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Star* Guard Lore?
poptartmaniac
Posts: 246 Arc User
Curious about the lore of this group, as I've read a few things about it and seen it mentioned in Champions Online. Mainly wondering if a PC could join or have an origin there.
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A million years ago the Odrugarans were the most advanced species in the Milky Way. At that time their greatest genius and hero, Gloran, was born. Gloran used his gifts to become a superhero, battling evil both to protect his people and other worlds in the galaxy. He created an incredibly sophisticated AI computer, called CONTROL, to assist him, and recruited other heroic individuals to fight alongside him. That was the genesis of the modern Star*Guard. When Gloran died his knowledge, memories and personality were downloaded into CONTROL -- this has become the pattern for preserving other notable StarGuards and Odrugarans after death.
Over the eons Odrugaran society has shaped itself to support the work of the Star*Guard, and CONTROL became the benevolent ruler of the planet and director of the Guard, assisted by an appointed Council of Overseers (many, but not all, former Guards themselves). CONTROL possessed telepathic systems enabling it to communicate directly with StarGuards anywhere in the galaxy, and to scan minds to find worthy recruits. However, an attack on Odrugar by the treacherous former StarGuard, Mordace (more-or-less an analogue for Sinestro) in Earth year 2009 left CONTROL severely damaged, forcing the Guards to become more self-reliant. Based on the notes in Champions Beyond it may be that repair efforts on CONTROL still have not returned it to full functioning.
StarGuards assigned sectors to protect inhabit a Star*Base constructed for them with Odrugaran technology, usually well away from populated worlds to avoid collateral damage from enemy attacks. Andre Almena's Star*Base is on Jupiter's moon Europa. While a StarGuard can travel between the stars using their Star-Staff, they're also assigned one or more small advanced starships called a StarJet for when they want to transport multiple persons. They also have one to five Marshals assisting them in various capacities, living with them at the Star*Base.
While the majority of StarGuards protect specific sectors, others are assigned to specialized units within the Guard and sent to wherever they're needed. One of those groups is the StarScouts, trained in reconnaissance and diplomacy, whose Star-Staffs and other tech are optimized for rapid travel and communication. They often serve as scouts or couriers, particularly since CONTROL was damaged. If considered desirable, a new StarGuard may also complete their training by being sent to "apprentice" to a veteran Guard. Either of these options would be appropriate to introduce a StarGuard PC to Champions Online. Alternatively, a PC could be one of Andre Almena's Marshals, recently recruited to assist him on Earth. Marshals don't carry a Star-Staff, but may be equipped with other advanced tech.
I am liking the details you put on technology as well I'm a huge nerd for space tech, and Andre's uniform looks very good.
Though, now seeing the cover with Defender, Witchcraft and I think Silverback (?), I am curious about that adventure if you know anything about it, well you probably do xD. Or any iconic fights the Star* Guard had, maybe even on Earth?
The history of the Star*Guard is replete with major confrontations over many millennia, from Gloran's leading the struggle with extra-dimensional invaders, the Sklaar; to the depredations by Queen Lyrane of Naxar; to joining the Malvans in their war against the Elder Worm; to thwarting the attempt by the evil mentalist species called the Ghok'pa to enslave other races. These and other battles are recounted in Champions Beyond.
The most notable Earthly battle Andre Almena was specifically involved in may be against the fearsome alien menace, Valak the World Ravager (see Champions Villains Volume Three: Solo Villains) in 2006. Valak had already battled the Star*Guard (at one point over four dozen Guards at once), and although greatly weakened was killing every StarGuard in every base he could find. Almena was on Earth visiting the Sentinels when he received the alert that Valak was on the way to the Sol system, and the Sentinels joined him in space to intercept Valak. Their battle started in the Jovian system and eventually worked back to the streets of New York, where they were joined by the hero team Nova and several solo superheroes. Valak was finally defeated and imprisoned in Stronghold, but escaped in the mass breakout of 2009.
The first StarGuard to interact with Earth was actually an alien of the humanoid Dendrian race, named Brin Rei Tarn. Tarn set foot on Earth in 1969 in pursuit of an extraterrestrial criminal, when he met the renowned Sentinels superhero team. Over the following decades Tarn was a frequent ally of the Sentinels, fighting such menaces as the time-traveling conqueror Korrex in 1973, and joining with all of Earth's superheroes to repel the second Gadroon invasion of 1977.
Brin Rei Tarn was a frequent nemesis of the traitorous former StarGuard, Mordace. In 1990 Mordace raided an ARGENT laboratory in Germany to steal experimental technology. Tarn intercepted him and the two had a fierce battle in the sky over Berlin. The battle carried into the Black Forest, where Mordace managed to kill Tarn. But two years later Tarn's successor Almena tracked down and captured Mordace, sending him to the Star*Prison on Odrugar.
Brin Rei Tarn had a long romantic relationship with a Human, a reporter named Anna MIlls. Not long after his death Mills wrote a book about her time with Tarn, Stand On Guard, which is a major source of information for Earthers about both the Star*Guard and the Dendrians.
The primary tenets of the Star*Guard Code (as it’s usually referred to in formal writing) are:
- A StarGuard must strive to preserve sentient life whenever possible, and must never use deadly force unless absolutely necessary for the defense of himself or others.
