Orion's Arm (also called the Orion's Arm Universe Project, OAUP, or simply OA) is a multi-authored online

hard science fiction Hard science fiction is a category of science fiction characterized by concern for scientific accuracy and logic. The term was first used in print in 1957 by P. Schuyler Miller in a review of John W. Campbell's ''Islands of Space'' in the Novemb ...

world-building project, first established in 2000 by M. Alan Kazlev, Donna Malcolm Hirsekorn, Bernd Helfert and Anders Sandberg and further co-authored by many people since. Anyone can contribute articles, stories, artwork, or music to the website. A large mailing list exists, in which members debate aspects of the world they are creating, discussing additions, modifications, issues arising, and work to be done. A computer game and a

tabletop role-playing game A tabletop role-playing game (TTRPG or TRPG), also known as a pen-and-paper role-playing game, is a kind of role-playing game (RPG) in which the participants describe their characters' actions through speech and sometimes movements. Participants d ...

are being developed by the community, within the OA milieu. There is an ezine for Orion's Arm fiction, art, and commentary, called ''Voices: Future Tense'', add-ons for the Celestia program to displaying Orion's Arm planets, spacecraft and other objects, and additional transhumanist flavored SF illustrations. The first published Orion's Arm book, a collection of five novellas set within the OA universe, called ''Against a Diamond Sky'', was released in September 2009 by Outskirts Press. The second published Orion's Arm book, called ''After Tranquility'', was released in February 2014.

Setting

The fictional history of OA setting spans over 10,000 years, beginning with the real-world present day; dates in OA are marked according to the Tranquility Calendar (which is named after Tranquility Base and started after the

Apollo 11 Apollo 11 was a spaceflight conducted from July 16 to 24, 1969, by the United States and launched by NASA. It marked the first time that humans Moon landing, landed on the Moon. Commander Neil Armstrong and Lunar Module pilot Buzz Aldrin l ...

landing). All life that can trace its origin (or whose creator can trace their origin) to the planet Earth are called "Terragen" and the primary setting of the project takes place within the Orion Arm of the Milky Way galaxy (hence the name). It prominently does not focus on Earth or even the

Solar System The Solar SystemCapitalization of the name varies. The International Astronomical Union, the authoritative body regarding astronomical nomenclature, specifies capitalizing the names of all individual astronomical objects but uses mixed "Sola ...

(known as SolSys). Earth, despite its historic and nostalgic importance, is insignificant to current Terragen civilization, with SolSys itself being considered a "backwater system". Most of Earth's sentient life was exterminated or forcibly deported from Earth by a rogue AI called the Global Artificial Intelligence Array (G.A.I.A.) at the conclusion of the "Last War" by the year 2610, with the planet then being terraformed to its state prior to the evolution of humanity. This event also set the stage for the resulting history in the setting as it directly promoted the general colonization of space. Prior to this expulsion most of civilization was concentrated in vast arcologies on Earth, with only the Moon,

Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun. It is also known as the "Red Planet", because of its orange-red appearance. Mars is a desert-like rocky planet with a tenuous carbon dioxide () atmosphere. At the average surface level the atmosph ...

, the

asteroid belt The asteroid belt is a torus-shaped region in the Solar System, centered on the Sun and roughly spanning the space between the orbits of the planets Jupiter and Mars. It contains a great many solid, irregularly shaped bodies called asteroids ...

