Taiidan

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The Taiidan are a faction in the original Homeworld game and are the opponents to the Kushan exiles, returning from their banishment. In the game Homeworld, the Taiidan could be played in the single player or multiplayer mode.

Contents 1 Prehistory 2 Homeworld era 3 Homeworld 2 era 4 Special ships

[edit] Prehistory

The Taiidan Empire was founded more than three thousand years prior to the events in the game Homeworld, after a large galactic conflict caused hundreds of smaller governments, who had achieved interstellar travel through contact with the Bentusi, to consolidate into several large empires. Although they were historically a founding member of the Galactic Council, the Taiidan were locked in a border conflict with the rival Hiigaran Empire. The conflict was eventually brought before the Galactic Council, and decided in favor of the Taiidan Empire.

Fearing that the Taiidan would eventually come to dominate the Hiigaran Empire, and dissatisfied with the decision made by the Council, the Hiigaran Empire launched a military strike against the Taiidan homeworld. After primary military and governmental facilities had been devastated by orbital strikes, the Hiigaran fleet returned to Hiigaran space.

The Council condemned the attack and ordered the Hiigaran Empire to turn over the hyperspace core they had utilized to carry out the attack. The Hiigarans refused to comply with the order, and attempted to disable the Bentusi Harbor Ship that had arrived to take custody of the core. The Bentusi then defeated the Hiigaran fleet.

Capitalizing upon the chaos that the Hiigaran worlds had been thrown into, the remnants of the Taiidan fleet moved into Hiigaran space under the leadership of Admiral Riesstiu, capturing many planets and purging others of all life. Eventually, Riesstiu was convinced by the Bentusi to negotiate with the Hiigaran ruling council, the Diamid.

Riesstiu was uncompromising as to his demands: all Hiigarans were to become slaves, the planet Hiigara itself was to become the site for the new Taiidan Imperial Palace, and the former worlds belonging to the Hiigaran Empire would now be part of the Taiidan Empire. A few Hiigarans were allowed to be exiled to the desert planet Kharak, where they would be forbidden to develop hyperspace technology again.

[edit] Homeworld era

Over three thousand years, the Taiidan became increasingly corrupt, suffering from internal decay, and political stagnation. Led by the Mad Emperor Riesstiu IV at the time of the events of Homeworld, the Taiidan Empire held 150 star systems in its grasp and fielded at least 137 "Saarkin Cho" heavy carriers. The Taiidan Assembly of Lords, a parliamentary body roughly equivalent to the old Hiigaran Daiamid, by now served only to approve the Emperor's mandates. Galactic relations between the Taiidan and other races had gotten so bad by now that even the enigmatic Bentusi had cut off contact with the Taiidan Empire.

At this time, the Emperor commanded a significant starfleet as well as the services of the pirate Turanic Raiders. After discovering the Kushan Mothership conducting its hyperspace test, a fleet was deployed to Kharak and destroyed the planet using the forbidden Atmosphere Deprivation Device.

This act of genocide triggered the rebellion amongst the Imperial high elite; civilians were also disgusted by the genocide and suffered from Imperial reprisals against perceived dissidents. One of the key figures, Captain Elson of the destroyer Kapella joined forces with the Kushan after barely escaping a trap laid by the Taiidan thanks to a high-level Rebel defector. He provided reinforcements during the final battle above Hiigara and destroyed the Imperial Gene Bank. Without the all-pervasive presence of the Emperor, the Empire collapsed and was replaced by the Taiidan Republic, although there were many splinter factions claiming Imperial legitimacy. The Emperor himself commanded his forces over the world of Hiigara, and was destroyed along with his flagship.

During the campaign, the Taiidan showed increasingly erratic behavior, including attacking a Bentusi vessel and attempting to crash an asteroid into the Kushan mothership. One of the Emperor's many failed attempts to stop the Kushan Exiles was the use of multiple Hyperspace Inhibitors around Hiigara. Thanks to information provided by Captain Elson, the Kushan were able to locate and destroy the least heavily guarded Inhibitor and proceed to Hiigara.

There are rumors that the Taiidan was the race intended to be played through the single-player campaign.

[edit] Homeworld 2 era

After the Hiigarans re-established their Empire, the remnants of the Taiidan Empire were assimilated into the forces of the Vaygr warlord Makaan. Influences of the Taiidani can be seen in some of the Vaygr ship designs, such as the Assault Frigate. The Taiidan Republic is not mentioned, but Taiidani elements in ship design are also seen in the new Hiigaran ships, making it likely that they still exist within the Hiigaran Empire, or were at least absorbed into it.

[edit] Special ships

Defense Fighter A very specialized fighter craft designed solely to destroy projectiles, launched by enemy strike craft only. It uses a beam to destroy the projectile and is not powerful enough to stop ion-beams.

Defense Field Frigate Another specialized capital ship designed to perform the same purpose as the Defense Fighter, but on a much larger scale.