Antarans (Masters of Orion)
The Antarans are an ancient and powerful race that feature in the Masters of Orion game.
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History
Center One
The Antarans were originally a genetically engineered race created by unknown masters who sent them to the multispecies cultures that lived at Center One for reasons unknown. After settling in the system, the early Antarans lived on a terraformed moon where they rarely interacted with the fellow inhabitants of Center One. Despite this being the case, they were highly intelligent as well as militaristic; to the point that they contributed to the local defense fleets. Furthermore, whilst limited in their involvements, the early Antarans engaged in large scale research projects with the most prominent being the study of the wormhole nexus that was unique to Center One. For a time, they lived a peaceful existence within that region of space and were one of the elite factions at the time. The ruling government of Center One later decided to dispose of dissident elements within their society consisting of criminals and rogues by sending them in large fleets through the wormhole where they could settle elsewhere. These group of unwilling colonists became known as the Exiles who were one of many that departed Center One. However, the star of Center One known as Solarus began to show increased signs of instability due to the wormhole nexus in the system. This meant that it would eventually undergo a supernova that would destroy all life in the area. Thus, the ruling elite factions of Center One scrambled to equip colony ships in order for their civilizations to survive. These willing colonists became known as the Travelers who were properly equipped for the task ahead unlike the Exiles. However, they were leaving at a time when the wormholes began to become unstable which led to random exit points throughout space. Amongst the Travelers were the groups that became known as the Antarans, Orions, Dubhei, Shaulaa, Siaph, Bellatricians, Mintakans and the Ailoth. These Traveler tribes were deposited on the other side of space where they were left in various points throughout the galaxy and thus became separated from their Center One brethren. The Antarans were one of the many surviving Traveler tribes who were now free from the collective influence of their Center One brethren. Thus, they became more militaristic and gained the belief that they were superior to all forms of life. This was only heightened when their explorations of neighbouring space revealed only primitive races. Furthermore, this sense of "manifest destiny" was pre-programmed into the Antarans by their ancient creators. As they sent probes to explore space for other races and their fellow Traveler tribes; one such probe went through a wormhole and was deposited into the Galactic Core. There, Antaran Central Command discovered something that would shock their society to the core. The probe had encountered a war fleet of advanced vessels that matched the Antarans in sophistication and unknown to them. In truth, these were vessels belonging to the Mizara; the descendants of the Exiles from Center One. The probe was ultimately destroyed but the existence of such a powerful force in the Galactic Core threatened the Antarans concept of their own supremacy. Thus, they became an efficient ruthless military hierarchy that sought to expand as well as develop their technology in order to combat this unknown threat to them which led to Antaran Central Command becoming the supreme authority amongst their civilization.
Eventually, the Antarans made contact with seven of their fellow Traveler brethren. They called themselves the Elder Civilizations as they had not encountered any race older than they were though the Antarans kept the fact of their contact with the aggressive presence in the Galactic Core a secret from their fellow Center One races. However, all was not peaceful as each were now completely different compared to the time they lived at Center One which led to a sense of unease and suspicion being drawn amongst themselves. It was the Orions who attempted to break the growing conflict by attempting to manipulate primitive races in their sphere of influence in order to duplicate the problem faced by the Elder Civilizations so that they could find a solution. Despite their intentions, nothing was resolved and the Elder Civilizations divided into two camps; the first was the Orion League led by the Orions and the second were Central Entente led by the Antarans. Around this time, the Antarans chose their allies carefully and invited the Alioth and Meissans to join their ranks. These three empires shared a border with the galactic core allowing for access to that region of space. As the Orion League expanded, they began occupying large areas of the spiral arms with it being believed that this wave of expansion would eventually reach Antaran space. Thus, the Antarans intended to make their wall of territory unbreakable with the possibility of war approaching. In 2103 GC, a border skirmish between the Alioth and Dubhei sparked of hostilities that grew into a full scale galactic conflict. The war escalated as each faction supported their ally with the conflict seeing entire star systems destroyed with billions of lives lost as fleets of vessels battled one another. Such was the scale of the conflict that the galaxy was lit in flames with Orion diplomats seeking to reduce hostilities but the Antarans sought victory as they believed that it make them stronger for a further conflict at the galactic core. For 400 cycles, the seven Elder Civilizations sought to exterminate one another until scientists made a breakdown on the Trinity Project.
Overview
Their species were known to adopt a belief in a form of manifest destiny for their kind. Such an attitude was actually pre-programmed into their instincts by the race that engineered them. This resulted in expansion being the primary objective of Antaran agenda. In time, they developed a rigid but efficient military dictatorship. Their form of government was headed by the Antaran Central Command.
Notes
- Much of the background on the Antarans comes from the game manual for Master of Orion 3.
- In the reboot game, the Antarans were not directly referenced but appeared in the Revenge of Antares DLC.
Appearances
- Master of Orion 2
- Master of Orion 3
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