The Quest To Find Raxxla

[CMDRCorrMorningstarFelian]

Just a quick one from you seasoned hunters if you please.
Regarding the much discussed generation ships do we know when the first mention of the Raxxla Toast was?

The Alleged Toast is as far as I know undated. The Raxxla Codex states that journal from Art Tornvquist (ship board mechanic based out of Tau Ceti) is dated 2296. This was the first written mention of the rumor which likely predates the journal. There is mention of a pirate cache in connection to it. That said, it might be a good idea to check about 20 LY range surrounding the in-game pirate cache located nearby where we got permit for HIP 22460 (was a single jump away) - see https://canonn.science/codex/pirate-cache/ .

Hope that helps.

 

[Allen Stroud]

One can only call upon @Allen Stroud and seek some clarity around this timeline void! Otherwise this is going off-topic.

Sorry, I got told to clear off and visit Shinrarta Dezra.
Not sure there's a lot I can add to the wall of invented narrative that appeared on the thread over the last few weeks. It all seems very authoritative and totally unknown to me.

 

[CMDRCorrMorningstarFelian]

That said, it might be a good idea to check about 20 LY range surrounding the in-game pirate cache located nearby where we got permit for HIP 22460 (was a single jump away) - see https://canonn.science/codex/pirate-cache/ .

The logs at Pirate Cache in Synuefe QA-U d4-27 at body A 1 ( 43.5393, -134.2668 ) seems to suggest a base is within several jumps of that vicinity. If this is the pirate cache linked to the map, we need every system nearby scanned and DSS'd completely. They were coming back a few days later so it cannot be that far away.
Relevant snippet:

Stash the loot and make sure any transponders are disabled. We didn’t steal these things just for someone to track them down. We’ll come back in a few days to collect it once the heat is off us.

Whatever was in that cache, there were multiple of whatever it is.

 

[CMDRCorrMorningstarFelian]

For anyone interested, these are the oldest confirmable colonies known (some of which have changed names over the centuries)

Sol
Achenar
Facece
Alpha Centauri (failed colony before Tau Ceti)
Tau Ceti
Beta Hydri
Vega
Altair
Delta Pavonis
Fomalhaut
Anlave
Eta Cassiopeia
Alioth
Arcturus (settled 2304)
Arexack
Ayethi
Bedaho
Epsilon Eridani
Exbeur
Exioce
Phiagre
Phekda (long trip via generation ship)
Fawaol
Lave
Laedla
Liaedin
Quince
Ackwada
Delta Phoenicis
Ross 128
Ross 154
Sirius
LHS 449
LTT 606
Wolf 629
Wolf 630
Zeaex
Zeessze
Zelada
Ququve
Amiay

Note: A large percentage of these are known permits. Also, names have changed several times on some of them.

 

[Allen Stroud]

That list is not in order.

 

[Comandante]

That list is not in order.

You don't say which order.

I've gone with alphabetical, ascending. If you want chronoligical order or any other order, you're pot out of luck with me:

Achenar
Ackwada
Alioth
Alpha Centauri (failed colony before Tau Ceti)
Altair
Amiay
Anlave
Arcturus (settled 2304)
Arexack
Ayethi
Bedaho
Beta Hydri
Delta Pavonis
Delta phoenicis
Epsilon Eridani
Eta Cassiopeia
Exbeur
Exioce
Facece
Fawaol
Fomalhaut
Laedla
Lave
LHS 449
Liaedin
LTT 606
Phekda (long trip via generation ship)
Phiagre
Quince
Ququve
Ross 128
Ross 154
Sirius
Sol
Tau Ceti
Vega
Vega
Wolf 629
Wolf 630
Zeaex
Zeessze
Zelada

 

[Macros Black]

That list is not in order.

Is there an authoritative chronological list of the first systems colonized?

I've found some colonization info in the ED Timeline: https://elite-dangerous.fandom.com/wiki/Elite_Dangerous_Timeline.

 

[Jorki Rasalas]

Is there an authoritative chronological list of the first systems colonized?

I've found some colonization info in the ED Timeline: https://elite-dangerous.fandom.com/wiki/Elite_Dangerous_Timeline.

But apparently some of that timeline is from earlier versions of the game, so I don't know how much is canon for ED!

@Comandante ”Alpha Centauri (failed colony before Tau Ceti)” - that’s interesting! First I’d heard of it! where’s the source & is it canon for ED?

Long ago my “Paradise Lost hypothesis” ended in Alpha Cent......didn't find anything though, but that doesn't mean there’s s nothing to find!

@Rochester : you’re more knowledgeable than I on Milton. I had assumed in that hypothesis that Alpha Cent/Eden was the end of the “personal journey”, but maybe it was the beginning? So what does Milton say about Adam & Eve’s expulsion form Eden & their subsequent “personal journey”?

Good news is that I’ve now decorated the hallway in preparation for xmas visitors, so I might be able to fly again soon; bad news is ...I’ve got xmas visitors!

