SC2-Orz Essay

[Lord Azrael]

This is my essay on the Orz from the Star Control series of games. It mainly focusses around the Androsynth incident, the Eternal Ones and the Orz in general.

First off, The Androsynth.

Words in double asterisk pairs are best fit clarity...

The Androsynth disapered, we all know that. And the common consensus is is that the Orz as they say *pulled* them thorugh the dimensional barrier when the Synth activated a DF (Dimensional Fatigue) Portal, which, supposedly opened up into *Below* which is inhabited by the Orz.

Now, when the Orz popped through this portal the Androsynth's saw the Orz as ghosts or other freaky things like Wights or Wraiths, that made them freak out. (For all we know they may have seen dismembered Orz or even just body parts.)

So, they began to search for various things like 'ghosts, wights, wraiths' and etc, trying to find a way to stop the Orz. The searches go insane and stop suddenly.

Now, if you ask the Orz what happened they say that they had *pulled* them thorugh for *parties* and then *squeezing the juice*. Now, *parties* seems to refer to a battleground and I'm quite sure that *Squeezing the juice* refers to taking sentience. Now, if you ask the Orz for a more direct answer on what happened they attack you, so you can never get a direct answer.

Part 2: Why did the Orz attack the Androsynth? and Why did the Synth freak out?

The question is now, how they attacked, but why? Why did they attack?

There are many theories surrounding this, what we do know is that it had something to do with Dimensional Fatigue. Maybe it's like a beacon that attracts them like Moths, or maybe they are pulled their with no will of their own. No one will really know why unless the creators of UQM say why. The Orz won't answer and there are no 'Synth left. The Orz say they *smell* the Androsynth, and they *Smell* you as well. But perhaps it all depends on the smell, the Androsynth were all clones so perhaps that made the Orz come after them, as they tend to ignore you if you don't ask about the 'synth, It's like having 2400 roses in one pile and 2 roses, 24 tulips, 1 corpse and other things. The Orz go with the larger same *Smell*

The 'Synth freaked out when they saw ghosts. Now, from what we know the Orz say they are *fingers* and what you see are not Orz. Perhaps Orz are probes for their Masters, the Eternal Ones, or perhaps they are servents, from what we know they ARE advance scouts.

The 'synth were freaked so much that they searched all their databanks for any references for 'ghosts, poltergiests, wraiths and wights or etc.'. The Androsynth died before they could find an effective countermeasure.

Part 3-Eternal Ones - Orz Connection

In Star Control 3, the Orz apparently try to *Squeez the juice* from the Supox, a plant like species. Now, from what the Orz tell you they were *Sick* and the Orz *Squeezed* for *friends*.

From what ca be translated from that they wanted the Supox intelligence for the Eternal Ones.

I think they might be kind of a toned-down version of the Eternal Ones (a little higher on the food chain than the people in *heavy space* but not quite as high as the Eternal Ones are) - and then there's the idea of the Arilou changing your *smell*... which might be what the Orz call *jumping in front*. Since you *smell* different thanks to the Arilou, the Orz don't want to kill you when you encounter them. You're not classed as "food" then. Which is probably the reason why they don't attack you. But when you prove you *smell* enough like the Synth to be interested in what happened to them, you allow yourself to be seen, and then it's chow time.

Eventually, the Orz leave the League and summon their masters, the Eternal Ones and go beack *below*, the Orz leave the galaxy and presumably never return.

Part 4 - Loose ends

There are a few, troubling, loose ends... why did the Androsynth use the DF portal on their homeworld? What happened to the Androsynth Guardian Ships? What is *Below*? Why do the Orz dislike the Arilou *Quick babies*?

Hopefully UQM2 will answer those questions.

Part 5 - Conclusion

So, in conclusion what can be gleaned is that the Orz are responsible for the destruction of the Androsynth, the disaperence of the Supox and that they are 'advance scouts' for the Eternal Ones.

The Orz may reappear at any time, as will the Eternal Ones. But, the galaxy is safer without them both.

Sources

http://www.classicgaming.com/starcon...quotes/orz.txt

http://uqm.stack.nl/cgi-bin/yabb/YaB...736242;start=0

http://www.classicgaming.com/starcon...tes/lander.txt (Look for the Androsynth ones)

http://www.classicgaming.com/starcon...saga/races.htm (Search for Orz)

Ur-Quan Masters - http://sc2.sourceforge.net/

Star Control 3

[Ralson]

My Two Cents...

Penny #1: Star Control 3 is not considered by very many to be a canon sequel to SC2... partly because it was made by an entirely different set of game designers, partly because it was fairly lame altogether and partly because it FUCKED EVERYTHING UP.

Penny #2: I think that when they refer to themselves as fingers, it means that they are actually parts of a creature or creatures (probably the former, actually...) that has depth in at least four dimensions. This may actually be the pan-dimensional critter reaching into our plane of space with a plethora of pseudopods, but i'm more inclined to go for something esoteric... which would be all but pointless to speculate on the nature of.

[ppdes]

Originally Posted by Ralson

Penny #2: I think that when they refer to themselves as fingers, it means that they are actually parts of a creature

That was my interpretation as well. I get some odd looks always referring to Orz as a single person, though, even given that it only comes up when talking to fellow SC2 fans. ^^

[Lord Azrael]

Penny #1: Star Control 3 is not considered by very many to be a canon sequel to SC2... partly because it was made by an entirely different set of game designers, partly because it was fairly lame altogether and partly because it FUCKED EVERYTHING UP.

No, I know it isn't. But people still think that the Orz treachery is one of the best bits.

SC3 was not as good, and it would've been alot better if it was like SC2. But, most things in story are taken as cannon when talking about the Orz.