User:Shade

For anyone curious, the article below is what mobius had in his retcon page bwefore its deletion. I'll leave it here for a little while before getting rid of it. Shade 13:14, 17 April 2010 (UTC)

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It has been recently considered the possibility of debating FreeSpace inconsistencies, like the ones regarding the node map, by applying the principles of retconning as can be seen below. (theorized by community member Mobius)

Please note that, for various reasons, the following part is not widely accepted by the community. In fact, the overwhelming majority of community members prefer alternate explanations.

Basic principles of FS retconning

FreeSpace 2 shows many substantial differences in terms of universe settings. Many of them are explained with widely known and partially accepted fan-made theories, which obviously aren't canon.

The intent of this page is to introduce an alternate point of view that gives a lot of importance to the rules of retconning that don't ask for detailed explanations, and the simple fact that the FreeSpace universe was developed in two games by a group of individuals who may have made changes to improve the product, even if those changes were to have radical consequences on the continuity.

It's not to be intended as an attack against fan-made theories, but rather a way to interpret the changes and treat the theories as pure theories and not as facts. Of course, retconning is not a widely accepted practice either. Theories can be an alternate way to interpret the details of the FreeSpace games and give an in-universe explanation. This page aims to rectify these inconsistencies in canon from a real-world perspective (the maxim "it's just a game" applies strongly).

List of possible retcons

FreeSpace starmap

See also: Node Inconsistencies.

The FreeSpace 2 starmap is relatively different to the FreeSpace 1 starmap. Among the most noticeable changes, the presence of only one jump node connecting Sol to the rest of Terran and Vasudan space.

In FreeSpace 1, there are many references to Sol's multiple nodes (the most notable ones being the player's speech in Endgame, according to which "All jump points from Earth are gone...", and the several Command Briefing ANIs showing the nodes), but none of them are ever mentioned in FreeSpace 2 except for the Delta Serpentis node.

Someone has tried to explain the problem, claiming that the eventual reconstruction of a Knossos-like portal would only take place in Delta Serpentis, but this is hard to believe because the other systems, especially Beta Aquilae, are extremely important for the Alliance. Beta Aquilae, for example, is the system in which the BETAC was signed so it's not to be considered a system of secondary importance.

There was no reason to completely ignore the jump nodes in FreeSpace 2, so it is possible to believe that Volition retconned the starmap and decided to remove those jump nodes. Volition people themselves claimed that FS2's starmap is the correct one.

Vasudan naming convention

See also: FreeSpace 1 Vasudan Ship Database, FreeSpace 2 Vasudan Ship Database

In FreeSpace 1, most Vasudan unique ships did not use Egyptian names: notable examples are the Rasputin and the Hope.

In FreeSpace 2, all Vasudan ships have proper Egyptian names. There are no exceptions. This time, Volition developers probably decided to use a believable and harmonic names by retconning the naming convention.

Capabilities of the Ancients

See also: Ancients

Other than the Knossos, there are extremely poor informations regarding the Ancients in FreeSpace 2. This means that most, and yet limited, sources come from FreeSpace 1.

According to Volition, the Ancients were only a few decades ahead of FS1's Terrans and Vasudans in all aspects of research and technology, except for subspace. "A few decades" is very vague, but canon sources allow a better detailed analysis:

1. It could mean anything ranging from 20-30 decades to almost a century, effectively overtaking GTVA technologies seen in FS2 and even in most, if not all, custom post-Capella campaigns.
2. There are no references to the progress that can be made in those decades, especially because that statement from Volition was conceived in a FS1 contest and not in an FS2 one. This means that even the plans, including weapons and technologies, for FS2 were yet to be defined. Even if we consider the shortest period of time that reference could suggest, two decades, we will never be able to come with a valuable conclusion. Giving the dimensions of the Ancient Empire and the totally different availability of resources compared to the GTVA, it is extremely hard to define the exact level of Ancient technology.
3. Many community members underline the fact that the statement automatically excluded the presence of anything comparable to a juggernaut in the Ancients' fleet. For some strange reason, the technological level appears to be able to influence the dimensions of built warships in a very radical way. This is not necessarily true, even from a strictly canon point of view. The GTVA Colossus, in fact, was started only 10 years after the Great War and is therefore closer to FS1 than FS2, armaments excluded (which could have been implemented later, anyway). Under these circumstances, the Ancients were likely to have large warships in their massive fleet.
4. The Ancient Monologues from FS1 clearly stated that the Ancients had been colonizing space for thousands of years, thus colonizing a very high number of star systems. Useless to say that Terran-Vasudan space and time spent colonizing it are both ridiculously small. This clearly means that the Ancients' building and technological capabilities probably were much, much better than suggested.
5. It is also known from the Monologues that the Ancients were powerful and undefeatable. They subduded or crushed many advanced civilizations, and were also extremely confident on their capabilities. This means that, for military-or-pride-related reasons, the Ancients may have built massive warships, probably larger than Superjuggernauts. In any case, their resources, the dimensions of their empire, and the period of time during which they expanded were all enough to build such warships or, at least, incredibly massive fleets.

It can be easily deduced that Volition's concepts regarding the Ancients have evolved from FS1, thus turning that species into a far more considerable one. Explanations regarding the newer concepts probably were to be provided in what should have been the third game of the series, FreeSpace 3.

Without it, assuming as it was also intended to provide more info regarding the Ancients, we will never know enough about the Ancients. We can use canon sources, however, to improve the original concepts in a way Volition may have considered plausible.

Shivan design changes and introductions

As everyone has probably noticed, there are considerable differences in terms of Shivan designs between the two games of the series. The community is split into two, with people prefering either FS1 or FS2 Shivan designs.

In any case, FS2 Shivan designs are much more complex than their predecessors'. A series of comparisons follows:

1) Cruisers: FS2: SC Rakshasa. FS1: SC Cain, SC Lilith;

2) Destroyers: FS2: SD Ravana. FS1: SD Demon;

3) Fighters: FS2: SF Mara, SF Astaroth, SF Aeshma. FS1: SF Scorpion, SF Manticore, SF Dragon, SF Basilisk.

4) Bombers: FS2: SB Taurvi, SB Nahema. FS1: SB Shaitan, SB Nephilim, SB Seraphim (introduced later).

It's very likely that Volition may have preferred to change style and use more complex designs for the sake of eyecandy. Despite the fact that many community members claim that FS1 Shivan designs are better and/or more alien, the ones shown in FS2 are part of a severe retconning in terms of Shivan designs.

The original Silent: Threat introduced a new Shivan bomber, the Seraphim. This bomber is considered a "...familiar foe to GTVA forces..." in FS2, somewhat suggesting that unlike it was previously considered, the Seraphim might have been also supposed to fight in the Great War. (verifications needed)