Coexistence with other Intelligent Species

The conundrum of a Black Hole could be considered as an extension of the Fermi Paradox, although a Black Hole has a much longer life than a star, it is reasonable to say they still have a life cycle. At the end of that life cycle, regardless of whether it is it's collapse that pulls everything in or the debris and shockwaves ejected when or if it explodes, many of the solar systems that orbit it are finished. Furthermore, it's not like it's impossible for another black hole to be on a collision course with us over time. At that point you either need to escape the pull of the black hole or that's likely the end. As all of the solar systems will be thrown out of balance for countless years, and the chaotic gravitation resulting from a Black Hole flying through could completely destroy life or at least make it significantly more scarce. Life would be on the brink up until the systems reform to be orderly again or local life can ride the shockwaves and enter the pull of another Black Hole. Of course, the latter would probably require both plenty of science and luck in and of itself, and the amount of living things that would survive in comparison to everything that was around the black hole might be miniscule. Aside from that, the single species-wide overlord seems much more plausible if the species leans more towards their mindset being determined by nature. If the entire species has an almost uniform thought process, it doesn't seem like there would be much resistance to any orders they receive from their peers, and their purpose can be much more unified. This becomes especially easier if a species possesses something like a Hive Mind, where a single mind occupies an entire planet. These kinds of species would be significantly more prone to isolate themselves because they are 'Unique' and likely would not care for the opinions of others. Similar to animals which follow their primal instincts, but their instincts tell them how to make scientific advancements. A Federation type wouldn't be like an actual Emperor, that was more or less an analogy. A Federation is more like an alliance or an Idea, with members simply saying they are a part of it and communicating and taking joint action in more or less localized areas. (Nearby collections of star systems) There may easily be many different federations, with portions of some changing sides to others at times. More or less all those inside a single federation will have similar thoughts and nurturing systems. It's also likely for federations to purposefully raise up new species that possess traits that match the thought systems of their own federation, and wait for them to bud in order to get new blood that might strengthen them. Of course, it would likely take time to observe and make adjustments before one could ascertain whether a new species would truly be worthwhile to add to the pack. (For people who like conspiracy theories, there you go.) Of course, even within a Federation, species would most likely keep their best stuff for themselves. Only more common stuff might possibly be shared for some benefits here or there. It's in their interest as well to share a small amount so that they can reap the benefits of any unique technology that might come into being due to the fresh mindset being brought to the table. And so that we can be somewhat useful when a conflict with another group comes up. And I'm sorry but I just don't see it likely that an advanced civilization would even use radio signals for communications. There are much better options for communication that can be developed and we aren't even far off from that right now. Radio signals specifically refers to the set of light waves with a wavelength starting from about 1 millimeter and any wave length higher than that. Thus, radio signals all travel at the speed of light.. because they are light in the first place. Though, you already knew that, but for other people who are reading.. So yeah, if you don't find a better form of communication that'd be an issue. However, using 'spooky action at a distance' in quantum physics it's already possible to do FTL communications. The only thing left to make true communication utilizing spooky action is to complete a basic quantum model and a method to utilize it to cause quantum entanglement between two systems. Spooky action at a distance and gravitation are easily associated concepts, they were a part of the game from the beginning that was always capable of acting, or causing reactions, at a speed faster than light. If there is a communication system in older civilizations it is easy enough to imagine it would be based off of such a method. In regards to faster than light travel, it isn't truly necessary for it to exist for such social constructs to form. Self sustaining ecosystems could be created on a transport in space. It is entirely possible for us to escape our current solar system even using our current technology, it would just use way more resources than anyone would care to waste and take a lot of time. Then finding appropriate locations for terraforming and harvesting resources would also be a significant issue, but it could probably be solved as well given time, not to say it wouldn't cost a lot to do so, and probably not just in terms of money. If we do want to do FTL travel there are a few theoretical ways you could go about it though. If you can make either a Pseudo Black Hole or Pseudo White Hole, those could be used to travel FTL. Alternatively, if you can somehow find materials that cause reactions so violent you can forcefully break the rules and materials that allow you to resist the conterreaction the universe takes against you for doing so, that's also good. (Though personally I don't think such a material exists, at least not in enough parts that we can build a ship and move around with it unless we are acting nouveau riche) So, unless there is more phenomenon we haven't observed or possibilities we haven't considered the pseudo Black/White holes (basically wormholes) are the best option. The question then is how to make them and how to handle them so we don't destroy ourselves. To create such a thing, we need an even better understanding of gravitation, action at a distance, the quantum world, and more or less we need a very good Unified Field Theory. Of course, that is just my guess on what we would need to know before we could even know how to approach the issue. In the case of a pseudo black hole, you more or less are trying to simulate the state of the core of a Black Hole. It can be observed from virtually all reactions that matter continually attempts to conform to a more neutral state. Thus the core of a Black Hole is likely similar to a cell, filtering out the extremely miniscule particulates from the countless that have been pulled in, to attempt to assimilate them and achieve a more neutralized state while rejecting the leftovers. To do so, the black hole core must form an effectively perfect neutralized state. A state so perfect that it nullifies the gravitation and spooky action at a distance that affects normal matter. Such a process of neutralization should be so strong that it can allow such a massive gravitational pull, while simultaneously allowing it to retain a stable position while being relatively unaffected by the mass surrounding it. To create a pseudo Black Hole you would need to create an artificial membrane which simulates the actions of a Black holes core, even without the actual neutralization process occurring. This can effectively cut off the affect of gravitation and spooky action at a distance for the materials within the membrane.. unfortunately, it would likely also cause issues with retaining the original structures of those within so that would be another issue to resolve. However, if you can manage it, with a little effort you could fly about the universe like a maneuverable cannonball within your pseudo black hole. You would likely be moving so fast that it would probably be best to just call it instantaneous. Plus the energy required shouldn't be unreasonable, although the knowledge to pull it off successfully will be. Alternatively you could create a more literal wormhole, create two partial pseudo black holes such that they are quantum entangled, then the connection between the two might be able to be stabilized such that matter can pass through. In regards to all the 'ifs' there is no reason why we can't figure them out. Personally I'm putting my all into figuring them out, and honestly I have taken hardly any classes on astrophysics, but I'm still about to get my degrees in both Physics and Computer Science. I understand at least the basics of how this stuff works. Finally, in regards to death, I think most people are not suicidal? Although people usually accept death at the end of day, I do not believe there is no one else who is unwilling to slip into it silently when the sun still shines and something can be done about it. The unknown is filled with things that could destroy us, and if we are already oppressed unknowingly.. Might as well let them know what we are capable of if we are doomed anyway. In an infinite existence when humanity emerges again, maybe we can win that time if we stay true to themselves. If we are doomed, let's be doomed sooner than later? The more of the truth we are able to see the more entertaining life seems to be. A bit of care should certainly be given to prevent disasters, but staying inside a shell, I don't think it's in Humanities nature. Personally, I don't care about if there is a Federation of what not but I'd like to see one if I could. Or I'd like to push towards one's creation if I could. I think it'd be fantastic despite all the issues, so I'm a good bit biased in this. Well, I'm pretty much out of space, so that's all I got. PEACE!