The Ur-Quan Masters Discussion Forum

Ok well the idea of this was suggested by someone, in another thread and I thought it was a good idea, so here I am.

Now the idea of this thread is to post the question you would most want answered about SC in general (only one per person). Hopefully someone, say that damn Team Beige of Timewarp who I'm almost certain were told what the Mark II was, but are withholding it from us or MAYBE even TFB. Either way, it's a good waste of time. ;)

As you've probably guessed, from my near emotional breakdown, my question is; "What is the Mark II supposed to be?"

EDIT: My original text (everything above) is unchanged, but I wanted to add that I posted a message about the Mark II on the Timewarp forums the other day and this was the reply:

"Khes-Ra was a member of TB, but has left the team some time ago. TfB told TB about the MK2 a long time ago; I don't think they'd want us to share this information with others. You'll have to wait till the game is released to see what it is like."

So, in 3 or 4 years, when the full game of Timewarp comes out I'll have the answer to my question.  ;D But, seriously I just find it interesting that I have dozens of unanswered questions 10 years after the game was released. Most games either answer cliff hangers by the end of the game or the game is so bad (SCIII anyone?) that you don't care.

I'd like to know what happened to the Androsynth.  But I'd like any of these *important* answers to come from Toys for Bob themselves.  I'd prefer that if they think there is any chance for a sequel, to leave them unanswered.  I see no reason to just drop all their "ideas" on us to just satisfy our curiosities.

As the Pkunk say:
Ah, the mysteries of the Universe.
Try to understand 'em, but can you?
Nope, they're mysteries!

i'd like to know why did 6 people from the space station near Earth fell unconscious. The commander mentioned it so there must be something.

Check your starmap.  Notice that there are no more Pkunk when he says that, and that he mentions that the 6 who fell out were psychically gifted.

Now, it may be a little "post hoc ergo propter hoc" to make this correllation, but I'm gonna go with "because you let the Pkunk die"

I never expected they'd answer (like you said, if they answered MOST questions it would ruin our hopes of a new SC game). Mostly the thread is just a thing to waste time on while traveling through hyperspace. ;) Either way it limits new threads that will be popping up by newcommers (i've seen quite a few questions in threads thus far).

Out of curiosity, is it possible to save the Pkunk??

They will join the Yehat and are thus saved if you start the Yehat revolution and get to the final battle before the Pkunk reach them (if you need more time you can turn them back by saying two different things).

Do you start the Yehat revolution merely by speaking to one of them?

We're getting off topic, but you need to show them a Shofixti before they will revolt.

It's not off-topic; the thread is "what question about sc do you most want answered?" Well you are answering my SC questions. :D

So damn, I killed the Shofixti. My bad.  :-/

Well I was aiming on the side of questions that TFB left for us (ie: What does it mean when the melnorme bridge changed colors?). Not how to do a certain thing, but I'm always happy to answer questions about the game. :)

I always thought the story inside the game(s) gave a pretty good general idea, mostly from exploring the research centers on the Androsynth homeworld + random info from talking to the Orz and Arilou, partially also from SC3.

The Androsynth were experimenting on some dimensional fatigue phenomena based on some precursor artifacts they found, and ended up finding the Orz on the "other side", which would've been them in their true form, since they're only reflections of some sort to this dimension or *fingers* as they say in 3. And the Orz apparently dont like people finding out about them..

It's no official answer to what happened, but I think it gave a good picture of it eventhough it didn't go to exact details. Been ages since I touched SC3 though so hopefully I remembered everything. I forget if the Supox had the same fate, it may have been explained but memory a bit blurry

Well pretty much everyone THINKS (well we're almost certain, but i'm going to say that word just for effect) that the Orz killed them, but the point is to find out what really happened and the only way to find that out is from TFB. Anyway, if you talk with the Spathi they say something like this; "We think the Orz ate them. Well not really, that's just what we think." (the wording is completely off, but you get the general idea). So, I assume that could be true, (after all SCIII is based on real ideas by TFB) but then again they think the Precursers are big cowards. ;)

As for the Arilou I think they wanted you not to know, so you wouldn't change your DNA so that the Orz would want you/find creatures that can cause harm to you. After you ask if you were in for the same fate as the Androsynth the Orz say "You not like Androsynth. You are different. You are happy *campers*" or something like that. So, whatever the Arilou did to Human's DNA will keep us safe from them.