 

[Han_Zen]

You don't say which order.

I've gone with alphabetical, ascending. If you want chronoligical order or any other order, you're pot out of luck with me:

Achenar
Ackwada
Alioth
Alpha Centauri (failed colony before Tau Ceti)
Altair
Amiay
Anlave
Arcturus (settled 2304)
Arexack
Ayethi
Bedaho
Beta Hydri
Delta Pavonis
Delta phoenicis
Epsilon Eridani
Eta Cassiopeia
Exbeur
Exioce
Facece
Fawaol
Fomalhaut
Laedla
Lave
LHS 449
Liaedin
LTT 606
Phekda (long trip via generation ship)
Phiagre
Quince
Ququve
Ross 128
Ross 154
Sirius
Sol
Tau Ceti
Vega
Vega
Wolf 629
Wolf 630
Zeaex
Zeessze
Zelada

The source for most of this is the Frontier: Elite II - Gazetteer: http://www.dream-ware.co.uk/frontier/books/gazetteer/

As far as I know, this was used as a basis for ED history as well. The timeline in ED has had only minor adjustments compared to this one.

The original list is a combination of real stars and proceduraly generated systems. It was added to give flavour to the galaxy and a bit of background to the systems mentioned in Stories Of Life On The Frontier.

Not all the procedurally generated systems were included in ED.

More details of the past are continually added to the game. Tourist beacons, Galnets "History of ---" articles and the Codex are safe bets for accurate details.

The past of the ED galaxy is constantly evolving. Sometimes it changes and other times, in conflict with it self.

 

[Macros Black]

But apparently some of that timeline is from earlier versions of the game, so I don't know how much is canon for ED!

@Comandante ”Alpha Centauri (failed colony before Tau Ceti)” - that’s interesting! First I’d heard of it, where’s the source & is it canon for ED?

Long ago my “Paradise Lost” hypothesis ended in Alpha Cent......didn't find anything though, but that doesn't mean there’s s nothing to find!

Sources based on Tourist beacons such as https://elite-dangerous.fandom.com/wiki/Elite_Dangerous_Timeline#cite_note-TB0167-6 looks legit.

 

[CMDRCorrMorningstarFelian]

That list is not in order.

I am aware. I used the Frontier gazetteer to get the current Universal Cartographics names for the systems. There's also the matter that some of them (e.g. Phekda) are settled later because they had a long uneventful generation ship ride. I gave up on doing perfect even alphabetical ordering after a bit. It is meant to be the more lore important of the early colonies. I also need to do another pass at it and see if Jackson's Lighthouse had an older name since it used to be inhabited at least per in-game description. Truthfully, reading the manual for Frontier and First Encounters might even produce a longer list.

Note: A great deal have maintained names through the series but others have seen fairly significant upheaval.

 

[CMDRCorrMorningstarFelian]

@Comandante ”Alpha Centauri (failed colony before Tau Ceti)” - that’s interesting! First I’d heard of it! where’s the source & is it canon for ED?

It is from the in-game system description:

Player lore if accepted and put in key places is still official lore. It just means Frontier Developments gave an official stamp of approval. Tau Ceti was the first successful colony outside of Sol. The devil is in the details. Also, Sol's immediate neighborhood has quite a number of systems with depleted resources that were really only utilized to extract resources and haul them to systems we were trying to get established at. So, any search of the earliest colonies may need to also check nearby depleted systems as we had a presence but it was only because we needed building materials. I am quite sure the logistics of setting up a colony is no small task.

Eden was the first planet on which liquid water was detected by spectroscopic methods in 2038, and was consequently a major driving force for the exploration of space. However, Eden turned out to be extremely inhospitable with the added danger of hard radiation from Proxima. There is now a small research station on Eden, but little else in the rest of the system. Star was once known as Rigel Kentaurus.

Late in 3301 a rag-tag collection of independent commanders selflessly came to the aid of The Hutton Mug Co. to help kick-start the creation of the Hutton Mug; that rare item that can only be found at Hutton Orbital in the Alpha Centauri system. Over 2.4 million tonnes of scrap were delivered by the Truckers, all the while evading and eventually confronting the many concerted attacks by pirates and other ne'er-do-wells who blockaded the platform, determined to thwart the Mug Company's efforts. In the aftermath of the famed Mug Run many intrepid commanders decided to formalise their association into the Cooperative, vowing to protect the hallowed route and, perhaps one day, find a cure for MODS.

 

[Allen Stroud]

I am aware.

Then you may want to revise your previous post, which implied you were listing them in order. Or disappear off to Shinrarta Dezra? I hear its lovely this time of year.

Tau Ceti, Delta Pavonis, Beta Hydri and Altair were the first systems colonised (in that order). I believe there is some documentation available on the Taylor Rebellion here.

https://elite-dangerous.fandom.com/wiki/Taylor_Colony

This is correct.

 

[CMDRCorrMorningstarFelian]

Then you may want to revise your previous post, which implied you were listing them in order. Or disappear off to Shinrarta Dezra? I hear its lovely this time of year.

