Is the Crystal Empire 1,000 years behind technology-wise?

[TheJLeeTeam 914]

So because the Crystal Empire was gone for 1,000 years, does that mean it's 1,000 years behind in advancements and technology? If it is then it would look more primitive compared to the other towns.

[Wind Chaser 4,768]

On the contrary, it looks rather on par with, if not ahead of the rest of Equestria. It has a train station, Neo-Gothic architecture, a gargantuan castle as large as Canterlot, and what essentially amounts to wireless energy transfer in non-magical science-y terms. Either this means that the Crystal Empire was 1000 years and more ahead of its time or technology in Equestria has been in a state of relative stagnation for a thousand years. There's really no need for technology to develop in Equestria at the breakneck pace it has in the real world as the magical forces at work in Equestria act as surrogates for what would be considered technology and energy in our world.

[Thunderlane 550]

I dunno, really. Well, I don't think they would just leave the empire to 'find everything out for themselves'. I think they would have been brought sort of up to date with some of the new technology (what that is I'm not too sure), but they might still be a bit behind.

[Yamato 1,348]

Nah, it's like Atlantis. It was a thousand years ahead of its time, then it disappeared for a thousand years, so its about on par now.

[sweetolebob18 728]

I've seen some speculation that Equestria was once somewhat more advanced & then civilization collapsed & regressed.   Like the fall of the Roman Empire only more so.  However, Manehatten  (at least 1950s) is definitely more advanced than Ponyville (late 19th century)

 

Something VERY weird is going on w tech here.  Even if you say, well Ponyville is a designated low tech/green area for a reason, it doesn't add up.  (Reason could be historical preservation like Williamsburg, or religious like Amish, or philosophical like Greens).  It is like they've forgotten other tech exists & yet they don't question examples of it like Vinyl Scratch's record player.

 

I mean, Twilight is from Canterlot, the capital.  She should have at least HEARD of other places in equestrian, but in Equestria Girls she is clueless.  OK, if you've never seen one, a vending machine isn't obvious.  But she acts like she's never seen ANYTHING.  It is like there is some sort of forget spell over the entire land.  (Like Lackey's Valdemar books, except their's is to forget magic exists)

[King Sejong 859]

   Unless the Crystal Empire was all ready ahead of its time, much like the Romans adopting technologies from other civilizations, like the Greeks, Carthaginians and even the Celts, then later preserved that technology despite the fall in the west, the east half would carry on the Roman legacy, into the middle ages until the Siege of Constantinople in 1453, eastern refugees would flee to Europe bringing with them their knowledge and inventions, beginning the renaissance. Technology can be lost then rediscovered, the live of luxury we live in now, the Romans would be familiar with, sometimes ancient civilizations could rival and precede our modern present, the Crystal Empire was indeed the capital of pony progress, in technology and enlightenment.

[TheJLeeTeam 914]

I've seen some speculation that Equestria was once somewhat more advanced & then civilization collapsed & regressed.   Like the fall of the Roman Empire only more so.  However, Manehatten  (at least 1950s) is definitely more advanced than Ponyville (late 19th century)

 

Something VERY weird is going on w tech here.  Even if you say, well Ponyville is a designated low tech/green area for a reason, it doesn't add up.  (Reason could be historical preservation like Williamsburg, or religious like Amish, or philosophical like Greens).  It is like they've forgotten other tech exists & yet they don't question examples of it like Vinyl Scratch's record player.

 

I mean, Twilight is from Canterlot, the capital.  She should have at least HEARD of other places in equestrian, but in Equestria Girls she is clueless.  OK, if you've never seen one, a vending machine isn't obvious.  But she acts like she's never seen ANYTHING.  It is like there is some sort of forget spell over the entire land.  (Like Lackey's Valdemar books, except their's is to forget magic exists)

Going off topic, what about arcade machines? There were a few shown in one episode. If they have arcade machines then they should have vending machines.

[SBaby 660]

Actually, they're not behind in technology, but ahead.  They're very advanced.  Far more than anyone that's watched the show up to this point realizes.

Edited November 1, 2014 by SBaby

[MidnightBloom 84]

I feel like the Crystal Empire runs almost mainly on magic, or as far as what have been shown. The portal in EG, the floating crystal things on the "gateway" to the empire, the way the crystal ponies power up the crystal heart. So far, their technology has been fairly advanced, even a little more so than Ponyville.  

 

Now i'm wondering if Crystal Ponies are an entirely different race like Earth,Pegasus, Unicorn ponies. Are there Pegasus Crystal ponies?

Edited November 1, 2014 by MidnightBloom

[Plato's Pony 455]

It seems the Crystal Empire is much farther ahead in technology than the rest of Equestria, with their built-in shield system.  I've never seen a single inventor/scientist in the series, which could explain their lack of technological advancement.

[Wind Chaser 4,768]

Then I wonder how Equestria could stagnate for a thousand years ...after all "necessity is the mother of invention", and since the world is full of magic, the effects of many technologies can be duplicated by magic. For example, Sunset and Twilight's magic journals act like cell phones in a way, Spike's teleporting fire would render email redundant, and magical energy transfers mean there's no need for gas generators, and the Crystal Empire itself means no oil and no nuclear power plants.

 

It seems the Crystal Empire is much farther ahead in technology than the rest of Equestria, with their built-in shield system.  I've never seen a single inventor/scientist in the series, which could explain their lack of technological advancement.

Well, magic serves as the surrogate to technology and energy in Equestria, so we could consider those talented in magic (like Twilight) to be Equestria's equivalent to an inventor/scientist in our world.

[Plato's Pony 455]

 

 

Well, magic serves as the surrogate to technology and energy in Equestria, so we could consider those talented in magic (like Twilight) to be Equestria's equivalent to an inventor/scientist in our world.

 

Yes, good point.  But then that would mean Twilight is the only innovative genius in Equestria.

[MidnightBloom 84]

I feel like, in general, all those who are able to wield magic are comparable to our scientists/inventors. I totally felt that vibe with Star Swirl the Bearded and how he wasn't able to complete a spell is kind of comparable to how some scientists/inventors sort of can't complete an experiment and others are able to continue/base their work on his (eg. Stephen Hawking's work based on Einstein's). 

 

So yeah, i agree that magic is the replacement to technology in Equestria. I guess, for me, it makes sense that way

[Castle Bleck 19,450]

They have scanners that negate spellcasting.

 

I've never seen those anywhere else.

[TheJLeeTeam 914]

So magic is used to generate electricity instead of power plants.

[Solid 1,327]

They had vacuum cleaners so nah not really.

[ShinkoNetCavy 10]

Plot twist:

Everything in the MLP world is a paradox because something happened 1,000 years ago, when the crystal empire was still there, because someone time-travelled and put down a ton of blueprints for technology and stuff of what there is today. Thus, a paradox occured where technology appeared before it was due to come and nobody fixed it.

[AlbaTross 1,586]

I always figured it was just an advanced civilization that fell off the face of Equetria. Something like Atlantis, or Antiquity in Chrono Trigger. It was ahead of its time, but now it's just on par with everyone else.