Imperial Consuls, Ambassadors, Legates, and Representatives

[Garnfellow]

There are scattered references to Imperial consulates across Traveller, but is there any information more that what was provided in the old Traveller Adventure? "Imperial Consulate (IC) . . . the diplomatic office that sees to the welfare of Imperial citizens, particularly offworlders" (93).

To be clear, in CT and GURPS these are Imperial facilities located on Imperial member worlds. While Traveller⁵ Book 2 mentions consulates at starports (pp 25-26), this usage seems more similar to our 21st century usage than CT: a foreign government office.

Legates I think were only mentioned in GURPS Traveller; they were the Imperial representative/liaison/ambassador to member worlds. This seems to be superseded by T5's use of noble.

Has anyone figured out how these positions fit (or don't) in T5's view of the OTU?

 

[mike wightman]

This is how I see it.

Many of our words for positions of authority and noble rank titles can be traced back to the way Romans did things and named them.
According to interview the original vision for the Imperium was influenced more by Rome than the British Empire and Yanks in space tropes that would follow.

The Third Imperium rules very few frontier worlds directly, instead the Imperial government apparatus begins at the subsector level with the subsector duke. Individual worlds within a subsector will have Imperial liaison - these individuals may be of military rank, noble status or a mix of both. In some cases an Imperial (de)legate may have neither noble title or military rank but is still politically powerful since they represent the Imperium (the subsector duke) to the world in question.

 

[flykiller]

In some cases an Imperial (de)legate may have neither noble title or military rank but is still politically powerful since they represent the Imperium (the subsector duke) to the world in question.

this seems well within the reach of a player character.

 

[aramis]

CT provides explicit that the imperial government is absent on most worlds, at least outside the starports.

It's quite likely that Imperial Consulates are essentially the 3I equivalent of the US system of "Federal Buildings" - federal turf in the middle of the state and local government's population centers, where those with federal business go to deal with federal agencies. Some cities, like Anchorage, 90% of civilian contact with federal agencies occurs in 2 buildings... the Federal Building and the US District Courthouse for the 3rd Judicial District. That there are 30 other buildings with federal employees, most of those don't deal with the population. Some don't at all - the GSA office, for example - while others (USGS, all the FAA-ATC) do, but in very limited ways.

So, the Imperial Consulate likely has various offices represented - definitely Office of Calendar Compliance, probably the XMail office, and the IMoJ, IMoT, and BuCol are likely as well. And undoubtedly, in any significant system (pop 7+), a scout census office If there are few population centers, then add the recruiting centers. If there is an A Class port, there's probably also an admiralty court. If there's an A or B, whichever agency handles registrations of ships and boats.

And, when the subsector duke needs to put men on some project in an office, but not enough men to justify their own building? Move some partitions, make a hole to put them in. And if the size gets too small? Buy the adjacent office building and expand the complex.

 

[atpollard]

Has anyone figured out how these positions fit (or don't) in T5's view of the OTU?

It would seem that LOTS of people have, and in true Traveller fashion ... no two agree.

 

[whulorigan]

It would seem that LOTS of people have, and in true Traveller fashion ... no two agree.

And between any two of them we get the benefit of three opinions . . .

 

[BackworldTraveller]

So what happened to these guys when the Abandonment happened...suddenly all those client states are not clients, allies are not allies, and diplomats are jobless...Who voted for that?