Hyperspace Opera: Retro-Futuristic Swashbuckling and Gunslinging

[BRC]

Re: Reasons to Colonize

Given that Habitable planets are abundant, I feel like a quick shorthand system for different types of worlds, which establish why this world in particular was colonized.


Gentle Worlds: Are planets that are generally just nice to live on. These colonies primarily function as a place to put people. Might be set up as a way to relieve population pressure, or by a group seeking to run their own society as a utopian experiment (or a religious cult, whatever), or just a government looking for the Prestige of having thriving colonies.

A Gentle World colony is likely to resemble the Homeworld culture as much as possible, except in the instances where it's established by a breakaway group ("Utopian" colonies).

Treasure Worlds: A Treasure World is one that contains some valuable resource, and a colony is set up for the purpose of extracting it. The classic example is valuable minerals, but as has been mentioned, resource extraction by traditional mining is super inefficient compared to asteroid stripping. Treasure Worlds are far most likely to be valuable due to something in their biosphere. For example, some native fauna that has a valuable pelt, but doesn't grow well in captivity might have a colony based around hunting and trapping these creatures. Usually the "Treasure" isn't something intrinsically valuable, but some luxury good that people have decided to pay a lot of money for.

This can mean that the economies of Treasure Worlds can fall apart if the market they were supplying collapses due to shifting fashion trends.


Spectacle Worlds: A spectacle World is a planet that has something stirring and unique about it, like a world with mountains made of pure diamond, or a constant Aurora Borealis effect, or a brilliant, ever-shifting technicolor sea. These planets are technically colonizable, but unless they also fall under the "Gentle" or "Treasure" Category, they're usually not home to any "True" Colonies, instead you've got a small settlement (maybe a few hundred people at most), built around a Research Station or a Trade Baron's Palace. Some Spectacle Worlds are home to Resorts, where wealthy tourists can visit.

A Spectacle World is often home to multiple such settlements. Usually, a Trade Baron will construct a palace there (Often just as an austentatious show of wealth). Then, once regular supply ships start arriving, other groups will set up their own settlements elsewhere. Spectacle World settlements are rarely self-sufficient, so it usually takes somebody wealthy to "break the ice" as it were and get the Planet on the map.

Once it is, a handful of settlements can be scattered across the globe to the point that they each may as well consider themselves the sole residents of the world.


Edit: Similar shorthand for different colony types

Settler Colonies: Are "Places to Put People", usually set up by the Governments of a homeworld, they tend to resemble the homeworld culturally.

Utopian Colonies: Are set up by groups seeking to establish a "Better Society", usually some sort of religious or social movement, either with separatist leanings, or seeking to inspire change back home by demonstrating their ideal society.

Industrial Colonies: Most often seen on Treasure Worlds, built around some specific industry, unless a corporation just decided to build a bunch of factories somewhere for Tax Purposes.

Military Colonies: Are usually what happens when a millitary builds a planetside base because they want a place to keep ships and troops in a specific system, and the resulting support system just kind of grows into a colony.


Re: Merchant Aristocracy

So, the classic take on Aristocracy is that it's hereditary, but what if instead these aristocracies, based as they are on roles in the corporation, are algorithm driven.

Third Sun Industries was built by Reginald Moneyface I, he was as charming as he was ruthless and Greedy.

In order to identify good executive candidates, Third Sun Industries built a machine learning algorithm, using Reginald Moneyface I as it's model, since he built the Company, finding people similar to him would ensure it's future.

People selected by the Algorithm as having traits similar to Reginald Moneyface I are chosen for special training and promotion, creating a self-sustaining corporate culture and giving each corporation a strong Identity, since in order to get into a position where you might be able to be Impressive, you must first be chosen by the Algorithm.

In this way you can have "Dynasties", not of blood, but of character, as Corporate Executives choose and groom successors due to superficial similarities.


Although it depends, how much do you want the Corporations to be faceless corporate monoliths vs extensions of given characters.