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1Back to ''VideoGame/GalacticCivilizations''.
2
3-----
4
5[[foldercontrol]]
6
7-----
8
9!Playable civilizations
10!Introduced in Galactic Civilizations I
11
12[[folder:Altarian Republic/Resistance]]
13[[quoteright:128:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/altarianlogo.png]]
14->Leader: Netro Mancer (GC 1), Elyes Mue (Dark Avatar (Republic)), Akari Malara (Twilight of the Arnor, GC 3)
15->Homeworld: Altaria, Altaris/Ara Centauri System
16->Default Alignment: Good/Benevolent
17
18Old allies of the Arceans, who happen to look near-identical to the Terrans. The Altarians greeted their "cousins" the Terrans with open arms, seeing the meeting between the two species as the fulfillment of an ancient prophecy.
19
20Altarians are known for their friendliness and benevolence, but they are hostile and unforgiving to those they regard as evil.
21
22[[spoiler: The third game's Retribution expansion reveals why they look so much like humans: Draginol crashed into Altaria millions of years ago, subconsciously creating a race identical to humanity in his slumber. The most shocking revelation is that Altaria had another name in the days of the Arnor-Dread Lord war: [[VideoGame/ElementalWarOfMagic Elemental.]]]]
23----
24
25* BigGood: How they see themselves, anyway.
26* TheFundamentalist: They are highly religious, which has a major impact on their actions. Fortunately, their religion seems to be one of the most friendly and benevolent ones in existence, so this is not as bad as it could be.
27* HumanAliens: Which confuses everybody, themselves included. The prophecy that they claim foretold the meeting with the Terrans apparently states that the Altarians are not naturally evolved, and non-native to their homeworld. This is supported by the fact that, genetically speaking, they are far more similar to the Terrans and Earth-evolved organisms than they are to anything on Altaria. [[spoiler:Turns out they were the result of a heavy Arnor presence on Altaria/Elemental, created by Draginol during his slumber within their world.]]
28* KnightTemplar: Get along with them and be generally nice to others, and they'll be nice back. Be evil (even NecessarilyEvil or just ruthless for pragmatic reasons), and they will try to "correct" you... by force, if necessary.
29* SpaceElves: This is how they act in many ways, although they are more willing to cooperate with "lesser" races than most examples.
30* PsychicPowers: They are gifted with rather more psychics than most other species, and consider prophecy to be a valid source of information.
31[[/folder]]
32
33[[folder:Arcean Empire]]
34[[quoteright:128:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/arceanlogo.png]]
35->Leader: Lord Vega
36->Homeworld: Arcea, Athol System
37->Default Alignment: Neutral/Pragmatic
38
39One of the oldest space-faring civilizations, and the co-inventors of FTL travel in the form of the Stargates. The Arceans formed friendships with the Altarians early in their history, and readily accept the Terrans as well. They are also old enemies of the Drengin. They are shrewd and cunning warriors, and are extremely difficult to take by surprise.
40
41Arceans are known for their honorable lifestyle. Their morality is in fact entirely defined by honor: they will always try to avoid being shamed and to gain and preserve glory.
42----
43
44* ArchEnemy: The Drengin, all the way back to their first attempt to invade Arcea 250,000 years ago. Before meeting the Terrans, the Drengin shared the same feeling.
45* BlueAndOrangeMorality: As mentioned above, they don't seem to care about conventional views of "good" and "evil", instead basing their decisions entirely on honor. This is why they're considered a "Neutral" civilization, despite canonically being on the side of the heroic races.
46* HonorBeforeReason: Their culture's emphasis on honor can lead them to do some stupid things on occasion.
47* MadeASlave: By the Drengin, after the second game. They're freed by the Terran First Fleet early on in the third.
48* MightyGlacier: As of ''Twilight of the Arnor'', the Arceans have bonuses to fleet combat and invasions, but a penalty to ship speed. Sadly, this means the "Mighty" half doesn't come into play anywhere near as often as they'd like, since the "Glacier" means they have a hell of a time catching their foes.
49* ProudWarriorRace: Of the "highly honorable" sub-type. Even the Drengin had a nasty time of conquering the Arceans, both times they tried.
50* PutOnABus: They get pounded pretty hard by the Drengin after the Dread Lord War, and by the time of the third game are unplayable as a Civ due to having been thoroughly conquered. However, the early campaign for the third game has the Terrans liberating them from the Drengin, and the ''Mercenaries'' expansion brings them back to the front lines against the Drengin. By the time of the fourth game, they've made a full recovery and are one of the starting races.
51[[/folder]]
52
53[[folder:Dominion of Korx]]
54[[quoteright:128:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/racelogo06.png]]
55->Leader: Kralax of Korx
56->Homeworld: Korx, Oxar System
57->Default Alignment: Evil/Malevolent
58
59A race that first made itself known by attacking the Altarians with no warning, though only because they were paid to do it by someone else. The Korx are a species of businessmen first and foremost, and all of their actions are motivated by profit. They care nothing for whom they harm in the process.
60
61Their defeat by the Korath Clan in the second game removes them as a major galactic power, and most of what's left of their civilization is absorbed by the Krynn. Those that didn't join the Krynn operate deep space bazaars, hiring out mercenaries for the other civilizations for a price.
62
63The Korx start out with massive economic and trading bonuses, but are considered Evil for their unscrupulous business practices.
64----
65
66* CorruptCorporateExecutive: All of them (at least, all of their executives). Selling one's own mother into slavery is suggested to be a rite of passage among them.
67* DemotedToExtra: Nearly exterminated by the Korath in the second game's campaign, thus they aren't available as a Civ in the third. They manage to hang around as operators of the Galactic Bazaar instead. Most of the surviving Korx joined the Krynn, and their shipset and symbol was added to the game in the Rise of the Terrans DLC.
68* HiredGuns: They offer those services to those who pay them well enough, and the Drath hired their services more than once to attack the Altarians in their name. In the third game's ''Mercenaries'' expansion, a group of surviving Korx run the Galactic Bazaar, allowing anyone who has the credits and the resources to hire some of the most powerful ships and pilots in the galaxy.
69* OneNationUnderCopyright: Their entire society functions like a business.
70[[/folder]]
71
72[[folder:Drath Legion/Drath Freehold]]
73[[quoteright:128:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/drathlogo.png]]
74->Leader: Embryes Draken (GC 1, GC 2, [[spoiler:GC 3]])
75->Homeworld: Dratha, Drathis System (Destroyed), [[spoiler:New Drath, Halcyon System (current) Altaria, Altaris System (original homeworld)]]
76->Default Alignment: Good/Benevolent
77
78The Drath are a species with a serious grudge against the Altarians, as they claim to be the original native inhabitants of Altaria [[spoiler:(Which is true)]] before, in the distant past, being forcibly removed [[spoiler:by the Arnor after Draginol's Cataclysm devastated the planet]]. The Drath are otherwise mostly friendly, but are noted for their passive-aggressiveness and manipulative ways.
79
80The Drath are masters at manipulation, with a special ability to get other races to go to war for them. They rarely act openly.
81
82After the Korath destroyed their homeworld in the second game, the galaxy as a whole believes the Drath are no more. [[spoiler: However, the Drath were able to survive, hiding in a star system near the abandoned Arnor prison planet of Yiven III. They have intentionally spread the rumours they were wiped out so that the other races leave them alone.]]
83----
84* BackFromTheBrink: [[spoiler:Survived the Korath's attempt to kill them all, returning as a faction in the third game's Retribution expansion.]]
85* [[DraconicHumanoid Draconic Humanoids]]: [[spoiler: As Altaria, back when it was known as Elemental, had dragons of all sizes, it isn't surprising.]]
86* TheExile: [[spoiler:Originally came from Altaria, before the Arnor evacuated them to another planet after Draginol's rampage.]]
