Sylverin Says...
For centuries, Pirates and Ninjas have been battling it out, and I feel inclined to believe that they will continue to do so for a very long time. Which brings me straight to the point: who will still be around 1000 years from now - Pirates or Ninjas?
Lets take a quick look at where humanity will be in 1000 years, if we do indeed live that long. We should have done something drastic about climate change. World populations should be bursting at the seams. Computers should have reached a point where self awareness is a very good possibility. We should have a permanent colony on Luna. On Mars. And further afield.
However, more importantly, space travel should have reached a point where anyone like you or I could achieve a level of competence in piloting a spaceship similar to that of driving a car, and actually do so.
Which leads back to the question. If I were to bet a dollar today on who would win, and have it mature in 1000 years time, I would back the Pirates to still be around. Why? My case presents itself when you look at our expanding population. There once was a time where naughty men could slip about, free from the constraints of society, living the high life of adventure. Now, you can't pick your nose at sea without someone pulling you over and slapping you with a large trout. The point being that the world suddenly got smaller, therefore leaving less room for them to move and hide.
Now when, not if, space travel becomes as simple as getting a pilots license and buying your own ship, then the number of people getting out into the black will be astronomical. And with that many people out there, piracy is bound to skyrocket as well. The logic being that ships are valuable, their cargoes may be valuable, and the people themselves are easier to dispose of. I mean, it is incredibly difficult to find a man lost at sea. Imagine trying to find a needle in a haystack that is infinitely larger than normal!
Maybe I'm putting the wrong spin on this. When space travel does become that simple, we will expand in all directions. Directions that won't always be policed, let alone populated by Pirates. But expand we will. And piracy might not be huge straight off the bat, as we might actually be more interested in what is actually out there, rather than what our fellow travelers have in their cargo holds.
Sylverin