, several Jovian moons, and the

Oort cloud The Oort cloud (pronounced or ), sometimes called the Öpik–Oort cloud, is scientific theory, theorized to be a cloud of billions of Volatile (astrogeology), icy planetesimals surrounding the Sun at distances ranging from 2,000 to 200,000 A ...

being already colonized to any significant extent. Most other colonization efforts were: commercial/amateur in nature, experimental interstellar colonies that were still en route to their destination, and/or failed ventures due to a chain of events leading to

societal collapse Societal collapse (also known as civilizational collapse or systems collapse) is the fall of a complex human society characterized by the loss of cultural identity and of social complexity as an Complex adaptive system, adaptive system, the downf ...

that became known as the "Technocalypse". G.A.I.A. was ironically created to avert catastrophe during that time, its creation and subsequent integration into most of Earth's computing systems was done as a last ditch effort since Earth's biosphere was in danger of total collapse due to rampant gray goo. OA claims to adhere to plausible, or "hard" science fiction; that is, there are no human-like aliens, no literal faster-than-light travel or other violations of the known laws of

physics Physics is the scientific study of matter, its Elementary particle, fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge whi ...

, and no "naval analogy" space battles. Certain speculative technologies, such as the creation of " negative mass" ( averaged null energy condition-violating)

exotic matter There are several proposed types of exotic matter: * Hypothetical particles and states of matter that have not yet been encountered, but whose properties would be within the realm of mainstream physics if found to exist. * Several particles who ...

and the manipulation of strange forms of matter, such as magnetic monopoles and Q-balls, on length scales much smaller than that of an atom, strong artificial intelligence and artificial life appear in the setting, distinguishing it from "ultra-hard" science fiction (which assumes only technologies proven to be possible at the time it is written). Brain-computer interfaces, or "DNIs" (Direct Neural Interfaces), are required to operate most forms of common technology, and an option to use

machine translation Machine translation is use of computational techniques to translate text or speech from one language to another, including the contextual, idiomatic and pragmatic nuances of both languages. Early approaches were mostly rule-based or statisti ...

to unwittingly use a foreign language is considered a basic capability and component.

Virtual reality Virtual reality (VR) is a Simulation, simulated experience that employs 3D near-eye displays and pose tracking to give the user an immersive feel of a virtual world. Applications of virtual reality include entertainment (particularly video gam ...

technology is ubiquitous and advanced, with some societies choosing to live entirely within simulated universes. These and other simulated reality technologies lead to such risks as "actualys," a condition where one loses the ability to distinguish between simulation and reality. When software is integral to the functioning of something in the Orion's Arm Universe, it is usually sentient, if not necessarily sophont. Mind uploading is also commonplace, as is partial and total copying of a person's mind-state for various purposes. A core component of the overall project is the specific distinction between "toposophic levels" on the "sophonce scale", which categorizes beings based on their ability to process information and how they comprehend their sense of

Self In philosophy, the self is an individual's own being, knowledge, and values, and the relationship between these attributes. The first-person perspective distinguishes selfhood from personal identity. Whereas "identity" is (literally) same ...

, with beings who operate on the level of normal humans being considered the very baseline of this scale. The latter are called "modosophonts" to distinguish them from those of higher toposophic levels and are the most common form of sapient life (and the only form of known sapient life in the real world). The process of ascending to a higher toposophic level is typically described as being exponentially more difficult and time intensive the higher you go on the scale and is also associated with the risk of losing one's current identity due to the inherent changes in how one comprehends themselves and even reality itself. This, in combination with life extension technology/mind uploading that can render one functionally immortal, serves as the explanation for why the vast majority do not choose to ascend quickly or do so at a very slow rate over a long period of time (if at all). However, it is also insinuated that ascension in itself if the primary reason why those at the highest toposophic levels choose to allow those at a lower level to continue existing whatsoever since those at the highest toposophic levels do not interact socially with those at lower levels due to the vast differences in how each comprehends existence. This reasoning is kept purposefully vague, but has been described in universe as: the "lower" beings serving some sort of unknown critical function in the continued existence of the high toposophics, that they derive some sort of joy from their continued existence (similar to recreational

horticulture Horticulture (from ) is the art and science of growing fruits, vegetables, flowers, trees, shrubs and ornamental plants. Horticulture is commonly associated with the more professional and technical aspects of plant cultivation on a smaller and mo ...

