Terran Khanate

The Terran Khanate is one of the major civilizations in Master of Orion.

Background
The Terrans were introduced to the Master of Orion franchise as a bonus race for the Collector's Edition of Master of Orion: Conquer the Stars. They are an alternative Human civilization, cast out of the Human Republic long ago. Most of their ship designs are identical to those of the Human Republic faction, simply textured differently.

Manual
The Terrans, hidden and cast away in the dark regions of space for too long, have emerged with a vengeance to bring the galaxy to heel. They are race of warriors, trained from birth for the harshness of a universe being torn apart by wretched chaos in their view. The Terrans will no longer linger in the shadows; now is the time to strike to bring order and discipline to the galaxy.

In-game
It was during the darkest times of human history that the Age of the Khans dawned. All over their homeworld civil unrest was mounting as society crumbled under the weight of deviancy, corruption and greed.

Mankind was poised to destroy itself in a tidal wave of chaos and despair when the First of the Khans rose to power. His callous rule was one of drastic measures, of cullings and purges. Castes were established, dissidents were hushed, and little by little the race was forced to survive.

Following his example, the Terran Khanate has continued to secure the survival of their species, and now seeks to guarantee its place in the galaxy for generations to come.

Website
The Terran Khanate is the twisted reflection of the noble Human race. They are ambitious, persistent, and cunning. Yet, they were born of blood and war, leaving them unable to move past the traumas of their development. All they see is war. All they know is power, destruction, and ruthless manipulation. They see the galaxy as a lawless space ruined by social freedoms run rampant, leading the races to weakness and decay. The Khanate was born in a time of great struggle, during the time when Humanity was suffering through domestic wars that left millions dead.

In the early days of Earth's unification there was a lot of unrest. Many disagreed with the policies of the new Republic. Those individuals were labeled dissidents and treated like criminals. Since they hadn't actually done anything wrong, the majority of people didn't believe they should be imprisoned or executed, but the new government was too fragile to allow them to remain. It was decided they'd be exiled and a massive ship was built to take them away from the Sol System. Half a century later, they arrived in the Alpha Ceti system. The world they landed on was a harsh one with little drinkable water and a heavy atmosphere; the exiles were forced to create breathing apparatuses to retain moisture and breathable air.

Life was hard and over the years tribes began to form. There were constant wars over territory and resources until they were finally united by their struggle. The tribes were unified by a man named Khan who began to call them Terrans, to distinguish themselves from those that abandoned them there. He was a merciless and calculating individual who rallied the Terrans and turned their anger to a purpose: revenge on those that left them to die. All they viewed as "Human" was cast away, leaving the newly formed Terran people to rise from the ashes and seek revenge against those who had betrayed them. When Khan finally died, his successor took on his name as a title and started the Terran Khanate. Khan Leda was the first of these subsequent rulers. But not all believed her a worthy successor to Khan and they threatened to tear apart the new union.

Dire circumstances called for radical solutions and she ordered bloody purges to stem the tide of deviancy, corruption, and greed. Castes were established where one's duty to the Khanate transcended all - it is not a failing to be a laborer but it is a failing to not to put forth your best no matter one's position.

The Terrans, warped by their struggle for survival and bred for war, now seek to guarantee their position of authority in the galaxy. They intend to use their power to guide the errant races to the path of strength, or the will of the Khan, by forcefully removing their weakest aspects so that the strong may thrive.

Short Stories
See Short Stories
 * Arid Tide - A Terran Short Story

Traits
Hard, Determined, Violent
 * Militarist.png Militarist (3) Militarists seek to develop weapons technology. They will build and maintain a large star fleet at all times.
 * Starting Technology: Engineering
 * Ground Units: Improved Training Rate
 * Strategists.png Strategists (7) This race plans ahead in every way militarily possible, and is always on the brink of a war economy, intended to support operations in the field.
 * Command Points: +20%
 * Ship Cost: -20%
 * Ship_attack_high.png Beam Attack: +25% (2)
 * Morale_invariable.png Morale: +15% (4)

The Terran traits cost a total of 16 points, a combination that would be illegal as a custom race (10 points maximum). In addition, Morale +15% is a hidden perk, not normally accessible for custom races.

Strategies
The Terran Khanate is a warlike race and its strategy reflects this. The Terrans are excellent at combat due to added beam attack and engineering, as the starting tech allows early construction of destroyers. High morale allows for high taxes, increasing the funds you can use to support the war machine that the Terran race is. Lower ship cost, extra command points, and more marines all contribute to the creation of vast invasion fleets. Throughout the game you should be focused on conquering weaker races and bringing them into your ever expanding empire.

Trivia

 * The Terran Khanate appears to be heavily inspired by Star Trek. It appears to be based on the "Terran Empire" from the Star Trek Mirror Universe. Their relationship with the Human Republic is similar to the one the Romulans have with the Vulcans, since the Romulans are a militaristic splinter faction that was separated from the Vulcans long ago and developed their own rival empire. The title of "Khan" for their leaders seems also to be an allusion to the Star Trek villain Khan Noonien Singh. The home system "Alpha Ceti" is similar to the world on which Khan Singh and his followers were exiled: Ceti Alpha V.