Human power in ENT timeline

[Teaos]

From epiosde 1 the amount of human power in space seemed to be signifigantly less than what I imagin it should have been for this tiem frame.

The first 2 seasons should of had the Enterprise passing hundreds of huamn ships and colonies and only after that trailing off into new territory.

Human space power seems very weak and even its civilaian base extreamly limited.

After 100ish years of exploration even at low warp I would imagin human power beig rather more than what we see.

[Mikey]

How much more? Despite the apparent speed with which the NX-01 reached Q'oNos, remember that supposedly even sustained Warp 5 was still a pipe dream at the opening of ENT. How much would humanity have spread, and to where?

[Tyyr]

Warp 2 would have allowed a round trip to the nearest star in about 7 months. Warp 3 would have allowed the same round trip in not even 2 months. At those speeds establishing colonies on other worlds, outposts, even significant trade, is entirely doable as you're looking at the same kind of time scales of the age of sail.

[Mikey]

The difference being that if you set sail from Europe to the Canaries (for example) you're sure to find somewhere to land.

[Tyyr]

The difference being that if you set sail from Europe to the Canaries (for example) you're sure to find somewhere to land.

Right... because we're not finding planets today without ever leaving the planet. Because in the Age of sail no one left without knowing exactly what they were going to find. Because humanity surely couldn't just ask the Vulcans for a quick list of class M planets around the local area. Because 100+ years of advancement and access to FTL equipment wouldn't let humanity upgrade its sensors to detect planets even better. And of course because you can't send explorers out on multi-year missions to try and find new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where... wait, where have I heard this before?

[McAvoy]

From epiosde 1 the amount of human power in space seemed to be signifigantly less than what I imagin it should have been for this tiem frame.

The first 2 seasons should of had the Enterprise passing hundreds of huamn ships and colonies and only after that trailing off into new territory.

Human space power seems very weak and even its civilaian base extreamly limited.

After 100ish years of exploration even at low warp I would imagin human power beig rather more than what we see.

I do sort of agree but I was expecting maybe a dozen or so colonies. I was expecting a mass immigration to new worlds that NX-01 and crew were going to help out once in awhile. The only pleasent suprise was the Boomers which I always liked about the show.

[Mikey]

The difference being that if you set sail from Europe to the Canaries (for example) you're sure to find somewhere to land.

Right... because we're not finding planets today without ever leaving the planet. Because in the Age of sail no one left without knowing exactly what they were going to find. Because humanity surely couldn't just ask the Vulcans for a quick list of class M planets around the local area. Because 100+ years of advancement and access to FTL equipment wouldn't let humanity upgrade its sensors to detect planets even better. And of course because you can't send explorers out on multi-year missions to try and find new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where... wait, where have I heard this before?

Good marks for sarcasm, but super low score in the "getting the point" category. How many class M planets do you think are within, say, two years of Earth at Warp 2?

*EDIT* That is, how many class M planets are within that area that somehow had gone unnoticed by the local civilizations with far more spacefaring experience than Earth?

[colmquinn]

I understand the points Mikey but surely there's an asteroid belt or a moon where a colony could be placed? Asteroids have tonnes of valuable resources to dig out. Are you saying the Vulcan would stop Humans mining while 'officially' backing them? Surely that kind of behavour would've been noticed (I know if it doesn't appear on screen its not cannon)?

[stitch626]

He has a point, Colonies don't have to be on class M. Thats just the ideal. By the 24th there are many millions living on the moon (I'm guessing domes, or some funky terraforming thing).

[Mikey]

Fair points. I guess my overarching point seems to be that there's a mass presumption that every (or nearly every) star people come across will have habitable planets... and that further, those habitable planets will be waiting for humans to come settle, even though there are other local species who have been out exploring for far longer, and even though a habitable planet might just already be inhabited. While even at low ENT speeds we could reach out to a fair number of stars, it doesn't make sense to think that means there should be some dense network of colonies.

[McAvoy]

There should at least be some sort of network of humans living on other planets by ENT.

[Mikey]

There should at least be some sort of network of humans living on other planets by ENT.

Agreed... I just think it should be a relatively small one, without a heck of a lot of clout.

[Captain Seafort]

On the contrary - humanity would have to have a fair bit of clout, otherwise the Earth-Romulan War would be the Vulcan/Andorian/one or two token humans-Romulan War. That was one Enterprise's biggest problems in terms of later canon - even after Manny Coto tried to fix the damage Earth was simply a coordinator, not the power it would have needed to be to take on the Romulans and win.

[Mikey]

On the contrary - humanity would have to have a fair bit of clout, otherwise the Earth-Romulan War would be the Vulcan/Andorian/one or two token humans-Romulan War. That was one Enterprise's biggest problems in terms of later canon - even after Manny Coto tried to fix the damage Earth was simply a coordinator, not the power it would have needed to be to take on the Romulans and win.

All true, but it doesn't answer the question of how that came to be in light of what I mentioned. Earth patently was a power, for the reason you cite; but the fact that it was begs the question of how it came to be so.

[McAvoy]

...in a short amount of time. Which is why ENT should have showed Earth as being this new rising power. Perhaps a powerful military kind of like how B5's Earth was shown. Powerful and perhaps not as advanced as the other powers but at least with a clout other races could listen to. ENT just showed that humans were some sort of backwater planet with a token ship or two.