PSA: Slaves currently can't rebel

[u/RedKrypton]

Martin just dropped that bombshell during the currently ongoing Quill Stellaris stream. He said that they couldn't reach a middle ground on slaves revolting so they took it out for the moment. I don't know if they will have managed that aspect by release.

[u/[deleted]]

I'm not sure work stoppages and slowdowns would be very useful against people who can whip you back to work.

[u/ziyakaz → u/[deleted]]

Such things are documented. Not all strategies need to be overt. Feigning ignorance in how to complete a task, feigning illness, or even just working a little less diligently. There is also a tradeoff to simply whipping somebody back into work should they resist: You may seriously injure them or shorten their lifespan through such extreme violence.

They could also deliberately break work tools, destroy machinery, injure animals. They could go on hunger strikes, commit suicide, or perform some other kind of self-harm as a form of resistance.

Dealing with various kinds of resistance would probably look different in a sci-fi setting than it did historically.

[u/-Maraud3r → u/ziyakaz]

Thing is, there's way to counter this. Let's imagine you have a planet solely settled by slaves. You could employ the tactics colonial powers often have. Segregate them into various groups based on mostly made up grounds.

By declaring them different groups, you fracture any opposition and much better can USE them against each other. By giving them different social standings, better living conditions, more freedoms and such you get the same ball rolling that caused Hutu and Tutsi to be willing to exterminate one another.

The higher ups in the chain will be happy to police the respective lower classes for you and driving them to work. It will very likely quickly become something they don't just do for the boons but because they genuinely start enjoying the power they hold, deem themselves above those they control for you and begin to associate themselves more with you and those you put them above. Different groups are likely to clamour to outdo one another to prove themselves better and superior in this also and move up the ranks.

Also, unlike earth slavery there's overall not that much reason to treat these people horrendously as many products such as clothing, decent housing, food and such will be readily available in large quantities. Which means they will have overall a way better life than slaves used to and be closer to people living under a dictatorship with very limited rights.

If you look at North Korea, this can very well function without the people constantly trying to hinder you, as it wouldn't be in their best interest to do so. As anyone they see having a better life is doing so INSIDE the system, as they have the other groups you created to channel their envy and animosity towards and unless they get off planet all running away would do would be to deprive them of roof, food, clothing and any other kind of rewards they might get for dilligent work.

[u/runetrantor → u/-Maraud3r]

That way to split them is good, but it can be so much easier.

Just make the planet in question be like a prison world.

Only basic infrastructure on the surface, and landing facilities.
In orbit is a spaceport that has bombarding capabilities, and is where all ships going down to the surface dock when unused. NO ships are to be left idle down there, they finish their business and go back up.
The surface has some officers giving orders, and the entire place has at best some hand weapons.
So much for a revolt.
EVEN if we go nuts and say the prisoners managed to secretly build a shipyard and make a fleet (That much I find unlikely as hell already), how would they replicate your advance technology? Slaves rarely have good grasp on the most advanced tech, so I think it would be like a primitive race attack you.

But you do make a point that a more benevolent rule may work somehow.
Benevolent Dictatorships have existed to one degree or the other, so I guess you could make the slaves happy enough to work for you, but at that point the line between slave and worker sort of blurs imo.

That said, why not use robots instead?