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Travel rights in space?

Posted: Tue Apr 30, 2013 11:22 pm
by Teaos
Another question.

Lets say their is a species that only owns 3-4 systems all touching each other, only covering a dozen or so light years. They dont want to join the Federation not liking their communistic ways. But the Federation has expanded around them, owning all the space around them.

Now lets say this species joins the Klingons or Romulans, how would they get out of their sapce?

I imagin this situation must come up a lot.

From what we see, empires do tend to claim massive blocks of space with no way to get around them.

Re: Travel rights in space?

Posted: Tue Apr 30, 2013 11:55 pm
by Graham Kennedy
I imagine the Federation, being goody goody types, would strike a deal to grant some sort of corridor through their own space which belonged to this species. Or if they were not quite so inclined just say "no you can't, tough luck".

Didn't a similar thing happened with Poland with regards to access to the sea? The solution was the "Polish corridor", intended to give them such access. A sore point for the Germans as it cut them off from East Prussia. In space such tensions might be avoided or at least minimised since one can simply fly around such an access way.

Of course if the Klingons or Romulans decided to turn the place into a massive military base within Federation territory then it would be a situation ripe for conflict. It would come down to who was willing to blink first... or who would win the ensuing war if nobody blinked.

Re: Travel rights in space?

Posted: Wed May 01, 2013 12:01 am
by RK_Striker_JK_5
Well, space is three-dimensional and rather large. I think there'd be a path out from their territory.

Re: Travel rights in space?

Posted: Wed May 01, 2013 12:58 am
by Lt. Staplic
The question becomes how well the Federation can defend their own space. If we assume that this small state controls a roughly spherical section of space and that the Federation claims all space beyond that sphere so they are surrounded 360 degrees, we're talking about a sphere with a surface area of over 450 square light years (assuming that the radius of the distribution of systems is 6 LY) that they would have to round the clock maintain patrols over in order to stop any ship from violating that border.

Re: Travel rights in space?

Posted: Wed May 01, 2013 11:34 am
by Teaos
Undoubtedly ships could slip through, space is big, although we know from the neutral zone that it is possible to have a very effective sensor grid.

But the issue is more on rights of passage, could you cut someone off from the rest of space by claiming the space around them?

Nice people like the Federation probably have open boarders with most everybody. The Klingons would be more liable to just take them over.

Re: Travel rights in space?

Posted: Thu May 02, 2013 1:00 pm
by Tyyr
You could claim it and try but in the grand scheme of things what matters is if you have the ability and stones to enforce it. The Federation doesn't have the stones. More than likely they'd establish corridors that they could travel through and look at them rather crossly if they violate them.

Re: Travel rights in space?

Posted: Thu May 02, 2013 7:11 pm
by Teaos
A very strongly worded letter.

Re: Travel rights in space?

Posted: Fri May 03, 2013 7:48 am
by Vic
With the Feds all one has to do is pull a Pakled.

Re: Travel rights in space?

Posted: Sat May 04, 2013 7:06 pm
by Tholian_Avenger
Vic wrote:With the Feds all one has to do is pull a Pakled.
Not on Odo's watch.

Image

Re: Travel rights in space?

Posted: Wed May 08, 2013 1:19 pm
by Atekimogus
Now I could be completely wrong on this but I seem to remember it mentioned somewhere that only a solar system might be regarded as belonging to some power but the space inbetween always is uncontested, kind of international waters where everybody has a right to be.

I would imagine it also being very impractical trying to really control space other than systems just because of the sheer size of it. There are exceptions like the neutral zone obviously.

On the other hand, while space is really big, there are only so many ways you can travel to a system, sooner or later you are bound to arrive at it, so setting up listening post/monitoring devices at the edge of said system shouldn't be that hard to do, so I imagine it isn't that much of problem.


Anyone played ST: TNG A final unity? I think they did a pretty good job on the star-map there. No definity borders or such nonsense in space, just a cube filled with stars which might belong to this or that faction. A nightmare to navigate but pretty realistic imho.

Re: Travel rights in space?

Posted: Wed May 08, 2013 2:04 pm
by Teaos
If that were the case how do we have a nuetral zone? Also enemy ships could legally gets thousands of light years into your space, sit just outside you capitals solar system then plow in for a heart attack.

Re: Travel rights in space?

Posted: Wed May 08, 2013 2:18 pm
by Tholian_Avenger
Like the Breen did to Earth?

Re: Travel rights in space?

Posted: Wed May 08, 2013 2:21 pm
by Teaos
The Federation just didnt know they were there. No one thought they had the bulls to pull it off.

Re: Travel rights in space?

Posted: Wed May 08, 2013 4:08 pm
by Tholian_Avenger
Teaos wrote:The Federation just didnt know they were there. No one thought they had the bulls to pull it off.
Ballshit, the Breen were well known by that point in time.

Re: Travel rights in space?

Posted: Wed May 08, 2013 4:24 pm
by Teaos
When? Where? How? The Breen had never pulled off a agressive move like this, NO ONE had. The Breen were massivly unknown, only rumors about pirates and a missing Klingon fleet which may or may not have ever existed.