[Mobius]

I was wondering if there's any canon source saying that Shivan spacecraft are piloted by pilots. I suddenly started suspecting that the spacecraft themselves are Shivans who don't need pilots, pretty much like BSG's Cylon Raiders and SW's Drone Fighters.

I have the impression, just to give an example, that a Shivan as we know it is too big to fit in an Astaroth fighter. I also think that Shivan spacecraft have no internal cockpits(maybe the pilots are inside and check what's out like bats do). Maybe there are smaller Shivans serving as pilots?

Or maybe there's a canon source I completely forgot about?

[Snail]

I thought about this too, but the Dragon fighter is definitely shown to have a cockpit in the FS1 command briefing, and I'm sure there would be some information on this seeing as how the GTVA captured at least 5 Shivan fighters throughout history.

[Mobius]

It could be another inconsistency? I'd like to see a pic showing a Shivan(there are some around) and an Astaroth.

The fact that the GTVA captured at least 5 Shivan fighters(1 Dragon and 4 Maras) doesn't necessarily mean that Shivan pilots exist. Maybe both the GTA and the GTVA modified the captured fighters and removed the Shivan "brain" to fit pilots inside.

[TrashMan]

Nothing in the game indicates that shivan fighters are alive or that they don't have normal cockpits.
Shivans are big, but not THAT big, especially since tehy have 5 arms that can be folded. Also note that FS fighters are big...very big.

[Snail]

I tend to think that Shivans integrate themselves into their fighter and synchronize themselves with it, and power it with their own internal energy source (respiration...?) to make it work.

[TopAce]

...I suddenly started suspecting that the spacecraft themselves are Shivans...

Then why do they explode and not bleed?

[Androgeos Exeunt]

Shivans explode too!

[Jeff Vader]

Shivans explode too!

Then why do they explode and not bleed?

The point was that they explode. If they were "Shivans", then surely they'd get wounds and start to bleed and so on.

[Androgeos Exeunt]

But think of it this way: perhaps Shivans don't bleed at all.

I guess Shivan pilots use four of their five feet to control the ship. One for movement, one for guns, one for ETS and one for...communications?

[Droid803]

Well, maybe their greater number of appendages allows them to efficiently use maneuvering thrusters, so they can move in all three axes simultaneously.

[lostllama]

I've dwelt on this idea too. Maybe the Shivan ships are a type of Shivan or a sub-species, a bit like the Tyranid ships in Warhammer 40K are a particular type of Tyranid that belong to the same overall race. But I've nothing to back this up with.

From the FS Wiki:

Shivan technology has proved baffling for both Terran and Vasudan scientists. Although their weapons and technology by necessity obey the same physical laws, the systems of Shivan craft seem to be fully integrated with the pilot's biology, making it difficult (but still possible) to use their spacecraft for espionage and spying. Only three documented sucessful missions have been carried out using retrofitted Shivan spacecraft to traverse Shivan territory under disguise.

There's no mention in the wiki of whether this is canon information or not, though. I don't recall reading that anywhere in FS1 or 2.

[Snail]

That better not be non-canon info on the Wiki again.

Could someone please verify by checking the FS1 Species.tbl. It's not in the FS2 Species.tbl.

[Herra Tohtori]

I don't see any other sensible explanation than ejecting from fighter for this.

[Androgeos Exeunt]

I don't see any other sensible explanation than ejecting from fighter for this.

The title was changed. No wonder I couldn't find it.

[lostllama]

No, I just checked it, that's not the source either.

That video in the supersecrets folder on the ST disk shows that Shivans can survive outside of any exterior life support system. The FS1 Species.tbl mentions that parts of their thorax seem to act like compartments found in space suits, so what we see in the video can be perhaps be taken to be canon on this basis. I'm thinking that they actually fly their craft though, much for the same reasons the Vasudans and Terrans do i.e. to move around and fight more effectively in space/augment their natural abilities. Only [V] can confirm of course.

Edit: It's always bugged me why more details about the Shivans weren't declassified/made known after the events of FS1. The simple answer could be that their very physical nature is so different from that of Vasudans and humans that there'd been very little progress made up to 2367.  With all the destruction I'd imagine there'd be lots of salvaging of Shivan equipment and bodies by various groups during the Reconstruction period. But it seems as if any technology acquired from the Great War was pooled together and only one group of researchers was allowed to work on it, to the exclusion of any other involvement (GTI most likely). Maybe it was out of fear of developing something that might "backfire" (the ETAK project had to be resurrected by Bosch, so someone cancelled the project) or fear of starting another Hades-type rebellion, or just lack of funds and personnel to put towards the research during Reconstruction.

I think I'm going on a tangent here, better stop now.

[G0atmaster]

On a slightly related note:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=neTkU9ZW3A0&NR=1

[BengalTiger]

On a slightly related note:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=neTkU9ZW3A0&NR=1

L O L ! ! !


Other than that- the Shivans may be some bio-mechanical Charlie Foxtrots- they seem to have beam cannons embedded into them, as well as white-hot blades in their arms, and glowy eyes. The fact that they seem to act as if they had a groupmind (not totally canon- just a thought ppl here have because the FS 1 fleet got dumb after the big 'L' was killed) also seems to put them nearer Terminator than an ant on the mech to bio scale.

[TrashMan]

Well, maybe their greater number of appendages allows them to efficiently use maneuvering thrusters, so they can move in all three axes simultaneously.

I'ts far more likely that shivans connect to the ship via some man(shivan)-machine interface...like a built in USB port

the have 5 apenadages, but those appendages ae big and end with 3 sharp and long clows...not exactly suited for fine manipulation.
Frankly, I don't see how shivans could build anything with those manipulators. Hrm...mayhaps another party is building their ships for them?

[Akalabeth Angel]

No, I just checked it, that's not the source either.

That video in the supersecrets folder on the ST disk shows that Shivans can survive outside of any exterior life support system. The FS1 Species.tbl mentions that parts of their thorax seem to act like compartments found in space suits, so what we see in the video can be perhaps be taken to be canon on this basis. I'm thinking that they actually fly their craft though, much for the same reasons the Vasudans and Terrans do i.e. to move around and fight more effectively in space/augment their natural abilities. Only [V] can confirm of course.

          Is that video even canon though? The dumb thing with a Shivan on a Thoth.
          Seriously. The ST folder has 6 videos in it. One of them (run) seems like it might've actually be from a cutscene. Vasudan in a kitchen is obviously a joke.  The SpecC's look like like they could be some proxies for a scene, but they look like a bit of a joke too. And the last one is some wingman thing. It's unclear to me as to whether the Thoth/Shivan one is a joke or meant to be real (as in, real in the game) quite honestly and there's little evidence at least in that folder which points to either one.

[lostllama]

Actually, I haven't seen the video, only a screenshot of the Shivan standing on some ship - I should've said so. So yes maybe it can't be considered as being canon, it may have been made just for a laugh.