So, this was going to be a response to various posts on the Canonn thread, but as that's closed here's the key points.
Thargoids is a name given to some (presumed) aliens by humans. (In game lore).
Thargoids and Oresrians are very similar but distinct on various points including Oresrians not being aggressive unless provoked. The one known provocation is confusing them with their mortal enemies Thargoids. (The Dark Wheel).
The more recent debacle that ended with the Mycoid attack appears to have only involved the Oresrians. (Livestream the other week)
As we stand now, Thargoids remains a label applied by humans. It currently includes the Oresrians and another set, the Klaxxians. Oresrians and Klaxxians are enemies. They're similar enough that we've put them under the same banner of 'Thargoids' (General lore at the moment, Premonition, etc.)
Oresrians are Oresrians. Klaxxians are what was originally called Thargoids.
The whole history writes itself from there.
Edit - updates to the original post in response to point raised.
'Thargoids' isn't actually the name for the aliens. It's just a label applied by humanity:
Thargoids v Oresrians (from The Dark Wheel)
Hyperspace Tech and History (for reference)
Oresrians & Klaxxians
Livestream Lore
There was of course the livestream from last week:
https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php/376919-Livestreams-Pre-2-4-Lore-Stream-Summary
This starts at 3125 and makes no mention of Oresrians, Klaxxians or any of the points made before.
So we could potentially be looking at a retcon.
My post is based on there not being a retcon, and how things then fit together. Obviously if there is a post-2.4 retcon then all bets are off!
Full text from the livestream lore summary below:
Thargoids is a name given to some (presumed) aliens by humans. (In game lore).
Thargoids and Oresrians are very similar but distinct on various points including Oresrians not being aggressive unless provoked. The one known provocation is confusing them with their mortal enemies Thargoids. (The Dark Wheel).
The more recent debacle that ended with the Mycoid attack appears to have only involved the Oresrians. (Livestream the other week)
As we stand now, Thargoids remains a label applied by humans. It currently includes the Oresrians and another set, the Klaxxians. Oresrians and Klaxxians are enemies. They're similar enough that we've put them under the same banner of 'Thargoids' (General lore at the moment, Premonition, etc.)
Oresrians are Oresrians. Klaxxians are what was originally called Thargoids.
The whole history writes itself from there.
Edit - updates to the original post in response to point raised.
'Thargoids' isn't actually the name for the aliens. It's just a label applied by humanity:
Short version: some people thought they could see the the letters 'THARG' on a blurry zoomed in version of the only recording of from the first ecnounters. Hence people gave the name 'Thargoids'
Full version in screenshot:
Full version in screenshot:
Thargoids v Oresrians (from The Dark Wheel)
The Dark Wheel isn't strictly canon, and falls into the myths and legends category. However, that doesn't necessarily mean that everything in it is incorrect. It's also an unspecified time before 3125 (when the lore from the livestream starts) so nothing in it is overruled by the lore livestream. However far before 3125 it is, it's sufficiently far for the Faraway Jump to be in full flow with no hint of Type 1 (Quirium) hyperdrives.
The pertinent piece is:
"'Thargoids . . .' he whispered.
'Bull,' McGreavy said, and dragged Alex away. 'They're Oresrians, and the one thing that can
make an Oresrian deadly is being confused the way you've just confused them, with their deadly
enemies the Thargoids. Check the thorax markings and the shape of the fourth joint on each hind
leg before you jump to conclusions again . . .'"
Full text below:
The pertinent piece is:
"'Thargoids . . .' he whispered.
'Bull,' McGreavy said, and dragged Alex away. 'They're Oresrians, and the one thing that can
make an Oresrian deadly is being confused the way you've just confused them, with their deadly
enemies the Thargoids. Check the thorax markings and the shape of the fourth joint on each hind
leg before you jump to conclusions again . . .'"
Full text below:
"Alex scanned the high walls for a hint of McGreavy's warehouse. As he did so he found himselfstanding behind two tall, violent-looking insect-forms, their bodies armoured in light grey, their
facetted eyes swivelling to stare at him as they talked together, chelicerae clashing and clacking in
their peculiar mode of communication.
Alex stepped away, heart beating, blood rushing to his head. Compound eyes, jointed limbs, head
antennae, double cutting jaws . . .
Thargoids!
Here, on a space station!
