[Goober5000]

Originally posted by nuclear1
And one of the more important references is actually explained ingame: ETAK, a shortened form of Etemenanki, was a name of a massive ziggaraut built to honor Marduk (this isn't explained; what I'm about to say is), and is also popularly identified with the Tower of Babel from Judeo-Christian beliefs. The Tower was constructed to join men and the gods, and there would be the reference to Bosch wishing to join humanity with the Shivans.

And don't forget the language connection, particularly in "Return to Babel".

[Kosh]

Originally posted by MicroPsycho
The first place I saw "Shiva" was in FF7, she was a god or something of the ice element so i figured that Shivans were meant as a creature that is cold(cold as in a personality trait), and someone who is cold is often cruel and heartless so that's what I figured it meant. I did know that shiva was a real god in some religion too, but I didn't know anything about it.

Shiva is the Hindu god of destruction.

[Roanoke]

Originally posted by nuclear1
Additionally, Iceni happened to be a Celtic tribe in Britain that revolted against the Romans. For this reason, the missions involving the Battle of Deneb have names such as "The Place of Chariots" and "The Romans Blunder".

Weren't The Iceni a bunch of proper nutters who used to fight naked so their big 'ol wangs flickin' about all over would scare the little roman soldiers ?

[Nuclear1]

Originally posted by Roanoke
Weren't The Iceni a bunch of proper nutters who used to fight naked so their big 'ol wangs flickin' about all over would scare the little roman soldiers ?

Well, and Bosch probably had the NTF fighting like that too. Hence, NTF pilots suck at flying because they often got the two joysticks in the cockpit confused.

I just said three penis jokes in the same sentence.

[TrashMan]

Originally posted by Boomer
Did anyone realize the significance of the Galatea?  Hmmm?

I wish I knew how the spoiler code worked...

Galatea was a nymph to the Greeks and also one of the fifty Sirens.  Also according to Ovid, Galatea was a statue of a beautiful maiden carved by Pygmalion and brought to life by Aphrodite.

Who the hell is Pygmallion? (I think I saw some crappy anime called that with a small dude carrying a homungus sword)

[aldo_14]

A sculptor ; http://www.pantheon.org/articles/p/pygmalion.html

[q]Pygmalion was a very talented sculptor in ancient Greece who loved his work, and would spend hours carving beautiful ivory statues, immersing himself in his art. One day, he chose a large, beautiful piece of ivory, and worked diligently at it, chiseling and hammering until he finished. It was a statue of a beautiful lady. Pygmalion thought it was so beautiful, he clothed the figure, gave it jewels, and named it Galatea (sleeping love). Pygmalion went to the temple of Aphrodite (Venus), the goddess of love and beauty to pray for a wife just like the statue in his home.

When Aphrodite heard him, she went to the home of he sculptor to see what all the fuss was about. She was delighted when she saw Galatea. She thought it looked a lot like herself, so she brought it to life. When the sculptor returned home, he found Galatea alive, and threw himself at her feet. Galatea smiled down at him. They soon got married, and Pygmalion didn't forget to thank Aphrodite for his good fortune. He and Galatea brought gifts to her altar as long as they lived. Aphrodite blessed them with happiness and love in return. [/q]

[EtherShock]

Ah, I remember that story. I didn't know her name was Galatea though.

Encyclopedia Mythica is your friend.

[BlackDove]

Wasn't the Galatea's original name "Repulse" though? Hehe.

[Mongoose]

"Pygmalion" is also the name of a play by George Bernard Shaw that was made into the musical "My Fair Lady."  The general idea of the play, that of falling in love with one's own creation, was taken from the original Greek myth.  I've never exactly figured out why the Volition peeps chose this name for the ship you serve on, other than the fact that it just sounds cool.

[FireCrack]

Also note, the base that the iceni spawns from, the bordecia, is the name of the queen that lead the iceni tribe...

[Boomer]

it just sounds cool.

Enough said.

[Nuclear1]

Originally posted by BlackDove
Wasn't the Galatea's original name "Repulse" though?

According to the Freespace Bible, yes.

[aldo_14]

Wow.  I can't believe i missed that bit of info in the FSRB........ means Orions have a bar in them, too.

[Goober5000]

Originally posted by Mongoose
I've never exactly figured out why the Volition peeps chose this name for the ship you serve on, other than the fact that it just sounds cool.

IIRC Stacie Hirsch (the voice actress for Admiral Shima) liked it, so they went with it.