We haven’t had any weird speculation threads here in a while (goose vs. bears, etc.), so here’s one for discussion.
Humanity needs to leave earth and you’ve been tasked with building a team to colonize a new planet. You can pick 1000 people to be on your team and you can bring an amount of tools and supplies roughly equivalent to what your team can carry. You will be sent to an earth-like planet with most of the animals, plants, and resources you would find on earth but without any humans or other intelligent lifeforms. What and whom are you bringing? High-tech tools are going to run out of batteries or fuel eventually and even simple tools will wear out. Do you focus on people and tools that can implement more primitive survival techniques or are you building a team that can jump start an industrial and technology revolution? How long before you are making transistors, anti-biotics, batteries, plastic, etc.? What are some threats or challenges that you think might be overlooked?
400 blue collar men, a mixture from damn near every trade or hands on work possible (loggers, plumbers, automotive workers, electricians, landscapers, carpenters, farmers)
100 licensed professional engineers mixture of (Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Environmental, Civil, Mechanical, Electrical, Mining, Computer, etc)
500 beautiful and intelligent childbearing able ready women
Both. Use the basic tools to extract minerals and resources to create more. Rudimentary coal or charcoal furnaces can be used to smelt metals to create more tools and sophisticated equipment to create more efficient processes, lather, rinse, repeat.
Would definitely need a good team of scientists- geologists, chemists, engineers of all disciplines, and skilled workers to execute plans.
Once key elements like water, pastures and farm land, a high yield energy resource, intense heat sources and mineral deposits were established, a wide variety of mechanisms and products derived from those basics could be used to build a self perpetuating community that could grow.
A few generations, depending on how many babies can be made and how many curveballs we get from nature.
Your constraints will require that local resources get developed, which takes a lot of work. Building out all of the industries, solving the planetary logistics for resource extraction and developing all of the know-how that’s in between iron ore in the ground and the computer screen you’re looking at is a TON of work that needs a LOT of people.
In the meantime, you need to survive and reproduce.
In addition to the Amish, I’d be looking at some uncontacted tribes from the Amazon and New Guniea who just know how to survive. Lots of genetic diversity overall too, making sure to grab some Sherpas and other specially adapted populations.
Assuming a perfect environment and all of our present knowledge coming with us in some shape or form, the challenge is building out all of the manufacturing capabilities. There’s only so many shortcuts we can take to attain a level of industrial development roughly equivalent to 1900.
Nobody except the people who live there even know how many people are on North Sentinel Island, but I don’t think there’s 500. I don’t know if they would pass the tryouts for team twojar. I’m not sure how I could even get the message to them, given their policy of shooting visitors.
Another challenge would be how to balance age and experience with breeding potential. If you’re not contributing to the gene pool, you had better be bringing something really special.
For the sake of our future, team twojar shall also prioritize fertile, attractive women with high sex drives.
I’d bring holistic doctors with a bend for naturopathic medicine and whatever scientists develop compounds from nature that can be made in to medicine. They can bring books and whatever critical tools they deem necessary.
Outdoor survival experts.
Weird hobbyists who like doing everything from building structures to farming/harvesting the old fashioned, pre-industrial revolution era way.
Lots of attractive women. Ideally a 2-1 attractive female to male ratio.
Good prompt. My inner project manager went nuts. This is an approach that I think covers the bases, but will allow for humans to develop organically in response to the environment.
1. Core Team Composition
I’m assuming that there is a robust mix of humanity and genetic variations. I’d do a 60% female, 40% male seed population, but the following roles are more important, so no trad wife shit.
Agricultural Specialists (100 people): Experts in crop cultivation, soil science, geology, and permaculture. Focus on sustainability with an emphasis on crop rotation, seed saving, and non-mechanized farming techniques.
Medical Professionals (50 people): General practitioners, surgeons, pharmacists, pediatricians, and herbalists. Emphasis on broad medical knowledge, including surgery, infectious diseases, natural medicine, preventative medicine, and childhood development.
Engineers (100 people): A mix of mechanical, civil, and electrical engineers. While high-tech systems are valuable, the focus is on designing and maintaining simple, durable tools and infrastructure. Everyone in this group better know about boats.
Carpenters and Masons (50 people): Skilled in building shelters, furniture, and infrastructure using local materials. Possibly a traffic engineer, but that would depend on the landscape.
Biologists and Ecologists (50 people): Specialists in understanding the new planet’s ecosystems, ensuring sustainable interaction with local flora and fauna. Document everything.
Educators (25 people): Focused on teaching essential skills to the next generation, including survival, science, engineering, and agriculture. Also the value of passing knowledge on - the ideal STEAM program.
Survivalists and Hunters (50 people): Experts in primitive survival skills, including hunting, tracking, foraging, and shelter-building without modern tools.
Chemists (25 people): Knowledgeable in producing essential chemicals, including those needed for agriculture, medicine, and basic manufacturing.
