The Beginning

The events in Homeworld take place in The Galaxy, a spiral galaxy known as the Whirlpool Galaxy, is about 76,000 lightyears in diameter, relatively small for a galaxy in comparison with the Milky Way.

In spite of its size, the Galaxy has supported several powerful empires such as the Progenitors, the Hiigaran Empire, and the Taiidan Empire.

The Naggarok was an alien exploration vessel that journeyed to the Galaxy from a neighboring galaxy using an experimental hyperdrive of immense power. When the ship emerged from hyperspace it was carrying a strange and malevolent form of life (later to be given the moniker The Beast) which had not been present at the start of its journey. When the aliens on-board the vessel realized this lifeform's destructive capabilities they decided to destroy the vessels engines and communications array, thus trapping the creature inside. However, the ship launched its emergency beacon with a small sample of Beast cells on-board.

Infested interior of the Naggarok

The Progenitors

With the few records we have on them, the Progenitors are the oldest known race in the universe. They arrived before the Galactic Dating System (GDS) began. Their empire and influence spanned nearly the entire galaxy, and many Progenitor relics have been found in its farthest corners.

Blueprint of the Progenitor Mothership

The Progenitors possessed highly advanced technology that far surpassed that of all other space-faring civilizations even millenia after their departure from the galaxy.

The Progenitors also developed extremely powerful hyperdrives capable of making galactic jumps in less than a second and transporting whole fleets within the galaxy and beyond. This hyperdrive technology led to the Eye of Aarran, a vast network of self-supported hyperspace gates stretching throughout the galaxy. The Progenitors left their three Hyperspace cores hidden in different places throughout the Galaxy.

One of the three hyperspace cores

The Bentusi

The Bentusi, an ancient race of space-fairing technology traders, call themselves the Unbound which means to be directly connected with their ships. By doing so, the Bentusi are able to control their ships with direct thought allowing quick reactions and fewer staff to perform the same operations. They also have significantly longer lifespans and refer to other non-unbound races as having flicker lives.

The earliest known event in Bentusi history was when the Bentusi discovered the First Hyperspace Core in a massive Progenitor ship, becoming the first known race to acquire far-jump technology. While others in the galaxy had hyperspace technology, none could travel at the distance and speed the Far-Jumper would allow. With it, the Bentusi could travel hundreds of light years and more within one or two minutes. Fortunately, the Bentusi used this new-found technology to keep order and peace in the galaxy.

Using the hyperspace core, the Bentusi quickly established the Old Trade Routes which were widespread across hundreds of worlds, bringing their technology to many races. Soon after, the Bentusi took it upon themselves the mantle Galactic Peacekeepers.

Using the far-jumper housed in their mothership, Bentus, the Bentusi could send their entire fleet to quell interplanetary wars with their superior technology. However, many systems did not like being little more than protectorates of the Bentusi, and began conspiring with other planets to bring an end to the Bentusi's "tyranny".

The Uprising

Almost overnight, thousands of wars broke out across the galaxy. The Bentusi fleet, though indisputably powerful, could not tend to every incident at once. As the dust settled, several new Empires had been formed, and the Galactic Council was formed from the Hiigaran, Taiidan, and 14 other empires. The Bentusi supremacy had ended.

Of the many empires that emerged stronger after Bentusi's reign was lost, the Hiigarans gain control of all the planets under the Daiamid, their governing council. The Hiigarans are a humanoid race hailing from Hiigara at the edge of the Galactic Core. Through their trials they have proven to be a group of proud, cunning and intellectual people.

Another to gained power from Bentusi's fall was the Taiidan Empire, also known as the Taiidan Imperium, which was one of the oldest states in the Galaxy. The Taiidan and Hiigaran Empires shared the same area of space.

War Between Hiigara and Taiidan

Bad blood between the Hiigaran and Taiidan led to many disputes among border planets of their respected empires. With tensions and battles increasing, the Galactic Council intervened and favored with the Taiidan Empire. The Taiidans had bribed, blackmailed, and even assassinated members of the Council to insure they gained the upper-hand in the dispute. Along with many planets awarded to the Taiidans, the Council also forbid the Hiigarans from entering a 30 light-year zone and in doing so would return serious reprisals.

It seemed all hope was lost for the Hiigaran Empire, until exploration of the Great Wastelands unearthed an artifact that would prove to be the most important discovery in their history. The Second Hyperspace Core.

