Generation Ships

[Fred Brackin]

Originally Posted by DoctorRomulus

I don't believe any kind of "democratic" system would work but a safety valve might be the promise of some kind of freedom for one's descendants at PlanetFall.

Respectfully, can you explain why you beleive this?

If we're contemplating a 200 year voyage and look back over the last 200 years of our history it is only democracies that have endured that long.

There are specialized exceptions like Monaco and Vatican City of course, Vatican City really doesn't look like a good model for a generation ship. :)

Monaco depends on income from outside its' borders and there isn't going to be an "outside".

Contrariwise, over the last 200 years military dictatorships are exactly the type of government most likely to end in a violent crash.

Soldiers only live wth their failies during peacetime and peacetime militaries are notoriously subject to mission drift.

The genship might look like a University community. Those seem very self-contained and separated from outside reality. If it's a co-ed university it even avoids the Vatican City problem.

The university model could also be sort of democratic with a Board of Trustees elected from the community and a President who answers to the Board. Not actually very diffeerent from many small to mid-szed munciplanities.

The football would suck though. :)