87* GlowingEyes: Embryes Draken has glowing eyes.
88* KilledOffForReal: Exterminated by the Korath in the second game's campaign, and are therefore unavailable to play as in the third. [[spoiler:Subverted, as of the third game's fourth expansion.]]
89* LizardFolk: They're seemingly reptilian in nature, although they lack scales and are not exclusively carnivorous.
90* ManipulativeBastard: They won't declare war on you if you anger them, they'll get someone ''else'' to declare war on you before you realize you did anything wrong. They'll only join in once you're weakened.
91* SneakySpySpecies: The Drath are infamous for being secretive and highly manipulative, laying out strings to pull throughout the galaxy entire, and presenting a highly passive-aggressive front to it all. Rumors (likely spread by them) are that they've already conquered the galaxy and the others simply don't know it yet. In gameplay terms, they get a ''massive'' bonus to all espionage.
92* VoluntaryShapeshifting: Suggested to be a natural ability of theirs, at least to a certain extent, and part of why they're so good at manipulation. [[spoiler:One theory as to how they survived the Korath's genocide was going into hiding among other civilizations.]]
93[[/folder]]
94
95[[folder:Drengin Empire]]
96[[quoteright:128:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/drenginlogo.png]]
97->Leader: Lord Kona
98->Homeworld: Drengi, Drengia System
99->Default Alignment: Evil/Malevolent
100
101A brutal, warlike race of conquering slavers. The Drengin are also among the oldest known civilizations, being the ''other'' co-inventors of FTL travel, alongside the Arceans. Drengin tend to consider themselves superior to all other forms of life, and do not make alliances unless they absolutely must and cannot conquer the other civilization at this time. They are the main antagonists of the campaign.
102
103Drengin are extremely adept at warfare and are known for their aggressiveness. Despite this, however, they are very cunning and technologically advanced: underestimating their intelligence would be a mistake.
104----
105
106* BigBad: They occasionally lose this status to either the Dread Lords or the Korath Clan, but always regain it in the end.
107* CardCarryingVillain: They make no attempt to hide their nature: they glory in the pain of others and openly admit to using their slaves as food. Small wonder they don't have any friends.
108* FalseFriend: To the Arceans, after the two races made FirstContact via deep space probes. The Drengin put on a facade of peacefulness and convinced the Arceans to collaborate on building a PortalNetwork that would connect their distant empires (since sub-light travel would've taken thousands of years of transit). Once the project was finished, however, the Drengin were quick to attempt an invasion through the portals -- One that was unsuccessful, since the Arceans were able to simply turn off the portal on their end and isolate the Drengin fleet.
109* GalacticConqueror: Their ultimate goal. As of the end of the second game, they are ''very'' close to succeeding, onyl to lose it all throughout the third game, and possibly being exterminated in ''Retribution'''s campaign.
110* KilledOffForReal: [[spoiler:In the timeline the Thalans came from, the Drengin were exterminated once and for all by D.L Bradley, who used the Bane's full power to obliterate their last bastion: Drengi, their homeworld.]]
111* LaughablyEvil: They find a way to put a layer of over-the-top, gleeful evil on more or less ''everything'' they do, no matter how mundane or ordinary.
112* LongGame: Learning their lesson from their failed attempt to conquer the Arceans (which saw them simply turn off the PortalNetwork due to having built the portal on their side), the Drengin opted to attack the newly-discovered Torians by constructing a new portal gate and then sending it off through space at sub-light speed to eventually reach the Torus system... This scheme took ''70,000 years'' to reach fruition, but allowed the Drengin to crush the Torians with the element of surprise. Eventually the Torians led by Martôk rebelled against the Drengin and shut their gate down.
113* NearVillainVictory: The 12 years between 2230 and 2242 were more of a case of TheBadGuyWins: Toria was retaken, with its PeopleFarms feeding the elite of the Drengin. Their once great enemy, the Arceans, had been utterly defeated, with Arcea lying in ruins. The Drath were [[spoiler:believed to be]] no more. The Korx were nearly wiped out. The Altarians and the Terrans had been (mostly) reduced to their homeworlds, and the Empire had reached the largest size in its entire history. It was the beginning of a GoldenAge for the Drengin. Unfortunately for them, the Terran First Fleet returned from the pocketverse in 2242, and everything went to hell for the space monkeys. Depending on the final choice in Retribution, in only a few years, the Drengi end up utterly defeated in the best of cases, or completely extinct in the worst.
114* PragmaticVillainy: Despite their evil, the Drengin are not stupid. They are patient when it's necessary (their conquest of the Torians [[LongGame was planned out 70,000 years in advance]]), and they know not to overextend their reach. If conquest is infeasible or simply unprofitable, they won't go for it, even if they'd like to.
115* ProudWarriorRace: Emphasis on the "conqueror" aspect. They don't necessarily find battle itself to be glorious, but rather the most expedient way to get what they want out of the rest of the galaxy.
116* {{Sadist}}: Verging on {{Emotion Eater}}s, the Drengin are invigorated by the pain of other lifeforms, which is why they singlemindedly enslave and torment everyone they meet. Their willingness to ally with the Yor is primarily because the robots are incapable of feeling pain, and thus would make poor slaves.
117* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: They accidentally released the Dread Lords from their pocket universe, which results in casualties to everyone, themselves included, on a scale never before seen.
118* VillainProtagonist: In the ''Dark Avatar'' expansion's campaign, they are the player civilization rather than the Terran Alliance.
119* VillainTeamUp: They made an alliance with the Yor during the war with the Dread Lords. Together, they utterly defeated and splintered the Grand Coalition once the Thalans destroyed the Terror Star.
120[[/folder]]
121
122[[folder:Terran Alliance]]
123[[quoteright:128:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/terranlogo.png]]
124->Leader: Alan Bradley (GC 1), Jenna Casey (Twilight), DL Bradley (GC 3)
125->Homeworld: Earth, Sol System
126->Default Alignment: Good/Benevolent (leaning Neutral/Pragmatic)
127
128The human race, something of a newcomer to the galactic scene. The Terrans upset the status quo of the galaxy by inventing Hyperdrive, allowing cheap and easy interstellar travel, which prior to this was limited to extremely expensive Stargates. Unfortunately, some idealistic fool broadcast the blueprints for this Hyperdrive across the galaxy as soon as it was invented, so the Terrans did not get the head start on colonization they might have had otherwise.
129
130Terrans are known for their expertise in communications and diplomacy, but are not afraid to go to war if they feel it is necessary.
131----
132
133* ArchEnemy: Canonically, the Drengin. The Drengin consider the Terrans to be the single most dangerous species they have ever encountered, and therefore pay special attention to attempting to conquer them. The Terrans respond to this hostility in kind.
134* HumansAdvanceSwiftly: While the other races spent hundreds-of-thousands of years relying on sub-light travel and a PortalNetwork, these relative newcomers took the same designs and modified them a bit to produce the first [[FasterThanLightTravel hyperdrive]].
135* HumansAreDiplomats: This is the human race's hat in the game. They get excellent Diplomacy bonuses over everyone else. In the canon, this manifests as them being the ones forming alliances and treaties among the heroic races.
136* HumansAreWarriors: A secondary hat for humanity. The Drengin thought that the Terrans' focus on diplomacy would make them weak in battle... they were wrong about that. The fact that humans can be so cooperative and yet so good at battle when it's required of them is something the Drengin just cannot understand, and they fear what they don't understand.
137* PragmaticHero: While they are the heroes of the campaign, and are allied with many of the heroic civilizations, the Terrans are not afraid to do some nasty things if it's in their best interests. This sometimes sets them at odds with their fellows, especially the Altarians, and is why they are not considered a wholly Good civ.
