Earth Empire

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The Earth Empire existed from circa the early 26th century until its fall circa the late 30th century.

History

The definitive date of the formation of the Empire remains unknown. One account says that the Empire existed in 2501 (NSA: The Monsters Inside. Another set in the 2530s, mentions an Earth Federation exiting at that time (PDA: The Colony of Lies). It seems likely that an Earth Alliance or Earth Federation formed the core of the nascent empire.

The Earth Empire continued to grow and established Skybases as command centers wherever Earth had a presence. (DW: The Mutants, MA: Cold Fusion) In the 26th century, Humans occupied one part of the Milky Way galaxy, while the Draconian Empire occupied another part. There was a war between the two powers, ending with Articles of Peace that guaranteed a "frontier in space" between the two; trade agreements and cultural exchanges were made to lessen tensions. (DW: Frontier in Space) In 2540, the Master, employing Ogrons, stirred up war between Earth and Draconia on behalf of the Daleks. His plan was exposed, however, (DW: Frontier in Space) and the Second Dalek War began. (NA: Return of the Living Dad) (The First Dalek War was probably the 22nd century Dalek invasion of Earth.)

By 2472, Earth was severely polluted and overpopulated, with 100 billion citizens. (DW: Colony in Space) Food had to be imported from the colonies. In the 26th century, new cities like New Glasgow & New Montreal were being built in the Arctic, and population control laws restricted families to just one child (unless they moved to the Arctic cities). A free press and broadcasting service existed. (DW: Frontier in Space)

Not every Human in space chose to live in the Earth Empire. One band of the anarchist Travellers, for example, settled on Heaven, a neutral planet used as a burial ground by both sides. (NA: Love and War)

In later centuries, a Divine Empress was established as head of the Empire. (NA: Original Sin) By 2982, the current Empress was centuries old and her mind was slaved to the computer intelligence Centcomp, which effectively ran her Empire. (NA: So Vile a Sin)

In 2957, Earth had recently fought the Wars of Acquisition, and an aged Divine Empress still reigned from her Imperial Palace in orbit around Saturn. Some imperial subjects of this time showed prejudice against other species (even though humans, by this time had learned to "body bepple" into new, sometimes alien-seeming forms). Silurians and Sea Devils had the highest status among non-human species, as they were Earthborn. The rich lived in hovering Overcities, leaving the poor and the alien in the polluted surface of the Earth. (NA: Original Sin)

During 2981, as a war with the Ogrons dragged on, the Doctor and his companion, the Adjudicator Roz Forrester (as well as Chris Cwej, also a native of that era) got involved in a political struggle while culminated in the installation of Roz's sister, Leabie, as the new Empress. (NA: So Vile a Sin)

By the 30th century and early 31st centuries, environmental devastation had degraded Earth's ecology. The Empire also had begun to crumble: with Earth exhausted politically and economically, it was simply unable to afford an Empire and began giving independence to its colonies. (DW: The Mutants, MA: The Sorcerer's Apprentice) Its collapse left a power vacuum that, by the 40th century, would be filled by the Galactic Federation, which would be less Earth-centric and Human-dominated. (NA: Legacy)

Technology

Empire ships were generally built of spheres, connected together with scaffolding. Ships were covered with bas-relief carvings of leaves and faces and other such decorations. The designs used by the Earth Empire was considered to be unpleasant by other species. (MA: The Dark Path)

A specific type of ship was the Dauntless-class Imperial Destroyer. (MA: The Dark Path)

The citizens of the Empire (and others) used puterspace, a form of virtual reality. (NA: Love and War) The Empire's monopoly on null-grav technology kept it powerful. (NA: Original Sin)

Political System

The Earth Empire was a lumbering bureaucracy with as many civil servants as civilians. The planetary or colonial governor of a planet was called a Viscount. (MA: The Dark Path) In the 26th century it was overseen by a President of Earth, who headed a world government with a Cabinet, a congress, and a senate; a democratic opposition existed within the congress and senate. The government also possessed a Bureau of Population Control. An outlaw political group, the Peace Party, existed and attempted to gain power. (DW: Frontier in Space)

Eventually, the Empire would be run by a Divine Empress with absolute control.