Oh and remember that TFB wanted us to not know if the Orz were going to backstab us in SCII, so they're most likly very nastly little things who only help you because it serves them (or so I believe).

You're completely right. But, I think Chad wanted to know if the Androsynth were really eaten or still alive somewhere as to wanting to know what the Orz did. Anyway, SCIII didn't have the Supox in it, (TFB wouldn't let them put them in for some reason are another) so I don't think they explain anything about them either. However, I could be wrong (I didn't even finish the game because I was so annoyied by the horror that is SCIII).

You're partially right.. The Supox themselves were not in the game, no, because they got killed by someone. You found the wrecks of their ships in the beginning and were able to trace the damage done to them to Orz ships, and if I recall right you had a similar situation with them as you did with the Androsynth.. Including when you talk to the Orz about them. But what I don't remember is how much of the whole story you found out with the game.

I think it's time to dig up the cd from somewhere and play it again :P

If you say so (it's been so long that I don't even remember). But such a thing is just like SCIII to do (mess up a good idea because they weren't allowed to use the Supox). After all, if the Supox were like the Androsynth, the Orz would've taken "care" of them when they met on the Earth starbase.

No I mean.. The Androsynth got "taken care of" because they found out too much about the Orz, managed to "see" into their dimension and their true form, due to the experiments they were doing on their homeworld.

The scientist you send out to explore the research centers there goes mad, and possibly gets somehow attacked when he tries to find out more about it as well. He started cutting himself, and when they restrained him and brought back to the ship the cuts seemed to be just getting bigger. (it didnt give further info after that about what happened to him)

I'll probably play SC3 again to catch up with this again soon, I actually liked the story in that game too for the most part, gave great additional backgrounds when talking to the races from your home quadrant

I personally like to think the Orz displaced the Androsynth rather than just killing them off. When the planet lander explores the Androsynth ruins the report specifically says there are no bodies and no signs of orbital bombardment. It just looks like someone blasted everything with nuclear bazookas.

The stated goal of the Orz is to exist on many *levels* saying, "One is not enough." Which is actually similar to the Arilou now that I think about it. If you call the Arilou invaders they answer, "No. We seek not to invade, but to pervade. There is a difference." -- I assume they mean to exist across different dimensions. Maybe that's why the Orz don't like the Arilou. They're alwys *jumping in front*, blocking the efforts of the Orz in other dimensions.

Anyway, it works better for me story-wise to think that at least some Androsynth are alive in some dimension somewhere. To just have the human-androsynth conflict cut off with their complete destruction leaves a lot to be desired.

All of this is just another example of why I love this game so much. There's just enough information there to tease, but no concrete answers are just blatantly given. And often if you go back and examine everything you'll figure out something new.

... This post probably would have been more appropriate in another thread. Sorry. =)

Matticus

1. What is the conection between Arilou and Orz, and could have the Arilou saved the Androsyth for their own purposs?

2. What do the Arilou know that we don't?

3. Where did the Ilwrath and Utwig came from and what is their history?

4. What is the history of the Pkunk and Yehat?

5. What is the history of Vux?

6. What is the history of Chenjesu?

7. What do the Umgah know that we don't?

8. Where did the Mycon come from and what is their history?

9. What hapened to the Unzerwalt starship factory?

10. What hapened with the Mother Ark and secrets of the Precursors it holds?

*Spoiler warning from SC3*

I'm one of the hordes who made the mistake of finishing the game with most if not all endings. One of such endings was the Arilou putting the antagonist and the rest of the humans into a deep freeze (iirc). Apparently the Arilou were an old race with degenerating dna and needed fresh (read human) to survive. The end text may have been "A fate worse than death"

Hey!  Who said you could have 10 questions?!  <j/k>

Anyhow, all the Orz talk has sorta touched upon my question/theory, which is "Why do the Arilou care about humans, specifically?"