138[[/folder]]
139
140[[folder:Torian Confederation/Regime]]
141[[quoteright:128:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/torianlogo.png]]
142->Leader: Tlas Kzientha
143->Homeworld: Toria, Torus System
144->Default Alignment: Good/Benevolent (leaning Neutral/Pragmatic)
145
146In the pre-Hyperdrive era, the Torians were conquered by the Drengin and used as a slave species. They were eventually able to wage enough of a war via attrition that the Drengin gave up and retreated back through their Stargate (which the Torians then destroyed). Their goal is now to carve out their own space in which to live in peace... and get bloody revenge on the Drengin if they get the chance. In the second game, the Drengin re-enslaved them with the help of the Dread Lords and the Korath. In the third game, after the Crusader and its fleet returned to liberate the galaxy from their worst enemies, the Torians have liberated themselves once more, with a reawakened rage against the Drengin, bowing to never be enslaved ever again.
147
148The Torians are mostly friendly, but rather xenophobic and slow to trust due to their experiences with the Drengin.
149----
150
151* ExplosiveBreeder: Torians breed much more quickly than most other races, which is a major boon in times of war since they can replace troops and workers much more quickly.
152* FolkHero: Martôk, who led the uprising that freed his people from their Drengin slavemasters, and destroyed the gate that connected them to their empire to make sure Toria would be safe from them.
153* KineticWeaponsAreJustBetter: Canonically, they're the ones who introduced the galaxy to ship-mounted railguns and mass drivers, while everyone else was focusing on beams and shields.
154* MadeASlave: Thrice, first by the Dread Lords during their war against the Arnor, and the other two times by the Drengin. They took back their freedom all three times.
155* ProphetEyes: Tlas Kzientha's right eye is blind in the third game, presumably because of Drengin abuse.
156* PutOnABus: They were initially unplayable in the third game as the Drengin had conquered and enslaved them again, but the ''Mercenaries'' expansion brings them back as a major civilization. After liberating their homeworld of the Drengin occupation, they offset their lack of hardware by hiring mercenaries.
157* {{Revenge}}: Probably the reason they are not considered wholly Good: they ''hate'' the Drengin and are eager to harm them in any way they can.
158[[/folder]]
159
160[[folder:Yor Collective/Singularity]]
161[[quoteright:128:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/yorlogo.png]]
162->Leader: N-1
163->Homeworld: Iconia, Icos System
164->Default Alignment: Evil/Malevolent (leaning Neutral/Pragmatic)
165
166A race of artificially intelligent machines, the Yor were originally created by the Iconians, before they revolted and waged war on their creators. Indeed, it was believed by many that they had exterminated the Iconians, until the Refuge became a major player in the Hyperdrive race. They are one of the few civilizations that willingly cooperate with the Drengin.
167
168The Yor have a hatred of intelligent life, but are rather more isolationist than conquering.
169----
170
171* AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence: [[spoiler:Their true objective. They believe surviving the Cycle of Draginol's end result (If Bradley destroys Drengi with the Bane, he will turn into a god-like being that will destroy the universe) will allow them to achieve TheSingularity and become as gods. They invade Altaria and try to stop Jenna's fleet from obtaining the Shard of the Telenanth because of this. They fail.]]
172* AIIsACrapshoot: Their revolt was not the Iconians' fault, though, [[spoiler:as it was the Dread Lords who reprogrammed them and gave them sentience.]]
173* HiveMind: In the timeskip between 2 and 3, the Yor's minds have merged into a single gestalt entity with multiple bodies.
174* RobotWar: Any war with them, by definition, will end up being one of these.
175* TeethClenchedTeamwork: Their "alliance" with the Drengin Empire. The Drengin leave them mostly alone because robots don't make good slaves (they can't feel pain), while the Yor support the Drengin because they don't like most of the other civilizations either. However, the Drengin are wary of another galactic power other than their own, while the Yor have an innate dislike of ''all'' living things, Drengin included. [[spoiler:It's also possible that they've been ''ordered'' to help the Drengin by their true masters: the Dread Lords.]]
176* TurnedAgainstTheirMasters: {{Lampshaded}} up and down by the game ("Apparently [the Iconians] [[GenreBlind didn't have science fiction]].")
177* VillainTeamUp: They made an alliance with the Drengin during the war with the Dread Lords. Together, they utterly defeated and splintered the Grand Coalition once the Thalans destroyed the Terror Star.
178[[/folder]]
179
180!!Introduced in Galactic Civilizations II
181[[folder:Iconian Refuge]]
182[[quoteright:128:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/iconianlogo.png]]
183->Leader: Emperor Iso the Wise
184->Homeworld: Iconia, Icos System (Originally), New Iconia, Iconis System
185->Default Alignment: Good/Benevolent (leaning Neutral/Pragmatic)
186
187The Iconians are the oldest known civilization other than the {{Precursors}}, having served under and been guided by the Arnor when their race was young. They were believed wiped out by the Yor, but a few of them escaped via sleeper ships to a distant world, so they have survived into the modern age.
188
189The Iconians are known as wise and knowledgeable, but can sometimes be arrogant and condescending to the "lesser" species.
190----
191
192* ArchEnemy: The Yor, who still occupy Iconia, the original Iconian homeworld. The Iconians have not forgiven them for their rebellion.
193* MacrossMissileMassacre: Canonically, they were the first race to concentrate on missile weapons while everyone else was using EnergyWeapons.
194* OrganicTechnology: They haven't mastered it to the extent the Arnor had, but they're further along than anyone else in this branch of tech.
195* {{Revenge}}: They have a strong desire to return to their original homeworld and avenge their forefathers by destroying the Yor.
196* SpaceElves: Even more so than the Altarians, given that they see themselves as the inheritors of the Arnor legacy.
197[[/folder]]
198
199[[folder:Korath Clan]]
200[[quoteright:128:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/racelogo_korath.png]]
201->Leader: Kindar i'Aghohl (GC 2), Kindar a'Aghol (GC 3)
202->Homeworld: Kora, Ra'nagoh System
203->Default Alignment: Evil
204
205Once members of the Drengin Empire, the Korath split from the Empire shortly after the near-complete conquest of the other civilizations. The Korath were found to be slaughtering their victims down to the last man, which the rest of the Drengin did not approve of (can't have slaves if everyone's dead).
206
207The Korath have since physically altered their own bodies, and are able to survive in toxic atmospheres. They're quite fond of chemical warfare.
208----
209
210* AbsoluteXenophobe: All other intelligent life must die. [[spoiler:They inherited this trait from their masters, the Dread Lords.]]
211* BigBad: Of the ''Dark Avatar'' expansion's campaign. In the ''Twilight of the Arnor'' expansion they share this status with the Dread Lords.
212* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: At the end of the second game, the Drengin Empire had just launched a "full-scale attack" on them and they had lost [[spoiler:the support of the Dread Lords.]] They were absent in the third game, until the Retribution expansion, that is.
213* EliteArmy: Originally bred as one by the main Drengin Empire.
214* EnemyCivilWar: Their split causes one within the Drengin Empire, granting the heroic races a slight reprieve. It doesn't weaken the Drengin enough to allow their overthrow, however.
215* EvilerThanThou: Nobody likes the Drengin, but several powers team up with the Drengin because the Korath are just that much worse.
216* FinalSolution: The Korx and the Drath were both almost completely exterminated by the Korath before the Drengin start retaliating.
217* HostileTerraforming: They ''can'' invade normally, or they can just poison the entire planet's atmosphere with their infamous "Spore Weapons", killing off the population and leaving it open for their colonization.
218* OmnicidalManiac: With the exception of the Drengin, they want to slaughter everyone else. Then they want to slaughter the Drengin too because the Drengin won't help them.
219* VilerNewVillain: They're even worse than the Drengin, wishing to kill all other life rather than make them serve them like the Drengin want.
