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The start of Episode 15 comes with the reminder that The Exec is still watching, and that he (well, technically ClearStream) has a satellite. A perk you don’t often see in post-apocalyptic zombie fiction. The fact ClearSteam has access to one still in operation is a pretty big indicator of the power they wield.
Of course its presence would beg several questions, such as whether there’s still some sort of space program going on somewhere. Texas certainly is no slouch on those terms in our modern era, but the easier answer I always went with is that it launched shortly before everything went to hell. This might also beg the question both of timing, and just why a communications satellite has high-resolution spy cameras on it.
Or if knowledgeable people wanted to get really pedantic on me, they could point out that the maximum “life expectancy” of even a geostationary satellite is around 15-17 years… so if this particular specimen launched prior to the Zombie Wars, how is it still functioning? Sure, I’ve kept exact timelines vague, but given Suzie was born a post-war Repop and is now an adult, that’s pushing it, right?
Now in theoretical response I could just say “shut up and enjoy the comic, nerd” — but being a nerd myself, I would rather weasel about until I find some answer that works, even if it working depends on making shit up. You know: the Star Trek method. This is where having your setting be in “the future” even before the apocalypse happened is a huge plus, because what we’ve seen with the camera drones alone requires a level of active camouflage, anti-gravity and long-lasting portable power that doesn’t quite exist yet (as far as we know). True, the AAVDRO units were debuted after the Wars began, but does that mean their tech wasn’t already developed in secret?
Now with satellites, the operational life is measured as a matter of fuel used for repositioning, which is why those lower in the atmosphere have much shorter “lives” as they have to burn fuel from time to time just to prevent orbit decay. The higher up ones like the communication sats don’t need to do this but still need to change orientation occasionally — other than that, the lenses and electronics involved are considered to have a much longer life expectancy than a couple of decades, barring unforeseen malfunction. So hey, if you solve the fuel problem, then it would follow that with a little luck and foresight, two decades of operation isn’t so out of the question anymore. Therefore, with just a little applied phlebotinum we are back on track and I am satisfied. All of this in the background of course since in terms of the story, well… us nerds should probably just shut up and enjoy it.
And yes, The Exec seems content to use this technological advantage to fiddle around with a handful of ranchers. I suppose that says a lot about him, too, doesn’t it?