Newcomer / Intro Nomenclature of system and station names?

Salmax Vrall · Jan 1, 2021

There are some great, interesting and some just plain weird system, planet, station etc names in this universe. The one's named after famous scientists or authors are pretty cool.

Is there a definitive list of what object has been named for which person (either real or in the lore?)

Cheers

Para Handy · Jan 2, 2021

Inara has an info panel to the right of station information, "Galpedia", where the attribution is known (or guessed?).

It is not so hot with systems - search for Akhenaten or Baal for example gives no indication of what the system is named after.

Stations and systems named after people that bought that level in the Kickstarter are not highlighted in Inara either.

I don't know of other resources for this, I'd be interested to find out about any.

Mitch Brewer · Jan 2, 2021

The galpedia is an interesting read. Sometimes I think they may just "magic" some entries but I still like it.

Mitch Brewer · Jan 2, 2021

What I like to do is look up lists of stars on Wikipedia, such as closest stars or brightest stars. Then I read up on the stars in order and then go visit them in game. It's cool to know about stars and then get to see them virtually. It's even cooler if you actually go outside and look up at the sky and see them. My GF and grandchildren are amazed by how many stellar objects I can look up in the sky and name and point out. What's that orange blinky one next to those 3 stars in a row up there grandpa? That's Betelgeuse. Is not, I saw that movie and it doesn't even look like him.

Salmax Vrall · Jan 2, 2021

Didn't know about Galpedia. that's awesome and just what i was looking for, cheers for the heads up! So if there is a real person assigned to an object(s) then can we assume that that is a formal verification or are the folks editing Galpedia making an educated guess themselves? If there isn't anyone linked then nobody actually knows yet?

I love that this game highlights some really interesting scientists that we can then go and read about, everyday is a school day!

Tyres O'Flaherty · Jan 2, 2021

I'd live a station named after my CMDR

Dommarraa · Jan 2, 2021

Salmax Vrall said:
Didn't know about Galpedia. that's awesome and just what i was looking for, cheers for the heads up! So if there is a real person assigned to an object(s) then can we assume that that is a formal verification or are the folks editing Galpedia making an educated guess themselves? If there isn't anyone linked then nobody actually knows yet?

I love that this game highlights some really interesting scientists that we can then go and read about, everyday day is a school day!

Its an educated guess. FD have never said anything on the matter.

It might even be an automatic guess. Look up the names in Wikipedia, if they give a result in Science or Maths, use it.

Sapyx · Jan 5, 2021

When the galaxy was generated, space stations in procedurally-generated star systems were given procedurally-generated names, comprising of some famous scientist, explorer or sci-fi writer, combined with some word that means "starport". Some of these stations were subsequently renamed, either by FD for lore reasons or to honour a Kickstarter pledge.

The Kickstarter ones are perhaps the most amusing, and most in need of some kind of explanation, but since the folks at Inara aren't privy to a Kickstarter's reasons for choosing a name, then no explanation in Inara is given. For example, we aren't told why the space station in the Bast system is named "Hart Station". If you look at the name of the planet below, and see that it's called "THFC-Est1882", you might be able to deduce the reason - if you were a Tottenham Hotspurs Football Club fan and were aware the club was established in 1882, you would know that their original home ground was a stadium called "White Hart Lane".

In the Jotunheim system, on the other hand, I don't think anybody has any idea why a backer chose the name "Big Harry's Monkey Hangout" for the main space station, nor why it orbits a planet named "Daisy". Galpedia certainly isn't daring to guess.

Jotunheim also illustrates an ambiguous case. A minor outpost in the system is named "Henson Station". This is a procedurally-generated name (a Kickstarter didn't purchase the right to rename every single station in a star system, just one). Galpedia claims it is named after Matthew Henson, polar explorer. But it could just as easily be named after Jim Henson, puppeteer famous for the Muppets but who also did several sci-fi / fantasy themed shows and movies, most notably the Dark Crystal. As far as I am aware, FD have never told the folks at Inara the reasons behind the names added to the procedural-generation picklist.

There are 21 stations, outposts etc named after "Henson", so I guess there's enough to go around for both of them... and for any other famous and commemoration-worthy Hensons you might think of.

Salmax Vrall · Jan 6, 2021

Sapyx said:
When the galaxy was generated, space stations in procedurally-generated star systems were given procedurally-generated names, comprising of some famous scientist, explorer or sci-fi writer, combined with some word that means "starport". Some of these stations were subsequently renamed, either by FD for lore reasons or to honour a Kickstarter pledge.

The Kickstarter ones are perhaps the most amusing, and most in need of some kind of explanation, but since the folks at Inara aren't privy to a Kickstarter's reasons for choosing a name, then no explanation in Inara is given. For example, we aren't told why the space station in the Bast system is named "Hart Station". If you look at the name of the planet below, and see that it's called "THFC-Est1882", you might be able to deduce the reason - if you were a Tottenham Hotspurs Football Club fan and were aware the club was established in 1882, you would know that their original home ground was a stadium called "White Hart Lane".

In the Jotunheim system, on the other hand, I don't think anybody has any idea why a backer chose the name "Big Harry's Monkey Hangout" for the main space station, nor why it orbits a planet named "Daisy". Galpedia certainly isn't daring to guess.

Jotunheim also illustrates an ambiguous case. A minor outpost in the system is named "Henson Station". This is a procedurally-generated name (a Kickstarter didn't purchase the right to rename every single station in a star system, just one). Galpedia claims it is named after Matthew Henson, polar explorer. But it could just as easily be named after Jim Henson, puppeteer famous for the Muppets but who also did several sci-fi / fantasy themed shows and movies, most notably the Dark Crystal. As far as I am aware, FD have never told the folks at Inara the reasons behind the names added to the procedural-generation picklist.

There are 21 stations, outposts etc named after "Henson", so I guess there's enough to go around for both of them... and for any other famous and commemoration-worthy Hensons you might think of.

Thanks Sapyx for taking the time for your considered response, appreciated! I must admit that I am using Galpedia as well as EDDB to explore the universe as much as the in-game map now!

I now understand why there are multiple Holdstock or Clarke facilities as well as lots of astronauts and cosmonauts that are really interesting to learn about.

I am also beginning to understand that the ambiguity around the naming of objects adds to the entertaining and rampant tinfoil hattery around Dark Wheel and Raxxla lore.