Tau Ceti, Delta Pavonis, Beta Hydri and Altair were the first systems colonised (in that order). I believe there is some documentation available on the Taylor Rebellion here.

https://elite-dangerous.fandom.com/wiki/Taylor_Colony

This is correct.

This was merely a first pass to get a reasonably complete list. Though, your mentioning of Shinrarta Dezra is interesting given the whole Founder's World bit. That angle needs to be checked probably against its' neighbors to see if between Shinrarta Dezra beacons and neighbors we get even an approximate settled date.

 

[Allen Stroud]

This was merely a first pass to get a reasonably complete list. Though, your mentioning of Shinrarta Dezra is interesting given the whole Founder's World bit. That angle needs to be checked probably against its' neighbors to see if between Shinrarta Dezra beacons and neighbors we get even an approximate settled date.

My mention was a light touche to your mention last time I posted, nothing more.

 

[Jorki Rasalas]

Sources based on Tourist beacons such as https://elite-dangerous.fandom.com/wiki/Elite_Dangerous_Timeline#cite_note-TB0167-6 looks legit.

TB167 just says Tau Ceti was the first colony. Just searched the TB spreadsheet and only mention of Alpha Centauri I can see was about the Hutton Orbital Mug:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1eu30UyjpQrWexAglwD1Ax_GaDz4d7l8KD76kSzX4DEk/htmlview#

It’s @Comandante ’s “Alpha Centauri (failed colony before Tau Ceti)” that interests me. What is the source for that “failed colony before Tau Ceti”?

It would make sense in physical terms-it is the nearest system to Sol, so logically should have been visited/settled first, but I’m not aware of any ED lore that says so (which in itself is interesting!) @Allen Stroud : care to comment on this Allen?

 

[Allen Stroud]

TB167 just says Tau Ceti was the first colony. Just searched the TB spreadsheet and only mention of Alpha Centauri I can see was about the Hutton Orbital Mug:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1eu30UyjpQrWexAglwD1Ax_GaDz4d7l8KD76kSzX4DEk/htmlview#

It’s @Comandante ’s “Alpha Centauri (failed colony before Tau Ceti)” that interests me. What is the source for that “failed colony before Tau Ceti”?

It would make sense in physical terms-it is the nearest system to Sol, so logically should have been visited/settled first, but I’m not aware of any ED lore that says so (which in itself is interesting!) @Allen Stroud : care to comment on this Allen?

There is no documentation from the files I worked on that references a failed colony on Alpha Centauri.

 

[Allen Stroud]

Is there an authoritative chronological list of the first systems colonized?

I've found some colonization info in the ED Timeline: https://elite-dangerous.fandom.com/wiki/Elite_Dangerous_Timeline.

I'll add. Most of that timeline around the early colonisation period is, with a few amendments, from material I wrote.

I didn't say there were 70,000 generation ships, for example.

 

[CMDRCorrMorningstarFelian]

There is no documentation from the files I worked on that references a failed colony on Alpha Centauri.

This is why I think they took some liberties with the lore that was player submitted. That said, amongst the CMDR submitted beacons I swear some of those are FDev people role-playing. Some coincide too closely with the books. Hints are hints regardless of the source. That said, the inspiration for Elite Dangerous was partly RPG games of the 80s. I'm lucky to be an elder Millennial IRL. Braben particularly mentioned The Fantasy Trip and Space Opera RPGs. Further, Terran Trade Authority RPG made a presence in the game as a minor faction. Now, I don't know if this was truly a player faction or someone at Frontier Developments. There is one commonality in all this, though, at least an attempt at colonization of Alpha Centauri.

For your part @Allen Stroud I thank you for helping make such beautiful narratives for us to play "game master" with. The series and it's derivative works are truly amazing.

Also, for those 80s and 90s kids at heart that play as CMDRs, I hope this brings back fond memories: Lost Tribe's Gamemaster

Lyrics to Lost Tribe's Gamemaster:

Embracing the goddess energy within yourselves
Will bring all of you to a new understanding and valuing of life
A vision that inspires you to live and love on planet earth
Like a priceless jewel
Buried in dark layers of soil and stone
Earth radiates her brilliant beauty
Into the caverns of space and time
Perhaps you are aware of those who watch over your home
And experience it as a place to visit and play with reality
You are becoming aware of yourself as a gamemaster

Imagine earth restored to her regal beauty
Stately trees seem to brush the deep blue sky
Clouds billow to form majestic peaks
The songs of birds fill the air
Creating symphony upon symphony
The goddess is calling for an honoring
Of what she allows to be created
Through the core-mystery of the blood
Those who own her planet are learning about love

 

[CMDRCorrMorningstarFelian]

I didn't say there were 70,000 generation ships, for example.

This came from the first manual written by Robert Holdstock. Curiously we may have not yet seen a full-scale dredger or perhaps they operate as fleets (but oh my god - 40 miles long). The 70,000 is direct from the manual.