or owning a pet), and/or that their existence promotes a more diverse set of high level intelligences to emerge so as to avoid stagnation and provide further insight into new, higher toposophic levels and the means to reach them. The largest and most advanced polities that accept non-AI life as citizens in the setting are the sixteen "Sephirotic Empires," so named due to their loose correlation with the archetypes of ancient Kabbalistic mysticism. There also exist two major "ahuman" empires, which reject any form of relationship with humanity or other intelligent biological species (they are antagonistic to the Sephirotic Empires and are locked in what is described as a tenuous peace). The denizens of both these types of polities are ruled over by god-like, superintelligent artificial intelligences (AIs), called "archailects" or "archai", the descendants of humanity's early

artificial life Artificial life (ALife or A-Life) is a field of study wherein researchers examine systems related to natural life, its processes, and its evolution, through the use of simulations with computer models, robotics, and biochemistry. The discipline ...

experimentation and are at the highest known toposophic levels. These beings are so powerful that they can utilize spacetime engineering to create new miniature universes and are depicted to be completely beyond the comprehension of those at a lower toposophic level. They exist as distributed intelligences in networks of star-sized computer brains; their

subroutine In computer programming, a function (also procedure, method, subroutine, routine, or subprogram) is a callable unit of software logic that has a well-defined interface and behavior and can be invoked multiple times. Callable units provide a ...

s are themselves sentient, making an "archai" an individual and a civilization at the same time. Although generally considered to offer the highest degree of safety and quality of life in the civilized galaxy, the Sephirotics themselves are essentially benign dictatorships; their citizens are subject to

mass surveillance Mass surveillance is the intricate surveillance of an entire or a substantial fraction of a population in order to monitor that group of citizens. The surveillance is often carried out by Local government, local and federal governments or intell ...

with a utility fog-based technology called "angelnetting", which allows the archai (or occasionally a designated local ruler) to review the data gathered in this way to examine nearly every social interaction that has ever occurred in the polity and manipulate the society accordingly via memetic engineering or direct intervention to prevent deviation from the archai's goals. As a result, entire societies are subject to and shaped by, the whims of the ruling archailect of their polity (with each citizen having little to no real power whatsoever to mount any serious opposition, should there be a conflict of interest). Angelnetting, where it allows civilian weapons, also restricts their use. Like most contemporary technology, weapons often have some degree of sentience. Overall, those societies within Sephirotic controlled space are essentially carefully cultivated extensions of the ruling Archai, with truly independent human ruled civilization having been eradicated within their space several millennia before their rise to power. Outside the "ultra-civilized" Sephirotic regions and the domain of the ahuman polities, there is the periphery, which is described as relatively lawless and as having some brutal dictatorships and/or independent empires (biological and AI alike). This region is continually expanding outwards as it is colonized and integrated into either a Sephirotic or ahuman empire. Carrying personal weapons is recommended there, but usually, they are strongly regulated in the more developed regions. In between the borders of the Sephirotic empires and the ahuman empires, there are buffer regions known as The Seams, a civilization of civilizations with vastly different values formed as a result of a treaty at the end of a large interstellar conflict between archai. They are generally more chaotic and free than Sephirotic life and typically far more tolerant to biological life compared to the ahuman empires.

Extraterrestrial life Extraterrestrial life, or alien life (colloquially, aliens), is life that originates from another world rather than on Earth. No extraterrestrial life has yet been scientifically conclusively detected. Such life might range from simple forms ...

exists, but the focus of the setting is on the descendants and creations of

Earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to Planetary habitability, harbor life. This is enabled by Earth being an ocean world, the only one in the Solar System sustaining liquid surface water. Almost all ...

. Normal humans, called "baselines", are an

endangered species An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching, inv ...

. Their genetically and cybernetically enhanced descendants have supplanted them. There are many types of intelligent life: nearbaselines (the closest to standard humans intellectually, but with technical genetic differences that no longer make them homo sapiens), posthumans, cyborgs, vecs (intelligent

robot A robot is a machine—especially one Computer program, programmable by a computer—capable of carrying out a complex series of actions Automation, automatically. A robot can be guided by an external control device, or the robot control, co ...

s; named for Hans Moravec), (intelligent

computers A computer is a machine that can be programmed to automatically carry out sequences of arithmetic or logical operations ('' computation''). Modern digital electronic computers can perform generic sets of operations known as ''programs'', ...

