el blanco** » 2004-10-05 07:34pm

One word: Nicotine

Trillions of beings to get hooked on it. We'd be able to buy and sell Coruscant within months.

Post by **Ghost Rider** » 2004-10-05 07:38pm

el blanco wrote:One word: Nicotine

Trillions of beings to get hooked on it. We'd be able to buy and sell Coruscant within months.

They already have it...and likely in more varieties.

Techno_Union · Post by **Techno_Union** » 2004-10-05 07:53pm

Praxis wrote: Naboo was already a republic world, with republic technology. And it was a core world.

Minor nitpick, it wasn't a core world.

Also, Naboo produced something that the Repbluic and others used frequantly. I can't remember what it was right now, I think something for engines. In any case, it's exactly what you said. Naboo was already caught up with the tech and politics.

The_Last_Rebel · Post by **The_Last_Rebel** » 2004-10-05 07:55pm

*Imagines Nickeback or Three Doors Down on a Galactic tour*

Alyeska · Post by **Alyeska** » 2004-10-05 08:17pm

Everything I've read about special forces in Star Wars shows them to be not quite up to what we today see as special forces. I wonder if Earth could be used as a training ground for elite special opperations units of the Republic (and later the Empire likely).

el blanco · Post by **el blanco** » 2004-10-05 08:56pm

SAS and Spetznaz training Stormies. Imperial Academy teaching Nimitz. USN pilots getting access to TIE fighters.

I like it.

Ender · Post by **Ender** » 2004-10-05 09:04pm

Alyeska wrote:Everything I've read about special forces in Star Wars shows them to be not quite up to what we today see as special forces. I wonder if Earth could be used as a training ground for elite special opperations units of the Republic (and later the Empire likely).

Quite right. All the sneaky commando shit I've ever seen has come from Force users. Either In the NJO or the Hands. Now Republic Commando may change that perception, but some hard core training with the british or the israelies would do wonders.