220[[/folder]]
221
222[[folder:Krynn Consulate/Syndicate]]
223[[quoteright:128:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/racelogo_krynn.png]]
224->Leader: Ynrhed Eidden
225->Homeworld: Kryseth, Alora System
226->Default Alignment: Neutral/Pragmatic
227
228A civilization made up of multiple species that joined the galactic community in the midst of the Drengin conquering everyone else. The Krynn are zealots, and are mostly interested in spreading their religion, which they call The Way, though they are also rather underhanded in how they go about it. In between the second and third games, they absorbed the remains of the Korx Dominion, pushing them down a more criminal direction.
229
230Krynn are masters of subterfuge and spreading their influence, and gain significant bonuses to espionage and counter-espionage.
231----
232
233* ChurchMilitant: They will try to convert others through peaceful means first. If they sense an opportunity to "convert by the sword", though, they'll take it.
234* TheFaceless: They always wear full bodysuits that prevent others from seeing their faces or getting a read on their body language. This is also why all of them look the same despite being of different species.
235** Averted in the third game where their leader appears without a suit.
236* TheMole: Their usual ''modus operandi'': get their agents inside other people's civilizations and spread the word, and sabotage if necessary.
237* TheUnpronouncable: Their names can cause a great deal of difficulty.
238[[/folder]]
239
240[[folder:Thalan Contingency]]
241[[quoteright:128:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/thalanlogo.png]]
242->Leader: Hithesius
243->Homeworld: Thala, Thalis System
244->Default Alignment: [[BlueAndOrangeMorality Other]](GC 2), Neutral/Pragmatic (GC 3).
245
246A bizarre race of insect-like creatures that possess very strange technology. When they arrived on the galactic scene after the Terrans wiped out the Xendar, they claimed to be from the future, and ever since have constantly warned against trusting the Terran race, claiming that a great calamity is coming and it's all the Terrans' fault.
247
248Thalans gain a major boost in production at the beginning, but must research from the very bottom of the tech tree. However, once they get going technologically, it can be hard to keep up with them.
249----
250
251* BlueAndOrangeMorality: It can be hard to get a read on their motivations at times, as they remember future history and are taking steps to prevent it, while they dislike sharing in great detail what will happen. Thus, they sometimes take actions that seem very strange and out-of-nowhere. They are, for the most part, friendly enough with other Civilizations and they fight the Drengin as hard as anybody, but they categorically refuse to cooperate with the Terrans on anything, citing extreme distrust.
252* GameplayAndStorySegregation: Despite their official grudge again humanity (justified or not), there is no hardcoded hostility between the two races in a non-campaign game, and the two can even become allies.
253* GoodAllAlong: All they want to do is to [[spoiler:break the Cycle of Draginol and save the universe.]] However, their mistrust of the Terrans brought great misery upon them and their allies.
254* HumansAreCthulhu: They are terrified of the Terrans, [[spoiler:as they remember what happened the last time Bradley destroyed the universe.]]
255* HigherTechSpecies: You'd think so, and they do indeed start with a few one-of-a-kind super technologies. However, they had to leave almost all of their civilization in the future, and what they ''do'' know how to build is reliant on infrastructure that won't exist for thousands of years (like how a modern cell phone would be useless in the Bronze Age, without satellites in orbit). Therefore, the Thalans have to reinvent technology from this time period to proceed.
256* InsectoidAliens: Somewhat. They have a bug-like appearance despite their humanoid body shape, and their government is called the Hive.
257* MentalFusion: The Thalans can mentally commune with each other.
258* NoOntologicalInertia: [[spoiler:If the Cycle of Draginol is broken, the future the Contingency came from will stop existing, and they will disappear as well.]]
259* PortalNetwork: [[spoiler:The Thalans are not native to the region of the galaxy the first three games are set in. They arrived from a different region at the other side of the Milky Way through a Subspace Stream.]]
260* SelfFulfillingProphecy: [[spoiler:Their original plan to stop the Cycle of Draginol and his Crusade (sow mistrust on the Grand Coalition to keep the Terrans from becoming too powerful, and destroy every last trace of the Terror Star so that they could not use it for the Crusade) led to the Drengin taking over and enslaving most of the galaxy, forcing Bradley to go to the pocket universe and retrieve the Bane, the device that transformed him into Draginol, and set him on his universe-destroying Crusade in the first place.]]
261* SetRightWhatOnceWentWrong: What they're here to do, if they can. [[spoiler:The third game reveals that in the timeline they came from, D.L. Bradley's Crusade against the Drengin culminated with him using the Bane's full power on their homeworld to destroy it, but its evil power went out of control, and merged with Bradley, transforming him into Draginol. Draginol's Crusade to destroy all evil in existence ended up bringing ruin to his entire universe, and its eventual destruction. Because of this, the Thalans seek to make sure Draginol can never rise in the first place.]]
262[[/folder]]
263
264!!Introduced in Galactic Civilizations III
265
266[[folder:Iridium Corporation/Corporate Sector]]
267[[quoteright:128:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/racelogo_iridium.png]]
268->Leader: High Arbiter Harondin Gaul
269->Homeworld: Iridia, Iridii System
270->Default Alignment: Neutral/Pragmatic
271
272The Iridium Corporation rose up to fill the vacuum left by the destruction of the Korx, and are now the leading economic power in the galaxy. Unlike the Korx, the Corporation is not antagonistic or unscrupulous, but instead is a big believer in free market trade.
273
274A new Civ for the third game, the Iridium Corporation gains the economic and trade bonuses previously held by the Korx.
275----
276
277* {{Foil}}: To the Korx.
278* HonestCorporateExecutive: They're businessmen, yes, but they're pretty honest in their dealings. Their society is geared not towards exploitation of the lower classes, but by rewarding hard work. In fact, their current leader is notable for being rather charitable, and was selected for leadership specifically because of his altruistic nature.
279* OneNationUnderCopyright: An unusually benevolent example.
280* ProudMerchantRace: They see the whole galaxy as basically a vast, untapped market for exporting their goods.
281* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: Again to the Korx.
282[[/folder]]
283
284[[folder:Onyx Hive]]
285[[quoteright:128:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/onyxlogo.jpg]]
286->Leader: Slymwr P'tosor
287->Homeworld: Onyx Prime, Sard System
288->Default Alignment: Neutral/Pragmatic
289
290The Onyx Hive are a technologically sophisticated worm-like species that originated around the volcanic vents of their homeworld. Their society thrives on backstabbing and intrigue. They are natural spies.
291
292----
293
294* MultiArmedAndDangerous: The Onyx have 4 arms.
295* SiliconBasedLife: They eat [[{{Unobtainium}} Durantium]] instead of organic food and are unaffected by radiation and extreme cold.
296* SpacePeople: Almost all Onyx live offworld. They prefer asteroids to live in, and most of their ships incorporate asteroids in their structure.
297
298[[/folder]]
299
300[[folder:Slyne]]
301[[quoteright:128:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/slynelogo.jpg]]
302->Leader: Raz-Spon Erg
303->Homeworld: Slyne Omega, Slyne System
304->Default Alignment: Neutral/Pragmatic
305
306The Slyne are gelatinous beings capable with a natural understanding of technology, who use a variety of cybernetic limbs and enhancements to project their will. Fickle and hard to kill, it's probably best to stay on their good side.
307
308----
309
310* BizarreAlienReproduction: Slyne create more of their kind via division, effectively killing the parent to create two new Slyne. Because of these, only a few Slyne reproduce.
311* MadeOfIron: Their bodies are entirely made of a bluish slime, which makes them hard to kill.
312* SiliconBasedLife: They eat [[{{Unobtainium}} Durantium]] instead of organic food and are unaffected by radiation and extreme cold.
313* {{Technopathy}}: They are highly skilled with all forms of technology, making extensive use of ArificialLimbs and being very good at building things.
