Unification vs. Diversity

To a certain extent, yes, and all very good points.  However, I want it
understood that I was not necessarily referring to the KV specifically,
only
using them as an example.  And the fact remains, despite the clans, they

still are, in the end, fairly unified when it comes to how they deal
with
other races and with space exploration.

** How do you know? From what I've seen of canon, we don't really know.
In the Xeno War, we could well end up with some clans fighting with us.

 As for the trend towards political
unification on Earth, I'll believe it when I see it.

** Hmmm. Do you live in a country? Did that country always exist? If
not, was it formed from smaller nation-states? or city-states? Did those
evolve from things more primitive? Do you deny we've consistently moved
towards larger forms of government? Do you deny that once you get
Corporations big enough to do things spanning nations and with more
income than nations, there is an impetus for a Public Sector
counterbalance? Do you deny that as people communicate and interrelate
more via technological advances, that we have a more homogenious common
culture? Do you think that we are not seeing, in the forms of Gun
Control, cradle to grave care (even growing desire for this in the US,
Bastion of personal freedoms in the form of Medicare and Soc Sec), in
the form of more and more bylaws, legislation, and whatnot? In the
growth of the size and number of politicians across the globe, and the
amount of money funneled into lobbying? I'm not saying their aren't
resisting factors. I'm not saying that we WILL unify. I'm saying we have
in past, and there is increasing pressures (hard to really see over one
lifespan, but taking the last few hundred years and the current trends)
to do so.

** Of course, YMMV and either of us can choose to deny data that
conflict :)

** Seriously, I'll admit that nationalism is (for now) a powerful block
to that, as is ethnicity, etc. But individual feudal estates were a huge
block to the formation of large feudal structures... and it happened
anyway. Imagine if we ever got an outside threat? Or global threats like
ecoterrorism, biological weapons, newgen plagues or superbugs? Every
time we get hit with one of these, the UN will form more agencies to
deal with it, there will be more joint efforts between nations. Much of
it in the guise of efficiency. But in the long run, I think you can see
the trend trying to go somewhere. Perhaps it won't, but it'll be in the
face of previous human history.

The point was, WE achieved space flight without unification, why can't
other
races?

** They could. Write one. Does a factionalized alien presence (moreso
than you in your obvious knowledge of the subject) suggest of the KV
clans add anything to the Tuffleyverse? Why not just add a few more
human powers. The benefit of aliens as far as I can see is 1) neat
powers and abilities to play, 2) interesting threat for humanity. If
they're so factionalized that 2) is meaningless, then all you've got
left is 1) and (for the sake of doing something interesting as a social
or cultural commentary), we've produced something that has less "Story
Potential". Without a big threat, the SWs would (I assume) just progress
unchecked... re-flaring every so often. Add in some new alien clans as
allies of each side (since they are factionated), but really things just
stay status quo.

I'd love to see a story line where, when humans meet this other
culture, after a few years of tension and even conflict between us and
the
aliens, we start learning more about each other, and building alliances
-
not necessarily alliances between all human nations to fight the aliens,
but
between certain alien "nations" if you will and our own, tenuous at
first
due to xenophobia, but growing, until the interplay between the aliens
and
between us and the aliens is as diverse and complex as our own
interaction.

** The drive to have diversity in the KV is what made me paint my KV
different than Los' and give them a different flavour. They probably
have a different cultural flavour too.

OUR differing views come out a hell of a lot more often, why shouldn't
theirs?

** Would someone meeting us for the first time know that? that's what we
know about the KV. They might just be as divided.

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