E:D - A Lore without Religions

[Scaletho]

I find very unsettling to realize that the Galaxy's several human colonies/outpost/planets are almost completely devoid of relevant and influential religious manifestations. This is somehow against the very human nature. We are indeed social-political creatures, but we also tend to religious idiosyncrasies. However, ED lore is devoid of them except for few inconsequential mention of 3 or 4. And some "Theological" form of government -- without any major importance.

Perhaps this is a particular phenomena related to Space traveling. Maybe, on the moment Humankind lifted off from Terra and started to colonized and explore the vastness of the Galaxy, the "Religious Experiment" cease to have any relevance.

But I find really curious that the Mysticism and penchant to the Divine has abandoned the Humankind (and ED lore) so easily...

 

[gorankar]

While most worlds seem at best agnostic, there are religious groups such as the followers of the far god, as well as some others. Some are even minor factions.
As far as representing currently practiced religions in this game set 1000 years into the future, who would want to risk that? You can't say "Merry Christmas" these days without triggering someone. Easier to avoid the hassle and keep currently practiced religions, as well as current politics out of your game if you can.

 

[Defacto]

Although the powers seem to be pretty secular, we see several religious orders and cults both in this game and in Elite II, for example. But as you say they're pretty insular and... not important, basically.

I'm not sure to what extent this (lack of general religion) is against 'human nature'. I think any statement of this kind is going to have both people who agree and disagree.

 

[Hanerib]

You have never heard of the Church of KumByar? On Peter's Eden? Or Sublime Order of van Maanen's star? Chapter of Isinor? Order of the Seven Bells? Followers of the Star? Pranav Antal's Utopia? Mysterious Idols? 2nd Law of Karmadynamics? Cult of Tothos? Shinrarta Dezhra is essentially the Fortunate Isles. Randomius Factoria! Or is it? Maybe the Elysian Fields are elsewhere. Did Marianne ever journey to Arcadia? Or Delphi. Who reached Delphi? Oh my...

 

[Crimson Echo]

In World War III basically everything was destroyed, and there were limited survivors. Little of the prewar culture survived. Plenty of new religions/cults popped up since.

Representing modern religion in a work of fiction set in the future is problematic. What sects get included, and which are omitted? How do the religions deal with the existence of aliens? Best to avoid the issue entirely for the same sort of reason the strangereal universe exist in ace combat.

 

[drew]

You have never heard of the Church of KumByar? On Peter's Eden? Or Sublime Order of van Maanen's star? Chapter of Isinor? Order of the Seven Bells? Followers of the Star? Pranav Antal's Utopia? Mysterious Idols? 2nd Law of Karmadynamics? Cult of Tothos? Shinrarta Dezhra is essentially the Fortunate Isles. Randomius Factoria! Or is it? Maybe the Elysian Fields are elsewhere. Did Marianne ever journey to Arcadia? Or Delphi. Who reached Delphi? Oh my...

This. They do exist in the lore.

Cheers,

Drew.

 

[Deleted member 38366]

EDDB currently lists 162 Factions with Government type : Theocracy.

Not many indeed, considering there are 77,444 known Factions in the Galaxy. But they do exist.

 

[Disemboweled Ego]

Might Elite be better off without it? Religions in game lore usually result in the same old cargo-cult parody of how people will believe/worship anything at the vaguest of excuses. The only distinction is how bizarre you can make the cult and still get away with it being believable (bonus points for avoiding comparisons to existing religions).

 

[Sasha Terra]

I seem to recall that what we would think of as contemporary mainstream religion was represented in the Frontier Elite II lore with the Revised Catholic Mission of Aymiay. While I don't think any discussion of actual theology would add anything to the game, it might add some welcome colour if there were groups like that represented somehow.

Perhaps some kind of even-more-minor faction could be created? Groups that don't seek direct political power, or control stations or systems, but which have a fairly wide reach, providing long-distance courier and passenger missions. In courier terms in particular, they could fill a gameplay niche by offering relatively simple, usually legal, long-range missions that don't require a passenger cabin or much/any cargo space. They would appear on mission boards just like the existing minor factions, but instead of controlling reasonably dense collections of systems, they would appear in highly-populated systems with a spread of 100+ly from their home system. (Maybe they have a single station in that system that they control, but certainly not more than that.) As well as religious groups, they could include community and cultural organisations, or groups with interests in particular arts or pastimes.

nd

 

[CMDR Yates]

In Odyssey, I've come across several lines of NPC dialogue referencing a god, and gods.

"I've been praying to every god in the galaxy that you'd succeed..." etc.

Then there are references to theocracies, civic religions, extremist cults, etc.

Diegetically, I think the Elite galaxy is supposed to be home to an absolute multitude of religious beliefs. It's just as as pilots we live in a sort of diplomatic, corporate, culturally sterile, airline lobby world at the contact point of thousands of planets and nations with their own varied subcultures, with so many people from different backgrounds interacting that overt displays of personal belief are unlikely to be met positively and therefore are generally avoided by unspoken consensus.

Non-diegetically, Frontier probably just can be bothered opening any cans of worms, and fair enough.

 

[Ian Doncaster]

Might Elite be better off without it? Religions in game lore usually result in the same old cargo-cult parody of how people will believe/worship anything at the vaguest of excuses. The only distinction is how bizarre you can make the cult and still get away with it being believable (bonus points for avoiding comparisons to existing religions).

Yes - and with a game set in our theoretical future, it gets even tougher: include religions which exist today and adapting their portrayal to the setting in a way that's believable for a thousand years of change is tough ... don't include them, and have to answer very awkward questions on what happened to their adherents.

So far Frontier have managed to largely avoid the problem by assuming that religions are there, and occasionally showing their presence (including more obliquely, the Far God storyline including an "exotheologian" researcher who wouldn't have a lot to research if there weren't a lot of religions about ... and a representative of the Galactic Interfaith Commune), without going into any great detail about what they actually believe, how much any of them are descended from modern-day religions, etc.

As CMDR Yates says, so far they can avoid going further because we never really interact with the personal lives of the people we're working for (or against), which is probably for the best.

 

[Vetinari]

I think most religions in game dont really spread outside their own system with the exception of a few, theres no bubble wide one afaik, people are too far apart and too spread out and have their own cultures developed over 1300 years to have one unified theology or even 2 or 3 'big ones'.

Besides, its too contentious a topic usually, starts arguments too easily as no-one backs down from their POV.

 

[Spenceuk99]

I remember Randomius Factoria... Never seemed to come to anything though.