With extensive re-engineering of the containment unit, it is mounted within the Sajuuk's Wrath, the newly constructed flagship of the Hiigarans.

The only known drawing of Sajuuk's Wrath compared in size to a super carrier

Unfortunately, the Higgarans abused the power of the Hyperspace Core and jumped deep into Taiidan Empire territory, attacking many border patrols. Before the first report of attack reached the Imperial Palace on the planet Taiidan, the Hiigaran fleet was already above its orbit and began using Low Orbit Atmospheric Deprivation Weapons and killing the emperor himself. The Hiigarans then departed, satisfied that the threat of the Taiidan Empire was neutralized.

The Galactic Council reach a decision much faster than the Hiigarans had expected. The Hiigarans are forced to abandon every vessel belonging to them that existed within the 30-light-year exclusion zone, turn over their Hyperspace Core and retreat from the worlds they had conquered. The Hiigarans are given 24 hours to comply or face the severest consequences.

The Hiigarans send word to the Galactic Council, informing them that they agreed to the stated conditions. However, they plan to give the core only to the Bentusi. As Bentus came closer to Sajuuk's Wrath to extract the Hyperspace Core, the fleet powers up under emergency procedures and attack Bentus before it can react.

However, the Bentusi had more experience and capabilities than the Hiigarans. Bentus launched combat-ready vessels, while their own Hyperspace Core jumped other Bentusi Exchanges into the heart of battle from nearby staging grounds. While the Hiigarans fought on, Sajuuk's Wrath leapt from flank to flank, blinking in and out of hyperspace and bolstering the Hiigaran forces wherever it was needed, the Bentus outmaneuvered it each time. After many hours of solid, bloody combat, there was nothing left of the Hiigaran Navy beyond debris and their Flagship. The Bentusi offered surrender and the Hiigarans refused. The Bentus destroyed the engines of Sajuuk's Wrath in an effort to preserve the Hyperspace Core. Instead, the Hiigaran commander jumped Sajuuk's Wrath into the Gravity Well of Angel Moon, destroying the ship and presumably the Core as well. It's said that the Daiamid had been told of the suicide plan before the attack, and knew where to look for the core in the future.

In the aftermath of the overwhelming Hiigaran defeat, the Galactic Council granted the remaining Hiigarans their freedom under the condition that they would never again prepare for war or bring arms against others.

The Bentusi felt responsible for stripping the power of hyperspace from the Hiigarans who were immature in using its ability. They had made errors of their own and easily saw that they too could have been in the same situation as the Hiigaran if another, older race had the power before them. A time of mourning was at hand, and the Bentusi disarmed and demilitarized every vessel they commanded. They vowed never to wage war for the cause of peace and to never have influence on the Council again.

Riesstiu's Revenge

Without an emperor, the Taiidan Empire was in disarray. Admiral Riesstiu, the only remnant of their once fearsome navy, declared himself the sole commander of the Navy. He acted quickly and brought justice to each Hiigaran border planet, forcing them to join or die. The Taiidan had developed weapons that would cleanse the entire surface of a planet and were horribly eager to use them on each planet which refused to be a part of the Taiidan Empire. Hundreds of millions of lives were ended without warning for a crime of which they were ultimately innocent. Some of the planets had "converted too easily" according to the admiral and razed them anyway. More lives were lost in the space of Riesstiu's Revenge than had been lost in all recorded battles since the Outer Rim Trade Routes were first established.

The Galactic Council threatened sanctions against Riesstiu and the Taiidan, but they carried on without care. The Council and independent worlds called for the Bentusi to intervene with force - yet they would not. Instead they volunteered to adjudicate discussion between Riesstiu and the Hiigaran Diamid in pursuit of an acceptable resolution.

The Fate of Hiigara

The admiral's demands were simple, all Hiigaran worlds would now belong to the Taiidan Empire. Hiigara itself would be the new site of the Imperial Palace. Every native Hiigaran would be executed or pressed into slavery depending on their level of involvement in the war upon Taiidan's Homeworld. The Diamid could not move the admiral on any point and the Hiigarans, who had completely given up hope on a life worth living, prepared for the end.

