Most momentous technology

[Howedar]

You're kidding, right? You see next to no benefit to incredible power generation technologies, but see the mere existance of an artificial intelligence as massively influential?

There's this thing, its called a power cord.

[Darth Garden Gnome]

Advanced Power Generation would really lower pollution and make it much easier to make cheap hydrogen cell-powered or electric cars, but this would not have a tremendous impact on our society as a whole. So electric bills drop to near zero. So what?

So we can run the whole planet's energy bill to some hick in Tennesee that doesn't know the worlds energy consumption comes from a covertly placed reactor on his backyard. I think that's a plus at least.

[Uraniun235]

Artificial intelligence would revolutionize our society instantly. Presto, humans are basically obsolete. We would have a new species capable of becoming our superior. Though I don't expect that programmers would be stupid enough to allow AI to rebel, its mere existence would mean a fundamental change in our lives. People would really lose their jobs to computers, for one. There would likely be a movement on the left to give AI full rights, and a movement on the right to destroy it as an abomination. I give AI first place as it would bring the greatest changes at the fastest pace, IMHO.

Someone's watched a few too many movies.

[Eframepilot]

So we can run the whole planet's energy bill to some hick in Tennesee that doesn't know the worlds energy consumption comes from a covertly placed reactor on his backyard. I think that's a plus at least.

It's definitely a benefit, but how is it actually going to change the way we live our lives? Free electricity will be nice and help out the Third World, but tactical lasers and even easier space travel won't have as much an effect on society. Maybe I misinterpreted the question, and it properly is asking which one would contribute most to advancement of our technology?

[Howedar]

You drastically underestimate the effect of SW-level energy production and storage (I know you don't technically produce energy, but you know what I mean).

[Uraniun235]

It's definitely a benefit, but how is it actually going to change the way we live our lives? Free electricity will be nice and help out the Third World, but tactical lasers and even easier space travel won't have as much an effect on society.

You are still underestimating the benefits of such advanced power generation.

We would no longer have to run extremely pollutive coal-fired power plants to provide electricity to millions of people. We no longer have to run nuclear power plants (which present long-term waste storage issues, as well as the finite amount of fissionables available to humanity), hydroelectric plants (which disrupt ecological systems; see the impact on salmon in NW U.S.), solar facilities (which take up real estate), wind generation plants, etc. The real estate needed to provide power to humanity will shrink considerably.

We would no longer be so dependant on oil as we once were; we can run cars without polluting the Earth to hell. Hell, what about fusion powered airplanes... might those work?

The resources needed to maintain and operate conventional power plants could be redirected to other goals.

With the smaller fusion reactors, the power grid could become more decentralized and less susceptible to outages and damage.

Electrical shortages would become a non-issue. I'm sure the resident Californians will see the advantage of that. We "lost" money when California was operating at less than peak efficiency due to the brownouts/blackouts. Hell, businesses could afford to have individual powerplants for their own buildings.

[Darth Wong]

Most obvious consequences of superdense power generation:

1. Enormous drop in global pollution levels from the elimination of coal and nuclear electrical generating stations.
2. Similarly huge drop in global pollution levels from the elimination of combustion engines in automobiles, trucks, helicopters, aircraft, ships, etc.
3. Modern infrastructure can be much more quickly extended to third-world nations which currently cannot afford the enormous expenditure necessary to build large power plants and transmission grids.
4. Assuming that the powerplant output can be converted into thrust (something which would require some research but for which numerous possibilities exist), space travel on re-entry vehicles would become feasible and much more affordable.
5. The military applications are endless, and we don't even need to go into them for now.

Billions would benefit, particularly in the third world. The other alternatives would affect only a chosen few, and may not even be useful to those few in the absence of the necessary power source.

[Asst. Asst. Lt. Cmdr. Smi]

I'd say a tie between Hyperdrive and Advanced power generation. Hyperdrive is useless without it, pollution would drop from not having to use fossil fuels to generate power and fuel cars, and space travel can become more affordable. However, hyperdrive may be useful in escaping the solar system and exploring things faster, but you would need advancerd power generating capabilities that would otherwise be centuries away to run it. Forced to choose, I'd pick advanced power generation. Hyperdrive might soon follow.

[His Divine Shadow]

*snip list*

Billions would benefit, particularly in the third world. The other alternatives would affect only a chosen few, and may not even be useful to those few in the absence of the necessary power source.

