Space Trade Routes

Space Trade Routes

ELEMENT │ PLACE

Space trade routes are fictional trade routes that connect planets, asteroids, space stations, and other locations and allow for the transport of people and trade goods. Like planetary trade routes, these paths through space may be well established and guarded or may be treacherous and prone to piracy. There may be outposts and fuel stations along the way (these may be less important if a world uses faster-than-light travel, wormholes, or teleportation gates that connect locations directly). Galactic trade routes may be critical for a world’s economy and for the delivery of vital goods like medicine. There may be blockades of galactic trade routes during times of political tension or embargos of certain goods. Trade ships may band together for protection during transit of the trade route or hire security ships to accompany them from raiders and pirates (if they do not have their own defenses).

Synonyms: trade corridors, interstellar trade paths, galactic trade routes, flight routes
Example Mythonyms: the Zeta-Caraphalis Trade Lane

Designing Fictional Space Trade Routes

Foundations

Overview

The design of fictional space trade routes depends entirely on the design of space travel within a fictional setting. How trade functions will derive from how vessels traverse interstellar distances. If faster-than-light space travel is common, smaller trade vessels may create a plethora of trade routes servicing all manner of trade hubs and destinations. If space travel is difficult, expensive, or rare, fewer but larger vessels may serve only important planets and locations. If space travel relies on hyperspace gates or wormholes, trade routes may be constrained only to those locations.

Problems & Solutions

Trade Goods