Social & Cultural Factors in the Galactyan Empire (A1-0)

Sculptors Of Nature

The vast majority of Galactyans live in environments that have been artificially created or modified by other Galactyans, whether those environments are re-engineered worlds or orbital habitats. Almost no Galactyans have ever experienced planet or biosphere-centric disasters, such as earthquakes, hurricanes, extreme tidal waves, droughts or famine, and the few who have experienced them through safe protected habitats during the terraformation phases of their worlds. Instead, some of the greatest sources of fear and unease among modern Galactyans are disasters stemming from major technology misuse, technological collapses and all matters of sapient threats like raids and military invasions from other foreign civilizations. These events can be, and in many cases are, seen and dealt with in a way similar to how ancient Galactyans coped with major natural disasters. Thanks to bioengineering disease is also basically non-existent, and has been for thousands of years, with the only exceptions being particularly adaptive viruses or bacteria hailing from alien species, but even those are eradicated quickly and efficiently. Together terraformation, biotechnology, and the abundance of resources, make it so that Galactyans view nature as a blank canvas to be reshaped to fit their needs, ranging from colonization to simple art.

Morphological Freedom

A factor in both the diversity and relative peacefulness of modern Galactyan civilization is the near total morphological freedom that all Galactyans enjoy as a basic right. Biological and cybernetic alteration, augmentation, or complete redesign and replacement of the physical body is a trivial everyday occurrence, with such alterations being readily available to all citizens. Galactyans themselves, even before the Genetic Revolution, never had any prejudice nor started conflicts based around gender, sexuality or race. Instead, the only real conflicts arose from political affiliation and ideology, but even those died out centuries before the start of interstellar colonization. Modern Galactyans actually have difficulty grasping the concept of discrimination, and require great deals of time to understand how such a thing is possible in the civilized Sector.

Longevity

It is a known fact in the Sector that, thanks to their incredible advancements and capabilities in genetic engineering (which eventually consolidated in the Geviex in 1700 BBT), Galactyans extended their lifespans indefinitely, and became functionally immortal. This greatly reduced and almost eliminated the rate of gradual cultural change, while also greatly expanding the scope of what is considered a 'reasonable' timespan for a particular project or planning horizon. Decades, and eventually even centuries, are now seen as trivial amounts of time, whether to achieve a particular goal or consider the urgency of a particular challenge. Attitudes towards ever longer and more complex projects, often become extremely relaxed. A series of smaller activities or changes, or even long periods of minimal personality change, are still quite common. However, technological advancement has greatly increased in speed after the first contact with Calerost, and is still considered an important process, so much so that an entire Ministry is dedicated to it.

Due to the length of their lifespans, Galactyans often amass great amounts of knowledge. It's common for Galactyans to study multiple scientific fields, partake in hundreds of different hobbies and activities, and spend their lives travelling and experiencing as many new things as possible. This is also reflected in their careers, with many Galactyans working vastly different jobs belonging to vastly different fields in their lives.

Diversity

The Galactyan Empire is the most biologically diverse nation and society in the known Sector, with cultural diversity on the rise after the first contacts with the other alien civilizations. Thanks to genetic engineering, neogenics and the reassembly of xenosapients, the Empire is now home to more than a hundred different species, and many different cultures and religions. Galactyan architecture is built to be fit for all kinds of species, and upon the entry of a new species in the Empire, appropriate modifications are made if necessary. If architectural modifications are not sufficient, changes in the distribution and resource allocation chains are also carried out. It is not a surprise that Galactyans are often called fanatic xenophiles; however they now carry this title with honor, believing that cultural and biological diversity are important achievements for an interstellar society.

Post-Scarcity

The Galactyan Empire, since the Genetic Revolution, has been a Post-Scarcity Society. Definitions of wealth and poverty shifted drastically through the Eras, especially with the gargantuan increase in available resources and the establishment of state socialism and automation. Energy and materials are available to all, food (or the equivalent, depending on the species) is almost never scarce, and sophisticated manufactured goods are commonplace. This, coupled with the Universal Basic Income maintained by the Imperial Government, has a variety of secondary effects: poverty is completely non-existent and has been for thousands of years, and crimes of property (like theft, embezzlement and fraud) are also virtually extinct in most places (although some notable exceptions still exist). However, compared to what one might expect, even with their incredible abundance of readily available resources, Galactyans still enjoy the (ethical) accumulation of material wealth, expensive decoration, furniture and architecture, and the possession of historical and/or alien artifacts. Galactyan society is oftentimes called decadent for this (or outright "rotten and lazy" by some more xenophobic and critic foreign factions). Other signs of social status and wealth in the Galactyan Empire include performing rare and important occupations (not necessarily jobs), social connections, unique accomplishments, and extra-national travel.

Automation & Employment

All worlds in the Galactyan Empire have access to automation sufficient to match, and exceed, the capabilities of any working citizen. Automated manufacturing and extraction, robotics and non-sentient intelligent software have removed any need for citizen labor to provide for all physical or social needs. All citizens within the Empire receive a monthly Universal Basic Income of considerable proportions, rendering labor or working itself not necessary to sustain one's lifestyle. The Primary and Secondary Sectors are completely automated, while the Tertiary is, instead, mostly carried out by citizens. Teaching, finance, restaurant jobs, government positions and roles within the Imperial Fleet are some of the many positions where automation is virtually non-existent. Although citizens don't have to engage in gainful employment, Galactyan society is not one of non-stop idle leisure (although extended periods of such are quite common). To a greater or lesser degree within the Empire, citizens are encouraged to engage within their community, most notably in the arts and recreation. Committees form and disband on a constant basis, focused around the interests of their constituent members. While some committees, often termed "clubs" may last for decades or even centuries, often with a stable membership, others may form, carry out their intended function, and disband within a single Imperial day. Many applications exist to match a citizen with another person sharing their same interests, and many public spaces have been constructed to allow the recreation of said groups in public.