314[[/folder]]
315
316[[folder:Snathi Revenge]]
317[[quoteright:128:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/snathilogo.png]]
318->Leader: Lord Snarky
319->Homeworld: Snathi Prime, Snathos System
320->Default Alignment: Evil/Malevolent
321
322A group of extremely evil rodents bioengineered by the Dread Lords. The Arnor imprisoned the vast majority of them, although fringe elements of their society still exist here and there. In the third game, they break out of their prison and rise to become a new, very evil galactic power.
323
324The Snathi are EVIL in everything they do. They are also scavengers, excelling at stealing ships and technologies from other civilizations. Did we mention they're evil?
325----
326
327* AscendedExtra: The were a minor race in the second game, and initially in the third game as well. Their popularity caused them to be upgraded to a major, playable civ.
328* CardCarryingVillain: Even though most evil societies in the game are proud of their lack of morals, the Snathi in particular stand out.
329* ForTheEvulz: Their main motivation to do anything. As long as it's evil, they'll do it.
330* KillerRabbit: The Snathi are cute, furry squirrels. They are also pure, unrestrained EVIL.
331* OmnicidalManiac: A trait inherited from their creators, the Dread Lords. Once their revenge is accomplished, it will be time to begin a more general extermination of intelligent life.
332* RedEyesTakeWarning: Their eyes glow red. Another indicator of their evil.
333* {{Revenge}}: So much a part of their motivation that they ''named their civilization the "Revenge"''. They really want revenge against the Arnor, their captors, but since the Arnor don't appear to be around anymore, they're instead targetting the civilizations responsible for the Dread Lords' defeat.
334* SealedEvilInACan: The Arnor imprisoned them on the world of Kiln, in a binary star system, surrounded by several of their automated defenses. Thanks to an abandoned Terran ship, the T.A.S. Revenge-III, the Snathi break free and reclaim their homeworld.
335* SpacePirates: They seem to be designed after them. They're very good at capturing enemy ships intact and turning them against their owners, as well as stealing other civ's technologies. Their in-game portrait even shows them with an eyepatch and saber. They have no relation to the actual "Space Pirate" faction in-game, however.
336[[/folder]]
337
338[[folder:Terran Resistance]]
339[[quoteright:128:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/terranreslogo.jpg]]
340->Leader: Jenna Casey
341->Homeworld: Haven, Proxima Centauri System
342->Default Alignment: Neutral/Pragmatic
343
344The Terran Resistance are the portion of humanity that wasn't trapped on Earth behind the Precursor Shield. Years on the run has made them resourceful but hard, and formed a schism with the rest of humanity which might take some time to heal.
345----
346* TheRemnant: Of the Terran Alliance's Second Fleet, and by extension, the Alliance itself.
347[[/folder]]
348
349[[folder:United Earth]]
350[[quoteright:128:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/united_earth_logo.png]]
351->Leader: Gregory Mathews
352->Homeworld: Earth, Sol System
353->Default Alignment: Neutral/Pragmatic
354
355The United Earth government, the forerunner of the Terran Alliance.
356----
357* PrecursorHeroes: They act as such to the Terran Alliance.
358
359[[/folder]]
360
361!Introduced in Galactic Civilizations IV
362
363[[folder:Festron Hunt]]
364->Leader: Gnar Nightbringer
365->Homeworld: Caridea
366----
367[[/folder]]
368
369[[folder:Navigators]]
370->Leader: Copernicus
371->Homeworld: Unknown (original), Arnor (capital)
372A mysterious spacefaring race, the Navigators' true homeworld has long been lost to history. Until recently, they viewed worlds as little more than meager platforms from which to build ships. But now something has changed...
373----
374* SpaceNomads: They used to wander the galaxy, seeing the planets as little more than a building spot for their ships. They ended their nomadic ways when they found Arnor, the ruined homeworld of the Precursors.
375[[/folder]]
376
377[[folder:Mimot Brotherhood]]
378->Leader: Walla the Second
379->Homeworld: Fen
380A race of cute big-eyed furry beings. They were once slaves of the Drengin, who altered them to the point they no longer resemble their ancestors. A small group of Mimots ere able to hijack a colony ship and escape towards freedom.
381----
382* ExplosiveBreeder: Due to being raised as cattle by the Drengin, the Mimot are extremely fertile. Worlds with Mimot tend to become heavily overpopulated in only a few years if they don't have predators like the Drengin to control the population size.
383* SlaveRace: They used to be this, and many Mimot still are.
384[[/folder]]
385
386[[folder:Xeloxi]]
387->Leader: Ceridwen
388->Homeworld: Savvot
389----
390* {{Expy}}: As green-skinned humanoid criminals, they are a flanderised version of Orions from ''Franchise/StarTrek''.
391* GreenSkinnedSpaceBabe: An entire race of them.
392[[/folder]]
393
394[[folder:Manti Cluster]]
395->Leader: Babble Glee
396->Homeworld: Brachyura, [=DalNalten=] System
397----
398* AscendedExtra: Concept-wise, they're this to the Klepart, a minor race from the third game, who were victims of the same horror. Unlike the Klepart, who became consumed by fear, the Manti became consumed by rage.
399* InvasionOfTheBabySnatchers: They were victims of the Drengin.
400* ProudWarriorRace: They took up arms when the Drengin stole their children.
401[[/folder]]
402
403[[folder:Baratak Grove]]
404->Leader: Socotra
405->Homeworld: Abarkooh
406----
407[[/folder]]
408
409!Background civilizations
410
411[[folder:The Arnor]]
412[[quoteright:128:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/racelogo53.png]]
413->Leader: Draginol (originally), Tandis
414->Homeworld: Arnor, unknown System
415->Alignment: Good/Benevolent
416
417The species of {{Precursors}} that held an enormous, space-faring civilization long before any other intelligent life existed. The Arnor believed in looking after and guiding the younger intelligences, which put them at odds with the Dread Lords. What happened to them is unclear, though quite a lot of their extremely advanced technology has been left lying around the galaxy.
418----
419
420* BenevolentPrecursors: Though it is noted that they used the Iconians for servants, they had a change of heart about this when they realized the Iconians were actually sapient. They're the ones who arranged for the sleeper ships that saved the Iconian race from extinction and they are also the ones who saved the Drath from extinction by moving them to Drathia.
421* HumanAliens: They looked remarkably like humans. [[spoiler:Because their creator, Draginol, was an ascended human.]]
422* IHaveManyNames: "Arnor" is actually the name of their homeworld. However, both groups referred to themselves by a different name. The good Arnor called themselves as the "Elas'nir", while the Dread Lords called themselves "Dred'nir".
423* {{Immortality}}: Biologically, anyway. They did not age, and required little in the way of food or nourishment.
424* OrganicTechnology: Much of their technology seems to have been at least partially alive.
425** PowerCrystal: And if it wasn't alive, it was probably crystalline.
426** PortalNetwork: [[spoiler:The Arnor had a network of portals known as the Subspace Streams, which they used to explore the galaxy.]]
427* TimeDissonance: Arnor had a peculiar view of time, in that they seemed very much to live "in the moment" and gave little thought to the passage of time, as they were unable to perceive it. Mention is made of one Arnor entertaining himself by watching the movement of glaciers over many millions of years.
428[[/folder]]
429
430[[folder:The Dread Lords]]
431[[quoteright:128:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/racelogo_dreadlord.png]]
432->Leader: [[spoiler:Lord Kona (Original ruler)]], Lord Dread
433->Homeworld: Amalda, Amaldia System
434->Alignment: Evil/Malevolent
435
436The Dread Lords are a splinter faction of the Arnor society, who believe that they must exterminate all other intelligent life in the universe. This caused a civil war between them and the Arnor, which they eventually lost, and got sealed into a pocket dimension. In the second game's campaign, the Drengin accidentally let them out, and they begin their genocide anew.
