History VideoGame / FreeSpace

* GameMod: A ''[[http://hard-light.net/wiki/index.php/Campaign_List lot]]''. ''Twelve'' years since the first game's release, the modding community is as strong as it ever was, and they continue making new storylines and upgrading the source code.

* FriendOrFoe: The Hammer of Light just love to pose as your reinforcement, and then turn on you as soon as you turn your back.

** In ''Descent: [=FreeSpace=]'', the first switch happens after completing Paving the Way, where you are temporarily based on the GTD ''Bastion'' for a few missions before returning back to the ''Galatea'',whereupon the layout switches a second time, back to the original. It switches again for good after [[spoiler:the ''Galatea'' is destroyed by the SD ''Lucifer''.]]

* NearVillainVictory: In the first game. SD Lucifer was destroyed in a narrow window of opportunity of 10 minutes before she could leave the subspace and devastate the Earth. Even before the Sol gate battle, GTD Bastion (a ship that was ordered to destroy her inside subspace gate) was ambushed by SD Tantalus and barely survived, being too late for the final battle with superdestroyer. It was only thanks to the skills of small number of Terran and Vasudan pilots that saved the planet from inevitable doom. Said wings had to get through heavy resistance of both Shivan and HoL fleet in "The Great Hunt" mission before they got their chance of destroying Lucifer's reactors.

* NearVillainVictory: In first game. SD Lucifer was destroyed in a narrow window of opportunity of 10 minutes before she could leave the subspace and devastate the Earth. Even before the Sol gate battle, GTD Bastion (a ship that was ordered to destroy her inside subspace gate) was ambushed by SD Tantalus and barely survived, being too late for the final battle with superdestroyer. It was only thanks to the skills of the small group of Terran and Vasudan pilots that saved the planet from inevitable doom.

* InscrutableAliens: Very little is known about the Shivans other than their talent for blowing things up ''en masse''. In fact, as the series goes on, they actually get ''more'' mysterious the more that gets revealed about them. The best that can be theorized is that they operate smaller scouting fleets and destroy societies at a certain point of advancement and military aggression, then a demolition fleet arrives to destroy their very stars. Perhaps to create new subspace portals back to their home systems, perhaps for resources, or to use the energy to return to their own dimension. But none of these are confirmed motives, further adding to their menace.

* HordeOfAlienLocusts: Shivan ships seemingly shaped to make them look like fearsome creatures. However, they are still "normal" ships otherwise in term of functions.

* StarfishAliens: The Shivans. They more closely resemble giant five-legged spiders than anything else, having apparently evolved in (or ''designed for'') a zero-G environment. Among other interesting quirks about them are: nearly bulletproof exoskeletons, multiple [[RedEyesTakeWarning red]] GlowingEyesOfDoom, and the ability to survive prolonged exposure to vacuum. Don't forget the integrated laser beams.

* OmnicidalManiac: The entire Shivan race suddenly comes out and tries to kill everybody non-Shivan.
** Some of the story does imply the Shivans may only target genocidal races, the only races confirmed to be attacked by the Shivans were the Ancients, Terrans, and Vasudans. The Ancients were confirmed to be genocidal in the cut scenes, and the Terrans and Vasudans were fighting one another.
** With the story being incomplete, it is very difficult to assess the Shivan motives. If they were purely genocidal, they should not have bothered to [[spoiler:abduct the command crew of the NTF ''Iceni'']], and with their fleet of juggernauts they could have easily wiped out the [=GTVA=] instead of [[spoiler:blowing up the Capella star and hyperspacing away to parts unknown]]. The story seems like it was intended to be further developed in a third installment that was never made.
** Confirmed by the Word of God in another link. [[spoiler:Shivans send out a scouting party, then send in a main group, create a gate by collapsing a star, then...um...they hadn't figured the next step out, but probably port in the REAL armada.]]

* DarkestHour: Events during destruction of Vasuda Prime are surely this. In short: Terran and Vasudan fleets are badly crippled, Vasudan homeworld is bombed to the stone age, large part of human and Vasudan star systems being overrun and allies still have no idea how to defeat Lucifer.

* DarkestHour: Events during destruction of Vasuda Prime are surely this. In short: Terran and Vasudan fleets are badly cripled, Vasudan homeworld is bombed to the stone age, large part of human and Vasudan star systems being overrun and allies still have no idea how to defeat Lucifer.

* CosmicHorrorStory: Ancient, mysterious StarfishAliens from beyond intend to [[OmnicidalManiac annihilate all life in the galaxy]] for unknown reasons. Their technology is ultimately far superior to anything the GTVA possesses, their numbers are practically limitless and every victory against them comes at a great cost, and only for them to bring out a much greater superweapon into the fray [[spoiler:'''[[OhCrap or hundreds of them!]]''']]
** Not ALL life in the galaxy. Just any race that starts using subspace.

* ContestWinnerCameo: Of a sort. The other two pilots who accompany the player and Snipes in "Into the Lion's Den" are named Xinny and Zero. Those were the screen names of two of the top-scoring Descent: [=FreeSpace=] multiplayer pilots.

* [[DiveDiveDive DIVE DIVE DIVE HIT YOUR BURNERS PILOT!]]

** The Shivans themselves are physically the [[OverlyNarrowSuperlative largest of all three]] races, measuring about 10-15 feet long, with spidery limbs, multiple eyes, [[MechaMook metal skin]], [[HotBlade energy-molten knives]], [[FrickinLaserBeams built-in beam weapons]], and are nearly immune to bullets. Not to mention [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking the fact that they]] [[PowerGlows glow]] [[GoodColorsEvilColors red]].

* DarkestHour: Events during destruction of Vasuda Prime are surely this. In short: Terran and Vasudan fleets are badly cripled, Vasudan homeworld is bombed to the stone age, large part of human and Vasudan star systems being overrun and allies still has no idea how to defeat Lucifer.

* DarkestHour: Events during destruction of Vasuda Prime is surely this.

* ANaziByAnyOtherName: The Neo Terran Front; they view Vasudans as an obstacle to the survival of the Human race. Averted by [[spoiler:their own leader, Aken Bosch, whose main plan is to actually communicate with the Shivans as he thinks it's the only way for Humanity to survive]].

* NearVillainVictory: In first game. SD Lucifer was destroyed in a narrow window of opportunity of 10 minutes before she could leave the subspace and devastate the Earth. Even before the Sol gate battle, GTD Orion (a ship that was ordered to destroy her inside subspace gate) was ambushed by SD Tantalus and barely survived, being too late for the final battle with superdestroyer. It was only thanks to the skills of the small group of Terran and Vasudan pilots that saved the planet from inevitable doom.

* NearVillainVictory: In first game. SD Lucipher was destroyed in a narrow window of oportunity of 10 minutes before she could leave the subspace and devastate Earth. Even before the Sol gate battle, GTD Orion (a ship that was ordered to destroy her inside subspace gate) was ambushed by SD Tantalus and barely survived, being too late for the final battle with superdestroyer. It was only thanks to the skills of the small group of Terran and Vasudam pilots that saved the planet from inevitable doom.

* StarfishLanguage: Vasudan is so complex as to be almost impossible to learn by humans, who get by with mechanical translators for interspecies communication. ''Shivan'' language apparently takes place through built-in communications systems and so doesn't even have a spoken component.