The Bentusi, shamed by their part in the Hiigaran downfall, continued to negotiate with the Galactic Council, the Hiigaran Diamid, and Admiral Riesstiu of the Taiidan. The finally came to a common ground. The Hiigarans would have a single month to board a sub-light transport fleet departing towards the galactic outskirts of the established trade routes. Any left behind would be enslaved or executed, but those willing to accept the arrangement would be dispatched. The one thing they must never do again: develop Far Jump hyperspace technology. If they were to venture beyond their planet with the now-missing core or another like it, their destruction would be sealed. The Hiigarans agreed because they did not have a better chance at survival other than exile.

The Khar-Toba class prison ships that carried the remaining population of Hiigara into exile

Before leaving their home system, the Hiigarans secretly retrieve the Second Hyperspace Core from the Angel Moon and stow it upon a Khar-Toba ship. They hoped one day their ancestors may have the chance to regain their home and their empire.

A starmap showing the Angel Moon's orbit in relation to Hiigara

The Exile Begins

As the Hiigarans hyperspaced to the outskirts, several generations lived and died aboard the ships. When they came to the Great Nebula, at least one of the vessels broke off and sought shelter there. This was the beginning of the Kadeshi, former Hiigarans developed in isolation in their nebula which they called "The Garden". This later became the center of their religion and served as sanctuary that allowed them to thrive as a people once more.

A Kadeshi Mothership in The Garden

There's little record of how the Kadeshi developed over the years, but what is known is that they built large needle-shaped motherships and developed hyperspace inhibitors to capture and prevent ships from leaving the Nebula. Anyone who visits their sanctuary must either join or die since their visit defiled The Garden.

A New Home for Hiigarans

The Hiigaran exiles continued their journey until stumbling upon Kharak, an Outer Rim desert planet marked by large bands of erg deserts stretching across the equator, to more temperate, cool climates towards the north and south poles. This would be their new home.

The desert planet of Kharak, the Hiigarans' new home

With only five remaining vessels left, the Hiigarans descended upon Kharak. During planetfall, the ships suffered extreme damage and only one survived re-entry: The Khar Toba containing the Second Hyperspace Core. The remaining Hiigarans exiles formed the first city which they rightfully named Khar-Toba since it was built within and from the ship itself.

The first Kharak city, Khar-Toba

The city of Khar-Toba housed a network of tunnels and buildings. The Hyperspace core was moved from inside the ship to a shielded underground chamber, serving as a power plant for the city. It is suspected to have fallen when the hyperspace core failed After the city's collapse, the remaining Hiigarans expanded across Kharak and grow into a large populace of Kushan, most leaving the history of the Hiigaran people behind and some even forgotten. The malfunctioned hyperspace core is left in Khar-Toba.

The Hyperspace Core eventually became so unstable it began to cause severe issues for passing ships in the system. Some were caused to crash into the surface while others were jumped out of space into the planet. One of the ships that suffered this fate was a Taiidan carrier which was in the process of deploying an orbital weapon to prevent the Kushan from returning to space.

Rise of the Kiiths

The Kushan of Kharak make up multiple clans, known as kiith. The Kiith Manaan are one of the first kiith recorded. They are a mysterious and elusive kiith widely known as nomads or thieves depending on which kiith you ask. Instead of settling and doing hard labor, they travel from kiith to kiith, entertaining and trading. They specialized in rare medicines, drugs, and other taboo items.

The Kiith Manaan symbol

Kiith Soban, also known as the Grey Brotherhood, is formed. A mercenary kiith, their origins lie in a man named Soban the Red. He led a small group of families from their home kiith after its leaders refused to retaliate to an attack by a rival, more powerful kiith. Soban brought his small band across the Sparkling Desert and brought the news of his kiith's destruction to the Kiith-Sa. He offered to lead an army that would strike back at the destroyers but the Kiith-Sa had intentions of joining them instead.

Upon hearing this, Soban the Red ripped the colors of his kiith and left it all behind. With his followers he declared he would never belong to another kiith that would have deaf ears to the blood of children crying from the ground. He then formed Kiith Soban. Their first act was to attack the kiith that had originally destroyed their home and did not leave a single blade of grass green. From that day forward, Kiith Soban became known as a truly deadly warrior kiith with no home, roaming the desert from battle to battle.

The Siidim Council announced a change in its theology, from the traditional view that the Kushan were exiled from paradise to Kharak as punishment for the sin of arrogance, to the belief that only those within Kiith Siidim were of divine origin. According to the Siidim kiith-sa, all other kiith were natives to Kharak, and therefore inferior.

