Lore of our starting setup.

[Wade1000]

I like to think of Distant Worlds as starting as mid way between a Type 2 civilization(Star Trek) and a Type 3 civilization(Star Wars).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXqbi3kaYxg (Michio Kaku: WIll We Ever Be a Galactic Civilization?)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Type_3_Civilization (Kardashev scale)
The ships and bases are huge; space bases being nearly planet sized. Yet, my empire is not, yet, nearly advanced enough to build larger Orbital population centers, Ringworlds, and Sphereworlds. (Those might come later...in a game expansion. )

To me, the starting planets and solar system map circle are abstracted to represent an average of the core planets in my empire. The blue colored, shaded area around that cirlce represents outer colonies, bases, and some scouting done.
I like to imagine the background stars in my empire as representing some of the major star sytems of my empire. The playable stars of the galactic map represent an average of all the stars for its area.

This is how I imagine it. I feel that I control an epic empire with a grand history that is beginning a new era of moving beyond the home sector.(Maybe like a continuation of an empire from other 4X games.)

That's my imagination. I know others have other lore ideas. Does anyone else imagine it similiar to me?
What are your lore imaginings?

[Gertjan]

Interesting post Wade. I dont know much about the "science" behind science fiction. So, when I have more time (when my addiction to DW is lessening), I might want to read and watch some of the interesting things you have been posting here.

[mbar]

I'm a bit burned out about thinking what the future will be like. Heck I thought we'd be using fusion power by now and not needing to scramble for oil or bury fission rods into a mountain. Cell phones are cool though.

[HsojVvad]

I don't think of the Space Stations as big as a planet. I just think they are so high above the planet, that yes they are big, but not even 1/10th the size of a planet but since they orbit so high above the planet and we are looking down ( or is it up, since the planets rotate clockwise) that the Space Station just covers the planet. Just like your thumb. Is it bigger than the Sun? No but since the distance is so far apart your thumb can block out the sun.

But I like to add Lore to my games as well. It makes it more fun and roll playing like a bit.

[Nemo84]

The ships and bases are huge; space bases being nearly planet sized.

I think you're confusing graphical representation size with in-universe size. If ships and space bases were really that huge, it would also mean the average cruiser could only traverse a distance about twice its own length per day. If the ship scales were accurately represented compared to the size of a solar system, they would simply be invisibly small. So they're all made to look huge.

Think of the ship icons as the Battlefleet Gothic miniatures. They look huge and slow, and battles look very close-range, but in reality the base those models are mounted on represent several hundred thousand kilometers of empty space.

[Gertjan]

I like the way how Sins scales things. But for more 4x/strategy type of games such as DW, I dont mind the scaling, it has to be user/gameplay friendly

[Wade1000]

Nope. I'm not confusing graphical representation size with in-universe size. I had considered that. It's just how I like to imagine epic civilizations.
 
I imagine nanite and energy to matter conversion technology involved in the construction process, to explain some of the build times.
As to the size  in ratio to the distance traveled, I suppose I will have to abstract that more.
 
Consider though, it can be viable that they be the size I mention. The high maintenance (prior to update 1.02, and likely with a soon update) can be due to their massive size. The, to me, small numbers of ships we start with(If you imagine like me that our system represents a whole sector area of our empire) can be due to the resources used to make massive ships and bases instead of many more smaller ships and bases.
Later, we might have hundreds of ships and bases. It would seem that a huge galactic empire should have many more ships and bases...like thousands.. or millions. Many people might abstract them then to represent more. Yet some say they don't like to abstract that way. Thus, I imagine the ships and bases as huge and not abstracted in numbers.