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''BattleTech'' is a Science-fiction universe akin to Star Trek or Star Wars . It began with a Board Game / Wargame , designed by FASA in 1984 . The game simulates Warfare in the distant Future of the 31st Century , where humans battle in gigantic walking machines powered by Fusion Reactor s (known as BattleMechs ), tanks, Spaceship s and aircraft, wielding weapons such as Laser s, Particle Projection Cannon s, Gauss Rifle s and Autocannon s. As the game and related stories are centered around the BattleMechs and warfare, it can be considered a type of a Military Space Opera . ''BattleTech'' was originally released under the name ''BattleDroids'', but was renamed with the release of the second edition due to George Lucas and Lucasfilm Ltd. holding a trademark on the term Droid . BattleTech has won three Origins Awards and its various spinoffs and expansions several more. The original design of the 'Mechs were transplanted from Macross and other anime, but due to legal issues FASA had to develop their own.

An estimated twenty-five million people have played a ''BattleTech'' or ''MechWarrior'' game or read a ''BattleTech'' or ''MechWarrior'' novel, and at least ten million people have played the ''BattleTech'' computer games. More than eleven million copies of ''MechWarrior'' PC games and a similar number of '''' Collectable Miniatures Game figures have been sold to date. Over three hundred and fifty different ''BattleTech''/''MechWarrior'' game and toy products have been produced to date; several products, such as the ''Technical Readout'' series, the core rulebook and base box set, have been in continuous print (in on form or another) since publication. More than five thousand World Wide Web pages have been created to date by the online ''BattleTech'' community.


POLITICAL ENTITIES OF BATTLETECH

s from cover of the book ''The Legend of the Jade Phoenix'' by Robert Thurston , art by Fred Gambino .]]
, art by Fred Gambino .]]
, art by Fred Gambino .]]

BattleTech's are fighting a War over control of the Inner Sphere and the five Successor States .


The Inner Sphere

Primarily dominated by the five Successor States and the Great Houses that rule them, the Inner Sphere has always been the heart of the BattleTech Universe.

Major Political Factions



Minor Political Factions

  • ComStar is a powerful semi-religious order which controlled Terra from the end of the Star League until after the Clan invasion. ComStar (which claims to be a Neutral power) maintained a near-perfect Monopoly over faster-than-light ( FTL ) communication (through their control of HyperPulse Generators (HPG)) until the Word of Blake schism.

  • '' storyline. The term Jihad was used to represent the ideological 'Holy War' staged by the Word of Blake against the Inner Sphere. It has no connection with Islam .

  • Rasalhague Dominion , formerly the Free Rasalhague Republic (FRR) and Ghost Bear occupation zone.

  • St. Ives Compact was a short-lived breakaway state from the Capellan Confederation, created after the 4th Succession War, absorbed back into the Confederation in 3062, following a brief war.

  • Terran Hegemony is the first star-spanning government, ended with the fall of the Star League.

  • Republic Of The Sphere was formed from the ashes of the Word of Blake Jihad. After defeating the Word of Blake forces, Devlin Stone took control all worlds within 120 light years of Terra in his effort to once and for all end the legacy of the succession wars. The collapse of the HPG grid in 3132 -- creating a virtual blackout of instantaneous intersteller communications -- lead to the Dark Age and the splintering of the Republic into several factions including:

  • --- Bannson's Raiders : Mercenary unit funded by the politically ambitious and ultra-wealthy businessman Jacob Bannson. Possibly might fold into House Liao.

  • --- Dragon's Fury : Draconis Combine allied faction, folded into Draconis Combine after leader Katana Tormark is named Warlord of the Dieron District.

  • --- Northwind Highlanders : Republic planetary defense and former mercenary unit. Possibly might fold back into Republic military.

  • --- Swordsworn : Federated Suns allied faction, led by Lord Governor Aaron Sandoval.

  • --- Spirit Cats : Clan Nova Cat allied faction. Folded into regular Nova Cat forces following the assassination of Galaxy Commander Kev Rosse.

  • --- Stormhammers : Lyran Commonwealth allied faction.

  • --- Steel Wolves : Clan Wolf allied faction, led by Galaxy Commander Anastasia Kerensky after defeating Galaxy Commander Kal Radick.



The Clans


The Clans were formed after Aleksandr Kerensky took the majority of the Star League Army into exile. They were originally created to prevent the factionalism that had caused the disintegration of the Star League. Later, they became the genetically enhanced and artificially-birthed warriors known today. Several Clans returned to the Inner Sphere as would-be conquerors in the late 3040s, and those that did still remain there. Some hone their skills and plan once again to drive towards Terra, the seat of the fallen Star League and the birthplace of humanity. Kerensky christened 20 original Clans, although many have fallen over the centuries and only 14 exist or are still considered 'Clan' in their present form.


The Periphery Realms


The periphery surrounding the Inner Sphere are a number of independent nations, known collectively as the Periphery. Some colonized even before the time of the Star League. These nations range from single independent planets, minor merchant alliances and pirate havens, all the way up to major nations rivaling the Successor States themselves in power.
  • Circinus Federation : a pirate kingdom, sided with the Word of Blake to stave off an invasion by the Marian Hegemony but were subsequently annihilated during the Jihad.

  • Elysian Fields : conquered by the Clans during their invasion.

  • Fiefdom Of Randis

  • Filtvelt Coalition : became independent from the Federated Suns during or after the Word of Blake Jihad. Little canon information has yet been published about this state.