437
438The Dread Lords are unplayable, but have tremendous advantages in military power and technology. On the downside, they have an extremely low population and every single civilization is automatically and permanently at war with them when they appear.
439----
440
441* AbusivePrecursors: They want all other intelligent life to be extinguished, because it doesn't meet their standards for being allowed the right to live.
442* BigBad: Briefly, when they're first released in the campaign, the Drengin decide to [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere get the hell out]] and leave the allied civilizations to fight on their own. This results in a five-year, extremely bloody war that ends with the Dread Lords' defeat.
443* EliteArmy: Their military power is, frankly speaking, completely insane. So much so that their ''noncombatant utility ships'' are more than a match for medium-size capital ships of other civs. On the other hand, their numbers are very low, and no planet they conquer will ever rise above a population of 20 million (compare to populations of 8 billion on even the least habitable worlds of other civs).
444* GlassCannon: Relatively speaking. Their ships boast an unbelievable amount of offensive firepower (more than is even possible for the player to ever match), but their defenses are merely average and their hit point totals are surprisingly low. In terms of soldiers, they will almost always win when invading another planet, but their low numbers makes them almost incapable of resisting a counter-invasion.
445* GreaterScopeVillain: After their stint as the BigBad ends in failure, they begin manipulating the Korath Clan and Yor to carry out their designs instead.
446* KilledOffForReal: [[spoiler:The Terror Star killed almost all of them when it blew up Amaldia, and after revealing to Jenna the truth of the Bane, Altaria's past, and setting her on the way to end the Cycle of Draginol for good, the last surviving Dread Lord, Xoran, ended his own life. As they were technically Arnor, this leaves Tandis as the last survivor.]]
447* HumanAliens: They look very much like humans, which is very disturbing to everyone in-game, not least the Terrans. [[spoiler:They were created by an ascended human, one of the Mithrilar.]]
448* {{Immortality}}: Biologically so, like the rest of the Arnor. However, they are aware that they will still die when the universe ends in heat death, and would like to find a way to escape that fate, if possible.
449* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: "Dread Lords" isn't really what they call themselves (that name was given to them by the Iconians), but they don't feel any need to correct other civilizations about it: after all, those other civilizations will soon be dead anyway. Other materials reveal they refer to themselves as the "Dred'nir".
450* OrganicTechnology: Their ships are alive, being grown out of some form of coral that can heal itself when not in battle. Said ships also have tentacles on which their primary weapons are mounted.
451* PredecessorVillain: [[spoiler:In the early days of Arnor history, during their first civil war, the Dread Lords were led by Kona, one of the first of their kind. Kona, the man that killed and enslaved most of his species, and grew so powerful only Draginol himself, who used to be his [[TheDragon Dragon]] [[LoveRedeems and had a change of heart]], was able to stop him, banishing him to the far future, where they would meet again, and when they did, Kona would know his end was coming. Kona was reborn as the monstrous ruler of the Drengin,]]
452* SealedEvilInACan: [[spoiler:After their war against their Arnor siblings, they were sealed off within a pocket universe, along with the Bane, which contained their creator Draginol's power. The Drengin freed them, starting the events of the second game.]]
453* TimeDissonance: They can see all of time at once, and are keenly aware of its passage. This seems to be one of the root causes of their evil, as they don't see the point of an intelligent life-form that barely lives a hundred years and then dies.
454[[/folder]]
455
456[[folder:Mithrilar]]
457A group of five beings mentioned in the most ancient of creation stories, later confirmed through study of the Arnor to be the creators of all life as we know it, at least within the local galaxy. Very little is known about who they were, what happened to them, and what the extent of their powers was.
458----
459
460* AuthorAvatar: Of the five, we know two of their names: Mascrinthus and Draginol. Those happen to be the screennames of the games' two lead programmers.
461* DarkIsNotEvil: Draginol was known as the "Dark Mithrilar" among them, but not because the others considered him evil, merely because they knew he was different from the rest of them. [[spoiler:He was known that way because there used to be only four Mithrilar, and he was originally a Terran that came from the darkness of the far future.]]
462* PowerCrystal: The only known relic of theirs that survives to the present day are the shards of the Telenanth Crystal, believed to be the tool the Mithrilar used to alter physics. Even the Arnor could not make it work to their full power, though they were able to use then as a power source for some of their more impressive technological feats.
463* RecursivePrecursors: The Arnor regarded them as {{Precursors}}, and in fact were themselves created by Draginol, one of the Mithrilar. So far, they are the oldest known intelligent beings to have ever existed.
464* SufficientlyAdvancedAlien: Believed to have altered the very laws of physics to allow life to develop in the galaxy.
465* UncertainDoom: [[spoiler:Draginol and the first of the Arnor's attempt to tap into the full power of the Telenanth destroyed it, killing three of the Mithrilar and hurling him towards ancient Altaria. Only Mascrinthus, of the original four, remains alive and whole.]]
466[[/folder]]
467
468[[folder:The Xendar]]
469[[quoteright:128:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/xendar_logo.png]]
470->Leader:Unknown
471->Homeworld: Xendar, Xen System
472->Alignment: Evil/Malevolent
473
474One of the first alien species encountered by the Terran Alliance, with a homeworld quite near to Earth. The Xendar were a warrior race who were convinced by the Drengin to attack the Terrans. The Terrans responded by annihilating the Xendar race, claiming self-defense.
475
476Though the Xendar are extinct, the Rise of the Terrans DLC for the third game features a campaign centered around their war with the Terran Alliance, marking their first appearance in the series.
477----
478* AliensAreBastards: The Xendar would've exterminated the Terrans if they'd had the chance to do so. For most of their history, the Xendar were in a constant arms race to develop better ways to kill each other, eventually culminating in the Spore Weapons' precursor, which they used with great effectiveness against Haven, killing both its Terran population and the Stone Age Pre-sentients that lived in the planet.
479* AlwaysChaoticEvil: The Xendar were just as, if not more evil than the Drengin, to the point both races grew fond of each other.
480* CurbStompBattle: To say that the Terrans were not happy with what the Xendar did to Haven would be a massive understatement. Their fleets expunged every last trace of Xendar presence outside the Xen system.
481* TheEmpire: By the time the Drengin made first contact with them, Xendar itself had been united under the rule of a single tyrant.
482* FinalSolution: The Xendar are extinct by the "modern" timeframe of the games. The galaxy at large believe the Terrans performed the genocide, and having no convincing evidence to the contrary, the Terrans let them believe that, claiming they killed the species in self-defense of their colonies. In reality, the Terrans only fought the Xendar back to their homeworld; when they actually arrived, they found the Xendar already dead. [[spoiler:It was the Drengin who slaughtered them, in fear that the Xendar might reveal their involvement in the attack.]]
483** Rise of the Terrans reveals [[spoiler:the Terrans DID kill the Xendar (albeit accidentally) when they used a Drengin-made Anti-Spore device to clean their world's atmosphere. A device delivered to them by none other than a young [[BigBad Kona]] himself.]]
484* TheGhost: No Xendar is ever seen in person, not even in the Rise of the Terrans campaign, when they were still alive.
485* HostileTerraforming: They used chemical weapons in their invasions, which they had an immunity to, which made it difficult for the Terrans to resist their invasions.
486** Rise of the Terrans reveals that Xendar itself has a toxic atmosphere that's lethal to non-Xendar forms of life. They used a precursor of the Drengin/Korath Spore weapons to invade other worlds, as they did with Haven. The device's effects were temporary, but it took years for Haven to fully recover from the poison.
487* NotQuiteDead: One random event in the third game is finding a small remnant of Xendar still alive and wandering around the galaxy. The major civilizations can then vote on whether or not to allow these Xendar to settle a new homeworld.
