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Thargoid

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File:Elite Dangerous Unknown Ship HD.png
A Thargoid ship in Elite: Dangerous

The Thargoids are an insectoid alien species who are said to originate outside of known space, perhaps existing in a parallel universe or spatial dimension. They are the one of two known living sapient species in the Milky Way galaxy (the other being humans), although ruins and artefacts of other species have been found and much of the galaxy remains unexplored.[1] Thargoids are reputed to be highly aggressive and seemingly rebuff all diplomatic overtures with unmitigated hostility.

History

First contact and conflict

File:Thargoid ship.gif
A Thargoid ship in Frontier: First Encounters

The name "Thargoid" was coined by humans shortly after the first reported encounters with the aliens. In a blurred holo clip of one such encounter, some argued that the term "THARG" was visible on the hull of an alien ship, but this was never conclusively proven. Nevertheless, "Tharg" came be associated with the aliens, and most commentators extended it to "Thargoid".[2]

Certain events have indicated that there may be another side to Thargoids; in prior conflicts, they have shown some anomalous behavior that does not entirely match with their popular image as relentless killing machines. At some point, a Commander Jameson may or may not have interacted with them, and may or may not have chosen to provide them with the vaccine to a genetically-engineered fungus ("hyper-mycoid") that attacked critical materials in their hyperdrives, preventing the construction of interstellar vehicles. Whatever the case, Thargoids ceased to travel through human space or accost human ships, disappearing for over thirty years.

Renewed activity

On January 5, 3303, Commander DP Sayre reported the first known encounter with an Unknown Ship, which was later confirmed to be a type of Thargoid vessel. The Unknown Ship interdicted the CMDR from hyperspace and apparently scanned him before departing to an untraceable destination. The acts of interdicting a target while in hyperspace and leaving an untraceable wake signature were both well beyond the capabilities of human technology. Previously, only the wreckage of these ships had been documented.

Beginning April 11, 3303, reports surfaced of Unknown Ships apparently attacking Federation convoys. Upon dropping out of supercruise at the source of certain distress calls, Commanders arrived in a green, gaseous cloud and their ship was disabled. Multiple Federal Corvette wrecks, bearing luminescent green residue where they were damaged and with their crews apparently dead, were adrift in the cloud, and a single Unknown Ship could be seen jumping away. Presumably, the Unknown Ship destroyed all of the Corvettes on its own in each incident.

On June 2, 3303, CMDR Mobiusetti documented the first known interaction between an Unknown Ship and an Alien Structure on Pleiades Sector OI-T C3-7 A 6 at coordinates -42.77, -21.7. This confirmed suspicions that they were related.[3]

Identification and escalation

File:Thargoids-Return-Message.png
CMDR Edward Lewis' message

On June 12, 3303, Professor Palin issued a request for scan and wake signature data from Unknown Ships to be delivered to Orcus Crag in Pleiades Sector OI-T c3-7. Palin compared the collected data to older Thargoid samples and confirmed that Unknown Ships were Thargoid in origin. Shortly afterward, Federation military forces seized Palin's research for transport to a Federal research facility, but the fleet never arrived at its destination.[4]

On June 13, wreckage was found with a transmitter which contained a recorded message:

"This is an urgent message from Commander Edward Lewis. There are forces out there who do not want you to know the truth, but I have to make this public. I found a ship in HIP 17044. A Federal cap ship, shot to pieces. They were carrying the data the Feds stole from Professor Palin. The crew is dead, but they discovered something important about the Unknown Ships. There is a beacon in the wreckage broadcasting a message, over and over. It proves what we suspected. They are back. And the whole galaxy needs to know. The Thargoids have returned."

