Jumpgates and space travel

[Delenn_of_Mir]

So when the Centauri arrived they allowed humans to use their jumpgates until earthgov figured out how to build their own. I wonder how many jumpgates were out there?

Could anybody with a ship fly through one?

Were there space toll booths?

Could anybody with the knowhow and the money build a jumpgate? How would one own one?

Also how many average humans ever left earth? Even without interstellar travel I've only lived in two states that are right next door to each other. I've been to Mexico once, but never to Canada.

Just visiting other countries is a huge hassle and is sooooo expensive!!!!! What must it cost to visit another planet? I know lots of people who made it to Babylon 5 never made it home again.

[JoeD80]

So when the Centauri arrived they allowed humans to use their jumpgates until earthgov figured out how to build their own. I wonder how many jumpgates were out there?

The Centauri found them as well so no telling how many were there before that. (I think this comes up in "Thirdspace.")

Could anybody with a ship fly through one?

I seem to recall an idea about codes being needed, but then the Soul Hunter ship went through the gate in the second episode and that was a First Contact situation so I guess the gate just lets anyone pass.

Were there space toll booths?

Maybe it was like one of those readers that charges your credit card through the booth; it charges the ship when they contact the hyperspace beacons! The only thing I recall being mentioned specifically was fees for docking at the station though; not sure if the gate cost money to use as well.

Could anybody with the knowhow and the money build a jumpgate?

As long as they had enough Quantium 40.

How would one own one?

Have a big enough military to defend it?

Also how many average humans ever left earth? Even without interstellar travel I've only lived in two states that are right next door to each other. I've been to Mexico once, but never to Canada.

IIRC, there were several off-world human colonies, but most humans still lived on Earth.

Just visiting other countries is a huge hassle and is sooooo expensive!!!!! What must it cost to visit another planet? I know lots of people who made it to Babylon 5 never made it home again.

I think there was an episode where Franklin talks about this. A lot of people could only afford a one-way ticket, and then hoped to get a job, but ended up living homeless. So certainly space travel is not cheap.

[Delenn_of_Mir]

The Centauri found them as well so no telling how many were there before that. (I think this comes up in "Thirdspace.")

That's right! The first ones made the first gates which the younger races then took advantage of when they began their own space explorations.

I find the apparent freedom of space exploration interesting. I am not well versed in science fiction, I only really know Babylon 5 and some Star Trek. But in Stargate, the human government hides the gate and acts as if the entire world would fall apart if the general population knew of the existence of aliens. And then you have shows like B5 where, everyone knows. Maybe it has to do with whether or not the current government at the time of first contact or the discovery of a gate has the opportunity to keep it a secret, and I suppose whether secrecy or upsetting the public is going to be in that particular political office's best interests at the time.

It may also be a genre thing? I am just today beginning to look at shows with regards to their genre to see the particular elements which make up each one.

Like with Jeremiah, it was really unfair of me to compare it to B5 because B5 is space opera and Jeremiah is dystopian/post acoplytic and so the genre's and the elements are entirely different.

And sorry for being rambly and flying off the grid here in my own thread. I'm just thinking out loud, If I may.

I seem to recall an idea about codes being needed, but then the Soul Hunter ship went through the gate in the second episode and that was a First Contact situation so I guess the gate just lets anyone pass.

Which is very nice of the gate

Maybe it was like one of those readers that charges your credit card through the booth; it charges the ship when they contact the hyperspace beacons! The only thing I recall being mentioned specifically was fees for docking at the station though; not sure if the gate cost money to use as well.

This surprises me a little. I can understand the first ones gates being free passes, but government are usually pretty greedy, and if there were any enterprising pirates out there. I would expect there to be space trolls at least

But perhaps charging for gate usage would end up being counterproductive in practice?

IIRC, there were several off-world human colonies, but most humans still lived on Earth.