The going hypothesis between my friend and me (who sorta played tag team SCII the first time around) was that the Arilou ARE humans.  Very evolved, modified, time & dimension jumping humans, but humans.  The way they claim to have been "keeping an eye" on humanity, making "changes" along the way, sorta suggests that they're guiding humanity in a very parent-child relationship kinda way.  

Which is awesome, to me, because the Arilou always seemed like the most advanced race, or at least the most knowledgable.  The way they're detached from the war and everything, concerned only with humanity's safety, suggests that they are above something as "petty" as interplanetary warfare.  It's just too bad they're -so- indifferent that they won't come back and help out.  Maybe it's a sort of Prime Directive kinda thing to them.

The Arilou always seemed more like "scientist/lab rat" than "parent/child" to me.  Sure, you get cheese, but at what cost?

Also, if you buy anything from SC3, the arilou need Human DNA to repair their own failing DNA.  Appaerntly aeons in Quasispace do bad things to you.

Argh! Nobody ever listens. I specifically stated ONLY 1 question per person, so the conversation didn't revolve around 1 or two people (we all want to know the same things).

Edit: I was so annoyed by your post before that I didn't bother reading your thread and now that I have I see most of your questions are quite easy to answer...

1. The Arilou and Orz have met in the past and so the Arilou know the real truth about them. As for saving the Androsynth, I never heard of this from anyone, ever. I don't know how the idea popped up in your head, but it's not brought up in any SC game (there's not even a small hint) and if they had saved them they would've said something about them (they keep secrets, yes, but they wouldn't withhold something such as that).

2. What does this mean? The Arilou know that there are sentient beings out there that seek to harm certain other beings who *smell* a certain way and so they modified the DNA of Humans and (this next part is just a guess) other beings in other parts of space. Is that what you meant? Because it's pretty clear that they don't want to explain the details about this, so humans won't find themselves in a situation they can't deal with.

3. Uh how much do you know about SC? The Ilwrath have lived in their home solar system until the Ur-Quan uplifted them. The Utwig are a bit harder to figure out, but it seems like they've been friend's with the Supox for a long time (a friendship like that doesn't just devolp overnight) so I assume they've lived in this area of space for a fairly long time. Some would say that they're the Faz, but I think TFB simply wanted to have a race of mask wears and the fact that they named their homeworld Fahz is simply a coincidence.

4. Talk to the Pkunk and they tell you...They lived with the Yehat until one of them, who was sitting on and egg, had a vision and since the new belief system threatened the Yehat, they made the Pkunk leave in hopes they'd just die off.

5. What is with these history things? Oh well, it's explained that they are very concerned about their fashion and have been for a long time. So, it's assumed that, that's all TFB came up with (if they came up with more, they'd explain it in SCII).

6. See five (unless you believe SCIII, in which case read The Pages of Now and Forever).

7. Again I don't know what you're talking about. The Umgah like to play pranks on others and have advanced biotech. They don't have any secrets.

8. The Umgah said they were made by someone, so if you believe SCIII they were made by the Precursors to spread Juffo-Wup (that's one of the few things that make sense in SCIII so personally I believe that is one of TFB's ideas).

9. You know yesterday I read a two page topic in the Timewarp forums where everyone was trying to find a way to build another Mark I. in the upcoming Timewarp full game. But, what I find funny is that nobody there tried to go to Vega in SCII (that's one of the things I did in my first game). Well, if you did you will see you beloved home slave shielded and a Ur-Quan ship guarding it. So, it stands to reason that the factory was blown up by the nukes (if they didn't destroy the factory the Ur-Quan probably would've killed those living there and taken the Precursor technology).