Thargoids were deadly. Thargoid spacers had their fear-glands removed, and were considered to
be the most effective and potent of humankind's enemies. The bounty for killing a Thargoid was
huge, and for capturing and delivering the juvenile form, the Tharglet, to any Space Navy research
centre, even greater.
What were they doing here?
The Thargoids chatted together and watched Alex coldly. Alex noticed that each had an appendage
resting on its thoracic plate, where they holstered their hand-lasers.
'Back off,' a voice whispered, and Alex turned. McGreavy stood there blinking through his
deformities. Alex had not grasped how short the man was; he only came up as far as Alex's chest.
31
'Thargoids . . .' he whispered.
'Bull,' McGreavy said, and dragged Alex away. 'They're Oresrians, and the one thing that can
make an Oresrian deadly is being confused the way you've just confused them, with their deadly
enemies the Thargoids. Check the thorax markings and the shape of the fourth joint on each hind
leg before you jump to conclusions again . . .'
Alex followed McGreavy gratefully, away from the whispering insects."
facetted eyes swivelling to stare at him as they talked together, chelicerae clashing and clacking in
their peculiar mode of communication.
Alex stepped away, heart beating, blood rushing to his head. Compound eyes, jointed limbs, head
antennae, double cutting jaws . . .
Thargoids!
Here, on a space station!
Thargoids were deadly. Thargoid spacers had their fear-glands removed, and were considered to
be the most effective and potent of humankind's enemies. The bounty for killing a Thargoid was
huge, and for capturing and delivering the juvenile form, the Tharglet, to any Space Navy research
centre, even greater.
What were they doing here?
The Thargoids chatted together and watched Alex coldly. Alex noticed that each had an appendage
resting on its thoracic plate, where they holstered their hand-lasers.
'Back off,' a voice whispered, and Alex turned. McGreavy stood there blinking through his
deformities. Alex had not grasped how short the man was; he only came up as far as Alex's chest.
31
'Thargoids . . .' he whispered.
'Bull,' McGreavy said, and dragged Alex away. 'They're Oresrians, and the one thing that can
make an Oresrian deadly is being confused the way you've just confused them, with their deadly
enemies the Thargoids. Check the thorax markings and the shape of the fourth joint on each hind
leg before you jump to conclusions again . . .'
Alex followed McGreavy gratefully, away from the whispering insects."
Hyperspace Tech and History (for reference)
Just for clarity on points around hyperdrive tech and its history:
https://community.elitedangerous.com...57ba3357039d07
The original Elite is set in 3125, and uses Quirium drives, with no trace of the Faraway Jump system. This sets The Dark Wheel somewhere post-2800 and a reasonable time before 3125.
https://community.elitedangerous.com...57ba3357039d07
The original Elite is set in 3125, and uses Quirium drives, with no trace of the Faraway Jump system. This sets The Dark Wheel somewhere post-2800 and a reasonable time before 3125.
Oresrians & Klaxxians
Both of these are from canon sources. (Premonition & Out Of Darkness)
However, there is some dubiousness about what is actually genuine information in Premonition vs what is disinformation being sown between characters as part of the story line.
The info given completely correlates with what we're seeing in game so far though.
So, it's a question of tying in the various sources and building a coherent picture of what's happened over several hundred years in the galaxy.
However, there is some dubiousness about what is actually genuine information in Premonition vs what is disinformation being sown between characters as part of the story line.
The info given completely correlates with what we're seeing in game so far though.
So, it's a question of tying in the various sources and building a coherent picture of what's happened over several hundred years in the galaxy.
Livestream Lore
There was of course the livestream from last week:
https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php/376919-Livestreams-Pre-2-4-Lore-Stream-Summary
This starts at 3125 and makes no mention of Oresrians, Klaxxians or any of the points made before.
So we could potentially be looking at a retcon.
My post is based on there not being a retcon, and how things then fit together. Obviously if there is a post-2.4 retcon then all bets are off!
Full text from the livestream lore summary below:
3125
The Thargoid story begins in 3125, almost 200 years ago. Accounts surfaced that pilots had been pulled from witch-space and attacked by mysterious octagonal starships. Witnesses said that the strange vessels were exceptionally fast and manoeuvrable. Pilots who survived these experiences were convinced they had encountered extraterrestrials. They named the aliens 'Thargoids'.