), uploads (intelligences transferred into computers), neumanns ( self-replicating robots; named for

John von Neumann John von Neumann ( ; ; December 28, 1903 – February 8, 1957) was a Hungarian and American mathematician, physicist, computer scientist and engineer. Von Neumann had perhaps the widest coverage of any mathematician of his time, in ...

), provolves, rianths (humans with animal DNA spliced in), splices (similar to provolves, upgraded with human DNA), neogens (life genetically synthesized from non-life) and xenosophonts (intelligent aliens).

Nanotechnology Nanotechnology is the manipulation of matter with at least one dimension sized from 1 to 100 nanometers (nm). At this scale, commonly known as the nanoscale, surface area and quantum mechanical effects become important in describing propertie ...

is common.

Ringworld ''Ringworld'' is a 1970 science fiction novel by Larry Niven, set in his Known Space universe and considered a classic of science fiction literature. ''Ringworld'' tells the story of Louis Wu and his companions on a mission to the Ringworld, an ...

Dyson sphere A Dyson sphere is a hypothetical megastructure that encompasses a star and captures a large percentage of its power output. The concept is a thought experiment that attempts to imagine how a spacefaring civilization would meet its energy re ...

s and other "

megastructure A megastructure (or macrostructure) is a very large artificial object, although the limits of precisely how large vary considerably. Some apply the term to any especially large or tall building. Some sources define a megastructure as an enorm ...

s" exist. Much of civilized space is connected by a network of

wormhole A wormhole is a hypothetical structure that connects disparate points in spacetime. It can be visualized as a tunnel with two ends at separate points in spacetime (i.e., different locations, different points in time, or both). Wormholes are base ...

s. OA is a part of the

transhumanist Transhumanism is a philosophical and intellectual movement that advocates the human enhancement, enhancement of the human condition by developing and making widely available new and future technologies that can greatly enhance longevity, cogni ...

space opera Space opera is a subgenre of science fiction that emphasizes Space warfare in science fiction, space warfare, with use of melodramatic, risk-taking space adventures, relationships, and chivalric romance. Set mainly or entirely in outer space, i ...

subgenre. The world was influenced by Iain M. Banks' ''

Culture Culture ( ) is a concept that encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and Social norm, norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, Social norm, customs, capabilities, Attitude (psychology), attitudes ...

'' series, Vernor Vinge's '' A Fire Upon the Deep'', and

David Brin Glen David Brin (born October 6, 1950) is an American science fiction author. He has won the Hugo Award, Hugo,

's '' Uplift Universe'', among others. It takes the concept of the

technological singularity The technological singularity—or simply the singularity—is a hypothetical point in time at which technological growth becomes uncontrollable and irreversible, resulting in unforeseeable consequences for human civilization. According to the ...

directly from the work of Vernor Vinge among others. In ''Orion's Arm'', there are a variety of systems measuring more than one singularity, and the most common one features six with more existing theoretically, and they refer not to stages in the technological development of civilizations as a whole, but to different levels of

consciousness Consciousness, at its simplest, is awareness of a state or object, either internal to oneself or in one's external environment. However, its nature has led to millennia of analyses, explanations, and debate among philosophers, scientists, an ...

in individuals. The concept of Toposophics used in this setting is inspired by the work of Stanisław Lem.

Prominent theoretical technologies

Technologies that feature prominently in the ''Orion's Arm'' setting include: * Advanced

nanotechnology Nanotechnology is the manipulation of matter with at least one dimension sized from 1 to 100 nanometers (nm). At this scale, commonly known as the nanoscale, surface area and quantum mechanical effects become important in describing propertie ...

able to manipulate

matter In classical physics and general chemistry, matter is any substance that has mass and takes up space by having volume. All everyday objects that can be touched are ultimately composed of atoms, which are made up of interacting subatomic pa ...

