Starways Congress
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Starways Congress is the fictional interstellar government body in Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game series. Starways Congress plays a role roughly analogous to the Hegemony in Ender's Game. It was established 1180 years after Ender's Xenocide, or about 3350 AD. It then re-established the calendar based on the founding of the Congress.
[edit] Duties and Roles
Starways Congress rules according to the Starways Code. Their exact powers are not enumerated; however, some idea of them may be inferred from the novels. It is known to have the power to issue and revoke the charters of planetary governments. Some control over justice is exercised, apparently in extreme cases and when religious persecution is at issue. Starways Congress also holds some level of control over the ansible network; until the intervention of Jane, they believe their control over that to be absolute. In the novel Speaker for the Dead, Starways Congress declares the planet Lusitania to be in rebellion, revokes their charter, and removes all documents from that planet. They also order two xenologers to travel to the nearest planet to stand trial for their crimes.
Their efforts across the spectrum are hampered by the distances between the Hundred Worlds. One of the leaders of the Congress, Gobawa Ekimbo, complains that he has "a hundred times the responsibility" and "a tenth of Peter Wiggin's power." While Earth was small enough that no region could remain isolated from the others for long - Peter Wiggin could rush troops and reinforcements anywhere on Earth within days - all a planet must do to shut out the Congress is cut their ansible; it would take decades for the Congress's armies to reach the planet.
Starways Congress' core belief is in the survival of the human race. When they learn of the danger posed by the Descolada, Gobawa Ekimbo, the leader of Starways Congress, says, "I want to make sure that it's the other guys that disappear." They order the termination of the planet on the grounds that humanity's survival preempts the survival of the Pequeninos.
[edit] Cultural Control
Starways congress also gives a certain religious liscence to planets who request it that limits immigration solely to people of one faith, culture, or race, as is mentioned in the novel Speaker for the Dead. This is especially important on Lusitania, because the community is held together solely by the catholics, and a single 'infidel' threatened to tear it apart.
When Bishop Peregrino orders his flock not to speak or answer the Speaker, Ender (Andrew Wiggin) threatens to petition for the status of Inquisitor. This refers to the Spanish Inquisition, and if the planet is found guilty of religious prosecution, then their Catholic-only license is revoked, which would cause Starways Congress to ship enough people off of the planet to allow for a sudden mixing of religion and culture so that it is fair to everyone.
Another example of this ability to control the people is seen in Xenocide and Children of the Mind on the world of Path. Path is an all-chinese world with its own unique, paganistic religion. Outsiders are not allowed in, and those who reside on the planet are not allowed to leave for fear of angering the 'Gods' and giving away their tightly held secret. Han Fie-Tzu is credited as being the only person on the planet capable of hiding the God-Speaking from outsiders, and so he is looked at as becoming the future 'God of Path', which is inferred to mean some kind of holy guardian.
Starways Congress had their hands steep into this, as they had released some sort of disease that caused the development of exterme OCD amongst the people unknowingly. These people believe the Gods are speaking to them, and thus gave birth to their religion. This shows the power of Star Ways congress, for they can isolate and harbor a culture such as that without allowing it to become diluded with other facets of humanity.
