BattleTech (fictional setting)

A detailed timeline of the BattleTech fictional setting stretching from the late 20th century to the mid-32nd describes humanity's technological, social and political development and spread through space both in broad historical terms and through accounts of the lives of individuals who experienced and shaped that history,[1] with an emphasis on (initially) the year 3025 and creating an ongoing storyline from there. Generally, BattleTech assumes that its history is identical to real-world history up until approximately 1984, when the reported histories begin to diverge; in particular, the game designers did not foresee the fall of the Soviet Union, which plays a major role past 1990 in the fictional BattleTech history. Individual lifestyles remain largely unchanged from those of modern times, due in part to stretches of protracted interplanetary warfare during which technological progress slowed or even reversed. Cultural, political and social conventions vary considerably between worlds, but feudalism is widespread, with many states ruled by hereditary lords and other nobility, below which are numerous social classes.

A key feature of the BattleTech universe is the absence of non-human intelligent life. Despite one or two isolated encounters in novels, mankind is the only sentient species.

Above all, the central theme of BattleTech is conflict, consistent with the franchise's wargaming core.[2] Interstellar and civil wars, planetary battles, factionalization and infighting, as well as institutionalized combat in the shape of arena contests and duelling, form the grist of both novelized fiction and game backstories.

BattleTech's fictional history covers the approximately 1,150 years from the end of the 20th century to the middle of the 32nd. Most works in the series are set during the early to middle decades of the 31st century, though a few publications concern earlier ages.[3] MechWarrior: Dark Ages and its related novels take place in the mid 3100s.[4]

Technology

The level of technology evident in BattleTech is an unusual blend of the highly futuristic and the nearly modern. The universe is largely based in hard science fiction concepts — much of the technology used is either similar in advancement to that of the present day, or based on technology considered plausible in the near-future, such as the railgun. A handful of exceptions, notably faster-than-light interstellar travel and superluminal communication, depend on purely fictional or speculative principles. Radically advanced tech mixes with seemingly anachronistic technologies such as internal combustion engines and projectile weapons. Artificial intelligence, nanotechnology, androids, and many other staples of future fiction are generally absent or downplayed. Incessant warfare is generally blamed for the uneven advancement, the destruction of industry and institutes of learning over the centuries of warfare having resulted in the loss of much technology and knowledge. As rivalries and conflicts have dragged on, advanced technologies are redeveloped for the battlefield.[5][6]

One of the earliest and most significant events in BattleTech technology was the advent of faster-than-light travel. Scientists first successfully tested an FTL engine in 2107, and late in the following year mounted the first long-range manned voyage, a 12-light year jump to the Tau Ceti star system. However, faster-than-light communication would not be developed until 2630.[7] Technological advancements continued slowly but steadily through the third millennium, notably including the development of the first BattleMech in 2439.[8] This advancement reached its zenith during the latter years of the Star League with computing, communications, sensors, power and motor systems, medical sciences, and other technologies reaching high levels of refinement.[9]

Following the collapse of the Star League in 2781, its constituent states fell into a protracted struggle for supremacy known as The Succession Wars. The conflict saw the common use of weapons of mass destruction and the widespread destruction of factories, shipyards, and research facilities, resulting in a slow but steady degradation of scientific and technological expertise. By the dawn of the fourth millennium, few sites in the Inner Sphere retained the ability to construct or even repair the more sophisticated Star League-era devices, and lost or hidden caches of such "lostech" became highly sought after. A mercenary unit, the Gray Death Legion, discovered one such cache, including a Star League memory core, on the planet Helm in 3026, a discovery that sparked a major technological renaissance.[9]

The exodus of much of the Star League Defense Force after the League's collapse was also a significant blow to technological development in the Inner Sphere since it included many of the most advanced vessels and pieces of hardware. Later to become known as the Clans, these forces, unlike those in the Inner Sphere, retained their technology and made refinements and enhancements that set them ahead of their Successor States counterparts. The return of the Clans to the Inner Sphere in 3048 prompted a flurry of technological development.[10][11]

In August 3132, a mysterious calamity collapsed the Hyperpulse Generator network, inhibiting interstellar communication and heralding a slow-down of technological development.

