Definition: Interstellar Sephirotic
Hyperpower
Symbol: the superimposed sunburst and
pyramid
Ruling Archailect: The Lord of Rays
AI Ethos / Intervention: Originally, there
was always a short life-span for the classic empire, which ended by
social revolution, internal weakening and overextension, or invading
"barbarians". The emergence of the Lord of Rays and Eir establishment
of the immortal God Emperor (as avatar and subpersonality) has
introduced an element of stability, and allowed the Solar Dominion to
continue for thousands of years. Significantly, almost all other large
and ostentatious empires still tend to be short-lived, even when backed
by a high level hyperturing or archailect.
Founded: 2400's a.t. (although early nodes
and M-brains are believed to date back to the late second millennium)
Solarian Civilization: Tends to memetic,
military, and cultural expression and expansionism on a grand scale.
Foremost is an imperial communications system, consisting of vast
networks
wormholes,
beamrider and shuttle-routes,
Known Net backbones, etc; as relays
of messengers, traders, and diplomats, as well as for the convenience
of government representatives and the military. Second is the emphasis
on self-expression, creativity, and personal self-actualisation of the
individual citizen or
zar (lit. "lord").
Science and Technology
Technology Level: Solarian technology is
very advanced, being High
Ultratech
and
Transapientech, with
extensive pervasive
Godtech and
Godtech artifacts and ISOs. While such tech is always in the
background, and angelnets are standard, citizens (zars) are encouraged
to have a say in the running of things, and may either use Solarese
tech, or adopt or acquire their own tech, at their own toposophic
level.
Technology Type: Drytech,
Biotech,
Synano,
Infotech, in equal proportions.
Also, Godtech
Spacetime
Engineering is very prominent in the large number of
stargate links and
reactionless-drive ships
Psyche, Art, Culture
Metapsychology: Celebration of personal
identity, individuality, creativity, and self-expression in the
individual citizen or
zar (lit. "lord"), for the full glory
and expression of the sophont will. In no other empire or polity are
beings are encouraged to develop to their maximum potential, and
beyond, in every way and howsoever they choose, no matter how
idiosyncratic.
Society: The social structure is very
traditional, based on thousands of years of cultural and memetic
heritage. But this does not mean it is rigid or restricted. Strong
personal individualism means that there is great diversity and freedom
of choice. Only the glories of the Empire and the Solarian way, the
ideal of a vast interstellar empire under the God Emperor, and the
personality of the Culture Heroes, the God Emperor, Lord of Rays,
provide a rallying point, and most citizens feel a strong loyalty,
sense of pride, and identification with this. There are almost no
defining of clade/species roles; such rules in fact would restrict
expression of individual creativity. Similarly, there is very little
hereditary social stratification, but a lot of charismacracy. Where
inequalities do exist, citizens are encouraged to overcome any
limitations or dissatisfactions they may have, and attain whatever
social stratum they feel an attraction towards. Hence any inequalities
are only a temporary and didactic device, never a social absolute.
Religion/Ideology: Solarism
is the official religion, but many other faiths and practices can be
found throughout the Empire
Symbolism and Aesthetics: Commonly, mythic
images and rites concerning the Lord of Rays and eir Seraiphim, the God
Emperor and major Culture Heroes and historical events; themes of
enlightenment and radiance; elaborate ceremonies and festivals
celebrating the God Emperor's birthday, a new Stargate Route, the
ascension of a minor archailect, etc; passive and active entertainments
(theatrical performances, dancers, musicians, simstims, perfect art,
extravagant sports, pozen contests, etc).
Traditional Dominion Architecture is strong on pyramids, especially
truncated pyramids so that one can watch the sun from the roof.
Sunlight, stars and everything solar is central to design. Instead of
indoor lightening many buildings use reflecting mirrors, lightshafts
and light conduits; windows everywhere, sunglasses are regarded as bad
form not just because they stop sunlight but because they hide the eyes
of people. In practice this has varied greatly, as the culture has
evolved over the centuries, often with little more than a few
linguistic and perhaps architectural memories of the original intent.
However the overall sense of centralisation that also leads to a
valuing of good leadership and openness remains. The toposophic leaders
are absolute, but have to account for their actions both upwards and
downwards. There may be imitation of the sun's rays in habitat planning
through roads or avenues radiating from the central ISO node or palace
throughout the capital and empire. There is a tendency for vast
statues, murals, megastructures, and holograms to proclaim the
mightiness and the invincibility of the Empire. Godtech obelisks,
spheres, polyhedra, and pyramids may serve as the focal point of a
system of radiating wormholes, or symbolically representing a ray of
the sun, or a broadbeam communication from the archailect
Government buildings on Dominion worlds are more of symbolic than
practical; given several millennia of information technology government
could be run virtually, but given the Dominion culture the
centralisation makes sense.