File:Thargoid Attack Aftermath.png
The destroyed Federal fleet

Two unnamed Farragut Battle Cruisers were located at an Unregistered Comms Beacon approximately 11,000 ls in the direction of the Asterope system from planet 2 in the HIP 17044 system. The capital ships and an accompanying fleet of smaller Federal ships were all heavily damaged, their crews presumably dead, and adrift in the same green, gaseous cloud noted to be a signature of previous Unknown Ship attacks. A transmitter satellite was found among the debris. One Farragut was also discovered to be broadcasting a recording in Morse code in a small, 30-meter zone around its antenna array: "UNKNOWN VESSELS DETECTED. SERVER PURGE FAILED. SHIP ASSETS LIQUIDATED. PAYLOAD DESTROYED. SHIP STATUS LOST."[5]

Following the incident, on June 19, the leaders of the Federation, Empire, and Alliance responded to the news that the aliens encountered in the Pleiades Nebula were Thargoids. President Zachary Hudson confirmed that the Federal military had been expanding in recent months in preparation for such a possibility. Emperor Arissa Lavigny-Duval urged calm and reminded the public that humanity had overcome seemingly insurmountable odds in the past. Prime Minister Edmund Mahon called for caution, arguing that it had not yet been proven that the destroyed Federal ships were the victims of Thargoid attacks, and that much could be learned from an advanced alien race like the Thargoids.[6]

With Unknown Ships conclusively linked to the Thargoids and in light of this major attack, a renewed conflict between humans and Thargoids appears imminent.

Following the incident, CMDRs identified an unknown signal in Maia and traced it to planet B 1 C in HIP 19026. There, CMDR Lightningwing discovered the first known Thargoid Surface Site.[7][8]

The Return

Thargoids will be the main focus of update 2.4, "The Return", of Elite Dangerous: Horizons.

Society

Not much information has been obtained about Thargoid society or culture. The only known fact is that the society is hive based, with no sense of close family. It is thought that the society is divided into colonies, possibly along the lines of ant colonies.

Thargoids are thought to have a natural affinity with space, and with Hyperspace in particular. This is due to the fact that Thargoid warriors seem to spend a large amount of time in space. Naval pilots and crews report that the warships in the war zones are encountered on repeated occasions over a period of months often without respite.

Politics

Nothing is known about internal Thargoid politics or government.

Thargoid relations with other species, as far as what is currently known, was frighteningly simple: war. The Thargoid invasions usually seemed to be prompted by the need for either agricultural or mineral resources, rather than a sociological or anthropological need to expand or colonise. In fact, the animal life on an invaded world was largely ignored unless it poses a threat to Thargoids.

Technology

File:Thargoid-and-Diamondback-Ships.png
Thargoid ship confronting a Diamondback Scout

Thargoid technology is vastly different from existing human technology. Not only are their ships seemingly invulnerable to conventional weapons, but they possess the ability to interdict human ships that are traveling through hyperspace, a feat previously believed to be impossible, as well as the ability to make untraceable hyperspace jumps and stymie any pursuers. Although Thargoid weaponry has yet to be seen in action, its end results in the form of numerous destroyed Federal vessels, including two capital ships, demonstrates that their ships wield formidable firepower.

Alien Structures, so-called "barnacles", are known to be related to the Thargoids and their ships. As the structures produce Meta-Alloys, it is possible that Meta-Alloys are an important resource used by Unknown Ships.

Thargoid Surface Sites demonstrate the Thargoids construct and utilize vast surface installations. Passive drone-like devices called Scavengers are present at these locations.

Unknown Artefacts and Unknown Probes were also believed to be related to the Thargoids, but no direct link was established until it was discovered that carrying them allowed doors at Thargoid Surface Sites to open.

Notes

  • Initially, it was only confirmed that Thargoids would eventually make an appearance in Elite Dangerous, and the specifics of that encounter were unknown.[9][10][11]
  • Frontier Development staff have previously commented that all Thargoids are female.[12]
  • David Braben hinted that should peace have ever been found with Thargoids, it would be a temporary measure.[13]
  • It has been rumoured that Thargoids could be capable of building large artificial structures which could possibly be on a scale with planets, and certainly large enough to negate a ship's warp ability.[14]

Trivia

  • The name "Thargoid" is believed to have come from the regular skit Captain Kremmen performed by radio and TV personality Kenny Everett on both his radio shows and, in animated form, on TV.[15] The animated skits show the Thargoids as a species of tall, transparent creatures who are part of a highly-wealthy monarchical society.[16] It is assumed that their main source of income is profiting from the sale of natural resources taken from planets they have colonised stretching thousands of light years.

References

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