Would the Dregarian ever survive to the Galactic level?

They don't kill themselves, they kill Torians, Altarians, humans, etc. They are very tasty!!!!

I wouldn't be surprized if they blew themselves up, but I also wouldn't be surprized if their cunning and intelligence found a solution to that.

It's the total pacifists that I don't think would survive to be the dominant species on their planet, let alone start wandering the stars.

why wouldnt a pacifist species be able to survive on there planet? if a herbivor species gained intelligence and was completely pacifist all they would have to do is build a wall of some sort or go into a cave and defend it and most predetors would be kept at bay, since there staying in one spot they begin to expirement ways of increasing food production in there area thus the dawn of the agricultural revolution for them, since they are pacifists and no energy is spent on killing eachother they can focus energy on making there lives better and keeping the predetors at bay beyond there walls, resulting in population booms and discovery after discovery not hindered by the destroying power of war.

the only promblem, they can overpopulate too quickly cover there planet eat all the food die and go extinct, but lets assume that they are able to increase food production to the point that they dont have to worry about that

without any war the governments that would be formed would focus on two things: increasing there understanding of the universe and increasing there comfort and without the need for funding an army or defense beyond the fact of keeping the predetors, who by this time are beginning to die out now that there main food source can hide behind walls and have pointed sticks to use against them, they would be able to do these things really well

the only promblem that i can see would be overpopulation but natural things such as disease floods and other natural disasterrs should stop that from being a serious promblem in the early years

I think it was put best by someone (can't remember who) who said that it doesn't take much intelligence to sneak up on a carrot. I'm not ruling out intelligent pacifistic herbivors, but I don't think they'd evolve on a planet with predators and it's hard to imagine a total lack of predators (though James P. Hogan did a good job in the "Gentle Giants" series of books).

In your example, the herbivors would have to reach a point that they could be intelligent enough to wall themselves in. That's the hard part, and that's also the part that wired man to be the overly aggressive, underly hairy ape that he is. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that aggressive behavior isn't something we should strive to overcome. I've often referred to the kind of aggressive stupidity that makes the news as a million years of evolution to perfect the idiot. But I'm also not going to overlook the role it played in making man the dominant species on the planet.

I honestly believe that almost any intelligent species would have to have at least latent ability to get aggressive, or at least defensive. Intelligence was evolution's answer to a problem that doesn't necessarily apply to other situations.

Every single organism on this planet posesses at least rudimentiary defense and attack mechanisms, right down to the cellular level. Think virus. By just being alive an organism is inherently violent, as it competes with other organisms for those resources necessary to sustain life (in the case of a bipedal ape-like species those would be food, water and shelter). In fact I'd argue that a completely docile organism wouldn't last more than a few seconds. Competition and the ensuing violence are fundamentals of this universe - I reckon we'll find that trend will continue as we (if we) extend deeper into space.

It's ironic don't you think! If we can't wage war we're dead meat... If we know war it's because we've learnt it by killing ourselves. OH THE HUMANITY! Lolzords.

i dont think that you guys are giving docile organisms a chance, that may be becasue we cant think about a world at peace without war for more than a couple of years ubt just for a moment imagine what technological state we would be at if no wars ever ruined or destroyed knowledge and all funding that went to wars was instead turned into funding for the sciences and for beetter living, a species could become highly successful if they dont ahve to bear the burdon of killing themselves

Actually, I have thought about it. Without conflict, I don't think a race would be as motivated to improve on their situation. Why invent a wall if you have noone to keep out? Many computer hobbyists know that the first programmable digital computer was ENIAC, but how many know what ENIAC was for? It was for the military (originally for computing artillery firing tables). First viable jet engines? The military. Where would the space program be if it weren't for the space race to get the first man on the moon?

Our aggressiveness makes us expand faster, so we have more resources to split up between survival and improving our situation (at least until we hit natural boundries, like a gravity well). We tackle problems aggressively and usually get aggressive results because of it. Without that aggression, intelligence would be less likely to evolve, and would actually take longer to reach our current level of technology.

I'm ashamed of what man is capable of doing to man, but without that aggressiveness, we wouldn't be man.

I've got to agree with Popup Target. Whitout wars, we would be nowhere near where we are now.

No planes (I know the first planes were developped by civil means, but the real beginning of planes as a real mean of transportation began after the First world war (where planes where introduced),

No nuclear reactor, no smoke detector, no MRIs (all of them became of fruition form the nuclear theory which was developped into pratical science in world war 2 (ie. Nuclear Bomb).

No Computer (read previous Post)

No Rockets (The first fonctionnal rockets where the V-1 and V-2 used by the Germans in World War 2)

No Radar (Developped by British in World War 2)

No Jet engine (read Post Above)

No Submarines (Germans and USA (World war1 and Secession War (Theory))

Now I Know, a few of those tech, if not all would have been developped one time or another, but the real thing is that war and therfore aggression serve as a real catalysator, a real booster for the progression of science because of the urgent need of those progress for the survival (of each camps) and the lower restrictions that those needs allow. Another exemple of that is the Bio-Warfare, as horrible that was (Germans concentrations camps and many other going back to the Romans), those tech allowed the progress of medecine to the level it is today. Whitout wars (and only talking of the two World Wars here), we would perhaps be at a technological level close of the 60s 70s still dreaming about the moon. and wondering what the hell happended to the Titanic.