I think there was an episode where Franklin talks about this. A lot of people could only afford a one-way ticket, and then hoped to get a job, but ended up living homeless. So certainly space travel is not cheap.

It would have been fun to see an episode or read a short story about one of those people. Maybe one day I will try my hand at B5 fanfic.

[WorkerCaste]

In "A View from the Gallery" didn't they talk about locking the gate out or shutting it down?

I seem to think that gates could be built/programmed to exclude ships, but by and large it was more like the freedom of the oceans. Everyone got to use them all to the mutual benefit of all.

[DaveNarn]

But in Stargate, the human government hides the gate and acts as if the entire world would fall apart if the general population knew of the existence of aliens. And then you have shows like B5 where, everyone knows. Maybe it has to do with whether or not the current government at the time of first contact or the discovery of a gate has the opportunity to keep it a secret, and I suppose whether secrecy or upsetting the public is going to be in that particular political office's best interests at the time.

That's an interesting point about the general population's acceptance of aliens and how each series had handled it.

I believe the difference is the Centari had made first contact before general knowledge of the gates.
The Stargate in SG1 had been discovered and activated before any first contact, so the military was just winging it.

Either way it would be interesting to see what proof of non-earth civilizations would have on our pop-culture.
Would we be more united as a result?

[Delenn_of_Mir]

That's an interesting point about the general population's acceptance of aliens and how each series had handled it.

I believe the difference is the Centari had made first contact before general knowledge of the gates.
The Stargate in SG1 had been discovered and activated before any first contact, so the military was just winging it.

Either way it would be interesting to see what proof of non-earth civilizations would have on our pop-culture.
Would we be more united as a result?

I also think Babylon 5 presents a more positive belief in the general reasonableness and goodness of most people, even aliens. Star Trek had that too, but maybe took it a little too far. B5 is still the optimists show, but it has plenty of realism as well.

Stargate took the conspiracy route, and so I guess was more cynical in it's portrayal of humans and governments.

[DaveNarn]

I also think Babylon 5 presents a more positive belief in the general reasonableness and goodness of most people, even aliens. Star Trek had that too, but maybe took it a little too far. B5 is still the optimists show, but it has plenty of realism as well.

Stargate took the conspiracy route, and so I guess was more cynical in it's portrayal of humans and governments.

Stargate is present day so unless a Goa'uld System Lord lands on the white house lawn, the conspiracy route does seem like a good fit.

[Delenn_of_Mir]

Stargate is present day so unless a Goa'uld System Lord lands on the white house lawn, the conspiracy route does seem like a good fit.

If you believe in the Roswell accounts the government already is involved in major conspiracies.

[Space Empress Sirikon]

Jump Gates make space travel a lot easier, since they open the portals into hyperspace instead of the individual ships. Most starships cannot open own portals and larger ones use Jump Gates whenever possible to save energy.

Most old Gates may have been build by the Vorlons as they are the only Old Race that makes use of them but in modern days, other species can build them too.

Minbar and Centauri Prime possessed ancient Gates, the inhabitants discovered them and achieved interstellar travel. Our Solar System had no Gate but the Centauri build one in Earth's orbit. Later humanity build an own one in Io's orbit or above Earth, too but they moved it and the Centauri Gate away, to prevent a possible hostile force from arriving right at their doorstep (imagine an enemy fleets drops out of the Gate and just nukes Earth).

The Earth Alliance established new colonies via Explorer ships, the largest EarthForce ships with over 6 km length, which can build new Jump Gates. Most inhabitated systems possess at least one Gate. Homeworlds like Minbar, Earth, Centauri Prime and Narn likely multiple ones. For example, Earth's economy depends on interstellar travel so it makes no sense to provide that with only one gate that can get destroyed in war or by terrorist attacks.

It is possible to destroy them, like Sheridan did with the Markab gate. The gate was open but he opened a second jump hole inside the gate with his ship, the gate just exploded.