Concept of Space: Symbolically, space is
seen as an infinite field of energy radiating from a central source
(sun, monarch, capital, empire), unbounded by territorial limits
Concept of Time: Time is usually linear
time, occasionally with a sense of imminent toposophic or spiritual
realization. This may be expressed historically through the the history
of the Empire, or the Self as representative of the Empire. Calendars
are based on an event in the life of a culture hero, high toposophic
mind, or an enlightened being as year zero (as in the Stella Umma,
Conver Ambi, and Dominion calendars)
Psychological Stagnation: may result in the
inflated ego; feeling that one is a supernatural God or a major
Archailect, that one's power is infinite, that one is all-knowing, and
so on. In extreme cases, one perceives the world as extending to
infinity and eternity from one's own being, place, and time;
infatuation with one's destiny to bring about the apotheosis of
galactic civilization
Psychological Liberation: Enlightenment
(whether spiritual or toposophic) as the complete transcendence of ego.
The ego's unbounded territoriality is transmuted into a state of
transcendent spaciousness in which the ego is dissolved in
enlightenment
Culture and Art: see
Notes On Solarian Culture
official language: Solarese
Territory and Population
Current Territory: a broad segment of
space extending outwards from the Inner Sphere in rimwards to spinwards
Perseus direction, densely controlled to a distance of about 2500 ly
from Sol
Capital: Fons Luminis (Xi Ursae Majoris
A-II)
other important systems: Shamash,
Abydos, Abruzzen, Akirate, Amaterasu,
Nu Eden, and Sullivan
Proportion of inhabited worlds in Dominion space
that are core Dominion: 8.5%
Current Core Population (Zars): over 4.26
trillion
Number of Core Star Systems: over 100,000
Core Population Breakdown: a wide
cross-section of all major categories and phyla; often strongly
individually augmented; median sophonce level
superbright/superturing
Proportion of inhabited worlds in Dominion space
under direct colonial rule: 12 % (with wormhole links)
Colonial Population: 25.1 trillion, with
six times that in polities or clades with nominal political or memetic
allegiance
Colonial Population Breakdown: all major
categories and phyla;
Government and Administration
Government: aicracy via the God-Emperor,
regional prefectures
Administrative divisions and Regional Govt:
The Dominion is composed of a number of
prefectures, each
ruled by one or more sub-AIs or local governments. Often these came to
be dominated by different clades during the early days of expansion.
While the Dominion has always welcomed diversity it does not actively
promote every group to mix with everyone else, just that they all get
along despite their differences by being unified in their faith or
political allegiance. Hence many of the prefectures tended to be fairly
divergent, and when they became isolated they sometimes regarded
themselves as independent rather than a disconnected part of the
Dominion. This is especially true for the less religiously dominated
outer volumes.
National holidays: Ascension Day, The
Emperor's Birthday, numerous festivals celebrating the birthday or
deeds of a Culture Hero, the establishment of a new Stargate Route, the
emergence or ascension or transcendence of a minor archailect, etc.
Also, each prefecture has its own specific holidays, in addition to the
standard imperial ones
Constitution: The Principles of Inner Light
Legal system: various and rather complex,
based on
Solarist pronouncements by the
God Emperor, and commentaries and expert system interpretations
thereon.
Economics, Local Infrastructure, Standard of Living
Currency: Based on the Gold (Picotech
Stamped) Sovereign (Imperial Guilder)
Major Industries: various
Major Stargate Plexi: Fons Luminis,
Abydos, Akirate, Shiningrays,
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
2.8% (increased from the earlier post-vec wars rate of 1.4% in the face
of the
Amalgamation threat)
Interstellar Trade and Treaty Relations
Interstellar treaty organization participation:
Tragadi Accords, ComEmp
Non-Aggression Signatory, Paradigm Containment Organisation member,
Jekaumeatrine Accords Signatory, anti-Amalgamation Defence and Mutual
Aid Organisation, Garden World Environmental Protection Signatory, St
Andre Convention Signatory, Madvert Toposophic Ascension Ban (with
Keter Dominion and Objectivist Commonwealth), Fairshare Media
Simstimcast Quota (with the NoCoZo "Big Five" media corps), Mutual
Protection Agreement (with Negentropy Alliance), Monastic Exchange
Program (with Sophic League), Bonitsa Baseline Protection Treaty,
Tipaza Ethics Agreement, Strangelet Ban
