Has the Empire just been retconned?

Straylight0

S
The recent Galnet article ( https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/12-JUL-3301 )says that the sentient species exterminated in Achenar was largely as an unintentional result of bacteria imported with the colonists, and was used as a pretext for Federal action much later on.

The Elite wikia (http://elite-dangerous.wikia.com/wiki/Empire) says that the genocide happened after Henson Duval ordered the sterilisation of Achenar 6d and makes the Federal action sound more immediate and also a response to aggressive takeovers.

It also says that some of the male-royal-only bias was abandoned a while ago, which changes the dynamics of the current system.

Both of these remove some of the moral objections to the Empire... is this a retcon (retroactive continuity change) by the developers and is it evidence of bias on the part of Galnet, the devs, or both?
 
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Perseus

Perseus
I wish we could get the lore straight. It would go some way to giving the game more depth.
I liked the idea that the Empire committed deliberate genocide in it's early history. It suggested a ruthless and pitiless ambition that is both abhorrent and, sad to say, very human. This act is/was a fundamental statement of the early Empires drives and identity. It laid the basis for the hatred by the other big factions (along with the slavery) and established the Empire as a real galactic power.
I'm glad to see the male only blood line go, to be honest.
 

Straylight0

S
I rather liked the male-only thing... it makes a game-proxy for some of the backward elements of our own societies, gave a moral argument against the Empire, set up contradictions (its three most successful powers are women) and it opened up all kinds of political machinations. Would the traditionalist Arissa need to only become "regent" to appease her supporters, and if so, on whose behalf? Was Patreus planning to marry Aisling for blood legitimacy and rule through her, or was Aisling planning to do the same to him? Would Aisling try to reform the Empire so women could rule, and would she then face furious opposition? Would Zemima freeze the Emperor before his death and rule as Steward? etc.
 

veryinky

V
The whole change in tone in the history of the empire is weird. Does feel like a retcon, or at least very bad propaganda considering there'd be many people alive in the setting who'd remember the 3250 version of the empire.
 

insanephoton

insanephoton
It has long been suggested that the devs have an inherent bias towards all things Imperial and this is just the latest piece of damning evidence. Honestly this is as bad as George Lucas messing with Star Wars... Han shot first (actually in the original cut Greedo didn't appear to fire at all), or in this case the Empire were guilty of genocide and the Federation were rightly upset.
It's not as if the Empire needs any help.
 

Mxthe

Mxthe
I think it's perfect, because just like actual history no one really knows what happened, only what we are told by history reports or history books.
This means that everyone can just make their own opinions and chose what to believe, it can also create some conspiracy theories and form new factions with their own beliefs over what happened, and create even more depth.

I think it's brilliant, and I think this thread is proof of that.
 

Straylight0

S
I think it's pretty certain that Galnet itself is biased in its coverage. The question is whether this is a conscious decision by the Devs to get us not to trust it fully, or bias on their part intentional or unintentional.
 

Mxthe

Mxthe
Hard to say, but it does make sense to me that the "Empire" would have the upper hand initially.

If the universe can truly be affected by players, then we will see how that will evolve over time.
 

CMDR Derrida

C
Mxthe said:
I think it's perfect, because just like actual history no one really knows what happened, only what we are told by history reports or history books.
This means that everyone can just make their own opinions and chose what to believe, it can also create some conspiracy theories and form new factions with their own beliefs over what happened, and create even more depth.

I think it's brilliant, and I think this thread is proof of that.
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I think you've hit on the crux of postmodern history here because postmodernism claims that truth and meaning are transient and that we can do no more than try to understand, however, this is also one of the major criticisms of postmodernism: if we can say that history is only the opinion of the writer (backed up by various sources also by 'writers'), or that history cannot make any real claim to be real, that this opens us to the abyss. I.e., what this re-writing of the genocide issue most echoes is the recent phenomenon of holocaust denial, although whether this was intentional on FD's part, I do not know.
Holocaust denial works on the basis of such postmodern slogans as HISTORY IS WRITTEN BY THE WINNERS. Although it may seem obvious to the people of the post WW2 world that the holocaust happened, because there are/were plenty of survivors, over time these survivors die and the event itself (the holocaust) becomes more and more open to 're-writing'. In this sense, Frontier Developments may have implemented a clever reference to this, however, I am unsure as to whether they are being this self-conscious or not. If they are being this astute with regard to the history of Power Play, then I think it is only a matter of time before we hear that Archon Delaine is not actually a slaver, but a freedom fighter whose history is written by the superpowers.
 
