Galnet News

OCT 3310

SEP 3310

AUG 3310

JUL 3310

JUN 3310

MAY 3310

APR 3310

MAR 3310

FEB 3310

JAN 3310

DEC 3309

NOV 3309

OCT 3309

SEP 3309

AUG 3309

JUL 3309

JUN 3309

MAY 3309

APR 3309

MAR 3309

FEB 3309

JAN 3309

DEC 3308

NOV 3308

OCT 3308

SEP 3308

AUG 3308

JUL 3308

JUN 3308

MAY 3308

APR 3308

MAR 3308

FEB 3308

JAN 3308

DEC 3307

NOV 3307

OCT 3307

SEP 3307

AUG 3307

JUL 3307

JUN 3307

MAY 3307

APR 3307

MAR 3307

FEB 3307

JAN 3307

DEC 3306

NOV 3306

OCT 3306

SEP 3306

JUN 3306

JAN 3306

DEC 3305

NOV 3305

OCT 3305

SEP 3305

AUG 3305

JUL 3305

JUN 3305

MAY 3305

APR 3305

MAR 3305

FEB 3305

JAN 3305

DEC 3304

NOV 3304

OCT 3304

SEP 3304

AUG 3304

JUL 3304

JUN 3304

MAY 3304

APR 3304

MAR 3304

FEB 3304

JAN 3304

DEC 3303

NOV 3303

OCT 3303

SEP 3303

AUG 3303

JUL 3303

JUN 3303

MAY 3303

APR 3303

MAR 3303

FEB 3303

JAN 3303

DEC 3302

NOV 3302

OCT 3302

SEP 3302

AUG 3302

JUL 3302

JUN 3302

MAY 3302

APR 3302

MAR 3302

FEB 3302

JAN 3302

DEC 3301

NOV 3301

OCT 3301

SEP 3301

AUG 3301

JUL 3301

JUN 3301

MAY 3301

APR 3301

MAR 3301

FEB 3301

JAN 3301

JUN 3301

Galactic News: The Thargoids

12 AUG 3302

Continuing our series on significant episodes from human history, noted historian Sima Kalhana discusses the Thargoids.

"Are we alone in the universe? It's a question we've been asking for millennia. Even before we expanded into space, we wondered about the possibility of non-human intelligence."

"Of course, for some, the question has already been answered. We have seen the aliens and we have given them a name: the Thargoids. But accounts of Thargoid encounters are shrouded in so much ambiguity, it is hard to accept them as proof of extraterrestrial intelligence. Furthermore, there have been no credible reports of Thargoid sightings for hundreds of years."

"The first reported Thargoid encounters date from 3125, when accounts surfaced that pilots had been pulled from witch-space and attacked by mysterious octagonal starships. Witnesses asserted that the strange vessels were exceptionally fast and remarkably manoeuvrable. Pilots who survived these experiences were convinced they had encountered extraterrestrials, and named the aliens 'Thargoids'."

"As news of these encounters spread, rumours surfaced that the interdictions might be a response to an earlier human attack. Leaked Federal intelligence indicated that colonists in the Veliaze system had encountered and assaulted an extraterrestrial deputation shortly before the Thargoid interdictions began. Suggestions that the Thargoid attacks were a reaction to this attack carried more than a hint of plausibility."

"Not long after, reports of Thargoid encounters came to an abrupt halt. In the decades that followed, not one credible account of a Thargoid encounter was reported. For some, this was proof that the original reports were groundless – 'the fantasies of lonely pilots, looking for attention', as Arvan Corto of the Imperial Navy said at the time."

"But public opinion shifted in 3250 when reports emerged that the disappearance of the Thargoids might have been a direct consequence of a covert anti-Thargoid operation. An anonymous message, delivered to a number of media outlets, claimed that an organisation known as the Intergalactic Naval Reserve Arm had developed a chemical weapon specifically designed to target Thargoid technology. This chemical – known as the mycoid virus – was designed to attack plastic polymers, which were believed to be present in Thargoid hyperdrive systems. The fact that the virus also appeared to harm the Thargoids led to speculation that the aliens' bodies might contain some kind of polymer-like material. The report was dismissed by many leading political figures as a conspiracy theory, but some asserted that it contained enough plausible detail be believable."

"Since then, very little credible information has emerged. The original accounts from 3125 report that Thargoid ships can execute huge hyperspace jumps, while information purportedly from INRA documents indicates that the Thargoids originate from an ammonia-based world. There are even rumours that the Thargoids have a collective consciousness or 'hive mind'. Some of the less outlandish theories include the suggestion that electronic countermeasure technology was reverse-engineered from captured Thargoid vessels."

"And what of the barnacles, Unknown Artefacts and Unknown Probes? Many believe these objects are of non-human origin, which has led to speculation that they were created by the Thargoids. Unfortunately, however, analysis of these objects has not yielded any concrete information about their origin or purpose."

"Are the Thargoids real? Frankly, I don't know. But if they are, their true nature can only be guessed at."