How can monospecies empires like the Romulans and Klingons compete (long term) with the Federation?

[at Quark's]

^No, I don't believe them to be really monospecies either , but at least they seem to have a monospecies ruling class.

Come to think of it, totally unlike the Federation,where humans are very much only modestly represented, completely in proportion to all those other species with mature member worlds

 

[Lance]

Cardassians and Ferengi are definitely cultures that seem... mono. The Cardies feel quite Nazi or Eastern European, there doesn't seem to be much diversity there, and the Ferengi are pretty much the Ferengi and they're not ashamed by that

I always thought the theory behind the Kazon was good, in that it was meant to be so many factions that no two Kazon sects encountered by the Voyager should be alike... on paper, at least, in practice like so many things in that series they struck out in actually realizing that on screen

 

[Shawnster]

They might have different turtles on their heads in the TNG era but Klingons are really the same species from what we know of them! The TOS variety were the originals and you can believe the ENT solution or say they evolved and after that we've seen ridges, bones and shells with veins in their foreheads but they're still the same Klingons while the DSC lot are another universe entirely!
JB

I think you misunderstood Forbin's thought, but I could be wrong. I'm anxious to hear Forbin's response.

 

[Delta1]

This all while the Federation is supposed to make huge strides in that timespan, and combines the efforts, resources, economies and brightest minds and perspectives of an ever-growing number of species.

Most of the species in the Federation are evidently quite worthless. Humans seem to run the whole thing, with Vulcans acting as the power behind the throne. Every now and then a remarkable alien individual appears, but I suspect most of the Federation's worlds are like Risa or Betazed; nice places to visit, but not strategically relevant in any sense.

So, somehow the Klingons and Romulans must have kept up. But how can mono-species empires (or, at best empires with one single ruling class) hope to compete with them, long term?

They are intelligent and well-organized. Their respective civilizations have been unified for hundreds or thousands of years. Their unitary identity gives them the resolve to outlast the Federation, which is always balancing opposing views, in any conflict short of mutual genocide.

 

[JirinPanthosa]

It's not about your numbers, it's about the size of your guns.

 

[Annorax849]

I just assume pretty much all the territorial races, even smaller ones like Talarians and Gorn, have at least a few subject races beneath them.

 

[Forbin]

I think you misunderstood Forbin's thought, but I could be wrong. I'm anxious to hear Forbin's response.

I was facetiously saying what I wish the shows would have done, rather than trying to convince us that all the Klingons we've seen are the same species, and that the forehead thing was a virus. I wish the shows would have realized that the Klingon Empire is an empire! - composed of many planets, with many races and many species. Look at the ethnic diversity in the US military services, and the former Soviet services. Look at the legions of Rome, which were composed of men from all over the Empire. The logical answer to the different looks of Klingons was that we were encountering Klingon soldiers that came from different planets within the Empire - in TOS were only happened to meet Klingons with smooth foreheads from a particular region near Federation Space. As time went on we met Ridgeheads from Quonos. Or somethimg. But NOOoooooooo.

 

[johnnybear]

I just assume pretty much all the territorial races, even smaller ones like Talarians and Gorn, have at least a few subject races beneath them.

We don't know how big the Gorn forces are to be honest! We're told it is a hegemony but that's not really canon is it as it wasn't revealed to us in the episode, Arena!
JB

 

[Annorax849]

We don't know how big the Gorn forces are to be honest! We're told it is a hegemony but that's not really canon is it as it wasn't revealed to us in the episode, Arena!
JB

The term "Gorn Hegemony" was used on Enterprise. They didn't literally say it was the government of the Gorn, but we can probably assume it is unless they changed the name over the course of a hundred years or the "Hegemony" referred to a private corporation or sometime. Still, I'm mostly referring to the Gorn saying that Cestus III was within their "territory". Though I agree we don't really know how big they are; same with other races like the Tzenkethi.

 

[johnnybear]

But ENT isn't really the TOS timeline, there were some disruptions in there that never happened in the original!
JB

 

[EmoBorg]

The Borg were kinda egalitarian. They made everyone and anyone one of their own. Were they worse than the Romulans or pre TNG Klingons ?

 

[Lexx Shrapnel]

So, we are supposed to believe that species like the Klingons and Romulans are a significant threat when first encountered in the 22nd century, and stay so throughout the 23rd and 24th century.

But neither are they at any point in time so strong they can overpower the Federation without too much effort (well perhaps the Klingons could have with pre-Federation earth), or they would probably have done so, so they can't have had a huge headstart either.

This all while the Federation is supposed to make huge strides in that timespan, and combines the efforts, resources, economies and brightest minds and perspectives of an ever-growing number of species. So, somehow the Klingons and Romulans must have kept up. But how can mono-species empires (or, at best empires with one single ruling class) hope to compete with them, long term? Subjugation would be far less efficient than voluntary cooperation.

Where do they get their scientist and economies, if huge amounts of what they could generate is spilled under a warrior caste (or stifled under a senate and secret police that tightly controls society)?

EDIT: can't seem to get rid of these annoying HTML-codes for which I apologise (not even deletion of entire paragraphs seems to help (and can't delete this opening post) ).

It's a space adventure. IRL political science and and sociology is rarely used.