- A StarGuard must not interfere with the activities of local planetary, interplanetary, or interstellar governments without the express permission of the Council of Overseers. (This tenet has created more difficulties for the Guard than any other, particularly since Mordace’s attack. It’s definitely not unknown for the Council to decide, for example, that an evil despot must be overthrown no matter how legal his regime, that a rebellion is unjustified and must be stopped, or that a law is unjust and shall not influence a Guard in the conduct of his duties. But the Council wants to make those decisions itself, not leave them to StarGuards in the field.)
- A StarGuard must respect the cultures, traditions, and laws of the civilizations in his sector, where such things do not contradict other tenets of the Code or inflict significant harm that a Guardsman believes, in his best judgment, must be prevented.
- A StarGuard must honor all request for help from other StarGuards unless circumstances prevent him from doing so.
- A StarGuard will not interfere with the natural evolution or disintegration of a civilization without the express permission of the Council of Overseers. (This is another one that often causes some difficulty. Even with the Star*Guard’s experience and long-term perspective, deciding what constitutes “natural” societal evolution, and what’s “unnatural,” is often problematic.)
As a significant player on the galactic stage, the Star*Guard interacts with planetary, interplanetary, and interstellar civilizations on a regular basis. Most of the galaxy’s major governments welcome, or at least tolerate, the presence of the Guard as an adjunct to their own law enforcement agencies. Others actively reject their assistance or consider them enemies of the state and threats to local authority. The Guard respects the wishes of the latter governments and doesn’t interfere with them... unless and until they begin inflicting significant harm on innocents. Not wanting to have the Star*Guard around, and not becoming a target of the Star*Guard’s crusade, are very different things.
The Guard tends to play several roles in galactosociopolitics. First and foremost Guardsmen see themselves as one of the threads that binds the greater galactic community together. They often carry news from one species to another, introduce one civilization to another so they can begin trading or open diplomatic relations, and generally try to improve the overall state of the Milky Way for the benefit of all its citizens. They tend to look at sentients who have starfaring capability as part of the galactic community first, and citizens of their respective local governments/members of their respective species second.
Second, the Star*Guard often helps to usher new civilizations into the galactic community. According to the Guard’s traditions, when a species develops faster-than-light travel capabilities (and sometimes before that point), it’s ready to become a part of the greater galaxy. In more than one case the first alien a new starfaring civilization has met has been a Star*Guard bringing them the greetings of the Council (and other responsible governments), databases of information on the galaxy (including both its history and the current state of affairs), and other useful gifts.
Third, the Star*Guard often acts as an arbitrator between species or civilizations that are in the middle of a conflict or building up to one. Since there’s no “Galactic United Nations” to handle intergalactic disputes peacefully, the Star*Guard thinks of itself as the “next best thing” and tries to help as best it can. Some Guardsmen and Overseers are renowned for their diplomatic experience and skills. After all, saving a life by preventing a war from occurring is even more effective than saving one by intervening in an ongoing battle.
So, since I don't currently have access to the book, is there a rundown on how Terran governments feel about the Guard?
- David Brin, "Those Eyes"
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I was going to ask pretty much what jonsills asked.
and, have they united earth with other planets or civilizations?
also I'm kind of annoyed at the devs, because in Champions Online, (I might be wrong) I believe the Star*Guard shoots down a Roi'nesh ship, into the canadian wilderness, but they don't seem to interfere after that.
Edit: I thought of one more question, does the Star*Guard have any meta-humans or would they? or do they have to be regular humans.
Hey, I live to complicate your life.
I haven't been able to discover any mention of attitude of any Terrestrial government toward the Star*Guard in particular. But the Guard hasn't opened formal relations with any of Earth's bodies politic. That would be consistent with their policy of waiting until a species is "faster-than-light-capable" before taking steps to integrate them into the galactic community, which Humanity is not (with a very few exceptions). For the most part the two StarGuards regularly in contact with Earth acted like other superheroes, so I would imagine government attitudes would reflect how they feel about superheroes in general.
Officially Andre Almena is the first and only "human," regular or otherwise, among the Star*Guard.
See my answer to Jon above re introducing Earth to interstellar civilizations. Yet to some extent this process has been ongoing even before the Star*Guard noticed Earth. Champions Earth has been subject to multiple invasions by hostile aliens, as well as peaceful formal contact with two extraterrestrial civilizations, the Mandaarians and Vayathurans. Individual aliens like Ironclad and Nebula have visited Earth and even made it their home.
I'll also be using your notes for my newest character, trying to keep to the lore as much as I can.
Every Star-Staff is "attuned" to its designated wielder and its powers can only be used by him/her/it. It can't be wrested away from its wielder against that person's will. Should a StarGuard die his staff will fly back to Odrugar of its own accord, to be "cleansed" and given to a new Guard.
If a StarGuard's species lacks the anatomy to handle the traditional staff, the Odrugarans build its powers into a helmet, suit of armor, or whatever would be appropriate. As mentioned previously, the StarScout division of the Guards use staffs with faster flight capability. The members of another specialized unit of the Star*Guard, called StarAvengers, are the Guard's heavy combatants, and wield staffs with more potent offensive powers.
The standard StarGuard uniform is armored for added protection, and also allows them to survive in extreme environmental conditions including space. Star*Guard training enhances their resistance to mental control or influence.
Now he's an adult and knows it's not that simple. But childhood dreams die hard, especially when you have the ability to build almost any device you can imagine. Today Carlos, buttressed by devices intended to make up for the lack of a Star-Staff and a proper Star*Guard uniform, patrols Millennium City as GuardStar, some small part of him still hoping to catch the Guard's notice...
- David Brin, "Those Eyes"
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Poor Carlos, I hope he gets noticed lol.