As news of these encounters spread, rumours surfaced that the interdictions might be a response to an earlier human attack. Leaked Federal intelligence indicated that colonists in the Veliaze system had encountered and assaulted an extraterrestrial deputation shortly before the Thargoid interdictions began. There were suggestions that the Thargoid attacks were a reaction to this initial assault.
Not long after, reports of Thargoid encounters came to an abrupt halt, and in the decades that followed, not one credible account of a Thargoid encounter was reported.
3250
In 3250, more than 100 years later, reports emerged that the disappearance of the Thargoids might have been a direct consequence of a covert anti-Thargoid operation. Rumours surfaced that an organization known as the Intergalactic Naval Reserve Arm had developed a chemical weapon specifically designed to target Thargoid technology. This weapon – known as the mycoid virus – was designed to attack plastic polymers, which were believed to be present in Thargoid hyperdrive systems. The fact that the virus also appeared to harm the Thargoids led to speculation that the aliens' bodies might contain some kind of polymer-like material.
3301
In May, mysterious objects known as Unknown Artefacts were discovered floating in space. The Artefacts emitted a distinctive sound and had the ability to damage ships transporting them, although this process was not fully understood.
In June, it was discovered that the sound emitted by the Artefacts contained their location, encrypted in Morse code.
In October, the Unknown Artefacts started scanning nearby ships. The sound produced by the Artefacts was discovered to contain a wireframe image of the scanned vessel. A short time later, a number of starports started experiencing inexplicable malfunctions, and over the following months, the number of stations experiencing such issues grew.
In December, the xeno-biologist Professor Ishmael Palin speculated that there might be a connection between the Unknown Artefacts and the technical issues plaguing the galaxy’s starports.
3302
In January, strange organic structures known as barnacles were discovered on planets in several systems. These barnacles produced a material called meta-alloys. A short time later, Professor Palin confirmed that the Artefacts were the cause of the technical issues affecting the galaxy’s starports. He discovered that the Artefacts leech material from stations and use it to repair themselves, thereby causing malfunctions.
In March, it was confirmed that meta-alloys could counter the disruptive effect of Unknown Artefacts.
In July, mysterious objects known as Unknown Probes were discovered around ammonia worlds in the Merope system. It was soon discovered that when a Probe was examined with an advanced discovery scanner, it emitted an electromagnetic pulse that temporarily incapacitated the scanning ship. The pulse was followed by a burst of sound containing a mysterious encrypted image.
In August, the remains of a strange ship were discovered on a planet in the Pleiades Nebula.
In September, it was discovered that the Unknown Probes were transmitting data to a location within the Col 70 sector, but the permit lock of Col 70 prevented further investigation.
In November, a second strange shipwreck, virtually identical to that found in August, was discovered in the HIP 17862 system.
3303
In January, an independent pilot was interdicted by an unusual ship while in hyperspace. The galactic community noted similarities between the mysterious craft and the shipwrecks found in the Pleiades Nebula. In the weeks that followed, a number of further interdictions took place.
In May, reports surfaced of mysterious attacks in the Maia system, where eyewitnesses claimed to have found the remains of Federal vessels. Eyewitnesses maintained they had seen the Unknown Ships at the wreckage sites.
In June, Unknown Ships were seen interacting with barnacles. Observers reported that the ships targeted the barnacles with energy beams, apparently to extract matter from them. A few weeks later, Professor Ishmael Palin determined the origin of the Unknown Ships by comparing data from them with older Thargoid samples. Palin’s experiment conclusively proved that the Unknown Ships were Thargoid.
Also in June, huge Thargoid structures were discovered in a number of systems. Several of these structures were found to contain functional Thargoid technology. The fact that Unknown Artefacts and Unknown Probes could be used to activate this technology proved the objects were of Thargoid origin.
In July, an Ocellus starport called The Oracle relocated to the Pleiades Sector IR-W D1-55 to study the region’s Thargoid structure and serve as a centre for future Thargoid research.
In August, scientists from the Empire, Federation and Alliance united to establish a new organisation called Aegis. The organisation’s remit is to gather intelligence on the Thargoids and coordinate future research into the aliens.
This is what we know of the Thargoids so far; and who knows what the future will bring?
The Thargoid story begins in 3125, almost 200 years ago. Accounts surfaced that pilots had been pulled from witch-space and attacked by mysterious octagonal starships. Witnesses said that the strange vessels were exceptionally fast and manoeuvrable. Pilots who survived these experiences were convinced they had encountered extraterrestrials. They named the aliens 'Thargoids'.