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Draxxen

Draxxen
CMDR Derrida said:
I think you've hit on the crux of postmodern history here because postmodernism claims that truth and meaning are transient and that we can do no more than try to understand, however, this is also one of the major criticisms of postmodernism: if we can say that history is only the opinion of the writer (backed up by various sources also by 'writers'), or that history cannot make any real claim to be real, that this opens us to the abyss. I.e., what this re-writing of the genocide issue most echoes is the recent phenomenon of holocaust denial, although whether this was intentional on FD's part, I do not know.
Holocaust denial works on the basis of such postmodern slogans as HISTORY IS WRITTEN BY THE WINNERS. Although it may seem obvious to the people of the post WW2 world that the holocaust happened, because there are/were plenty of survivors, over time these survivors die and the event itself (the holocaust) becomes more and more open to 're-writing'. In this sense, Frontier Developments may have implemented a clever reference to this, however, I am unsure as to whether they are being this self-conscious or not. If they are being this astute with regard to the history of Power Play, then I think it is only a matter of time before he hear that Archon Delaine is not actually a slaver, but a freedom fighter whose history is written by the superpowers.
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Interesting arguments.
I would like to add the observation that some of the more fundamental cornerstones in history are backed by irrefutable physical evidence. Holocaust in particular has the concentration camps and mass graves.
IC: Unless there are physical evidence of any kind of the early empire genocide, which we cannot access at this time (no planetary landings), this in-game history is much easier to rewrite.
 

veryinky

V
Fact: in 3200 there were many alien races.
Fact: In 3200 there was an organization named "Galactic Cooperative" or Galcop which ruled over 2000 planets.
Fact: In 3200 humans were in the minority, 2040 colonized worlds and only 45 were human.
Fact: In 3252 the Empire went to war with Galcop destroying it.
Fact: By 3300 there were only two races alive, humans and thargoids.
Fact: The empire has massively grown in size over the last hundred years.

GroWJST.png


TEACH THE CONSPIRACY
 

veryinky

V
Galnet, or at least the imperial news network afiliated with Galnet has a history of historical revisionism and propaganda:

Note this from Elite 2: Frontier
IMPERIAL HERALD - 13th Aug 3255
Emperor to ban performers His most exalted Excellency Hengist Duval, Friend on the victims of War, Hammer of the causes of War, Upholder of the Scales of Peace, Ally to the Aliens, yesterday issued an edict through the offices of the Pan Systemic Imperial Councils forbidding any future performances of gratuitous juggling within the range of Imperial jurisdiction until further notice. The ruling follows an unfortunate incident that has recently come to light involving the newly retired ex-Crown Prince Harald and a number of minor articles of clothing. The Emperor (May Light forever shine on His Countenance) sat in State in a meeting of the High Legislate and was much disturbed by the reports of street performers and patchwork circuses in the outer regions. It is His Excellency's esteemed belief that upright and hard working Imperial citizens would prefer to spend their free time learning the full history of our past encounters with our new alien allies.

Accordingly, local Civic Guard leaders have been advised of the new changes in the new standard leisure curriculum and will be provided with suitable teaching material as soon as the latest budgetary estimates have been processed.
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Emperor calls himself "Ally to the Aliens" even though during this time the Empire was systematically genociding trillions of aliens in what used to be Galcop.
 

SongMinKi

SongMinKi
Personally I'm happy that the Empire took the initiative to purge the xeno filth. The Emperor (long may he reign) will soon make a recovery and lead us into victory against the hypocrite Federation. Glory to the Empire
 
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