Most Powerful Sci-Fi Civilization

Discussion in 'Science Fiction & Fantasy' started by Harbinger, Dec 26, 2012.

  1. Harbinger

    Harbinger Lieutenant Commander Red Shirt

    Joined:
    Jul 12, 2012
    Was curious what everyone thinks could be the most powerful sci-fi civilization in science fiction. Let's for a moment forget about "Q" since we know they're omnipotent beings unmatched in Star Trek. Sure, Continuum are powerful but we already know this and we already know they could probably win for being the most powerful.

    We have an assortment of ridiculously powerful beings, from Doctor Who's Time Lords and you have things like The Culture, The Foundation, The Forerunners (and maybe even grossly more powerful than them, the Precursors), The Leviathans (who were nearly wiped out by their own machines), The Gree, etc. ad nauseum.

    Who do you feel would be able to at least come close, to say, Q and his race? Who is the most technologically, ridiculously powerful race in all of sci-fi?
     
  2. Davros

    Davros Fleet Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Mar 8, 2001
    Location:
    Kaled bunker, Skaro
    I might be suspected of bias, but the Daleks are the superior life form in the universe. :)
     
  3. Nerys Myk

    Nerys Myk A Spock and a smile Premium Member

    Joined:
    Nov 4, 2001
    Location:
    AI Generated Madness
    They even figured how to go up stairs!!!!!
     
  4. Harbinger

    Harbinger Lieutenant Commander Red Shirt

    Joined:
    Jul 12, 2012
    Well, if we're going by bias I would choose Precursors, even though we don't know anything about them. Heh. :P

    But, seeing as how powerful the Forerunners were, it may be safe to say the Precursors are very much god-like. The Forerunners themselves had an empire that spanned millions of planets, built near solar system sized Dyson spheres, could traverse Slipspace accurately and even traveled to other dimensions (and to some degree, time), were able to digitize organic life in large quantities (the Composer), move planetary objects through slipspace and had intergalactic travel, created their own galaxy spanning "VR" (the Domain), built weapons that could destroy organic life on a galactic scale, etc. These guys were serious stuff! Now imagine the one's who came before them who also created them (and humans) and created the one threat that can devour entire galaxies and that's even ridiculously more powerful!
     
  5. Edit_XYZ

    Edit_XYZ Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

    Joined:
    Sep 30, 2011
    Location:
    At star's end.
    The Q, as seen, can create an universe/a reality by snapping his fingers - omnipotent/beyond physical law, etc.

    All the forerunner achievements you named are child's play by comparison - and certify that the forerunners were most definitely bound by physical law.

    Not to mention, none of these ancient "god-like" civilizations were powerful/smart enough to prevent their own extinction. Which is more than enough to destroy any "god-like" mystique.
     
  6. The Mirrorball Man

    The Mirrorball Man Vice Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Dec 18, 1999
    Location:
    Switzerland
  7. Bob Morton

    Bob Morton Lieutenant Commander Red Shirt

    Joined:
    Dec 27, 2010
    Location:
    BC, Canada
    The Humans of the Greater Commonwealth (Peter F. Hamilton) are pretty powerful as they are, but when facing a superior adversary, become even more powerful as they learn from the war with the enemy.

    Effective immortality, The Deterrence 'Fleet', Dyson Barrier Shielding, 100+ light year per hour ship speeds. They are not God-like, yet, and could probably be wiped out by a Q, but maybe a way could be found to bind the Q to the physical universe and limit the Magics.

    Anyway I really root for the Humans and a positive future, maybe I'm biased.
     
  8. MacLeod

    MacLeod Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Mar 8, 2001
    Location:
    Great Britain
    They might be except for one minor little detail, they seem to keep losing to the Timelords, esp. the one known as The Doctor.
     
  9. Captain Nebula

    Captain Nebula Commander Red Shirt

    Joined:
    Feb 12, 2010
    A galaxy-spanning civilization that can make a planet-destroying laser in a mobile space station the size of a small moon. Although I hear that it's insignificant next to the power of the Force.
     