As news of these encounters spread, rumours surfaced that the interdictions might be a response to an earlier human attack. Leaked Federal intelligence indicated that colonists in the Veliaze system had encountered and assaulted an extraterrestrial deputation shortly before the Thargoid interdictions began. There were suggestions that the Thargoid attacks were a reaction to this initial assault.
Not long after, reports of Thargoid encounters came to an abrupt halt, and in the decades that followed, not one credible account of a Thargoid encounter was reported.
3250
In 3250, more than 100 years later, reports emerged that the disappearance of the Thargoids might have been a direct consequence of a covert anti-Thargoid operation. Rumours surfaced that an organization known as the Intergalactic Naval Reserve Arm had developed a chemical weapon specifically designed to target Thargoid technology. This weapon – known as the mycoid virus – was designed to attack plastic polymers, which were believed to be present in Thargoid hyperdrive systems. The fact that the virus also appeared to harm the Thargoids led to speculation that the aliens' bodies might contain some kind of polymer-like material.
3301
In May, mysterious objects known as Unknown Artefacts were discovered floating in space. The Artefacts emitted a distinctive sound and had the ability to damage ships transporting them, although this process was not fully understood.
In June, it was discovered that the sound emitted by the Artefacts contained their location, encrypted in Morse code.
In October, the Unknown Artefacts started scanning nearby ships. The sound produced by the Artefacts was discovered to contain a wireframe image of the scanned vessel. A short time later, a number of starports started experiencing inexplicable malfunctions, and over the following months, the number of stations experiencing such issues grew.
In December, the xeno-biologist Professor Ishmael Palin speculated that there might be a connection between the Unknown Artefacts and the technical issues plaguing the galaxy’s starports.
3302
In January, strange organic structures known as barnacles were discovered on planets in several systems. These barnacles produced a material called meta-alloys. A short time later, Professor Palin confirmed that the Artefacts were the cause of the technical issues affecting the galaxy’s starports. He discovered that the Artefacts leech material from stations and use it to repair themselves, thereby causing malfunctions.
In March, it was confirmed that meta-alloys could counter the disruptive effect of Unknown Artefacts.
In July, mysterious objects known as Unknown Probes were discovered around ammonia worlds in the Merope system. It was soon discovered that when a Probe was examined with an advanced discovery scanner, it emitted an electromagnetic pulse that temporarily incapacitated the scanning ship. The pulse was followed by a burst of sound containing a mysterious encrypted image.
In August, the remains of a strange ship were discovered on a planet in the Pleiades Nebula.
In September, it was discovered that the Unknown Probes were transmitting data to a location within the Col 70 sector, but the permit lock of Col 70 prevented further investigation.
In November, a second strange shipwreck, virtually identical to that found in August, was discovered in the HIP 17862 system.
3303
In January, an independent pilot was interdicted by an unusual ship while in hyperspace. The galactic community noted similarities between the mysterious craft and the shipwrecks found in the Pleiades Nebula. In the weeks that followed, a number of further interdictions took place.
In May, reports surfaced of mysterious attacks in the Maia system, where eyewitnesses claimed to have found the remains of Federal vessels. Eyewitnesses maintained they had seen the Unknown Ships at the wreckage sites.
In June, Unknown Ships were seen interacting with barnacles. Observers reported that the ships targeted the barnacles with energy beams, apparently to extract matter from them. A few weeks later, Professor Ishmael Palin determined the origin of the Unknown Ships by comparing data from them with older Thargoid samples. Palin’s experiment conclusively proved that the Unknown Ships were Thargoid.
Also in June, huge Thargoid structures were discovered in a number of systems. Several of these structures were found to contain functional Thargoid technology. The fact that Unknown Artefacts and Unknown Probes could be used to activate this technology proved the objects were of Thargoid origin.
In July, an Ocellus starport called The Oracle relocated to the Pleiades Sector IR-W D1-55 to study the region’s Thargoid structure and serve as a centre for future Thargoid research.
In August, scientists from the Empire, Federation and Alliance united to establish a new organisation called Aegis. The organisation’s remit is to gather intelligence on the Thargoids and coordinate future research into the aliens.
This is what we know of the Thargoids so far; and who knows what the future will bring?
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So don't worry, I wouldn't be saying what I'm saying without some evidence. 