Artisans (25 people): Blacksmiths, potters, and weavers capable of producing essential goods from raw materials. Musicians, glass-blowers, cooks, storytellers. No religious leaders though.
Communicators and Leaders (25 people): Individuals skilled in conflict resolution, negotiation, and maintaining group cohesion. Not lawyers, LE or Politicians. The new environment needs to evolve its own fit.
Generalists (500 people): People with broad skill sets who can adapt to various roles, including laborers, apprentices, and caretakers.
2. Tools and Supplies
Agricultural Tools: Durable hand tools like hoes, shovels, rakes, and scythes. Focus on tools that can be repaired or replicated using local resources.
Medical Supplies: A limited stock of modern medicine, surgical instruments, and medical textbooks. Emphasis on teaching and transitioning to herbal medicine while researching new potential breakthroughs…
Building Materials: Basic hand tools (hammers, saws, chisels, I dunno, some guys here know more about this than me), nails, rope, and basic blueprints for building with wood and stone.
Seeds and Livestock: A variety of non-GMO seeds for diverse crops, along with 50 breeding pairs of essential livestock like chickens, goats, and sheep to prevent inbreeding…
Books and Knowledge Storage: A library of books on agriculture, engineering, medicine, chemistry, and survival. This is hugely important. Have Digital copies stored on low-energy, solar-powered devices.
Survival Gear: Tents, clothing, and equipment for harsh weather conditions. Includes gear for hunting, fishing, and foraging. *
Basic Manufacturing Tools: Simple, hand-operated machines for weaving, pottery, blacksmithing, and basic metalwork.
Renewable Energy Tools: Small-scale solar panels and wind turbines to provide minimal electricity, used sparingly for communication and research.
Water Purification Systems: Basic systems for filtering, purifying, and storing water, with knowledge to build more from local materials. Waste disposal is crucial to maximize resources and prevent disease spreading.
3. Strategic Focus
Primitive Survival Techniques: Early focus on basic survival – food, water, shelter. Teach everyone primitive skills to ensure immediate survival without relying on technology. Everyone should have an EDC they carry everywhere.
Self-Sufficiency: Emphasize developing systems that can be maintained with local resources. Avoid dependence on tools and technologies that can’t be replaced or repaired. In addition, focus on resilience - every system should have multiple, overlapping, and redundant fail-safes.
Incremental Technological Development: Start with primitive tools and gradually build towards more complex technologies. Establish a metalworking industry early to produce simple tools, but focus on future tech.
Education and Knowledge Transfer: Prioritize educating the next generation in practical skills, science, and engineering to ensure continual progress. Create a robust culture that places high emphasis on adventure, exploration, creativity, and creating.
4. Projected Timeline
First 5 Years: Establish food security, basic shelter, and a functioning community. Begin experimenting with local materials for construction and tool-making. Determine what local crops can be grown and what animals can be domesticated.
5-10 Years: Develop basic manufacturing capabilities (e.g., metal tools, simple machines). Start small-scale renewable energy projects a printing press, and basic chemical production.
10-20 Years: Progress to more advanced technologies like early electronics, simple medical laboratories, and basic industrial processes.
20-50 Years: Aim to achieve mid-20th-century technology levels, including basic electricity generation, more complex machinery, and synthetic materials like plastics (assuming petroleum is available on this planet.)
50+ Years: Work towards advanced medical capabilities (antibiotics, vaccines), high-tech manufacturing (transistors, batteries), and larger-scale energy production.
5. Potential Threats and Challenges
Ecological Misunderstanding: Misjudging the new planet’s ecosystem could lead to catastrophic failures in agriculture or introduce harmful species into the environment. I’d especially be thinking of microscopic life.
Resource Scarcity: Key resources (e.g., metals, water, fertile soil) might be scarce or hard to access, requiring innovative solutions and strict conservation measures. Metals especially, if we don’t have surface-level metals available, no electronics.
Social Cohesion: Maintaining morale and preventing conflicts within a small, isolated community will be critical. The diversity of backgrounds and roles could lead to tensions. I’d say no religions from the old planet, and cross-training between roles, cultures, and ages would be needed.
Disease: New diseases on the planet, or even mutations of Earth-based pathogens, could pose a significant threat without access to advanced medical infrastructure.
Tool Degradation: Even simple tools will wear out, and without a robust industrial base, replacements might be difficult to produce. We figured it out before though.
Technological Regression: Without the right knowledge transfer, there’s a risk of losing technological and scientific progress, leading to a regression to more primitive living conditions. Build libraries.
Team twojar has no such qualms in this scenario. In fact, my team would include a documentary producer for my self-aggrandizing propaganda film inspired by Troy McClure
Look at the jobs you listed and ask yourself if women would really make up 60% of them when they don’t even do that now. How many female masons and carpenters are there? And if women are going to be doing all of these jobs that they don’t do now, so you would need to do some DEI, who will be taking care of the kids?