  10. Harbinger

    Harbinger Lieutenant Commander Red Shirt

    Joined:
    Jul 12, 2012
    That's why I wanted to keep "Q" out of this discussion. Heh. We already know him and Q's are grossly powerful. I think I probably wanted to keep more on track with a civilization that started off mortal/corporal and eventually climbed its way to the top. Q were all powerful beings since the beginning, as far as we know.

    BTW Edit, yeah the Forerunners got pretty hurt badly, one might say but then there's the Precursors. They are considered Transentient. Nobody knows what happened with them but guesses are they left the galaxy and/or this universe. All we know about them is that they had technology that worked on "neural physics", seeing as how they believed the universe was a living thing and that at least one of them might have become a Gravemind (The Primordial/Timeless One).
     
  11. Silvercrest

    Silvercrest Vice Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Oct 4, 2003
    I think the Borg meet that definition.
     
  12. Auralis

    Auralis Captain Captain

    Joined:
    Jan 23, 2004
    Perry Rhodan setting, Kosmokrats, Chaotrachs.
    They live outside the known multiverse, in a realm that can can't be understand by beings from the multiverse. They can alter the laws of nature, create universes or destroy them. And of course anything simpler then that.
     
  13. Australis

    Australis Writer - Australis Admiral

    Joined:
    Mar 12, 2005
    Location:
    The Edge of Reality
    Despite what m'co-named above says, the Culture. Hands down.
     
  14. P0sitr0nic

    P0sitr0nic Vice Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Sep 23, 2001
    Location:
    Jedi Council
    The Asgardians from Marvel Comics (Thor) spring to mind.
     
  15. Asbo Zaprudder

    Asbo Zaprudder Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Jan 14, 2004
    Location:
    Rishi's Sad Madhouse
  16. Gov Kodos

    Gov Kodos Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Mar 23, 2004
    Location:
    Gov Kodos on Mohammed's Radio, WZVN Boston
    Amber and The Courts of Chaos, everything else is the realm of shadows.
     
  17. Ethros

    Ethros Vice Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Nov 4, 2001
    Location:
    1123 6536 5321
    The Pakleds
     
  18. Robert Maxwell

    Robert Maxwell memelord Premium Member

    Joined:
    Jun 12, 2001
    Location:
    space
    Yeah, I have to go with the Culture.
     
  19. RAMA

    RAMA Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Dec 13, 1999
    Location:
    USA
    Its impossible to answer a question when we can't begin to understand civilizations as all powerful as the Q, or any number of ancient civilizations starting with those in the Lensman and Starmaker and continuing with works of Stephen Baxter, Ian Banks, etc. My mind reels at the thought of quantifying them...

    A speculation: an ultimate advanced technological civilization (The Q are not technological) would be able to harness/control matter and energy in the universe, they would imbue anything that can process information down to molecular level with "smart technology". The entire universe might be a quantifiable, operating, sentient computer.
     
  20. Santaman

    Santaman Vice Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Jul 27, 2001
    Location:
    Tyre city
    The Q are little brats and quite powerless when it comes to the beings in the Perry Rhodan series.

    To quote wiki:

    To all life, an evolutionary theory called the "onion-shell-model" is employed. It states, that there is a continuous evolution from lower life-forms (bacteria) to higher life-forms like intelligent life and finally bodyless entities. Upon invention, the onion-shell-model was used by the authors as if there are definite and discrete stages in cosmological evolution. However, later in the series further life-forms, representing stages between the known shells, were introduced.

    The main shells are:

    life-less matter
    bacteria
    higher animals
    intelligent species
    intelligent species, that have contacted other species
    superintelligences (SI)
    matter-fountains/matter-sinks
    cosmocrats/chaotarchs (high powers)

    The Q would be merely a superinteligence species, cosmocrats and chaotarchsare a few whole levels more powerful, they rule EVERY universe.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perry_Rhodan

    As for technology, Rhodan's humanity itself has ships of immense power, a single one of those that can totally wipe out the Borg without breaking a sweat, or being in danger for one second.