Three Prime Technologies

The Three Prime Technologies of communication, power generation, and transportation are three key indicators of any technological society and/or civilization.

Library Data Referral Tree

Please refer to the following AAB Library Data for more information:

• Technology
  • Technological Research
    • Ancients Foundation
    • Biotechnology
    • Imperial Research Station
    • Technology Incubator
  • Technological Systemics
    • Technology Level
    • Tech Level Comparison Chart
    • Three Prime Technologies
    • Universal Technological Profile

Description (Specifications)

There are three primary technologies that are determinants of the size and technological characteristics of a government (polity) such as the Third Imperium.

1. Communications
2. Energy
3. Transportation

1. Communications

• Communication (STL or FTL): The Third Imperium's most advanced communications device is the (TL-15) Meson Communicator. Mesons are normally short-lived particles, but they can be accelerated to nearly the speed of light, which also extends their energetic lifespan. However, even when the mesons employed by a Meson Communicator are used for near-FTL communication, their energetic lifespan is too limited to be useful over interstellar distances, which limits Meson Communicators to short astrographic distances between starships in the same stellar system. This necessitates the use of a X-boat (Express Boat) network, which limits the speed of communication to roughly one week between jump points. This means that it might takes months or even more than a year for information to travel via X-boat from one end of Charted Space to the other. The Third Imperium's most advanced minds are researching Pseudo Reality Communications and Pocket Meson Communicators. The most advanced (TL-15) Meson Communicators are still far too large to be personally carried by all but the largest of sophonts. No technology at TL-15 is capable of near-instantaneous FTL communications, what many call the Ansible.

2. Energy

• Power (Energy): Energy production is a key technology for any government (polity) and the Third Imperium employs an advanced (TL-15) Fusion Plus (also Fusion+ or F+) as the primary source of almost all Imperial technology. Research into antimatter power plants is being conducted within the Third Imperium, but the technology is still very much in its nascent form. It seems very clear from archaological research that the Ancients possessed not only antimatter power plants, but other highly advanced power plants capable of producing orders or magnitude more power than anything within the Third Imperium or Charted Space.

3. Transportation

• Transportation (STL or FTL): The Third Imperium is capable of building a (TL-15) FTL (Faster-Than-Light) Jump-6 Jump Drive (J-6) propelling a starship at speeds approaching six parsecs (19.5698006 light years) a week. This transportation capacity greatly limits X-boat (Express Boat) message delivery times, and thus, with the communications limit, greatly reduces the maximum size acheivable by interstellar governments (polities). However, many jump-capable starships do not use J-6 propulsion drives. J-6 propulsion drives are incredibly expensive, and most commercial or private starships are limited to much less capable jump drives, often J-1 or J-2 rated drives. The Third Imperium is furiously researching more advanced and capable Jump Drive technologies. Research into Jump Drive technology suggests the Ancients posssessed much more capable Jump Drives, many orders of magnitude faster than existing (TL-15) Jump Drive technology.

IISS Chronological Periodization

• Technological Age (1 TL) → Technological Epoch (3 TLs) → Technological Period (9 TLs) → Technological Era (30 TLs) → Technological Eon (33+ TLs) → Singularity (Post-Technological Period)

History & Background (Dossier)

During centuries of study after the Long Night, the Sylean Federation Scout Service observed a trend that many of the most successful interstellar societies almost entirely concentrated research efforts on the Three Prime Technologies. Earlier Terran and Vilani researchers had uncovered similar findings millenia earlier. The Sylean Federation Scout Service passed on these findings to the Imperial Interstellar Scout Service after the Third Imperium was founded.

Ancients Foundation

The Ancients Foundation is an Imperial research agency that coordinates and directs study of the more technologically advanced precursor society of the Ancients, of whom the being known as Yaskoydray was the most preeminent member.

• Secondary office branch of the Emperor's Concerns.
• Tasked with study and consolidations of knowledge of the Ancients.

Other Precursor Studies

Precursor races are races of great age that preceded the current interstellar order.

• By great age, it is meant thousands, millions, or even billions of years ago.
• This is a sophontilogical term widely used in exobiological academia.

References & Contributors (Sources)

This list of sources was used by the Traveller Wiki Editorial Team and individual contributors to compose this article. Copyrighted material is used under license from Far Future Enterprises or by permission of the author. The page history lists all of the contributions.

• Traveller Wiki Editorial Team
• Author & Contributor: Lord (Marquis) and Master of Sophontology Maksim-Smelchak of the Ministry of Science