10. This has to be your only worthwhile question, because I'm not exactly sure. I know that it was beyond repair and that it remains in the hands of the Chmmr, (common sense) but they don't bring up the subject, let alone tell you. If you could get them to tell you I'm sure they'd be able to give you more information then if you were just able to look inside it, though (remember the Mmrnmhrm were programed, so not only do they have the knowledge that was given to them when they were born, but they also have all the knowledge of the Mother Ark's computer). Oh and just so you know SCIII says the Mmrnmhrm were made by Precursors, (yes I know it makes sense) so before you could ask a question about what Precursor information is in the Mother Ark, you must first find out if the Mmrnmhrm being built by Precursors, was TFB's idea.

I know what you meant I just disagree. Like I said the Orz say we are NOT in for the same fate as the Androsynth because we are "different" and then The Ariliou say they have done something to our dna to "protect" us from those who seek to harm us. So, I believe that the Orz harmed the Androsynth  because there was something about the Androsynth's dna, which was there because Human's must've taken out the special "gift" from the Arilou when they created them.

Now the leader of the landing party, got hurt when he found out too but information, yes. But, that was simply because he knew what the Orz were really us too, while the Androsynth didn't find out anything on them (that's what I think). They simply let the Orz know they were there through their experements. Remember, SCII makes it fairly clear that the Orz came to the Androsynth, the Androsynth didn't come to them. So, how could to find out too much information unless the Orz told them (which they wouldn't do).

Well it says that the Orz ate the Androsynth in SCIII, so if you believe that the Supox really got killed by the Orz you'd have to believe the Androsynth are really completely dead. But, anyway, I liked the story too, but between the new ship ideas, messed up subplots, (Supox for example) and the neverending mistakes which showed the story writters knew very little about SCII, I simply couldn't take it.



Well according to SCIII Arilou created humans, but that's just a stupid attempt to explain why so many species are humanoids. Personally, I agree with the idea that SCII gave us, which is that they simply changed our DNA to protect us from those like the Orz. They probably saw that we were like them and so took they took an interest in us. So much so that they began to study us and realized that those like the Orz could would seek to harm us and so they changed their DNA. In the thousands of years that pasted, they watched us grew and so saw us as their children.

Now,  if your idea were to be true the Arilou had to have created them (remember they don't exactly live near us, so there's no way this could happen naturally) and so I find it hard to believe that the Arilou are really just us. As for them being the advanced race, I'd have to agree with you (they're probably has old as the Precursors). See, they live in a rift in quasi-space, so to find a way to get into heavy space and places where the Orz lived must've been something all Arilou would've had to work toward for generations on end. So, while doing this they wouldn't have been able to devolp things like weapons and such. Then, they spent what? 60 thousand years studying humans? In that time their medical technology must've evolved over that of their ship technology. And, if you want my personal view I believe the Arilou ship was once bigger and stronger then it is at the present time. But, as time went on and they found it less important to defend themselves their ships got smaller and less powerful (their secondary must've advanced though).

Lastly, I don't believe it's that they don't want to help you, it's just that they don't want to be like the Yehat and suddenly advance you thousands of years in a matter of a year or two. Instead they want to watch to devolp on your own, like a good parent would. If it were like the Prime Directive (you're bringing this into a star trek thing, but I'll go along) they wouldn't have fought the war in your name or showed you how to get into quasi-space.

No, the Arilou didn't CREATE humans.

EDIT:  SCIII says that sentient life was seeded (but not directly created so to speak) by the Eternal1s.  The Arilou just need human DNA b/c hiding from the Eternal1s in QuasiSpace somehow broke their DNA.

They just have been very involved in our development.

As far as the not helping thing, I tend to agree with you though, Zeroarmy.  From their point of view at least they think they are helping humans (and themselves).

One question I would like answered though...

