The particular value of pilot episodes

We did this once before and had a really good time. Covering pilot episodes specifically and exclusively to get at a high-concentration of scifi ideas and worldbuilding. And now we’re at it again with The 100!

Free-floating constructed space settlements

And their value versus planetary settlements or settlements otherwise on existing bodies in the solar system. Time to develop space settlements and what a dozen individual, national settlements suggest about the state of industry in space before the apocalypse in the show. Inflatables in space settlement.

Space resources

Both before and after earth enters nuclear winter. Water, air, hydrocarbons and where to find them.

Rules and enforcement under extreme circumstances

Freedom vs keeping everyone from dying. Reproduction policies. Simulations for generation ships - maintaining sufficient genetic diversity through selection and control of reproduction.

Aging equipment in spaaaaaaace

We hit on this once before in our Seveneves episode. Using landing vessels that have been sitting in orbit for a century. Don’t keep your equipment next to your bananas.

Nuclear apocalypse

The 7:10 rule. Human civilization vs survival of the human animal. Nuclear fallout and nuclear winter. Types of radiation and radiation cookie puzzles.

Post-Nuclear Earth

Ancient Roman artillery (ps we said “scorpio” but meant “ballista,” whoops). Bioluminescence in a forest.