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View Full Version : [Star Wars] Against The Tyranny of the Infinite Empire!



Kiero
2009-01-16, 07:16 AM
I've got to admit this is neither terribly original, nor even my idea initially, but I think it could make a cool variant setting.

It's effectively Star Wars pre-history, set at around 26,000 BBY (as in a long time even before KotOR), during the dying days of the Infinite Empire (http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Infinite_Empire), the first known galactic government.


The Rakata (http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Rakata)rose to new heights when, in approximately 49,000 BBY, they successfully combined the power of the Force with advanced technology, creating wondrous effects that seemed, to them, to border on the mystical. Due to this achievement, they used their technology to explore space. However, when they found civilizations less advanced than themselves, they conquered and enslaved them rather than benevolently aid their advancement. The Infinite Empire, officially established in 35,000 BBY, dominated pockets of the galaxy for almost ten thousand years and enslaved numerous developing species including the Duros, Kumumgah, Selkath, and Humans. At its height, it consisted of more than 500 enslaved-subject worlds with a population of ten billion Rakata and one trillion slaves.

The Force-based technology of the Rakata had profound consequences which led to the total collapse of the Infinite Empire. The Star Forge began feeding off its Rakatan masters' aggressive tendencies and created Dark Side energies that further corrupted its creators. After generations of galactic supremacy and control, the Infinite Empire began to fracture. Huge slave revolts erupted throughout the borders of the Empire along with various factions vying for control. This led to a civil war throughout Rakatan controlled space.

Ruled from the galactic capital on Lehon (http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Lehon)(the Rakatan homeworld) those subject to the Empire at this time include: Corellia (http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Corellia), Coruscant (http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Coruscant), Dantooine (http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Dantooine), Drall (http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Drall_%28planet%29), Duro (http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Duro), Honogr (http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Honoghr), Kashyyyk (http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Kashyyyk), Manaan (http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Manaan), Selonia (http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Selonia), Tattooine (http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Tatooine), Sleheyron (http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Sleheyron) and Korriban (http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Korriban).

It's only limitations of their hyperdrive technology (which I would suspect uses the Force for astrogation) that they haven't spread further. I think this is before even the hyperspace beacons that existed in the Great Hyperspace War 20,000 years later, so long-distance travel depends on stolen Rakatan tech.

Technology is going to be both similar and different. There's still starships, though hyperdrive is very different. All starships might either be based on Rakatan designs, or actually be stolen Rakatan ships.

There are probably still blasters or some equivalent energy-projectors (perhaps without elegant options like stun settings).

There definitely aren't any lightsabers. Warriors might use vibroblades. The Rakatans themselves might have some kind of Force-augmented/alchemical personal weaponry, which some of the Force-users might steal for their own use.

Organisations-wise, there's no Republic, no Jedi, no Sith. I'm imagining that besides Rakatan overseers/rulers, they have armies composed of Force-brainwashed thralls. Or maybe even those who've simple decided to accomodate the overlords and work for them. Perhaps some more advanced species are confederate (but still subordinate) members of their Empire and enjoy more freedom than the slaves.

But the main thing is the Infinite Empire, ruled over by Rakatan overseers as the villains of the piece. While they might once have been bringing the light of civilisation and technology to the galaxy, the dark side has thoroughly corrupted them and their mission. They're brutal and cruel, brooking no opposition and willing to spend any cost in the lives of slaves to achieve their goals.

There are probably lots of supressed Force traditions, all the various precursors that would one day gather together and found the Jedi. They'll all be very local-specific, maybe species-specific too. There may be a lot of knowledge that's stolen from the Rakata, and I'd imagine stealth-related stuff in terms of keeping Force-sensetivity seceret is prominent. Maybe the Rakata twist slaves who show Force-sensetivity into darkside weapons.

In terms of species you still have most of the usuals, but some regular species might be early starfarers, or simply kidnapped slaves from backwater primitive planets that don't yet have the tech to get into space. For example I don't think Ryloth has hyperdrive tech yet, so there wouldn't be many Twi'leks around.

This is set at the time of their civil war, which creates opportunities for the slave-species to stage their own revolts, and get the PCs mixed up in that.