[CT27]

Assuming that the GTVA reopens the Sol-Delta Serpentis node and that contact goes fairly well (i.e. no war like Inferno or War In Heaven) and both sides agree to integrate...

Would Sol become the GTVA Terran capital eventually or would that remain Delta Serpentis (I don't actually know if it is, but a FS2 campaign I just played said DS was the seat of government for the Terran half of the GTVA)?

[Trivial Psychic]

I believe that Delta Serpentis was where the provisional government was set up immediately after the Sol node collapsed.  By FS2 time however, GTVA has its seat of power in Beta Aquilae.

[Black Wolf]

The exact structure of the Terran half of the GTVA is pretty loosely defined - there's a lot of room for interpretation about who precisely has power, where it's centralized etc. etc.

The nature of Sol's role in a post-reunification galaxy depends just way, way too much on exactly what's been going on in there for the several decades after FS1, as well as exactly how the Terran half of the GTVA would feel about ceding authority back to Sol. My gut feeling is that, given their integration and interactions with the Vasudans, the existing Terran authorities in the GTVA have probably moved too far away ideologically from whatever would emerge from Sol to simply give power back to them. I suspect that, assuming as you have that there wouldn't be a war, Sol would probably eventually become a separate but equal power within the framework of the GTVA, if for no other reason than mutual defence against the Shivans.

Full governmental reintegration of the Terran species would probably happen some way down the road, but I suspect it'd be a long process. The specific location of the eventual capital... again, would depend on a lot of other factors, but it would probably be Sol - but again, that would be years and years after the portal opened up.

And, of course, this is just my interpretation/belief. Yours or anyone else's could be completely different and just as valid.

[Klaustrophobia]

+1 for sol becoming the third wheel. 

[Gray113]

I'm working on this right now. My Idea is that in order to placate Vasudan concerns of the Terran block of the GTVA becoming to powerful the Sol government remains separated from the GTVA. This also suits the colonist leadership who did not wish to hand power back to a centralised government based around Earth. Instead Earth and it's colonies will become an associate member of the alliance with no say in GTVA policy or military strategy, but will be a full trading partner allowing for the sharing and joint development of new technologies. All new colonies founded by Earth will be under the control of Earth and all colonies founded by the GTVA will be under the control of their respective governments. Shared technology and partnership in new enterprises will however start off a new golden age of reconstruction and colonisation.
The governments will slowly merge into a unified structure but the process will take decades with many bumps along the way. (inspired by the EU) In order to placate this a priority will be given to finding habitable colonies for Vasudans in order to allow them to increase their numbers which are now dwarfed by the human populace.

[headdie]

I think Black Wolf has nailed it, Sol becoming the seat of the Terran government is entirely believable but only after a considerable amount of time under normal circumstances, probably in the order of generations so tens or more likely hundreds of years.

on the other hand if some large scale event were to happen where Sol could come to the rescue and seize/earn considerable political/public influence in the process then this might conceivably speed up, though there might be resentment as a result.

[Luis Dias]

BP does deal with this issue, and it makes the case that the war is a necessary evil to stop the processes that are inevitable due to the intersection between Sol's own ideologies and soft power and GTVA's objectives.

That's one possible answer out of a million. If you consider that Sol has instead imploded in downright depression, tribal warfare and, why not, nuclear war, the variables would rather shift in many different directions. If you envision however that Sol is more or less OK and the outer colonies are really an amazing economic and social miracle due to some unexpected technological changes or whatever, then a massive migration should be expected from Sol to Delta Serpentis, etc. The Power structures all depend on these much more fundamental vectors, and as we are seeing, they can vary wildly as the writer will want them to.

[headdie]

the thing I like about the BP example of Sol is that the system is portrayed at the start as self sufficient with a reasonably effective government and indeed the war was not inevitable as the UEF would have at least on the surfaced welcomed the GT(V)A's return to the system.