The Orz talk about Arilou "Quick Babies."  Its not really clear if QB is just another way of talking about the Arilou or something else, something the Arilou made/did...

Does TFB endorse the Accolade SC3 plot?
We've never really heard from them as far as THEIR opinions on SC3. (Paul, Fred, that's your cue! Answer, dammit!)

Here's my question: Are the Melnorme really the Mael-Num?

SC2 tells about when the Mael-Num, originally part of the Sentient Milieu, were about to be destroyed by the Kohr-Ah as part of their Eternal Doctrine, and they first invoked the Words: "Stop. Why are you doing this? What you are doing is wrong" (or something like that.) Anyways, the Kohr-Ah were so compelled to answer the question that while wasting time, the Ur-Quan were able to come along and fight the Kohr-Ah, and so the Mael-Num escaped. The Mael-Num are also described as a race of one-eyed creatures. What says you?

Fight the Mycon for about 12 rounds of the traveling ship groups....you will get the *everything story*, except for who "the creator" is...

And my question: How exactly does your Dynarri know the weaknesses of the Sa-Matra so it can tell you how to attack it?

All they said, so far, about that was that it wasn't what they had in mind.



Well that wasn't my question, it was an answer to someone elses. And what that had to do with the Umgah saying that the Mycon were created by someone is beyond me (they don't tell you that if you keep fighting them).

As for your question, the Dynarri know that because they found the Sa-Matra and the Ur-Quan took control over it after the slave-revolt.

I want to know why Humans and the Syreen are so genetically similar that they can produce offspring.

compatible plumbing.

next question...

Okay, are the Melnorme really the Mael-Num?

Wellllll... I would ask why you can never buy 'useless facts for a considerable discount' since that would be highly a highly amusing way to waste one's extra Melnorme creds, but what I WILL ask is this:

The origional SC2 fit on four 1.44 MB floppys.  Why is the re-release 144MB? @_@

*reads more of the forum posts*

Wait... Speech?

*remembers the winky sounds that came from his SB16 in his 386 a looooong looooong time ago...*

*blinks*

Damn i'm old.  ;D

BTW those 'winky sounds' were about the best I heard for any game that ran on my 386, I think... That was waaay too long ago for me to remember with any attempt at clarity. =)

Hmm, well, disregarding SCIII (which I never even saw)...

I don't think the Orz really did anything to harm the Androsynth, though I'm not sure what happened to them.

Perhaps I've been reading Robert Jordan's Wheel of TIme novels for too long, but study exactly what the Arilou say.

"There are parasites. Creatures who dwell Beyond.  They have names, but you do not know them. They would like to find you but they are blind to your presence... unless you show yourselves."

After reading this several times, I suddenly realized it could just as easily apply to the Arilou themselves...........

I don't see why so many people want to think that the Orz didn't harm the Androsynth. If the Orz were innocent, why would they ATTACK YOU for asking about the Androsynth?

The got eaten by the Hounds of Tindalos. Go read your HP Lovecraft.

Seriously, though, one of your human crew accidentally triggers the same cycle of destruction for your race if you wander around the Androsynth cities enough, and seals himself away so that the creatures will not be able to see any other humans but himself when they arrive. Therefore, it makes no aesthetic sense to me why the Orz would be responsible for the Androsynth's demise, because they are here and getting on well with humanity whereas the creatures who travel through dimensions to kill whoever can see in on them are still at large and obviously malevalevolant. I believe the Orz are around by mistake.

Well if they didn't harm the Androsynth, then why do they try to kill you if you merely ask about them?

Could be any number of reasons.  Remember how alien the Orz are.

One possibility is simply shame.  Perhaps the Orz were supposed to be protecting folks like the Androsynth and failed.  Or it could be that the Orz don't want you to find out so that humanity will not be *seen*.

