Greetings, my fellow Members!

I've been pondering for a while about the definition of Superiority.
Namely, what makes a Species really Superior.
What would make us Humans superior to others?
What would make Ponies superior to others?

So, what does make a Species really better than others?

Most would say it's Military Might but there are sure other qualities too.

Like for example, Genetics or everything Physically related: Strength, Endurance, Resistance against diseases and other environmental influences, Intelligence, Special Senses (sense of sight, sense of smell...), Natural Weapons (Claws, Fangs...) and many other.

There is also Cultural qualities too: A Culture where Technological Advancement and Military power have highest priority would very likely beat one where peace and art is prefered.

On Technological Supremacy it depends what in field. Curing all diseases is all good and fine but if your army is still fighting with spears and bow, you won't last that long.

So, what do you guys think? Are there other things that could make a species better? Like Magic or Psychic Abilities? Or maybe the environment too (Access to better resources)?

For us, i believe it's our Adaptability and Intelligence.

1912362
That and the fact that anything we deem as weak we just outright murder.

1912362 Warfare and innovation. Humans have always been at war, and we have always made major advances through war. As war continues, development will invariably continue as well.

1912376

True. Though I feel saying any major advances we make would have happen sooner or later, war makes them happen sooner rather that later sounds better.

1912417 Would they truly have happened sooner or later? I think that war is required for advances. For instance, nuclear power. Would we really have harnessed nuclear energy if we had not built the bomb? Would we have even discovered it?

1912427
Well, I believe Einstein may consider it's uses, stick it in a textbook somewhere, and a few decades later a small group of underfunded scientists get a prototype working. Like Mendel.

If genetic engineering was something crucial to understand for a war, I believe we would've gone all Westerfield's Leviathan by now.

1912463 I believe that the only reason genetic modification hasn't been used yet is simply because we haven't discovered how to. I bet that once the right method is discovered, it will first be used in a military application.

1912517


Like dis?

1912524 Not necessarily exactly like that, but yes, in the military.

1912529
That is the military. The British Royal something.
You should read it. "Leviathan", by Scott Westerfeld.

1912535 I've read the entire series. You like it?

1912540
My reaction: Why isn't there moar Steampunk
1913319

I know. That's what these guys say.
Of course, in the end it is determined that hybrids are funner.

1913434
If a Zergling is under that hood, then yes.

Well I'd say humanity's adaptability, innovation, durability to survive as a species, and our capacity for compassion gives us many edge ups.

1912427 I'm fairly sure the U.S. Navy was developing nuclear power for it's ships and subs before WWII switched it over to making bombs. All the War did was shorten development time by probably a few years, or a couple decades.

1912524 I'll stick to my machines; first those things are bloody ugly, second I'd rather not have a living creature with thoughts of its own be my airship.

Valiant is best airship.

(Lets see this 'Leviathan' [should I use italics? Ship's names are italicised, but that thing is a flying whale rather than a proper ship...] compete with the UNIT Carrier Ship Valiant, which has both shields and a giant ass laser. )

1913724
That thing is WW1 era. Would you expect a biplane vs a Mutalisk?

1913803 The biplane would win, wouldn't be able to lose if it was a certain Albatross D.III piloted by a certain Manfred von Richthofen.

1913907
Dude. It takes several marines wielding rail guns to take a mutalisk down. Seriously, Biplane? Heck. Even a Hydralisk can take a biplane down. In fact, its probably even better, mainly since machine guns to practically nothing to it unless said bullet is moving at Mach 10 or something.

1914348 It's the Red Baron. He'll find a way.

1914378
Fan boy.

1914384

1915119 I was just listening to Sabaton's "The Price of a Mile" when this comment popped up, and the line it was on was "Thousands of feet march to the beat; it's an army in despair. Knee deep, in mud; stuck in the trench with no way out!"

Sabaton is best band.

1915216 *Slap!*

1915119
I'm not sure what the ... East Front(?) was like in Leviathan. It was mainly focused on the travels of the Leviathan, a whale based dirigible. It acted like a biological aircraft carrier. Bees visited flowerbeds to refuel it, and its primary anti air weapons are either air cannons (to reduce the risk of the hydrogen catching on fire) and special hawks carrying strengthened spider silk between them to slice the planes' wings off. For anti ground, they use light guided flechette shitting bats. Can't remember whether daylight patterns affected them.

The only ground 'beasty' I know of are the Russian Fighting Bears, each the size of a small elephant.

On the Central Powers side, tech had also evolved in a radical direction. They were known derogatorily by the Allies as Clankers, since they were extremely mechanized. Treads are for farms. It's walkers now, powered by kerosene and billowing smoke stacks.

For some reason, everyone like legs over wheels.

Tesla is crazier..

1915450
Possibly. Of course, the same would've happened with every dirigible in WW1. Also, wrong element. It's Hydrogen that burns. I think the crew had a run in with a group of other Hydrogen based blimps, though after a few bullets, they caught fire from using gunpowder based weaponry.

And yes, both sides used dirigibles in Real Life. Yes, they were fragile and caught fire. That's why we don't use them anymore. Having any advantage available to you is crucial to survival. I think a bit of intelligence in a ship would at least be a tiny bit better than a metal and fabric one.

1915578
There were leaks from bullet holes. They foolishly decided to keep firing. I assume the muzzle flash did them in. For some reason, I don't remember too much incendiary rounds being used. *shrug*

And eh, its an alternate universe with massive amounts of glorious Steampunk. Go read it. Suspend your belief over the viability of a flying whale and take it as a whole.

1915681
Mrrk GRRK. Argsga

Whips out pistol
Fumbles.
Shoots self.

1912376

"Only the dead have seen the end of war"

-Plato

-Powers

1913803

Mutalisks eat Wraiths for breakfast. And Wraiths are 500 years of technology into the future.

But then again, also notice the plural S for Mutalisks

-Powers

1912362 the shadow in our minds and the chaos in our souls makes us strong.

1912362

It's our ability to strive to better ourselves or others.

Wright brothers: airplanes

Lancelot de mole: Little willy AKA the tank

Harrison ford : type 72
All these people a strived to prove themselves better than others but put another species in there we would strive to prove ourselves better than THEM!

1915614
AppleTank

Lets not forget that the English also had spiderdogs to sniff out hydrogen leaks.

Bump.