How could it be possible for an entire region of space to be filled with Earth like planets?

Ok, I get it, me dumb, you smart. Only smart questions allowed. In any case I'm going to leave the question unaltered in case some others might get something out of the answers.

Thanks to everyone who's posted comments or answers. Much appreciated.

Original question: How could it be possible for an entire region of space to be filled with Earth like planets?

Based on what science tells us it's impossible. To find even one other planet that was 99% like Earth would be a miracle, but to find hundreds or thousands of already habitable worlds all fairly close to one another should be impossible.

And yet, we've all come up with stories that depict just that impossibility as if it were a given. And sci-fi from all media is filled with stories that take that impossibility as if it were a given. Star Wars and Star Trek being the two biggest culprits, but they all do it.

In movies and TV its the norm because A) we've only got one planet to shoot movies and TV on, duh... And B) it's easier for story purposes to move past that stuff. But even most novels, where you'd expect to find somewhat more reality, are filled with this trope, if you will. The Foundation and Dune series are all filled with vast Empires of Earth like planets.

Even harsh fictional worlds like Hoth, Arrakis, and the Forbidden Planet are habitable, Earth like worlds because they can support human life.

Question: How could it be possible that a region of space, say 1000 light years across, have at least one habitable, Earth like planet orbiting a star like our Sun? This is crucial because I, of course, have a story that takes place in such a universe, and I'd like to consider this as a plot point in the story.

The only things I could think of were: That region of space was artificially manipulated by god like beings to be that way, or its an alternate reality where that's the law of physics.

But how? Any thoughts? You all know my aversion to outright magic, but science/physics type handwavium is allowed.

posted over 6 years ago

Len‭

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