Space travel

Faster-than-light travel across interstellar distances is common in the BattleTech universe and depends on an advanced space-warping technology known as the Kearny-Fuchida Drive. In a K-F jump, an initiator produces a hyperspace field which is then magnified and focused by a large, superconductive mass of titanium/germanium. The amplified field envelopes the ship and pushes it through a hole in normal space called a "jump point," through which it enters hyperspace. Depending on the distance to be traversed, the ship spends up to 15 seconds in hyperspace before reemerging into normal space through another jump point at the destination. The opening and closing of jump points destroys large numbers of subatomic particles and produces a pulse of electromagnetic energy that can be detected at considerable range.[12]

Jumps are normally made to and from points far above a solar system's ecliptic, usually where the gravitational influence in the system is most stable; however, so-called "pirate points" exist where local gravitational pull is stable enough to use; though quicker, using such points is also more dangerous due to the random appearance of so-called "Lagrange points".[13] Jumping requires copious amounts of energy, usually gathered from the nearby star over the course of approximately a week by large solar collectors similar to solar sails and stored in giant capacitors. A quicker but less common technique is to draw the energy from a fusion reactor, or to take advantage of recharge stations in the vicinity of major jump points.[13] Jump failures can result from charging the drive too quickly, poor drive maintenance, or spatial anomalies.

Interplanetary and orbital space travel is also common practice, generally conducted by fusion-powered dropships and various smaller aerospace craft.

Spacecraft

BattleTech spacecraft range considerably in size and function, but generally fall into three broad categories – jumpships, dropships, and small craft.

Vessels equipped with K-F drives are known as jumpships and range in mass up to 500,000 tons, though warships, a subclass of jumpship hardened against attack and fitted with naval weapons, may mass up to 2.5 million tons. The size and delicacy of a jumpship's K-F drive and the danger of jumping while in a gravitational well limits such vessels to deep space and precludes planetary landings. Jumpships often use sail-like collectors to gather solar energy and fusion engines for sub-light maneuvers, and normally travel with a small retinue of dropships.

Dropships are fusion-powered craft built to transport people and cargo between space-bound jumpships and planetary surfaces, or between jumpships. Dropships lack faster-than-light engines and instead use fusion motors for covering short interplanetary distances, for orbital and atmospheric maneuvers, and for takeoffs and landings. They mass anywhere between 400 and 100,000 tons, and are usually of either aerodyne (aerodynamic) or spheroidal configuration. Dropships are used for both military and civilian/commercial transportation.

The smallest vessels capable of space travel are known simply as "small craft," or as aerospace craft if capable of planetary landings. They may serve military functions (as fighters or bombers) or civilian purposes (e.g., transportation).

Communications

HyperPulse Generator (HPG) arrays serve as the primary means of interstellar communication in the BattleTech universe and operate on worlds throughout inhabited space.

HPGs operate on a similar principle as the Kearny-Fuchida jump drive, sending a directional radio transmission instantaneously from one station to another over a distance of up to 50 light years.[7] Though the nature of the technology allows only unidirectional broadcasts, paired HPGs can provide simultaneous bidirectional communication. Given the demand and expense of hyperpulse communication, messages are frequently bundled into batches of hundreds, sent simultaneously. While the transmission itself is nearly instantaneous, it may be days, weeks, or months before a message is sent, though one can pay a higher fee for "priority service." A message can reach any station in the Inner Sphere in approximately six months, with transit times of as little as a few days possible at great expense.[14]

The first successful hyperpulse broadcast occurred on New Year's Day, 2630.[7] Over the next 150 years, the Star League constructed a network of generators that extended hyperpulse communications to numerous worlds throughout the Inner Sphere. During the Succession Wars, ComStar assumed the operation and maintenance of the network, shrouding the system's operation in mystical trappings. Ostensibly neutral, ComStar leveraged its communications monopoly for political purposes, occasionally imposing "interdictions" (denials of service) on the Great Houses, which crippled their victims by preventing them from coordinating a defense of their realm. Following the fracturing of ComStar after the battle of Tukayyid in 3052, hyperpulse technology slowly began to disseminate to the states of the Inner Sphere. A mysterious calamity collapsed the Hyperpulse Generator network in August 3132, effectively ending practical interstellar communication over much of inhabited space. In the wake of the collapse, jumpships served as a kind of "pony express," ferrying messages from world to world.

'Mechs
Main article: BattleMech

The most visible and distinctive machinery in the BattleTech franchise are the mecha known as 'Mechs. Those tailored for combat are known as BattleMechs and, with other less common forms such as WorkMechs and ProtoMechs, are central to BattleTech wargaming and feature prominently in most spinoffs and related fiction.

Bionics

Neural engineering, particularly in the form brain-computer interfaces, is not uncommon in the BattleTech universe. Its principal application is the "neurohelmet," a device used in nearly all BattleMechs that gives the 'Mech's pilot the ability to control some aspects of the machine's behavior simply by thought. The neurohelmet provides balance information to the 'Mech to assist in walking and maneuvering. It also acts as a security device, limiting access to authorized users via alpha brain wave pattern recognition (many BattleMechs mentioned in the novels also incorporate more conventional security measures such as voice-recognition and personalised codes).

