I know I should just handwave, but...
Aug. 5th, 2006 10:52 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
eruthrosOkay, this is really starting to bug me: what kind of economic structure did the Ancients on Atlantis have?
If they were capitalists, why haven't we seen delivery systems into the apartments, or replicators, or shops? Where are the Ancient implants or ATMs or biometric readers or other scientific thingamabobs that would let the Ancients buy things? The Ancients clearly didn't strip Atlantis entirely, so we should be able to recognize stores from shape and design and, presumably, a little bit of stock left. And Rodney would be on any kind of replicator or instant-delivery system in seconds, and making Star Trek jokes the whole time. The place is the size of Manhattan; where did the Ancients buy white robes or hair product or neat kicky boots or tea or personalized puddle-jumpers with fuzzy dice in the windows?
And since we don't see any of that, I have to ask: were the Ancient socialists? But if they were, where were their food production centers? Was there central planning that determined which roots to really focus on growing this year? Were there Ancient farms? How did they decide who got which quarters? Did they have a commons system? Did they have population pressures on said system?
Did they barter with other Pegasus galaxy dudes? If so, what did they barter? Because they don't seem to have a labor force that's producing anything. Where are the Ancient factories? (Or replicators. I'd take replicators. Though then I'd be wondering where there were replicators big enough to build the Stargates.)
(Ooooh! They should have a gift economy! With aggrandizing individuals giving away more than they get and being regarded as leaders! There could be huge feasts, and gift exchange, and ties of obligation and reciprocity. But that still doesn't solve the problem of where they're getting the things they are giving away.)
Who supported the Ancients when they were attempting to attain Ascension via endless meditation?
(This bugs me in the Ori galaxy too, though not as much: the followers of the Ori spend how much of the day in prayer? Six hours a day? So, what, do they have the most fertile land ever? Or are the Priors wandering around and doing the weeding and milking for them?)
I know, I know. Suck it up and handwave.
If they were capitalists, why haven't we seen delivery systems into the apartments, or replicators, or shops? Where are the Ancient implants or ATMs or biometric readers or other scientific thingamabobs that would let the Ancients buy things? The Ancients clearly didn't strip Atlantis entirely, so we should be able to recognize stores from shape and design and, presumably, a little bit of stock left. And Rodney would be on any kind of replicator or instant-delivery system in seconds, and making Star Trek jokes the whole time. The place is the size of Manhattan; where did the Ancients buy white robes or hair product or neat kicky boots or tea or personalized puddle-jumpers with fuzzy dice in the windows?
And since we don't see any of that, I have to ask: were the Ancient socialists? But if they were, where were their food production centers? Was there central planning that determined which roots to really focus on growing this year? Were there Ancient farms? How did they decide who got which quarters? Did they have a commons system? Did they have population pressures on said system?
Did they barter with other Pegasus galaxy dudes? If so, what did they barter? Because they don't seem to have a labor force that's producing anything. Where are the Ancient factories? (Or replicators. I'd take replicators. Though then I'd be wondering where there were replicators big enough to build the Stargates.)
(Ooooh! They should have a gift economy! With aggrandizing individuals giving away more than they get and being regarded as leaders! There could be huge feasts, and gift exchange, and ties of obligation and reciprocity. But that still doesn't solve the problem of where they're getting the things they are giving away.)
Who supported the Ancients when they were attempting to attain Ascension via endless meditation?
(This bugs me in the Ori galaxy too, though not as much: the followers of the Ori spend how much of the day in prayer? Six hours a day? So, what, do they have the most fertile land ever? Or are the Priors wandering around and doing the weeding and milking for them?)
I know, I know. Suck it up and handwave.