The Heresy Wars

In the era of the Heresy Wars, multiple kiith are in conflict with regards to religion and territorial considerations.

From left to right: Clan logos for Kiith Gaalsien, Kiith Siidim, and Kiith Sjet

Conflict came to a head when the two largest Kiith in the north, the Kiith Siidim and Kiith Gaalsien, went to war over the issue of what had caused the gods to place them on such a world. The Kiith Siidim believed that the Kushan were once a great race living in paradise but had been punished by the gods for their hubris and cast down to Kharak. The Kiith Gaalsien believed this idea to be heretical arrogance in light of their belief that they had been created to suffer from the beginning and Kharak was all they could hope for.

The conflict eventually spread to the southern zone as well. The Heresy Wars left the Kushan people on the brink of extinction with precious resources and infrastructure destroyed during three centuries of religious conflict.

With all factions exhausted and falling from internal anarchy, a small clan, from the settlement at Tiir, emerged from hiding. This Northern Clan was the first to develop chemical explosives and was thus unmatched in clan warfare. They also preached a world view based on science and logic and offered protection to anyone who wished to live in such a world.

Within 20 years, Tiir was the new capital of Kharak and the Time of Reason era had begun.

Tiir, the capital of Kharak

The Time Of Reason Era

Space Exploration was not greeted favorably by the entire population. Large factions from some of the poorer clans believed technology and industrial output was being wasted on the effort. They thought it would be put to better use on trying to alter Kharak or at least discover ways to support more people and hold back the encroaching deserts.

As final preparations for the first orbital flight were being made, an obscure theologian named Per Doine provided the unifying force for these factions by resurrecting the old myth that tragedy would befall our people should we offend the gods with another act of arrogance.

This religious revival spread throughout both polar territories and it culminated with an attempt by a frenzied mob to tear down the Silumiin Launch Vehicle on the eve of its liftoff. This was averted by the High Tecnhocrats who stood on the launch base turrets, preventing them from firing on the crowd. This lasted for 14 hours.

Per Doine slipped through the cordon and prayed for salvation beneath the rocket's main engines and was vaporized on ignition, becoming a martyr for the cause.

Meanwhile, biological and chemical sciences revealed a disturbing lack of commonality between the Kushan's biochemcial makeup and that of most Kharakid life. Ironically, it was the birth of the Daiamid Movement, with its many scientific breakthroughs, that created a philosophical environment where the oldest myths and the newest theories could be wedded into what was now accepted as the XenoGenesis Theory. This theory assumed that the Kushans were aliens to Kharak.

The Age of Orbital Exploration revealed the first clues that the Kushan were not indigenous to Kharak. Reports of metallic debris in high orbit soon led to dedicated retrieval missions, with surprising results. Initial analysis made it obvious these were pieces of advanced manufactured and machined structures. This was yet another piece to the puzzle of Kushan origins, but it did not truly confirm anything except that some kind of alien device or ship had once orbited Kharak.

The discovery of this tiny debris belt spurred great leaps in metallurgy and manufacturing simply by showing that exotic, high tensile composite materials could exist. This in turn led to advances in propulsion and advanced shielding systems. The combinations of these spurred the fledging space program even further and first steps became leaps.

Coming Soon

A satellite orbiting the planet Kharak detects an enormous object underneath the Great Desert. The people of Kharak, the Kushan, excavate the site to discover the remains of a large city surrounding the wreckage of an ancient ship, which they named the Khar-Toba.

The wreckage of Khar-Toba

Inside the vessel, the Kushan discovered vast amounts of technology, far more advanced than anything seen before. The most impressive piece of technology was the hyperdrive module. The Kushan salvaged this hyperdrive and explored further through the ruins, naming the ship and surrounding city as the Khar-Toba.

Also discovered was the Guidestone, containing a map written in an ancient language to a planet called Hiigara, which translated to "Our Home" in Kushan.

This finding proved that the Kushan did not originate from Kharak and spurred them into building a Mothership that would take them to their homeworld.

During construction, Karan S'jet, a young and brilliant neuroscientist, integrated her body and mind with the Mothership to establish full control of all systems. She then became known as Fleet Command.

Work in Progress

Work in Progress

Work in Progress