Anyway, the blueprint for building a civilization already exists. Population growth and agriculture are the root. You can’t build without the people to do not only the building, but to gather the resources. You only need a few people to pass on the technical and scientific knowledge until you have enough people to do the work. One person can design a bridge but it takes thousands to collect the materials and do the building, especially without modern equipment. Therefore, slaves.
He did not think it through. It is what chatGPT will spit out.
This scenario calls for a careful balance between immediate survival and long-term sustainability, blending primitive skills with the seeds of technological advancement. Here’s how I’d approach building this team and equipping them for the new world:
Team Composition
Core Survival Experts (200)
Hunters, Foragers, and Trappers: Skilled in identifying edible plants, hunting animals, and setting traps. Knowledge of earth-like ecosystems will be crucial.
Primitive Technologists: Blacksmiths, potters, and carpenters who can create tools and structures from raw materials.
Medical Practitioners: Doctors and herbalists with expertise in traditional medicine, using plants and natural resources.
Agricultural Experts: Farmers and permaculture specialists to ensure food production and soil fertility using basic tools.
Craftsmen and Builders (300)
Engineers: Mechanical, civil, and electrical engineers to lay the groundwork for future infrastructure, from building simple machines to more complex systems.
Artisans: Masons, carpenters, and tailors who can construct buildings, clothing, and other essentials using local materials.
Metallurgists: Experts in smelting and forging who can work with local ores to produce metal tools and components.
Scientists and Technologists (300)
Biologists and Chemists: To understand the local flora and fauna and to develop early-stage pharmaceuticals and basic chemical processes.
Physicists and Materials Scientists: To work on harnessing energy sources, developing new materials, and eventually laying the groundwork for more complex technologies like electronics.
Geologists and Miners: To identify and extract valuable resources like ores, coal, and minerals.
Educators and Cultural Preservers (100)
Teachers and Librarians: To pass on essential knowledge to the next generation, focusing on both primitive skills and the foundations of modern science.
Artists and Writers: To preserve and foster cultural identity, ensuring that the colony retains a sense of purpose and creativity.
Leadership and Governance (100)
Leaders and Strategists: Individuals with experience in governance, ethics, and diplomacy to maintain order, resolve conflicts, and plan long-term development.
Communicators: Experts in psychology, sociology, and communication to help maintain morale and facilitate cooperation.
Tools and Supplies
Primitive Tools: Axes, knives, hammers, plows, fishing gear, etc. These will be essential for the immediate tasks of building shelter, hunting, and farming.
Seed Bank: A diverse collection of seeds for crops and medicinal plants, ensuring food security and a foundation for agriculture.
Livestock: Hardy animals that can provide meat, milk, and wool, such as goats, chickens, and sheep.
Basic Machines: Hand-crank tools, water wheels, and windmills that can harness natural energy without relying on electricity.
Portable Laboratories: Basic lab equipment for chemistry and biology to start small-scale production of essential medicines and materials.
Textbooks and Manuals: Comprehensive guides on everything from survival skills to advanced science and engineering.
Primitive Survival vs. Technological Advancement
Primitive Survival Focus:
Immediate adaptability: Primitive techniques ensure the team can survive without reliance on dwindling high-tech resources.
Resilience: The ability to create tools and medicines from local resources ensures long-term sustainability.
Technological Advancement Focus:
Foundation for progress: Bringing scientists and engineers lays the groundwork for future technological development.
Leapfrogging technologies: With the right knowledge, the team could skip intermediate technologies and focus on what’s most essential for progress, like energy production or material synthesis.
Challenges and Threats
Resource Management: Over-reliance on any single resource could lead to depletion, requiring careful planning and sustainable practices.
Knowledge Transfer: The greatest risk is losing knowledge over generations. Without proper education and documentation, the colony could regress technologically.
Disease: The risk of unknown pathogens on the new planet could pose significant challenges, making the role of biologists and medical practitioners crucial.
Cultural Cohesion: Maintaining a unified vision and preventing societal fractures will be essential to avoid conflicts that could derail progress.
Technological Decay: Even with skilled engineers and scientists, the time required to develop advanced technologies like transistors or antibiotics could span decades or longer, during which simpler, more reliable methods must be in place.
Timeline for Technological Development
5-10 Years: Establishment of stable food production, basic healthcare, and primitive manufacturing.
10-20 Years: Development of simple mechanical devices, early-stage metallurgy, and the beginning of systematic scientific exploration.
20-50 Years: Small-scale industrialization, development of simple electrical systems, and basic chemical synthesis.
50-100 Years: Potential development of more advanced technologies like antibiotics, simple electronics, and early-stage computing.
Final Thoughts
The goal is to create a society that can thrive independently, blending the wisdom of ancient survival techniques with the seeds of modern technological progress. By focusing on both primitive and advanced skills, the colony would have the best chance of not just surviving but eventually thriving on this new planet.