Nice idea, it takes the mind in interesting directions.  If the Orz were to the Androsynth as the Ariloulaleelay were to the Hunams, then yes, they would do whatever it took to protect and defend their Androsynth *children*, up to and including making them all disappear and making their home planet look destroyed; I don't know if I'd call that motivation "shame", though..

But I don't think that's what TFB had in mind; the story of SC2 is, (and I don't mean this pejoratively) fairly standard pulp sci-fi fare, and the main plot theme is, to coin a phrase, "that which would destroy you only wants to protect you." This is a somewhat common pulp sci-fi theme (Ur-Quan vs. Kohr-Ah, Vorlons vs. Shadows, Terminator vs. T-1000, etc.) and if anything, I think the Arilou vs. Orz subplot was supposed to mirror the main Doctrinal Conflict plot:

e.g., What the /(Arilou|Kzer-Za)/ were doing was morally ambiguous at best, but they were only trying to protect humanity from /(being *seen*|total annihilation)/; the /(Androsynth|Burvixese)/ had no such protection, and were ostensibly wiped out by the /(Orz|Kohr-Ah)/, proving that the threat was real.

I think any explanation other than "they are the Big Bad that the Arilou wants to protect us from" is mental masturbation; fun, but serves no useful purpose.

Much thanks to Mr. Fred Ford for not jumping in and giving us the "real answers," they are probably much more boring than the byzantine explanations we can come up with on the board..  :)  Carl Macek did a commentary track on a Robotech DVD where he kindly explained that the purpose of the entire story was to showcase the fine model kits you could purchase at the time from Revell, Inc., the people who ultimately financed the project.  I'm sure that "the producer's perspective" of the SC2 plot is similarly pragmatic, and as such, something that is better left unheard, and therefore, to the imagination.

My $0.02 USD.

I posted a similar theory in the big Orz discussion here (http://uqm.stack.nl/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?board=Gendiscuss;action=display;num=1039336915;start=16) (scroll down a little bit).

As others have noted, the Arilou call the Orz 'parasites' and mention them as mere 'fingers' of a larger entity. I don't think the Orz *ate* the Androsynth per se, but rather... the Orz ARE the Androsynth. They've been taken over and corrupted by whatever entity is pulling the strings in Quasispace. Basically, the Androsynth became hosts for the Orz.

This also explains why the Arilou changed the *smell* of humans through genetic manipulation; basically, making humans ill-suited hosts for the Orz parasite. This also might explain why the Orz get really cheesed off if you ask too many questions about the Androsynth... maybe there's still a bit of the clones inside the Orz and asking about the Androsynth... brings old hatreds to the surface.

My theory, based on my ages old memory...

The Orz are an extra-dimensional entity, meaning they come from an existence not entirely from our own (Remember the manual's description of the things you see in Hyperspace? The Orz may be one of those 'things'.) and were 'released' into our space because of the meddling of the Androsynth.

Now, the Orz may or may NOT be benevolent (more likely an alien version of benevolence), but I believe the entire Androsynth race was either destroyed and what wasn't destroyed was pulled into the space the Orz were occupying.

It happens then, that the Orz were working to keep this extra-dimensional killer entity(ies) from entering into our space when the Androsynth stupidly opened a door into their dimension. The Orz presumably left the Androsynth in their place while they proceeded to guard the 'door' on 'this' side. The Orz do NOT belong to the same dimension as the Arilou, but are classified as Extra-Dimensional beings.

The Orz's response to your asking too many questions may be their version of 'curbing your curiosity', because if you know or even suspect something, you might try to go do what the Androsynth did, and then all hell would break loose. So the Orz try to protect you by keeping you away from this issue.

What the Arilou may be doing is preventing the killer entity(ies) from finding a way through to 'our' dimension by 'scenting' out humans (why humans, we'll never know. But hey. Maybe the human genome is some sort of proto-base for all other life in the universe?).

I don't think the Orz are 'evil' or 'bad', just... well, Orz.

