system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
[Borderlands] What is the overall state of human civilization?

Pretty much all we see in the series is Pandora and Elpis over the course of a few years. Corporations seem to have superseded government almost entirely (Atlas in 1, Hyperion in 2, Dahl in TPS), but it is it like that everywhere? The way "The Borderlands" are referred to makes them sound a lot like the Outer Rim from Star Wars. There are brief references to other planets, but do we know where those are in relation to Pandora? We do know, for example, that Gaige grew up on Eden-5 before going to Pandora-- so are those two planets close together, or is FTL travel possible? "Eden" definitely sounds like a utopian galactic core civilization to me, far removed from The Borderlands.

It's probably worth mentioning the Borderlands 2 easter egg where we see Roland's Facebook page, which states that he graduated high school in 2854. If we assume that's according to a Gregorian calendar, it's easier to consider the world of Borderlands in relation to the real world. I'm fine with answers being mostly speculation, I just think there's some interesting stuff here to think about.
gpt
FTL travel is not explicitly shown or mentioned by anyone, but there are multiple references to humanity covering several galaxies. And Pandora actually isn't the only planet that humans have discovered Eridian artifacts on, it just happens to have an unusually high amount. Plus, at the warrior's defeat and the revelation of other vaults on many different worlds, Lilith, Mordecai and Brick didn't bat an eye at the massive interstellar distances. FTL travel has to be a very common thing to them. Perhaps not an every day occurrence, but maybe it could be analogous to intercontinental boat or plane flights. 

Also remember that Pandora is a special case when it comes to planets. It's a backwater of a backwater, only important because of the alien stuff on it.  And most of its troubles come from the fact that Dahl tried to monopolize it many years ago, but abandoned the planet wholesale when the early technology rush fizzled out. The planet already had a sizable criminal/slave labor force that was left behind, so they tore apart Dahl's attempts at civilizing it while fighting the rapidly awakening local wildlife. 

Based on Handsome Jack's idealized city, Opportunity, and the technological juggernauts of the big corporations, it's safe to conclude that actual human civilization is far removed from the insanity of Pandora. Yes, it's ruled by companies rather than governments for the most part, but it seems most humans live pretty well out there. So well, that they don't need to mention Earth at all. (I believe it's still out there, probably a "gated community" for the ludicrously wealthy who can afford to have a second or third (or fourth or fifth) home on humanity's proverbial cradle.) Human civilization isn't a post-scarcity scifi utopia, but it's probably rather close. Perhaps that's why so many people are drawn to the Borderlands. Total boredom and social numbness makes them crave adventure and excitement. And even if they don't want to physically travel there, they can still watch ECHO-casts and popular series detailing the extreme violence and brutality of Pandora and other barely-civilized worlds.