There also existed an Earth Reptile Economic Confederation in the 30th century. (NA: So Vile a Sin)

The Folflower System was relatively unique by having a constitutional monarchy for the majority of the duration of the Empire. (TDL: The Graves of Mordane)


Military Forces

In purely military matters, the President's power was limited; to overrule the head of the military in these matters, the President would need the backing of the full Senate. (DW: Frontier in Space)

The Empire had the Spacefleet (NA: Deceit) and an Imperial Navy (MA: The Dark Path). Security was provided by the Landsknechte or Naval Troops. (MA: The Dark Path) They also had a feared Earth Security organisation that interrogated suspected traitors, including the use of mind probes. A Special Security Act allowed the President to deport traitors to the Lunar Penal Colony without trial. (DW: Frontier in Space)

In 2540, some of the senior military officials believed a military dictatorship would lead to a more effective and stronger Empire. (DW: Frontier in Space)

In later centuries, the Empire's forces would begin conquering alien races and inhabited worlds. (NA: Original Sin)

In 2982, the special army/religious order Unitatus was part of Earth's defences. (NA: So Vile a Sin)

Crime and Punishment

In the 25th century, the Adjudicators Bureau settled legal disputes in the Empire and enforced Earth law. (DW: Colony in Space) In the 26th century, Interplanetary Police Commissioners administered off-planet law, possessing their own ships with cell facilities. (DW: Frontier in Space)

During the war, condemned criminals were given the choice to be sent into Dalek space as Dalek Killers, essentially a suicide mission, rather than execution. (DWM: Abslom Daak... Dalek Killer)

Under the Special Security Act, political dissidents went to the Lunar Penal Colony (DW: Frontier in Space, NA: Love and War), Justicia (NSA: The Monsters Inside) or Draconian Penal Colonies. (MA: The Dark Path). The Lunar colony was a life sentence. Many of the dissidents were members of the Peace Party. One Peace Party member remarked to the Doctor that you could be arrested merely for criticising the government. Hardened criminals from regular prisoners were hired as trustees at the Lunar Penal Colony. (DW: Frontier in Space)

In the later years of the Empire, the Adjudicators (now the Guild of Adjudicators) would transform into an armed law enforcement body. (MA: The Dark Path)

Territories

Colonies under Earth control included Sirius IV (DW: Frontier in Space), the Althosian system (NA: The Pit), Beta Caprisis, Mal Oreille, the Justicia System (NSA: The Monsters Inside), the Folflower System (TDL: The Graves of Mordane), and Solos. (DW: The Mutants)

In the 25th century, planets were tasked for either colonisation or mining. (DW: Colony in Space) There were often tensions with the colony worlds, even into the 26th century. (DW: Frontier in Space)

Some of these planets, such as Sirius IV, had dominion status, allowing them to tax and try their own citizens. Some on Earth looked down on them, seeing them as still colonies. (DW: Frontier in Space)

The Empire would go on capture and subjugate many inhabited planets and their indigenous populations. (NA: Original Sin) (NA: So Vile a Sin) An apartheid system would be in place on a number of these planets, such as Solos. (DW: The Mutants)

In the 30th century, the Empire began to collapse. Many colonies were given independence. (DW: The Mutants)

Notable Individuals

As noted previously, the Adjudicators Chris Cwej and Roz Forrestor of the powerful Forester family grew up in the late Earth Empire period of the 30th century. (NA: Original Sin)

Two other, very different 26th century individuals, both of whom had loved ones killed by the Daleks (and who would one day meet (DWM: Emperor of the Daleks) lived during the earlier history of the Empire:

Also, though originally native to the late 1980s prior to her travels with the Doctor, Ace decided to stay on Heaven at the same time as Benny joined (NA: Love and War) She joined Spacefleet, where she served for at least three years in her mid-to-late twenties. (NA: Deceit)

See Also

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