A while ago, i posted on this forum with a possible explanation for the actions in Freespace 2 (FS2). In
this post, i claimed that Bosch is the key to unravelling the story of FS2 and of Shivan nature. I've changed my mind on quite a few things i wrote there (others are constant), so i'll be revising my opinions, and posting them here.
Shivan NatureDuring my replay of FS2, i kept an eye out for any story hints left about the Shivans, and after i finished FS2 again, i poked around a bit further (i read the reference bible and transcripts of cutscenes). Suddenly, something clicked, and a huge chunk of the FS story started making a lot more sense. Volition once hinted that the Shivans were a “symptom of a much bigger problem”. Like others, i took this problem as subspace travel somehow damaging space. Story-wise, it makes sense: The Shivans decimated the Ancients, who were extensive users of subspace, and they came for the Terrans and Vasudans during the Terran-Vasudan War, a period in which subspace travel would have been hieghtened. Yet, there was something... dissatisfying with that explanation. For starters, Shivans use subspace extensively (it can be argued that they do it differently, however the GTVA has captured and studied several Shivan vessels, and i don't think there was any mention of any significantly differing subspace technology). They also seem quite happy to use dodgy subspace nodes, and finally, if they were keen on stopping species from racking up those subspace frequent-flier miles, why not just stick a Sathanas in every system to blow any infant subspace-travelling race to hell?
So, if not subspace travel[1], then what? There is a simpler explanation, but before i get to it, consider the following quotes, all taken from FS1/FS2 cutscene
transcripts (emphasis mine):
“Now we know our crime was sin.”
“We know our fate. We are being eliminated. When we travelled subspace, the Cosmic Destroyers took note. When we conquered and colonized in galaxies where we had no place, the destruction and the anguish and the loss were the clarion call of our doom.”
“I believe it is only the destroyers who are killed. The Shivans are the Great Destroyers, but they are also the Great Preservers. That is why, when we moved into space, there was no one powerful enough to kill us. Long had we been the destroyer. Our turn had nearly come.”What if the 'bigger problem' was that of interstellar war? “Only the Destroyers are killed”. Perhaps the Shivans were sensitive towards war-hungry races, and were responsible for sanitising these races before they got out of hand: kinda like a universal immune system, or acting as the 'Great Preservers' of universal balance. However, there is one thing that does not sit well with this theory: the change in Shivan behaviour between the Ancients and the Great War... With the Ancients, the Shivans started at the edge of known space, and systematically wiped the Ancients out, or so the Ancients monologue claims. In the Great War, the Shivans started at Ross 128, seemingly made a beeline for Vasuda , doubled back and headed for Sol. Maybe this was a strategic decision as Vasuda / Sol were the centres of production, but nevertheless... Also, its possible that the game designers intentionally did this due to external considerations (budget, deadlines, etc), as Ancient-style behaviour of the Shivans would have taken many more missions before the Lucifer reached the Sol node.
Also the first Shivan encounters in FS2 are a bit on the iffy side wrt to this theory, but i'll explore them later. For now, I'm interested if anyone agrees / disagrees with my opinion on the Shivans (Galemp already posted something similiar to this). In the coming days, i'll be posting up an examination of the Shivans and a profile of Aken Bosch, and i'll take another stab at uncovering the full story of FS2 in this context.
[1] As far as i can tell, there's only really one quote snippet that supports the subspace theory:
“The Ancients died eight thousand years ago as humanity emerged from its Neolithic infancy. They believed their voyage across the sea of stars woke the dragon that slept beneath the waves: that the Shivans were birthed from the flux of subspace and their destruction was the revenge of an angry cosmos.”
Personally, i believe this quote was simply Bosch speaking figuratively, as he has a tendency of doing. As noted above, in wars, subspace usage increases (thus the 'birthed from the flux of subspace'), and the 'dragon that slept' was the Shivans. More on this quote in a later post.