Here is my lame opinion:

First of all the Arilou are from *above* and the Orz from *below*, which I think is a pretty blatant comparison to heaven and hell. The Arilou are trying to help you in many ways, and the Orz just make allies for what? To maybe exploit you sometime in the future. Like the devil tempting you with material goods to bind you to them.

Next, I sort of remember the Orz saying that real space, or *heavy space* as they call it was much better than where they used to be. So I think they used to occupy this *below* dimension with all sorts of ghouls and hellish creatures whom they probably had conflict with, and when the Androsynth fooled around with interdimensional warp fatigue or whatever, they opened this portal to this dimension. All these ghouls and stuff came in along with the Orz, the ghouls killed off the Androsynth in a gruesome manner (remember the ship's scientist on the Androsynth world who found out too much and went insane and was getting slowly killed by these "cuts" opening on him in an increasing number.) Anyways, the ghouls could only exist for a short while here, maybe they require "hosts" or whatever, but the only way the two dimensions can intersect is with knowledge of their existence, or holes such as the Androsynth created. (Because as the scientist said, they are occupying the same space but different phases of reality, ie dimensions.) So maybe the Orz figured out a way to survive in our dimension: they learned to make *light projections* of themselves as they said. (Because as you may remember, when you meet them, and you say, "nice to see you," they say, "haha that is funny, you think you see us but all you are seeing is a *light projection*, or  *fingers*, but they are just really Orz.) So it seems that they have found a way to somehow project themselves into our dimension, *heavy space*, while simultaneously continuing to reside in at least one other dimension, *below.* Anyways that's my *silly* theory. I guess I will know if I'm right if I get eaten or slowly mauled by some horrid interdimensional creature.  ;)

I think it's simple, the Androsynth's tests opened a rift to another space, not QuasiSpace, HyperSpace, or TrueSpace, but another one. The Orz were there. I believe that whenever the Orz refer to something "fun", they're referring to something violent... *Dancing* means fighting, and that the *sauce* that they like to enjoy so much is the blood (or perhaps something else.. maybe it's corpses or maybe just pain) of those they defeat with their *dancing parties* (war fleets). When the Androsynth opened the rift and the Orz came through, the Androsynth put up a better fight than any of the species they dealt with in their own world which is why the Orz say that this place is more fun. The reason they allied with the Captain is because they're new in this dimension and don't know where there are others to fight. By joining with the Captain, he would take them to other races to fight with.

Scott - Another very likely theory.

But I have another question: you know when you are supposed to find that monster for Admiral ZEX? He tells you it is in the constellation Linch-Nas-Ploh, in yellow light (ie yellow star) and translates to "the long thin creature who has swallowed the huge beast." What the hell kind of clue is that? This creature is in Delta Lyncis, so besides a vague similarity in the constellation name, and the fact that it's a yellow star (of which there are dozens), how would you ever find it?

SC2 isn't a "good vs. evil" story. It's a story about alliances, mysteries, hidden purposes, and how the traumas of a culture's history affect and afflict that culture's motivations.

The Ur-Quan are not villains for the love of evil, like Darth Sidious; they're villains due to the horrors of their own past. The Mycon don't destroy verdant worlds because they enjoy killing life -- but because their purity monitors died, their programming went haywire, and they don't know what else to do. The Druuge are callous and cruel because they can't get out of the giant pyramid scheme their civilization turned into. The only species who are cruel for the sake of cruelty -- the Ilwrath -- are simple-minded suckers.

Likewise, the virtuous and helpful civilizations of SC2 aren't virtuous for the love of good. The Pkunk are just as foolish of religious fanatics as are the Ilwrath. The Zoq-Fot-Pik are friendly for survival's sake, since the time of the Zebranky. The Supox don't know how to do anything <EM>but</EM> be pals. The Yehat view of "honor" leads them to both good and to not-so-good, as in their intolerance of the Pkunk. The Syreen want revenge. The Melnorme want information. The Spathi want safety.