Other applications of bionics range from prosthetic limbs to elective implants intended to improve strength or enhance the senses.[15]

Environmental engineering

During prosperous eras of colonization, entrepreneurs employed jumpships to transport ice bergs from water-rich planets to arid colony worlds. Colonies dependent on this ice trade prospered while it continued, but little true terraforming was accomplished in this way and the colonies tended to wither when the trade was interrupted by wars. The practice was largely abandoned in the 27th century due to advances in water purification.[8]

Terraforming, the process of adapting an inhospitable planetary environment into one suitable for human occupation, occurs with varying degrees of success through history. Terran engineers mounted repeated attempts over the course of centuries to moderate the dense and acidic atmosphere of Venus, succeeding enough to allow limited surface colonization under protective domes.

Political entities

BattleTech's universe is governed by numerous interstellar human governments that vie for supremacy. Described below are the major areas into which these factions fall.

Terra

Terra is the homeworld of mankind (no longer commonly called Earth, although this name is sometimes used) and former capital of the Star League. Several groups have held Terra, including the Terran Alliance, Terran Hegemony, ComStar, Word of Blake, and the Republic of the Sphere; most of these nations fought bitter struggles upon Terra, scarring the world.

Inner Sphere

The Inner Sphere, heart of the BattleTech universe, contains all worlds within 500 light-years of Terra. While a variety of smaller states have come and gone, the Inner Sphere has historically been dominated by five "Great Houses" who rule over their separate dominions: House Davion (Federated Suns), House Liao (Capellan Confederation), House Marik (Free Worlds League), House Steiner (Lyran Commonwealth), and House Kurita (Draconis Combine). (The term "Inner Sphere" sometimes refers to these houses collectively). The leader of each Great House claims to be the rightful successor to the rule of the Star League, and so the nations the Houses rules over are known as the Successor States.

Periphery

The space surrounding the Inner Sphere contains a number of independent nations, known collectively as the Periphery. The largest of these nations (the Outworlds Alliance, Taurian Concordat, Magistracy of Canopus, and Rim Worlds Republic) predate the Star League and rival the Successor States themselves in size, but are vastly inferior economically and militarily. More moderately sized nations, such as the Marian Hegemony or Bandit Kingdoms, also lie near the Inner Sphere. The Periphery contains countless other independent nations, many consisting of a single star system each and rarely playing a significant role in Inner Sphere politics. The mostly uncharted space beyond the nearby Periphery states is known as the Deep Periphery and contains numerous pirate havens and lost Star League colonies.

Clans

During the fall of the aforementioned Star League, the Star League Defense Force exiled itself and eventually settled in the Deep Periphery. They reformed into the Clans, a warrior-centric caste society relying on genetic manipulation and artificial birth. The four strongest of these Clans returned to the Inner Sphere as would-be conquerors in 3049, were reinforced by three more Clans a year later, and were joined in the late 3060s by another two. Of the original twenty Clans, by 3067 three were absorbed, two were annihilated, two fragmented, two defected, and one was abjured. The Clan Occupation Zones together occupy a region roughly equivalent to one of the Successor States.[16]

Mercenaries

The Inner Sphere is home to many private military companies. Some of them are quite powerful, and their actions have influenced the history of the universe. Among the most famous mercenary groups are the Wolf's Dragoons, Eridani Light Horse, Kell Hounds, Northwind Highlanders, Gray Death Legion, and McCarron's Armored Cavalry.[17][18]

"The Unseen"

Rather than create their own original robot art, FASA decided to use already-extant designs that had originally been created for a variety of different Japanese anime, including Dougram, Crusher Joe, and Macross. The rights to these images were licensed from Twentieth Century Imports (TCI). In later years, FASA abandoned these images as a result of a lawsuit brought against them by Playmates Toys and Harmony Gold over the use of said images.[19] In 2007, Classic BattleTech line developer Randall N. Bills explained that FASA had sued Playmates over the use of images owned by FASA. Although Playmates was ordered to stop using the images in question, FASA received no financial compensation. FASA realized that the use of licensed images made them vulnerable to lawsuits and worried that such a suit would bankrupt the company. Following the suit, FASA made the decision to use only images that they owned in future products.

