Second Doctrinal Conflict
| Second Doctrinal War | ||||||||||||
| File:Sa-matra generators down.png The Sa-Matra with generators disabled
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The Second Doctrinal Conflict or Second Doctrinal War is a non-canonical term referring to the events of Star Control II. It is a major galactic war that involves three major factions and nearly two dozen races that synthesises the Doctrinal Conflict and the Ur-Quan Slave War.
Background
The Doctrinal Conflict is an ideological rivalry between the two Ur-Quan sister species. The military and foreign policies of both subspecies are aggressive and expansionist, but they do not agree on how to treat conquered races. The Ur-Quan Kzer-Za follow the Path of Now and Forever to establish an organized imperial structure in which subdued worlds become either subservient Battle Thralls or isolated Fallow Slaves. The Ur-Quan Kohr-Ah follow the Eternal Doctrine to exterminate all races. The First Doctrinal War was waged quite some time ago, with the Kzer-Za emerging victorious after finding the Sa-Matra, a Precursor ship.
The Ur-Quan Slave War was Kzer-Za invasion of our corner of the galaxy from AD 2098 to 2134. As the Kzer-Za subjugated worlds and built up the Hierarchy, the Chenjesu and Mmrnmhrm formed the Alliance of Free Stars to counter the threat. The Alliance grew along with the Hierarchy, but was eventually defeated in detail. For twenty years the Kzer-Za ruled our corner of the galaxy, with their imperial Battle Thralls enforcing order over the Fallow Slaves.
The War
A Human scientific mission to the Vela system lost contact with Earth and the Alliance during the war. Isolated, they constructed a Precursor ship of their own and returned on 17 February 2155 to Earth, under the leadership of The Captain and hoping to assist the war effort. After learning the fate of the old Alliance, The Captain and Starbase Commander Hayes found the New Alliance of Free Stars to finally defeat the Ur-Quan. As the Captain is building the Alliance, he learns of the Kzer-Za and of their invasion of Kzer-Za space.
The details of the war are difficult to piece together because thousands of people claiming to be "The Captain" each have varying accounts. It is possible that the Captain of the Flagship endured some sort of transdimensional mitosis on 17 February 2155 as the Flagship entered TrueSpace at Sol, resulting in thousands of Captains in thousands of dimensions, each tasked with liberating Earth from the Slave Shield and each taking a different path1. Another theory2 is that the Umgah hacked the Flagship's log and created so many alternate histories that no one is sure which one is correct. A third and and downright cockamamy theory3 has emerged that has no credibility whatsoever: that all of these events are nothing more that a petroleum-age computer game in which the occurrence and chronology are determined by a "player" in the comfort of their own home!
Events of 2155
At the onset, the Hierarchy consisted of the Kzer-Za, seven Battle Thralls and four slave shielded worlds, the Humans were the only New Alliance member and the Kohr-Ah were a superpower. The Arilou, Druuge, Orz, Pkunk and Zoq-Fot-Pik were all non-aligned while the Supox and Utwig had a bilateral alliance.
The Flagship defeats the last remnants of Earthguard: a disabled Ilrwath Avenger that was passing the Sol system, and a frightened Spathi captain named Fwiffo who can be persuaded to defect to the Alliance, which in turn helps convince the Spathi government to follow suit.
The Zoq-Fot-Pik were already on the edge of Ur-Quan space, prompting them to initiate contact with the Earth Starbase, which was already becoming the de facto capital of the New Alliance.
The Ilwrath-Pkunk war involves Earth's two nearest neighbours, the aggressive Ilwrath Battle Thralls and the playful Pkunk. The Pkunk are losing badly and tell the Captain that they want to migrate back to Yehat space to rejoin their sister race. The Yehat were an Alliance member who defected to the Hierarchy in the later stages of the Slave War by withdrawing from a battle against the Kzer-Za and stranding the Shofixti. Many of the Starship Clans are deeply ashamed of the this, compounded by the fearless sacrifice by the Shofixti, who caused a mini supernova in their sun that destroyed all of the Kzer-Za ships and the Shofixti race. Their neighbours, the VUX and Mycon are both powerful Battle Thralls in a relatively quiet sector of space. The Druuge are a powerful merchant state that has been doing underhanded business with the Burvixese and Utwig. The Thraddash have been ordered by the Kzer-Za to hold position, while the Umgah have been pulling major pranks despite dealing with a dangerous Talking Pet.
Another major issue facing this region of space is the increasing contact with mysterious and powerful red probes that "...come in peace" and then obliterate all ships in their path.
Events of 2159
By most accounts, the Kohr-Ah defeat the Kzer-Za in 2159 and begin the Death March to exterminate all life.
If the Captain has been thorough, the Alliance consists of a dozen worlds and the Flagship is a powerful warship; a Pkunk has become Queen of the Yehat, who are again supporting the Alliance; the Shofixti have procreated from the brink of extinction, the Syreen have crippled the Mycon fleet and their Starbase Captain Talana has become the romantic interest of the Captain; the "Dilwrath" and Thraddash annihilated each other in a brief war; the Supox and Utwig have attacked both Ur-Quan races; and the Druuge continue their underhanded business.
If the Captain has been succinct, the New Alliance will boast the Humans, Chmmr, Supox, Syreen and Utwig, with support from the Pkunk.
Whether the Captain has been thorough or succinct, he will need to have a Precursor bomb that the Chmmr will have attached to his Precursor ship that he will pilot into the heart of the Ur-Quan's Precursor ship, the Sa-Matra. If he succeeds at this Final Mission, the Ur-Quan will be defeated and the Slave Shields can be destroyed. If he fails, the Death March will plod on until it reaches its final destination: Earth. If the Captain takes too long, the Kohr-Ah will have exterminated any number of races before the Sa-Matra is destroyed.
Aftermath
Again, the sheer number of people claiming to be The Captain makes it difficult to piece together this history. According to those Captains who have destroyed the Sa-Matra, the Chmmr led the Allies in mopping up the remaining Kohr-Ah and Kzer-Za ships. These Captains conveniently woke from an explosion-induced coma in time to see the Slave Shield come down at Earth and pursue a relationship with Talana, with whom they retire on Unzervalt. Other Captains tell grisly tales of detonating the Utwig bomb in Deep Space, of surrendering to Ur-Quan forces, or of being destroyed by red spinning probes.
Belligerents
Ur-Quan Hierarchy
Led by the Ur-Quan Kzer-Za, the Hierarchy is an interstellar empire that follows the Path of Now and Forever to conquer and enslave all races.
Ur-Quan Kohr-Ah
The Kohr-Ah are a sister race of the Kzer-Za and follow the Eternal Doctrine to exterminate all sentient races.
New Alliance of Free Stars
Led by the Humans and following in the footsteps of the original Alliance of Free Stars, the New Alliance is a guerrilla army comprising many of the races that the Kzer-Za and Kohr-Ah seek to enslave or exterminate.
Unaffiliated races
A handful of races never align with any of the major factions but participate heavily in the conflict, namely the Druuge, Melnorme and Slylandro.
Theatres and Key Battles
Theatres
- Doctrinal War (Kzer-Za vs Kohr-Ah)
- Ilwrath-Pkunk war
- Ilwrath-Thraddash war
- Supox and Utwig offensive against the Kohr-Ah
- Yehat Revolution
Key Battles
non-canonical designations:
- Battle of Organon (Syreen vs Mycon)
- Battle of Zeta Hyades (New Alliance vs Druuge)
- Final Mission