The setting initially assumes that useful engines cannot shrink below the size required for a large ship. That limit eliminates the physical basis for fighters and carriers. Contact with another human branch reveals a solution to the engineering constraint. Carrier aviation then appears as a consequence of technology transfer rather than as an unexplained doctrinal fashion.
Notable Point · 1:04:31-1:05:38
Engine miniaturization determines whether fighters exist
Empire Rising delays carrier aviation until engine technology becomes small enough to make fighter-sized spacecraft practical.