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Fictional History
From moo3.com
The Rise and Fall
of the Antaran Hegemony
After the events depicted in Master of Orion II,
the Antarans regroup and crush the barbarian
races of Orion.
The "Orion Sector" is added to the
Antaran Hegemony which rules this
part of space for a thousand years.
During this "Dark Age,"
as the ethnic Orion races collectively refer
to it, the Antarans established their odious
Sector Government at the
Orion system itself and
systematically stripped away from their
subject races all technologies
and research that threatened their supremacy.
The Antaran Hegemony, which ruled many galaxies
like the Orion Sector
depicted in this game, finally
collapsed when a great schism
between technology and religion tore
the once mighty
Antaran civilization asunder. Essentially,
a way was discovered to mutate Antarans
into beings of pure energy that
(in theory) transcended physical limitations.
What began as a secret governmental genetics
research project
leaked to Antaran society at large as scientists
defected and
established a cult of followers who
desired to submit themselves
to this "cleansing" transformation.
Before long, the cream of Antaran
society was evaporating into beings
of pure energy (if the reports are true,
as they seem to be).
Like a portal to the Promised Land,
Antarans left and right,
high born and low, disappeared
into the ether,
and it was a matter of only a few short
years before their empire collapsed.
During this rapid decline of Antaran civilization,
one government policy became mantra among the
"physical" Antarans
(as those who had not yet been
transformed were known).
That is, to destroy the vestiges of their civilization
so that others
would not soon follow them.
True to their natures,
the Antarans remained oppressive jerks right
up to the very end of their days.
The Renaissance of Orion
Of course, not every Antaran opted for "heaven."
Some thought
they were doing just fine
as the overlords of a vast,
intergalactic empire. These Antarans,
content with their destiny and physical forms,
are all that remain of this ancient and once-mighty
civilization.
One enclave of these Physical Antarans
are the descendents
of the Antaran Governor of Orion.
Rather than destroying all
of what was the Antaran Civilization,
they stored some of its most valuable secrets
into a hastily
built Guardian ship that was designed to protect
their position
at the seat of power in the galaxy, the Orion system.
Fearing the inevitable resurgence of the ethnic
Orion races,
the remaining Antaran
rulers there adapted to the new
political reality of continued rule.
Transforming themselves from tyrants
to enlightened
believers in representative rule, an Orion Senate
was formed
(with an Antaran always at its head as President;
though elections were occasionally held,
few could muster the 2/3 vote required to
lead the Senate and, hence, the galaxy).
The closest (and, hence, oldest) of the ethnic
Orion civilizations were invited to join the
Orion Senate
and share some of its power.
There, galactic matters of importance were
often debated and occasionally decided
(the first being
a ban on nuclear, biological,
and chemical weapons - known as the
"NBC Ban").
These "New Orions" (as the Antaran holdovers
began calling themselves
in sudden deference
to the races they still ruled)
remained firmly in power and
often played the ethnic civilizations of ancient
Orion off against each other through
their many contacts
and protected positions of power in
the Orion Senate.
Their influence in the
galaxy remained strong, and their
will often set the tone for galactic policy.
But the ancients among Orion’s
ethnic races still
tell of a time before these
New Orions imposed their order;
a time of great discovery
and enlightenment before the Dark Ages.
Now the embers of an Orion renaissance are
beginning to glow.
Rumors of the existence of a legitimate
heir to the ancient
Orion throne begins to circulate,
and ancient claims
to stars and planets arise amid the
clamor of the plodding Orion Senate.
And amid the seething turmoil swirling
around the galactic core, nomadic
and barbarian
civilizations are pressing inward
toward Orion
in hopes of establishing
their bid for supremacy.
There is much to discover at the dawn
of this exciting age.
Did the Antarans really find "heaven?"
What secrets of their civilization are buried
or remain hidden inside the Guardian?
What secrets can be learned of
the Ancient Orion Empire now that a
quest for knowledge
has sparked the galaxy?
Who was here even before the Ancient Orions?
And who will emerge to lead the
galaxy for the next thousand years?
This is where you come in…
© Drew Wilson Web Design 2000 ®
Use of TOS's content and/or graphics is strictly prohibited.
TOS is no way affiliated with Microprose.
Concept art, screen shots, game graphics
and other assets are provided
courtesy of Quicksilver Software, Inc.
and are used by permission.
Copyright (c) 2000 Quicksilver Software, Inc. All rights reserved.
Master of Orion is a registered trademark of Hasbro, Inc.