[NGTM-1R]

I tend to regard the possibility of a war in Sol (after the collapse of the nodes, that is) as a faint one, as it requires a high level of incompetence on the part of whatever standing or improvised military forces the GTA has in place when the node goes down. Spaceships are not AKs and you can't make them in your bathtub. They're high-profile, the production and infrastructure necessary for that production is easily monitored and easily interdicted. Without ships, no war is possible until a new logistic infrastructure can be assembled to create them; something that could easily be a task of decades and difficult to do in secret.

If I were to ever address this in a story, it's likely that I'd go with Sol being the guy huddled up in the corner with a gun in each hand, staring into the dark and twitching occasionally, thinking the rest of the universe is gone. Failing that, present it as a fiat accompli; Sol is a third power to the existing Terran and Vasudan voting blocks in the General Assembly.

[Luis Dias]

A system filled with rage by the other humans and vasudans linking Sol again to the rest of such a xenocidal galaxy could also be quite funny.

A war could easily start with the intent of attacking / protecting the sol jump gate. The first ones blaming the second ones for risking to bring the Shivans again, the others blaming the first for being so aggressive and calling the Shivans' attention. Finally the Shivans would become too tired of this **** and would finally wipe the galaxy of this scum. AAA material right here.

[Klaustrophobia]

just to remind everyone... the initial post stipulates that war does NOT break out.

[NGTM-1R]

just to remind everyone... the initial post stipulates that war does NOT break out.

Yes, but why should we restrict the discussion like that when we can talk about war/not war in reasoned way?

[CT27]

If Sol did become a third component of the GTVA rather than just being absorbed into the Terran part, what would their ships be designated as?

For example would one of its destroyers have the designation GED or GSD?

[Gray113]

Is Earth Government (EarthGov) too babylon 5?

[redsniper]

If Sol did become a third component of the GTVA rather than just being absorbed into the Terran part, what would their ships be designated as?

For example would one of its destroyers have the designation GED or GSD?

UED...... or EAD....

[An4ximandros]

 You can type the full allegiance name on the ship class: SolD, SolC, SolCv, SolJ, SolSD, SolD, SolB, SolSh, SolFg, Etc. This one works because the name of the system is short.

[CT27]

You can type the full allegiance name on the ship class: SolD, SolC, SolCv, SolJ, SolSD, SolD, SolB, SolSh, SolFg, Etc. This one works because the name of the system is short.

However, if they become the 'third wheel' of the GTVA, wouldn't they have to put a "G" in front?

[headdie]

depends how integrated they actually are.

• If they are fully integrated into the terran block then there would be no need for a separate designator.
• If they are integrated into the alliance as a separate government/political entity then no as they are not a galactic element which i always took to meaning the government that governs all/near all Terran activity in which case something like ST - Sol Terran would be more accurate for the Sol faction

The alliance acronym would be tricky to figure out though if the Sol element was to get a separate mention if you try to do it without giving the sol faction precedence while avoiding giving them the galactic designation.

[An4ximandros]

GSTVA, GTVSA, GTSVA?

You could change the name to something else as well. Example: STV Alliance; or HV Alliance; or *Creative name here*

EDIT: or something simpler: the Triple Alliance / Triple Galactic Alliance

EDIT 2: I just noticed that you can call it the Galactic Triple Alliance.

[TrashMan]

I think Sol would be the seat of power again. After all, it is hte most well-developed and most populated human planet, with a lot of significance to the human race.
The industrial base alone would make it a power-house.

Ideological differences? I don't think there would be any that are big enough to prevent fast integration.
The Terrans and Vasudans were allies at the end of the first war, so anti-vasudan sentiment is not something I'd see a problem, especially given there there are no vasudans in Sol to breed that (unless you count the few vasudan fighters that came trough, but those wouldn't be the problem), and given that the generation that fought would be gone by then.
The NFT arised because of the economic collapse and vasudans boom - conditions that do not exist in Sol.