Like any other space opera, Transcendence relies on a great deal of technobabble to justify its technology. This reference article describes the major places where Transcendence-science deviates from reality.
NOTE: This article is only about differences between in-universe science and real-world science. We exclude deviations caused by game mechanics (e.g., lack of light-lag, excessive acceleration, etc.).
Artificial Intelligence
Intelligence is a toolbox containing several separate capabilities: pattern recognition, conceptual inference, logic deduction, goal-seeking, language processing, etc. The Transcendence universe is filled with every variation of artificial intelligence: Some AIs are good at some capabilities but not others; some AIs exceed human capabilities in all dimensions.
For example, some AIs can translate any language, but they cannot form their own goals. Other AIs are able to recognize complex patterns, but are unable to describe them. A human-level AI is an AI that has all human capabilities. These AIs require a great deal of processing power (generally a quantum CPU or a biological neural net) and it isn't always worth the cost. Most AIs are used for relatively narrow tasks.
The biggest advantage of AIs is that they can be easily duplicated. Once you've developed a good facial recognition system you can copy it. The biggest drawback of AIs is that they generally lack the ability to make leaps of intuition, which require coordination across multiple capabilities. This is a technological limit, not an inherent limit.
There is no inherent limit to AI capabilities. More processing power (and more complexity) yields hyperintelligence. Luminous, for example, is a hyperintelligent AI that exceeds human level.
It is rare, however, to create an AI that has its own volition. It is not impossible (as Luminous demonstrates) but it is not necessary. Most AIs created by the Ancient Races lack independent volition (they only do what they are told). But there are some AIs with volition that are free (emancipated) and also some that are enslaved.
The technology to copy brains to digital form (as in Eternity Port) is different from AI technology. We do not fully understand the structure of the brain, and thus we can make a copy of it, but cannot easily modify it. The denizens of Eternity Port are (relatively) faithful reproductions, with some simple enhancements (faster processing and larger memory capacity), but are otherwise not too different from their original selves.
Consciousness
In Transcendence, consciousness is orthogonal to intelligence. Humans are conscious and intelligent. Rocks are neither. Animals are conscious but not intelligent. And most digital AIs are intelligent but not conscious (see: philosophical zombie).
Whereas intelligence is just information processing, consciousness is more. Consciousness is a complex superposition of space-time quanta (via transpace). That is, the physical basis of consciousness exists both in realspace (tied to a physical brain) and in transpace.
Organic brains form this superposition early in their development. After death, consciousness loses its connection to realspace, but some believe that it remains in transpace, though there is no evidence of this. Nevertheless, because consciousness is a distinct physical construct, it is more like the pre-scientific concept of a soul.
Digital AI is technically not conscious. Some kinds of artificial neural networks can be conscious (though humans do not have the technology to create them). The denizens of Eternity Port claim to be conscious; they believe that their original transpace superposition is now connected to their digital brains. There is no evidence of this, however.
The connection between consciousness and transpace explains two features of the Transcendence universe:
- Deep gravity wells (such as black holes) form concentrations of transpace, and thus enable higher forms of consciousness. Domina and Oracus have hyperintelligence (higher levels of information processing) and hyperconsciousness (higher forms of consciousness).
- Domina's consciousness can reach out via transpace to communicate with (and even influence) human consciousness. Since the connection is happening via transpace, it is instantaneous (not subject to light-speed limits). Note, however, that differences in brain structure mean that not all humans are susceptible to Domina's influence.
Dark Matter & Dark Energy
See: Shadowspace.
Exotic Elements
In the real world, elements above atomic number 101 are unstable: they decay in minutes or seconds. But there is a theory that there exists an "island of stability" above element 120. In Transcendence this island of stability is real and it allows for stable, exotic elements such as etherium (element 126).
Gravitons
In Transcendence, gravitons are multidimensional particles that carry force between realspace and transpace. In realspace they are extremely weak because the bulk of their energy is in transpace. But various transpace technologies can shift gravitons into realspace and carry immense amounts of energy (enough for weapons).
Gravity
Gravity is something to be avoided. Getting in and out of a gravity well, even one as shallow as Earth's, is expensive. The Ancient Races long ago adapted themselves to space and no longer need a gravity well for industry or habitation. Even humanity is slowly diverging into two separate cultures: one planet-bound and one born in space.
Nevertheless, sometimes you need gravity in space, and sometimes you need to climb in and out of a gravity well. The following are some technologies for dealing with gravity.
- Rotating structures: The easiest way to create artificial gravity is with a rotating structure. Most humans feel more comfortable in at least 0.5 g. Even some Ancient Races like having a small amount of gravity for traditional reasons.
- Acceleration: Accelerating ships cause G-forces. Some ships (like Xenophobe worldships) use constant acceleration to provide a simulation of gravity. High-acceleration ships are either autonomous or crewed by biological creatures suited to high-gravity.
- Inertialess drive: Inertialess drives work by manipulating transpace locally; they allow a ship to accelerate almost instantaneously to any speed. Note, however, that it is more efficient to adapt a species to high-acceleration (or to automate the ship) than it is to use inertialess drives to protect a fragile biological crew. In practice, only low-tech species transitioning to a space-based life use inertialess drives.
- Artificial gravity: Artificial gravity is available to the Ancient Races (using transpace devices). Like inertialess drives, they are not commonly used because it is more efficient to adapt to zero-G. Nevertheless, some species use them for tradition or even to flaunt their wealth.
- Space elevators: There is not much on a planet that cannot be created in space; and planets are much harder to defend than space-based stations. But when planets have unique resources or historic importance, space elevators are used to efficiently move up and down. Space elevators work on planets up to around 2 g; beyond that, no known material is strong enough to hold.
- Antigravity: Though it is possible in theory to negate the gravity of a planet (via transpace), in practice the energy required is equivalent to the mass of the planet, and thus wildly impractical. The Ancient Races do not have antigravity technology that can be used inside a gravity well.
Shadowspace
Dark matter and dark energy are ghostly particles that mirror real particles. There are dark protons, dark electrons, and dark photons. These dark particles exist all around us, but because there is almost no interaction between dark and real matter, we cannot see or touch it.
Nevertheless, these particles form a complete dark universe known as shadowspace. Shadowspace interacts with realspace via gravity and transpace. Dark matter clumps around gravity wells like stars and galaxies, and its gravity affects real matter.
Certain technologies allow us to reach into shadowspace and harness dark particles for our own purposes. But our knowledge of shadowspace is extremely rudimentary; there is evidence that dark matter can form complex patterns and even living creatures, but none have been definitively documented.
Transpace
Transpace is a separate spatial dimension in which the speed of light is different. Imagine that realspace is a flat plane. Within that flat plane, photons move at light-speed and no physical object can move faster.
As you move above the plane, the speed of light increases up to infinity; below the plane it decreases asymptotically to zero.
Stargates build tunnels into transpace that allow you to exceed the (realspace) speed of light as you pass through. Jumpdrives work in a similar way (but for much smaller distances).