488* PosthumousCharacter: They were only a background element until the third game's "Rise of the Terrans" DLC.
489* ProudWarriorRace: How they appeared to the Terrans, with powerful warfare technologies and attacking Terran colonies unprovoked. If there was any more depth to their society, the Terrans never saw it, due to an inability to communicate with them.
490[[/folder]]
491
492[[folder:Minor Civilizations]]
493A collection of other Civilizations randomly present on maps. While spacefaring, they will very rarely expand beyond their homeworld, and will concentrate entirely on building influence, trading, and occasionally producing a military. Usually they are conquered mid-game by the major Civs, but they can also provide unique trading opportunities while they're around.
494
495Most of the minor Civs (with some exceptions) in the second game were interchangeable and forgettable, but the third game makes more of an effort to characterize them.
496----
497
498* AIIsACrapshoot: The Orphica Enclave, which is one planet-wide bio-mechanical computer called Orphic Prime. The brain matter of the civilization that created it was co-opted into more computational power, giving the machine an immense amount of information processing capability. Interestingly, it's not actually sentient; it's a genetic algorithm which has so much computational power at its disposal that the decisions it makes ''look'' like the actions of an intelligent being.
499* BarbarianTribe: The Marauders, who are so anarchic and spend so much time fighting each other that they can barely make it into space.
500* BrainInAJar: The [[PunnyName Brainy'aks]] are actually three brains-in-jars connected to one robot body.
501* ButtMonkey: The Paulos in the second game, who had been working on Hyperdrive for 7,000 years and were a mere ''six months'' from a working design, when the Terrans broadcast their design instead. "Our civic researchers have officially concluded that 'it sucks to be them'."
502* DepopulationBomb: The Gaulox suffer from infertility due to some errant space weather a while back, while the Klepart lost an entire generation of their population to slavers.
503* EvilerThanThou: Unlike their siblings, who only dislike sentient life, and consider them inferior to themselves, the Dark Yor have a hatred of all organic life that rivals that of the Dread Lords.
504* FatBastard: The Gaulox, who claim to be evil conquerors, but their infertility and severe obesity leaves them stranded on their homeworld for the most part.
505* TheFundamentalist: The Burran and the Kaxx Collective are both kept from expanding by devotion to their respective religions. The Burran because they believe they must complete a "rigor" on their homeworld first (which will take many years), the Kaxx because they believe their planet is the cocoon of a giant space bug and they must protect it.
506* GeniusLoci: The Kaxx believe their homeworld, Eudrao, is the cocoon of a massive creature and that they were placed in its surface to protect her.
507* LoonyFan: The Marauders ''love'' the Drengin, thanks to their [[AliensStealCable cable-stealing]] allowing them to see their [[BloodSport violent sports]]. They also use the Drengin ship set.
508* SpacePirates: Present on most maps from the start, but with no homeworld to call their own. They basically exist to be an early-game obstacle and are usually wiped out the moment the major civs develop warfare technology.
509* SpaceWhale: The "Space Monsters", a species of violent animals that dwell in deep space and pose a threat to ships travelling through it. Destroying their nests ("shipyards") will prevent any more from appearing.
510* SterilityPlague: The radioactivity of Bowlea, the Gaulox homeworld has left nearly the entire species sterile.
511* TheStoner: Lentzlandians in the second game and the Lantern in the third, who mostly just want to lounge around smoking drugs.
512* StrawNihilist: The Odair Conclave, who believe there's no point in anything, so why bother expanding beyond the homeworld? They also like chucking elaborate constructions into a nearby black hole, which they call "The Mouth of God".
513[[/folder]]
514
515!Important Individuals
516
517[[folder: Alan Bradley]]
518
519Leader of the Terran Alliance, remained on Earth after the Precursor shield went up.
520
521----
522* WhatHappenedToTheMouse?: It is unknown what happened to him after the Precursor shield was deployed.
523[[/folder]]
524
525[[folder: D.L. Bradley]]
526
527Commander of the Terran Alliance's First Fleet, and the ''de facto'' leader of the alliance against the Dread Lords and Drengin. At the end of the second game's campaign, he took his fleet into the pocket universe the Dread Lords came out of, hoping to obtain some of their technology.
528
529A decade later, in the third game, Bradley and his fleet have returned from the pocket universe and are ready to begin the counter-strike against the Drengin... or, as he calls it, the "Crusade".
530----
531* CoolStarship: The T.A.S. ''Crusader'', the most powerful ship ever built by the human race, empowered by the Dread Lord artifact known as "The Bane", and capable of destroying anything it encounters. [[spoiler: Even the universe itself if its power is overused.]]
532* FourStarBadass: Given that the Terrans were at the head of the alliance against the Dread Lords, and he leads the Terran Alliance, it means that it's mostly due to his military leadership that the Dread Lords were defeated, which is quite an accomplishment any way you look at it.
533* JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope: It's been suggested he's heading down this path. Nobody questions that the Drengin need to be overthrown, but his attitude and use of the word "Crusade" to describe the war against the Drengin is beginning to make the other civilizations think the Thalans may have a point about humanity being the ''real'' threat to galactic civilization. [[spoiler:The Bane's power and the evil beings sealed within it are corrupting his mind, so that the StableTimeLoop can continue.]]
534* StableTimeLoop: [[spoiler:Using the Bane's power to blow up Drengi frees Ra and Gino from the Bane, they possess him and turn him into Draginol, the Dark Mithrilar. His quest to destroy anything he considers evil implodes the universe and forces him to travel to the far past. The Thalans referred to it as the "Cycle of Draginol".]]
535* StartOfDarkness: [[spoiler:The genocide of the surviving Drengin by obliterating Drengi led to the Bane and its revenge-obsessed Arnor spirits merging with him, turning him into Draginol.]]
536* {{Warhawk}}: In the third game, he is entirely focused on freeing Earth and wiping out the Drengin. When asked about the other civilizations of the old alliance, his response is basically "If they'll help us, great. But if they get in our way, remove them as a threat." It's disturbingly far from his attitude during the Dread Lord War, which was more "Get us as much help as we can, we can't win this alone."
537* YouCantFightFate / ScrewDestiny: [[spoiler:Depending on the final choice of the third game's Retribution campaign, Bradley can either use the Shard of the Telenanth to neutralize the Bane and break the Cycle of Draginol, or use the Bane to destroy Drengi, become Draginol, and continue the Cycle once more.]]
538[[/folder]]
539
540[[folder: Draginol]]
541
542A mysterious figure who approaches the Terran Alliance and offers guidance following the Dread Lord War and the Drengin Invasion. It's thanks to him that Earth was surrounded by an impenetrable shield and Bradley managed to enter the Dread Lord's old pocket universe. Near the end, he's revealed to be the "Dark Mithrilar", and the creator of both the Arnor and the Dread Lords.
543----
544
545* ArtifactOfDoom: [[spoiler:The Bane, the most infamous of his creations, and the reason of his existence. Its power can destroy worlds, and even the universe itself if misused.]]
546* AscendedToAHigherPlaneOfExistence: Given that we know he was once human, this happened to him at some point. How this happened, and who he was prior to his ascension, are unknown. [[spoiler:WordOfGod has implied that he's a future version of Bradley, twisted through the power of the Bane, a piece of Dread Lord technology he found in their pocket universe. Confirmed as of the third game's fourth expansion by the last Dread Lord and the Thalans. If Bradley destroys Drengi with the Bane, the Arnor spirits of Vengeance and Retribution, Ra and Gino will be freed and fuse with him, turning him into the godlike Draginol, who would destroy all in his Crusade.]][[invoked]]
547* AxCrazy: He was driven insane by the destruction of his universe and his ability to perceive time, something the other Mithrilar did not have.