The anime-sourced BattleMechs continued to be referenced in-universe, but their images were no longer seen in new sourcebooks. This led them to be termed by fans as "the Unseen". When Fantasy Productions licensed the property, these "Unseen" images were expanded to include all art produced "out-of-house" – that is, whose copyrights resided with the creators, not the company. Catalyst Game Labs has continued this practice.[20]

On 24 June 2009, Catalyst Game Labs announced that they had secured the rights to the "Unseen" art. As a result, art depicting the original 'Mechs could be legally used again.[21] However, an update on 11 August 2009 stated that the part of the deal regarding designs that originated in images from Macross had fallen through, returning the original images to Unseen status once again. Since then, designs that originated in images from Dougram and Crusher Joe are no longer considered Unseen.[22]

gollark: I'm not sure I would trust my brain to computers in any case, given the horrible security record of... most complex computer systems... which will likely only get worse as complexity increases. Though I suppose my foolish organic brain has its own (probably not remotely exploitable, at least?) security flaws.
gollark: SSDs are pretty dense. They're just expensive.
gollark: Hopefully brains parallelize well.
gollark: Maybe. Growth in computing power has slowed lately.
gollark: I think people have (obviously very roughly) estimated that you would need something like an exabyte of storage and exaflop of processing power to run a brain.

References
  1. Bills, Randall N.; et al. (2007). "A Brief History of the Inner Sphere". Inner Sphere at a Glance. Classic BattleTech. Lake Stevens, WA: Catalyst Game Labs (inMediaRes Productions). ISBN 978-0-9792047-3-9.
  2. Clute, John; Nicholls, Peter, eds. (1995) [1993]. "Games and Sports". The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction. technical editor, John Grant; contributing editor, Brian Stableford (2nd ed.). New York: St. Martin's Griffin. p. 466. ISBN 978-0-312-09618-2. ...many visions of a corrupt future society forsee the return of bloody games in the Roman tradition... The BattleTech shared-world series (see also Robert Thurston) moves the formula on to a galactic stage.
  3. Hess, Clare W.; et al. (1989). Donna Ippolito (ed.). Technical Readout: 2750 (Corrected Second Printing ed.). Chicago: FASA Corporation. ISBN 978-1-55560-089-1.
  4. "WizKids: MechWarrior". Archived from the original on 2007-12-08. Retrieved 2007-12-09.
  5. "Combat Equipment"
  6. "Technical Readout: Vehicle Annex"
  7. Hartford, Chris; et al. (1993). "History of Naval Warfare". In Donna Ippolito (ed.). Battlespace Sourcebook. Chicago: FASA Corporation. ISBN 1-55560-208-8.
  8. Donna Ippolito, ed. (1991). "Historical Overview". MechWarrior (Second ed.). Chicago: FASA Corporation. ISBN 1-55560-129-4.
  9. Hess, Clare W.; et al. (1989). "Star League Technology". In Donna Ippolito (ed.). Technical Readout: 2750 (Corrected Second Printing ed.). Chicago: FASA Corporation. ISBN 1-55560-089-1.
  10. Keith, J. Andrew; Jim Musser (1990). "The Clans". In Donna Ippolito (ed.). Technical Readout: 3050 (Revised Second Printing ed.). Chicago: FASA Corporation. ISBN 1-55560-090-5.
  11. Donna Ippolito, ed. (1992). "Inner Sphere Prototypes". Technical Readout: 3055 (Corrected Second Printing ed.). Chicago: FASA Corporation. ISBN 1-55560-164-2.
  12. Hartford, Chris; et al. (1993). "Naval Technology: Jumpships". In Donna Ippolito (ed.). Battlespace Sourcebook. Chicago: FASA Corporation. ISBN 1-55560-208-8.
  13. Donna Ippolito, ed. (1991). "Space Travel". MechWarrior (Second ed.). Chicago: FASA Corporation. ISBN 1-55560-129-4.
  14. Donna Ippolito, ed. (1991). "Hyperpulse Generator". MechWarrior (Second ed.). Chicago: FASA Corporation. ISBN 1-55560-129-4.
  15. "New Equipment". A Guide to Covert Ops. Classic BattleTech. FanPro. 2004. ISBN 1-932564-15-2.
  16. "The Legend of the Jade Phoenix Trilogy"
  17. "Mercenaries Supplemental"
  18. "Mercenaries Supplemental II"
  19. Harmony Gold U.S.A. and Playmates Toys v. FASA Corporation and Virtual World Entertainment, 95 2972 (U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division 1996-06-12).
  20. Record Sheets: Phoenix Upgrades. BattleCorps. 2006. pp. 1–2.
  21. "Catalyst Game Labs". Catalyst Game Labs.
  22. Sometimes Things Just Don’t Go As We Want Them To | BattleTech: 25 Years of Heavy Metal Mayhem Archived 2012-02-26 at the Wayback Machine
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