Y'know, those are the advantages I see myself if one where to get those small fusion reactors, especially if they where cheap, then almost everyone could have one at home, in their car, if they where cheap enough they could be sold to the third world easily enough, I'm thinking very cheap football sized fusion reactors, I think this could affect just as many people.

EDIT:
Silly me, but maybe you are talking about the same option as me right now?
Since you said super-dense powersource I though you where reffering to hypermatter reactors, which even in SW are very large reactors.

[Illuminatus Primus]

Since you said super-dense powersource I though you where reffering to hypermatter reactors, which even in SW are very large reactors.

There's got to miniturized ones for fighter power plants.

And we see that the everyday power for Tipoca City is supplied by massive hydrogen fusion plants. But fusion isn't enough energy for SW weaponry, is it? Wouldn't they need dedicated small hypermatter power sources?

[His Divine Shadow]

Since you said super-dense powersource I though you where reffering to hypermatter reactors, which even in SW are very large reactors.

There's got to miniturized ones for fighter power plants.

And we see that the everyday power for Tipoca City is supplied by massive hydrogen fusion plants. But fusion isn't enough energy for SW weaponry, is it? Wouldn't they need dedicated small hypermatter power sources?

Not if they got big enough fusion plants, it'd be unwidely though(assuming 100% efficency you'd need 8000 tons of matter to produce 200GT of energy), but Tipoca City is big enough to house hypermatter reactors also.
Ofcourse they can have exceedingly dense energy storage technology instead.

[Eframepilot]

Billions would benefit, particularly in the third world. The other alternatives would affect only a chosen few, and may not even be useful to those few in the absence of the necessary power source.

I see your point now. The raising of the standard of living for billions is something artificial intelligence isn't going to achieve. However, advanced power generation has a dark side. Imagine the potential for terrorists to construct incredibly powerful (yet environmentally friendly ) weapons. The technology might have to be guarded just as much as nuclear fission is today. Then again, the Empire doesn't seem to have a problem with Hoersh-Kessel ion reactors or whatever being used as massive bombs, so maybe not.

[Illuminatus Primus]

Yeah, but such terrorist acts would be as minor in the context of the galactic community as some shithead in Palestine blowing himself up.

[Eframepilot]

Yeah, but such terrorist acts would be as minor in the context of the galactic community as some shithead in Palestine blowing himself up.

I disagree. The value of human life really shouldn't decrease just because there are umpteen quadrillion sentient beings around. Otherwise, first-degree murder in SW would be equivalent to jaywalking on Earth. Terrorism on Coruscant would be an incredible concern, especially as any wacko with a freighter could come crashing into the surface and kill millions. Good thing the Rebels didn't use those tactics.

[Howedar]

Billions would benefit, particularly in the third world. The other alternatives would affect only a chosen few, and may not even be useful to those few in the absence of the necessary power source.

I see your point now. The raising of the standard of living for billions is something artificial intelligence isn't going to achieve. However, advanced power generation has a dark side. Imagine the potential for terrorists to construct incredibly powerful (yet environmentally friendly ) weapons. The technology might have to be guarded just as much as nuclear fission is today. Then again, the Empire doesn't seem to have a problem with Hoersh-Kessel ion reactors or whatever being used as massive bombs, so maybe not.

Fission power has not yet caused nuclear terrorism, and its been around for fifty years.

[Eframepilot]

Fission power has not yet caused nuclear terrorism, and its been around for fifty years.

That's because uranium is incredibly rare and hard to refine. Star Wars power tech OTOH is the equivalent of fossil fuel, but with an energy yield far beyond it. Like Mr. Fusion in Back to the Future.

[Crown]

I'll take Advanced Power Generation with the theory behind repulsor's if I could. Advanced Power, besides all the points already listed, would enable us to become a 'Solar Civilization' overnight, and a small Galactic one. With Fusion power speeds of 0.1c are easily attainable (2 weeks to Mars), and a practicle limit of 0.5c means only 10 (well just over 8 really) years to the nearest star!

[Howedar]

Fission power has not yet caused nuclear terrorism, and its been around for fifty years.

That's because uranium is incredibly rare and hard to refine. Star Wars power tech OTOH is the equivalent of fossil fuel, but with an energy yield far beyond it. Like Mr. Fusion in Back to the Future.

The point, lest you miss it, is that power generation does not necessarily lend itself well to weapons design.