Space travel is kinda common in the B5 universe. The point-of-view may falsify this, as the series is about space force personnel, interstellar ambassadors etc. which obviously have to leave their planets. Still, most people never leave the world they are born on.

In the slums of B5 people live that hoped to get a job on the station, but they haven't, as soon as the run out of money they landed there as the couldn't afford a ticket home. This means that a space flight ticket from Earth to B5 is equal in cost as several months of living.

The size of given militaries vary greatly in sources. From the show, I have the clear impression that all spacefleets are in range from a few hundred to a few thousand capital vessels. EarthForce may consist of ~1500 capital ships in 2258, Minbari ~2000, Centauri ~3000 and Narn ~<1000. But, A LOT OF fan sites and calculations talk of over 20,000 Earth vessels during the series. Because the hull numbers on Hyperion cruisers are in that range and the In the Beginning novelization says EarthForce consists of 60,000 ships. In reality hull markings don't correspondend to the vessels place in line of production always, the marking on one Hyperion was a joke from the 3D artist because it included his son's initials and birthday and the 60,000 ships include fighters, transports etc.
Compared to other SF series ships in B5 are quite large, standard capital vessels range in size over 1 km, in Star Trek most ships have half that long (Enterprise A-E 600-800 m) and in Mass Effect only dreadnoughts and carriers are that size (800-1500 m). Their crews are quite small, 350 for a 1 km Hyperion, 2000 on a 2 km Warlack or 1900 for a 1,6 km Sharlin. The Imperial Stardestroyer from SW is 1,6 km too and has over 20000 crewmen, a Superdreaghtnought from the Honorverse (1,2-5 km too) a crew of over 5000.

All species except a few have multiple colonies but I get the impression that the majority of any race still lives on their homeworld. Centauri have 40-48 billion people of those live 3,4 billion on C Prime, that means the bulk of them immigrated to other planets, most on the 12 core worlds Londo mentions in the pilot. Minbari may have more colonists than homeworlders too, though the B5-Wiki says they don't posses "major" ones (otherwise, that information is from a cook book^^).
Earth has established many colonies too. The ISN news moderator mentions "over two dozen colonies in different star systems", JMM said EA has 22 colonies, over 60 planets are known by name. Likely there are different ways how to count a "colony" and "member planet". Nevertheless, the majority of humanity resides on Earth itself.
The Gaim and Androma are limited to their homeworld/home system only.

So when the Centauri arrived they allowed humans to use their jumpgates until earthgov figured out how to build their own. I wonder how many jumpgates were out there?

The Centauri made first contact on April 7th 2156, an exploration vessel discovered the Solar System after humans managed to use hyperspace somehow the same year they opened a jump gate in Earth's orbit. 10-20 years later humans build an own gate in their home system.

Could anybody with a ship fly through one?

You need some kind of hyperdrive to open the portal,

Were there space toll booths?

The Centauri rented their gates to Earth for money before humans created their own network. Some planets and races demand tolls from other species for using their gates.

Could anybody with the knowhow and the money build a jumpgate? How would one own one?

6 km long Explorer class vessels can build new gates, but not alone as the gates are much larger than such a ship. I doubt that privat persons or corporations own any gates in the B5 universe.

Also how many average humans ever left earth? Even without interstellar travel I've only lived in two states that are right next door to each other. I've been to Mexico once, but never to Canada.

Hm Earth has established a lot of colonies though the absolute majority of the human race is still homeworld-resident. Earth has maybe 9-12 billion inhabitants and all colonies combined likely some hundred millions to few billion.
Space travel seems expensive but there are regular passenger liners, colonies, military etc., but I doubt that going to space is something regular for the general populace.

Just visiting other countries is a huge hassle and is sooooo expensive!!!!! What must it cost to visit another planet? I know lots of people who made it to Babylon 5 never made it home again.

Like I wrote before, several months worth of living, more than modern air travel between countries.