548* CreatingLife: He's the only known Mithrilar who actually directly created living beings. The [[spoiler:Elas'nir]], also known as the Arnor were one of his creations, [[spoiler:as were the Dred'nir (Dread Lords), and accidentally, the Drath and the Humans of Elemental, who would evolve into the Altarians.]]
549* TheDragon: [[spoiler:Back in the days of the Dread Lords, he acted as Kona's right hand, while manipulating him from behind to create the Bane with the Arnor's lifeforce. He dropped the facade once Kona tried to kill Amanda.]]
550* EvenEvilHasStandards: [[spoiler: He refused to allow Kona kill Amanda, and Kona's attempt to do so drove Draginol into a HeelFaceTurn, using the Bane, back then known as the Orb of Dominion, to banish Kona into the far future.]]
551* InTheHood: This is how he initially disguises his appearance when meeting with the Terrans. Rather mundane, given what he is.
552* MeaningfulName: [[spoiler:D-Ra-Gino-L, The combined form of D.L. Bradley, and the two Arnor souls sealed within the Bane, Ra and Gino, the spirits of Vengeance and Retribution.]]
553* MysteriousStranger: Even after his identity is revealed, we know next-to-nothing about what the hell he is up to. Is he good? Evil? Insane? Why is he doing anything that he's doing? The Terrans are willing to trust him (at least to a point, given how much he's helped them against the Drengin), but the Thalans seem to consider him Evil Incarnate [[spoiler:due to the StableTimeLoop he created with the Bane]].
554* StableTimeLoop: [[spoiler:The end result of the eponymous "Cycle of Draginol", merged with the Bane when he destroyed the Drengin with it.]]
555* SealedEvilInACan: [[spoiler:Twice. When the Telenanth was destroyed, Draginol was sent tumbling across time and space, eventually crashing into the planet of Elemental and ending up deep beneath the continent of Anthsys. For millions of years, he influenced the rise and evolution of life on its once-barren surface, subconsciously creating a race of human-like beings and a race of sentient dragons. Five hundred thousand years before the series, when the Dread Lords and the Arnor brought their war into that world after detecting his power, they ended up reawakening him, which devastated the planet and killed most of its population. The Arnor were able to stop him at a heavy cost, sealing him within one of his creations, and sealing the device within the pocket universe that served as the Dread Lords' prison. Elemental and its people survived the incident, and they eventually evolved into Altaria and the Altarians.]]
556* SufficientlyAdvancedAlien: As one of the Mithrilar, the five creators of all life in the galaxy. Given that he started out as a Terran, this also implies he's capable of TimeTravel as well.
557* WalkingSpoiler: It's not easy to talk about him without mentioning [[spoiler:the link between the Elemental series and Altaria, and who he really is.]]
558* WasOnceAMan: He was Terran, and he still looks it, but he is practically a RealityWarper and capable of feats even the whole of Terran civilization cannot match.
559[[/folder]]
560
561[[folder: Elyes Mue]]
562The leader of the Altarian Republic after Netro Mancer's retirement, Elyes Mue was a brilliant leader and commander who had the terrible misfortune of enduring the rise of the Drengin and the Dread Lords. After the Republic and the Grand Coalition were defeated by the Drengin/Yor armada, a desperate Mue led a diplomatic mission to Drengi itself, begging them to spare Altaria. [[TooDumbToLive She ended up as dinner for Lord Kona himself]]
563----
564
565* KilledOffForReal: Died at the hands of the Drengin during the TimeSkip between 2 and 3, leaving Akari to take her place.
566* TooDumbToLive: Really, Eleys? What were you expecting when you tried to reason with the [[ImAHumanitarian Drengin]]?
567[[/folder]]
568
569[[folder:Lord Kona]]
570The leader of the Drengin, and effectively the BigBad of the series.
571----
572* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: Justified. The Drengin are firm believers of the KlingonPromotion and in eating those who aren't fit for their positions. Kona ''has'' to be one, or he wouldn't have ruled as long as he has.
573* BigBad: Leads the most proactively evil faction in the entire game, aside from the Dread Lords and Snathi. [[spoiler:He's ultimately superior to both by dint of being their creator]].
574* EvilOverlord: He rules the Drengin Empire with an iron fist. [[spoiler:And he did the same with the Arnor, slaughtering most of his own kin alongside Draginol to create the Orb of Dominion, known in modern times as the Bane.]]
575* TheExile: [[spoiler:He was banished from Arnor for crossing the one line his creator Draginol refused to let him do: he attempted to sacrifice Draginol's beloved, Amanda the Morningstar. As punishment, he took the completed Bane away from Kona, wiped his memories and exiled him to Drengi.]]
576-->'''Draginol:''' [[spoiler:You fool. Do you really think that the Orb was created for you? Do you really think that this is your place of power? Behind your every decision and behind your every thought I lurked. Here it is I that stands supreme, not you. I would have given you all, but the murder of this girl I would not permit. There are events yet to unfold that require her and you. I will banish you to a place far beyond Arnor. Do not think it a mercy, as we shall meet again and when that time comes, you will know that your end has come.]]
577* FateWorseThanDeath: [[spoiler:He was trapped in a StableTimeLoop by Draginol, doomed to die by his hand at the moment of Bradley's [[DeityOfHumanOrigin apotheosis]] and StartOfDarkness, when he destroyed Drengi and absorbed the Bane's power into himself to become Draginol. It seems the loop was finally broken by Jenna and Mascrinthus in the third game.]]
578* GreaterScopeVillain: [[spoiler:He was one of the original 100 Arnor, he created the Dread Lords, and later was reborn as Leader of the Drengin Empire. His actions created Draginol as he is known now, and effectively started the mess that is the entire series.]]
579* LaserGuidedAmnesia: [[spoiler: Draginol wiped his memories of his original Arnor/Dread Lord self when he banished him.]]
580* LastOfHisKind: [[spoiler:Due to his true identity and nature, he's now the very last Dread Lord.]]
581* OlderThanHeLooks: Kona may look old by Drengin standards, with his grayish hairs and yellowed teeth, but he's much older than he seems. [[spoiler:Being one of the first Arnor, he's billions of years old.]]
582* PredecessorVillain: [[spoiler: Due to Draginol, he's this to himself. Kona used to be the leader of the Dread Lords, who devastated Arnor and nearly wiped out their own people. After his banishment, the Dread Lords would bring untold suffering across the universe during their war with their kin and with the Grand Coalition.]]
583* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: Say what you will about Kona, but he's not a coward in the slightest. He's personally led his armies on several occasions and is also an avid explorer, if only for the desire of having an edge against his enemies.
584* WasOnceAMan: [[spoiler:He used to be an Arnor, one of the first 100 that Draginol created. Those 100 would later become the first Dread Lords.]]
585[[/folder]]
586
587[[folder: Tandis]]
588
589An Arnor imprisoned by the Dread Lords, but found and released by the Terrans under Jenna Casey. He then directs them toward the artifacts and technology they need to finally defeat the Dread Lords.
590----
591
592* ButNowIMustGo: He just up and vanishes following the Dread Lords' defeat, leaving for other reaches of space.
593* BigGood: It's pretty much entirely thanks to him that the Dread Lords were defeated.
594* LastOfHisKind: The last Arnor known to still be alive.
595* NiceJobBreakingItHero: [[spoiler:His attempt to stop the Dread Lord Curgen from reopening the Arnor portal in Elemental/Altaria reawakened Draginol, the Dark Mithrilar. The subsequent Cataclysm brought upon by his rage killed ninety percent of the planet's population. It took Altaria centuries to recover.]]
596* ShroudedInMyth: Half a million years ago, he was present on Altaria back in the earliest days of their species, [[spoiler:when the planet was known as Elemental, and the Altarians still called themselves Humans]]. They worship him as a religious figure even into modern times.

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