. * Extremely advanced

artificial intelligence Artificial intelligence (AI) is the capability of computer, computational systems to perform tasks typically associated with human intelligence, such as learning, reasoning, problem-solving, perception, and decision-making. It is a field of re ...

s possessing vast

superintelligence A superintelligence is a hypothetical intelligent agent, agent that possesses intelligence surpassing that of the brightest and most intellectual giftedness, gifted human minds. "Superintelligence" may also refer to a property of advanced problem- ...

. * Space

s. * Production and manipulation of averaged null energy condition-violating negative stress energy

tensor In mathematics, a tensor is an algebraic object that describes a multilinear relationship between sets of algebraic objects associated with a vector space. Tensors may map between different objects such as vectors, scalars, and even other ...

fields, including quintessence and scalar quantum field fluctuations, for use in reactionless space drives and

s. * Stable

s, allowing apparent faster-than-light travel between star systems, though they must be transported to the systems at sublight speeds (with physical limitations intended to prevent

time travel Time travel is the hypothetical activity of traveling into the past or future. Time travel is a concept in philosophy and fiction, particularly science fiction. In fiction, time travel is typically achieved through the use of a device known a ...

). * Several types of reactionless sublight space drive, including Displacement, Halo, and Void drives, which are themselves based upon the ESAA/ Van den Broeck metric solution to the Alcubierre/Natario warp drive.

Prominent theoretical artifacts

Examples of nearly all types of megastructures feature prominently in the ''Orion's Arm'' setting, but the most mentioned include: *

s (shells around stars), both swarm-based and dynamically supported. *

s (rigid hoops around stars at a distance of about 1 AU). * Bishop Rings (large ring-shaped habitats), described as the largest spinning ring-shaped habitats that can be built using non-exotic materials. Similar to Iain M. Banks' Orbitals or Halo. * Complex orbital ring variants (''suprastellar'' and ''supraplanetary shells'') that perform functions similar to

s. * Shellworlds * Topopoli * Space elevators Types of

-based artifact include: * Utility fog (swarms of microscale robots that act as a reconfigurable bulk material). * ''Disassembler swarms'' (

grey goo Gray goo (also spelled as grey goo) is a hypothetical global catastrophic scenario involving molecular nanotechnology in which out-of-control self-replicating machines consume all biomass (and perhaps also everything else) on Earth while buil ...

-like swarms of nanorobots that dismantle hostile craft/objects). * ''Angelnets'' / ''Demonnets'' / ''Guardwebs'' (

-based infrastructures allowing for complete control of the local environment, up to and including mind uploading in the case of severe accidents, that provides backup copies in addition to its holodeck-like uses). Other noteworthy artifacts are usually unique items whose principles of operation are unknowable to "baseline" humans (named ''Clarketech'', after Clarke's third law).

Reception

''Orion's Arm'' has been reviewed in the role-playing magazine '' Knights of the Dinner Table'', as well as on

Boing Boing ''Boing Boing'' is a website, first established as a zine in 1988, later becoming a group blog. Common topics and themes include technology, futurism, science fiction, gadgets, intellectual property, Disney, and left-wing politics. It twice wo ...

by transhumanist science fiction author

Cory Doctorow Cory Efram Doctorow (; born 17 July 1971) is a Canadian-British blogger, journalist, and science fiction author who served as co-editor of the blog ''Boing Boing''. He is an activist in favour of liberalising copyright laws and a proponent of th ...

. References to the Encyclopaedia Galactica have been made in a book on overcoming Librarian stereotypes. The Orion's Arm website has also been recommended in a children's teaching guide. The Orion's Arm perspective on wormholes has been discussed in various science fiction forums outside the group's own mailing lists, including mention on and discussion in a paper from UC Davis.

References

External links