Homeworld 2

Shortly after relocating to the harsh desert world of Kharak, the Exiles lost their knowledge of their origins and technology. It took them 3,000 years to rediscover hyperspace and the location of their original planet. The families of Kharak, known as kiith, united to construct a mothership for their return journey. However, just as they were preparing to depart, the Taiidan Empire intervened. Citing an ancient decree that prohibited the Exiles from developing hyperspace technology, the emperor ordered his forces to attack Kharak, resulting in the destruction of the planet. Only those Exiles already in space managed to survive this brutal assault.

This act of cruelty shocked dissidents across the empire, and the mothership's subsequent escape and retaliation ignited a long-awaited rebellion. Amidst a widespread civil war, and with crucial assistance from the advanced trader race known as the Bentusi, the Exiles successfully reclaimed their homeworld. Ultimately, the emperor and his pirate mercenaries were defeated.

Society on Kharak is organized into large family associations known as kiith (plural: kiithid). This social artifact likely predates the ancestors' arrival on Kharak, with legends suggesting their journey was arduous enough to break down all social structures except basic family bonds. Harsh conditions and time hardened this practical system of caring for loved ones first into a ritualized system of alliances and loyalties.

A kiith has a loose hierarchy based on social position within the family. Originally based on seniority, the kiithid have evolved with technology, and family ranking is now determined more by wealth or personal influence than age. Organization within a kiith is recursive, mirroring a core family unit: a Primary family makes policy decisions, a Secondary family hears disputes and makes recommendations, and several lesser families swear allegiance to the Primary. The leading family of families for a kiith is called the kiith'sa.

This structure is dynamic; families can change their primary allegiances. A family's position within a kiith rises and falls with the number of people who swear allegiance to them. While rare, families can move between kiithid or form their own full kiith.

In ancient times, the kiith'sa could direct the entire kiith to war, demand dedication to special projects, or relocate the kiith. In modern times, the kiith'sa is a political and financial leader acting on the wishes of the entire kiith, established by referenda. The kiith'sa from across Kharak meet in the Great Daiamid in the capital of Tiir to debate global policy and resolve inter-kiith legal conflicts.

Traditionally, kiithid concentrate power in one or two disciplines, attracting families by offering advancement in those fields. For example, Kiith Sjet has been associated with sciences for over a thousand years and possesses the most advanced computer labs, attracting bonded couples interested in the field. Alliances between kiithid are based on mutual interests, leading to closer ties or reorganizations. In the last century, manufacturing families of Kiith Hraal, realizing the future was in orbital systems, attempted to influence Sa Hraal to invest in aerospace. When this failed, the manufacturing branch of Kiith Hraal broke away and joined a small kiith specializing in space technologies, forming the new kiith, LiirHra, which now leads in Mothership design and construction.

In the modern era, power has slowly transferred to the individual, but the kiith remains a powerful means of social identity. Kharakian society pursues a single goal, and a sense of racial destiny reminds them they are all families of one grand kiith. However, tradition is strong, and it takes little stress for any Kharakian to prioritize their family over Kharak.

In the original Homeworld, the inhabitants of a forsaken planet discovered an ancient tablet revealing their true origins. This led them on a perilous voyage to their ancestral home, Hiigara. After building a massive Mothership and gathering thousands of colonists, they embarked with high hopes, unaware of the galaxy-spanning dangers ahead. Following apocalyptic battles and grievous losses, they finally reached Hiigara and reclaimed their birthright.

Homeworld 2 continues the epic struggle of the Hiigarans and their leader Karan S'jet. Though many believed their hardships would end upon returning to Hiigara, fate had other plans for the Exiles. The Hiigarans now face a new and bitter enemy: a renegade clan from the eastern fringes of the galaxy, wielding the power of the ancients. Homeworld 2 chronicles the valiant journey of the Mothership and its crew into the oldest regions of the galaxy to confront this new foe and uncover the truth behind their exile.

The story layout can be seen as a progression: Homeworld 1 is about escaping captors, Homeworld: Cataclysm is a small expansion where a disease is unintentionally brought to life, and the fleet must fight to protect the universe from this massive threat. Homeworld 2 is set many years later, with some fleets having broken off to form their own colonies. The two main colonies, Hiigaran and Vaygr, are fiercely fighting each other: the Vaygr aim to seize Hiigara, while the Hiigarans strive to eliminate the Vaygr.

Homeworld was not originally intended to have a sequel; the first story would have been sufficient for the average gamer. However, the widespread interest in Homeworld prompted Sierra to commission a sequel. The original designers were brought back and conceived the idea of a futuristic fleet with a heavily armed and mobile mothership (due to popular demand) and a bio-mechanical virus that the fleet must combat. This might have been enough, but Sierra pushed further, deciding to produce a second sequel. This sequel was to reintroduce the original interface (Homeworld Cataclysm's interface was not well-received) and accommodate older ships. This formed the basis for Homeworld 2.

The relations between game ships have changed significantly over 200 years. Homeworld 2 shows the return of some older ships and the original interface. Sierra conducted a poll to determine public preference for interface, ship design, and gameplay, with Homeworld 1 being the favored choice. Ship designs have also evolved considerably. For example, the Multi Beam Frigate in Homeworld 1 was a non-buildable, high-power frigate with four beams, while Homeworld Cataclysm featured a buildable, six-pulsar frigate. The Homeworld 1 Scout was faster and more combat-capable, whereas Homeworld 2's scout consisted of three weak units capable of EMP and sensor pinging. Homeworld Cataclysm's modules did not function independently and were not targetable, a stark contrast to Homeworld 2 where they were the opposite.

Beyond the development by the same entity, other relations between the games are minimal. Everything has changed in the intervening years. Homeworld 1 set the pace for space-based RTS games, Homeworld: Cataclysm fell short of that standard, and Homeworld 2 surpassed it entirely.