As much as I hate wars, (Heh, I'm a Canadian), I really really can't ignore how much it was hugely responsible for how "confortable" we lives today.

Getting back on topic, it really isn't until nuclear or biological weapons (whichever comes first, depending on the tech bent of that civ) that a pre-spacefaring civilization could wipe itself out. Personally, I don't think that the Drengin ever would have gotten into the cold war to begin with, mostly because the first government to develop weapons of mass destruction would have quickly become THE world government. Also note I'm not saying that that would have been a preferable situation, but the reality that is is that they wouldn't have faced the same challenges on their way to the stars that we have.

Actually, I have thought about it. Without conflict, I don't think a race would be as motivated to improve on their situation. Why invent a wall if you have noone to keep out?

well for one thing in the beginning of that pacifist herbivors existance they would build a wall to keep predetors and build shelters against the environment, that was what the first simple walls of our ancestors were for, granted they became increasingly big due to attacks by nieghbors but the concept should still be able to be the same

as for incinative to become more advanced well for one thing they would definently become increasingly devoted to imporving there own life and increasing food production comfort exct and while i do concede to the fact that war was a major catalist to many of the things that we take for granted today however war is a double edged sword and can make things be destroyed or forgotten some examples would when the Romen empire collasped because of barbarian invasions the whole of Europe practically went backwards for years a simple thing like a dome would take 100s of years to be redelveloped in the Renassaunce. In WW2 many technoligies came about as a direct result of the war but bombing of European Cities destroyed artifacts museams and works of art

and just because they wouldnt raise a sword against eachother dosnt mean that they wouldnt get into contests to see who can win the most prestige and be the most technologically advance, it just means that in those battles they wouldnt try and kill eachother

i dont think that you guys are giving docile organisms a chance...

Exactly... This is because they don't have a chance to dominate at all. They're docile! Why would they want to?

well , in evolutionary terms, having a brain is a disadvantage, u need to wait alot of time for ur children to grow up and learn, also the brain is like a vacum cleaner when it comes to energy, so for a herbafor it would be an advanatge to grow an extra stomach instead of a brain (also a brain requires alot of protein, thats y meat is essencial for a brain)
secondly, people are there most creative and resourseful when there lifes are on the line, thats why most of our research been developed by the militray in some form.
lastly the dregarian might of had small conflict in the past, but if humans found out there was other hostile aliens, our pathetic politics prolems would most lily disolve and be concentrated on a greater problem.

First of all with the Dregin they could be xenophobic in their warlikeness and that means their race can be perfectly happy towards each other but when meeting another race can have instilled hatred towards them.  Maybe via the Vox they can't stand the way they look, or via the Ul-Quan they were once enslaved and now have hatred towards the other races because of that.

Evolutionary speaking the brain, intelligence for an herbivore is an upmost priority when speaking of survival.  There is no reason why an herbivore couldn't obtain sentience given the right conditions.  First assumption was that there were preditors on their world.  Lets say a simular enviornment to Earth.  For all we know they could be a Silicion Crystalline Creature who grows in a methane world.  No need for preditors in a world so hostile to life that you need to be a different type of organism, going off of the Carbon base, just for existiance.

Getting back to adaption, when evolution and mutation occurs the organism is always seeking a form with adaptations making it last longer.  Being smarter is a different way of having advantages then say another stomach, and it pays off differently as well.  Lets say a smarter Herbivore went off from an Area that they were gathering because it sensed a change in the weather/conditions and knew I need to look elsewhere for food.  Now the one that's eating more will continue to be there and wind up die of starvation, while the other one went off and (well could be eaten by a preditor) find food substiance there.

Just because your food source is vegeterian does not mean you don't have to be smart about it.  Just becasue the carrot doesn't run away, doesn't mean you don't have to look out for the hungry tiger who wants you as a snack.

exactly my point predators attacking herbivors are a perfect mean to make the herbivor adapt to be smatter to outsmart the predator, and since lets assume that like many herbivors on earth they travel in herds, that adaptation could quickly build up a society that has no intention of killing others of its own species because of that herd instinct

for any herbivor animal , when it is being chased all it needs to do is run and save its self (which does not require alot of thinkin) while workin in packs to hunt, requires alot more thinkin .
Also one of the most important things that ive said before is food for intelligence, u have to have a high protein diet which comes from animals, thats y u see sheep and other herbivors eat all day long coz there food isnt as concentrated ( and for a herbivor intelligence is a disadvantage)

intelligence could be used by a herbivor to organize a defence against a carnivor, for example if a herbivor could organze the herd with an intelligent mind the chances of survival of all in the herd would increase dramactically, also on an alien planet we cant assume that there vegetation dosnt have protein or that it owuld be even nessary for intellignet life to have a ton of protein becasue there llife chemistry could be entirely different from ours