Because SC2 is in just about every other subplot a story about histories and not about good and evil, I don't think it's a good-vs.-evil story with regards to the Orz and the Arilou, either. The Orz aren't villains, and the Arilou aren't saviors. They are rivals, old rivals -- in a conflict that we do not understand, possibly one beyond our comprehension. What human, of narrow 3.5-dimensional perception, can understand what pan-dimensional Orz and Arilou would have to fight about? (What are their needs? Their drives? Their fears?) Their purposes are as far beyond our ken as Cold War geopolitics is to a housecat.

Neither Arilou nor Orz are inimical to humankind. We are closer to the Arilou by dint of history, and we are somewhat more mutually comprehensible with them, and so if we are drawn into their conflict in the future, it will likely be on the Arilou side. The Arilou want to keep it that way -- not merely selfishly, but because the Arilou (like any side in a war) believe they are right and their enemies are wrong, about whatever it is the conflict is about.

Nor do I suspect that the Orz were inimical to the Androsynth. What happened in Vulpeculae was a Big Oops, a mistake of destructive mutual incomprehension. The Orz did not understand the rules of the space from which (they thought) they had just been hailed -- and the Androsynth were terrified by the Orz response, bursting and twisting across their world like so many malevolent, ultra-powerful ghosts. The result was hell and probably death for the Androsynth -- and the Orz would really rather not talk about the whole bloody screw-up.

Perhaps what the Orz feel is analogous to shame, like the shame felt in Germany after the genocides of the Nazi regime. Or perhaps their minds and emotions do not work that way. The Orz deal with time so strangely, it may be they deal with memory in an equally bizarre fashion -- perhaps making them recall the memory of deaths past unavoidably induces them to present violence. They didn't mean to kill the Androsynth, and they don't really mean to attack when they're reminded of them -- they're just repeating the same event in looped, folded, Orz-logic time.

I want to know more about the Melnorme, I think everyone does, but more specifically, who are these races that feed them secrets, and why are they so protective and secretive about their culture. Really strange.

I want to know WHY the damn background turns purple when we bargain with the Melnorme! But they charge 12000 for the information!

...that was very well written, and shed some light on some new and interesting perspectives on the whole issue.  Well done.

Whyyyyy... Thank you! So... Can anyone answer my question? Please.... I'm SOMEWHAT curious....

My personal theory on teh bridge is that they turn it purple on purpose so that they can sell the information!  The only reason they do it is to make people like you curious.  Then they charge a lot of money for the answer.  It teaches that teh value of something is not intrinsic, the value is what someone is willing to pay for it!

Actually, I was talking to Foo, but your essay was lovely as well.  ^_^

And incidentally, someone told me once that it's impossible, within the game, to get that many credits.  You get up to something like 9999, and then it wraps back around to 1.  Someone told me they cheated so they could get the right number of credits, and it still wouldn't accept them.

Paul and Fred put it in just to make you wonder.  And to give you an idea of what kind of creatures the Melnorme are.

Keeeeeeewwwwwllllll............... Thanx!

"It's obvious the Orz killed the Taalo and the Androsynth"
I thought the Ur-Quan/Mael-Num etc. under the control of the Dnyarri killed the Taalo... since the Taalo died before the Orz came (Taalo shield dated at 20,000 yrs)...
As for the Androsynth, it's not directly said that the Orz did it, but it's implied.  Nowhere, if I recall, is it said directly (Even the Melnorme don't know!)

Some idiots just can't read?

THE TAALO LIVE.

be nice

It is mentioned in sc2.



Maybe the galaxy is not so small. Afterall Kzer-za travelled half of it in 20k years.



Orz killed taalo? How on earth did you come up with that?



You seem to like simple answers. Others maybe want to use their imagination more? ;)



One more simple answer: It's there to tell you that you're running out of time.



SC3 timeline is nonsense. Don't mix it with the TFB timeline. Left out races had something to do with real life legal issues, so no use making up any stories.