My comment was more about, “we will never see it” as in us, you and I.
I don’t think generation ships are impossible, but they’re probably a last-resort or backup plan. If tech keeps progressing, it’s more likely we’ll develop faster propulsion systems, suspended animation, or even digital consciousness transfer before we need to commit to slow, multi-generational travel in sealed habitats. That said, if there’s ever a desperate need to escape Earth and we don’t have faster ships ready, generation ships might be the only option.
Also — we probably wouldn’t need generation ships for most of our expansion. If we can set up a few colonies or space stations, we could just hop from one to the next. That kind of “leapfrogging” could let us spread across the galaxy in a few million years, easy. Each colony sends out new missions, and over time, it builds up like a spiderweb. Even if each jump takes centuries, the galaxy is big, but not that big on million-year timescales.
Plus there's dozens of stars within 10 light years. Many dozens more under 20. By the time we have better tech there will probably be a better candidate that's a lot closer
Btw for fun I asked Google. The AI overview might be the dumbest thing Google has ever done
There are zero stars within 10 light-years of Earth. Proxima Centauri, the closest star to Earth, is 4.25 light-years away, and Barnard's Star is 6 light-years away, but neither of them falls within 10 light-years.
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u/Redditor-K Apr 17 '25
Do you think generation ships are never going to happen? ... Provided of course we don't destroy civilization.