Yes. But only to a point. They would not have semi-conductor mftring or extremely advanced pharmaceuticals. However, they would otherwise be able to restor a mftring level of ca. 1930-1960 without too much trouble within 10-20 years, and back up to their modern standards in a generation or two after that.
Could they produce the food to sustain themselves in the short term? Easily. Are the natural resources readily available? Damn straight.
Try to prolong the decline and you end up with New Caprica.
Not even close. New Caprica was a marginally habitable planet. Earth was greater in natural resources than any other planet in the 12 colonies, according to Adama.
It’s not close; it’s not even remotely close.
And New Caprica probably depleted the ability to repeat the attempt on Earth2.
In what way? Moreover, New Caprica was a restart in a barren planet with a miserable climate with few resources. Later, that colony was forced to sustain itself during an oppressive Cylon occupation. Earth 2 would have been a paradise in comparison.
In addition to that the way things play out with a central city and dwindling irreplaceable tech presence pretty much guarantees power imbalance and descent into feudalism.
Feudalism? To stave off the fearsome flint wielding natives? Each other? With all those resources available? Don’t think so
Here’s how it would have gone down.
There would have been the establishment of a central city. There would have been an emphasis on collecting building materials (wood, for now) and some ores for supplemental mftring and copper for electirical wiring. Most of that would have initially been simply melted down from a few ships (Hello Galactica. Jump in. The water is warm. Welcome to the crucible).
Having used Galactica as the base metal resource for their early essential mftring and machinery assembly plants, they would have focussed on food and harvesting production. That would not have taken too long.
Then the big social question comes in to play. That’s where the rubber will hit the road:
Administration: “We need more people!”.
Colonists: “Yes we do. So say we all”
Administration: “Women should have a minimum of 6-8 children as their patriotic duty. Roslin’s banning of abortion remains in place. Birth control is now banned, as well”.
Women: “Uhm… Look we agree with the need, but… We don’t want to all be baby factories! There must be another way!”
Administration: “Sorry. Patriotic duty for the species (and you know it.)”
Ding!: "Wait. There’s an alternative. Let’s use these native women for this explosive reproduction plan".
Doc Cottle: “We could use their genetic resistance to native disease too. Without it, we are one rogue virus away from accidental extinction.”
Baltar’s Harem: “So capture the native women, and use em for breeding. Multiple wives. Patriotic duty. And we can teach them to talk and about God, too. And meanwhile, we educated women can continue with the REAL rebuilding efforts, education, health sciences, and our spirituality, etc…”
Dissenters: You are going to FORCE me/my husband to have sex with these primitives?"
Adminstration: “Alright. So… law is, a family unit to have, say, 8 children in 15 years. Sound ok?”
Majority of Men perking-right-the-hell-up: But you can add your children born to indigenous women to get to that family unit quota? How’s that? We all good with that? (much nodding and snickering)."
Majority of Women: “Better than being up to our asses in diapers all day. The breeders will sleep in other bedrooms though. We say Yes.”
Adminstration: "They have terrible hygiene - but the younger ones will clean up I suppose. Extra hands for the basic house tasks.
Majority of Men: Cool! Who said the Apocalypse was a bad thing? Our “patriotic duty? <chuckle>”
Dissenters: “Hell no. We are going to form another Colony”
Administration: “Off with you then. Go.”
Administration: “We are agreed then. So say we all?”
Majority of Colonists: “So say we all”
No feudalism. No real tech loss. Civil strife and racism? Sure. But life would find a way. The sexual mores and marital habits of this society might be very odd by modern standards for quite a while, but they’d manage until they no longer needed it. During the colonization of America, the acceptable age for marriage of a female was reduced to 12 or 13 where there was a great shortage of elgible women. Humans are a very morally flexible species where necessity suggests a real need. We’ll kill, enslave, rape and we’ll find less direct and overt ways to accomplish those very same goals and deeds, too. It is simply a matter of adding a veneer of civilization and rationalization to it all - chalk it up to patriotism or - better still - religious duty? We’re in with both feet.
Societies will relax their institutions and mores for emergency preservation of the species. If all that means is that pre-language stone age people will be “civilized” and turned into breeding slaves against their will - my guess is that this would have been ratified in the name of the preservation of the species. Rightly or wrongly - they would have done it in three heartbeats, at most.
So they go from Cylon slaves to back to some Old time classic human slaves: “All of this has happened before - and of this will happen again - (but next time, with better perks).”