  • Greater Valkyrate : a Pirate kingdom conquered by the Clans during their invasion in 3050.

  • Lothian League : a minor periphery state conquered by the Marian Hegemony in 3063.

  • Magistracy Of Canopus : a major periphery state. Allied with the Capellan Confederation.

  • Marian Hegemony : a former bandit kingdom turned minor state. Noted for its adoption of an Imperial Roman social model.

  • Mica Majority : is a minor collection of atmospherically domed colonies.

  • Niops Association : is a tiny collection of secular, isolationist colonies.

  • Oberon Confederation : conquered by the Clans during their invasion.

  • Outworlds Alliance : peacefully merged with Clan Snow Raven and renamed the Raven Alliance in the late 3060s.

  • Rim Collection : survivor state of the Rim Worlds Republic.

  • Rim Territories

  • .

  • Tortuga Dominions : a pirate haven.



MAIN PROTAGONISTS OF BATTLETECH

See Also: List of BattleTech characters




TECHNOLOGY OF BATTLETECH

See Also: BattleTech technology




NOTABLE BATTLETECH ARTISTS, DESIGNERS, AND WRITERS



BATTLETECH TRIVIA AND IN-JOKES

Many of the novels and sourcebooks incorporate pop-culture references, in names and places. Anime and Manga seem to be a popular source of names for minor characters, as does history. Examples of both include:

  • FASA , the company that produced ''BattleTech'', was sued for Copyright infringement for using several mecha designs from '' Macross '' and other anime series without the proper copyright licenses 1 (the first edition of ''BattleTech'', then named ''BattleDroids'', actually included two Japan ese 1/144 model kits from the '' Fang Of Sun Dougram '' Anime series).) The related lawsuits were settled out of court, and later products of BattleTech do not use the designs under contention.

  • ---All of these designs got redesigned by Studio Nue, creator of Macross, in Japaneese edition of BattleTech.

  • Perhaps the most famous character in BattleTech, General Aleksandr Kerensky, is said to be a direct descendant of the Russian Statesman Of Similar Name .

  • Reference to an " Area 51 " in the " Roswell district" of New Avalon.

  • Reference to a Precentor "Igarashi Miya" of ComStar. In '' Here Is Greenwood '', Igarashi Miya is the love interest of protagonist Hasukawa Kazuya.

  • Reference to an Adept "Madoka Kasuga" of the Com Guards. In '' Kimagure Orange Road '', Ayukawa Madoka was one of the two love interests of protagonist Kasuga Kyosuke. The ''Kimagure''-class cruiser of the Star League Defense Force may also be an indirect reference to the series.

  • Reference to a Colonel "Benton Frasier" of the Royal Diefenbaker Rifles. This is a reference to the CBS TV Series Due South .

  • Reference to the planet Lum, capital of Clan Snow Raven , in the Kerensky Cluster. Lum is the name of the female lead character in '' Urusei Yatsura ''. The reference is further bolstered by mention of a major city on the planet named Rumiko, which is probably a reference to Takahashi Rumiko , author of the ''Urusei Yatsura'' manga (among others).

  • Reference to the planet Harloc in the Capellan Confederation . This is a reference to anime icon Space Pirate Captain Harlock . This reference is further bolstered by mention of the "Owen Stanley Mountains" on the planet; a mountain range known by this name was a plot device in the Captain Harlock movie ''My Youth in Arcadia''.

  • Reference to the planet Klathandu IV in the Draconis Combine , this is a reference to Starship Troopers , where the main "bug" planet is Klendathu or "Big K"

  • The ''Wolf's Dragoons'' sourcebook has a Char Aznable listed in the unit roster for the famous Zeta Battalion. The original Aznable is a character from various Mobile Suit Gundam series. Lieutenant Aznable was written out of the unit in 1989. The sourcebook lists him as having been killed on the planet Misery, a reference to the events in the 1988 novel ''Wolves on the Border.''

  • The Star League Sourcebook mentions an ''Aegis''-class heavy cruiser named the ''E. Presley''. This is almost definitely a reference to Elvis Presley .

  • Some of the early novels make mention of a mercenary regiment named "Team Banzai", under contract to the Federated Suns, whose leader, Dr. B. Banzai, is a scientific genius who teaches at the New Avalon Institute of Science. This is clearly a reference to '' Buckaroo Banzai ''. The reference was altered to be more subtle in later works, with the unit changing its name to the "New Avalon Cavaliers".

  • There are references in the game to "The Fighting Urakhai," a mercenary unit said to have taken its name from J. R. R. Tolkien 's The Lord Of The Rings . The unit's insignia even features a white hand on a black shield. Following the release of New Line Cinema 's LotR movie trilogy and a subsequent increase of public awareness, a decision was taken to write the unit out of the game.

  • Another Lord Of The Rings reference can be found with the name of the Capital planet of the Draconis Combine , Luthien .

  • The mercenary unit Cranston Snord's Irregulars (later Rhonda's Irregulars) would regularly scour the Inner Sphere for 20th century artifacts, resulting in numerous pop culture references. In one instance (seen in "Shrapnel,") the unit tricks House Marik during a raid in order to obtain, amongst other things, original Frank Frazetta paintings.

  • The mercenary unit Grim Determination was, for years, lead by one Colonel Hardy Haarhar . This is both a reference to a cynical laugh as well as a Hanna-Barbera character of the same name.

  • Another mercenary unit, Wylie's Coyotes, is a reference to the classic Looney Toons character Wile E. Coyote . Later, this unit changed its name to Blanc's Coyotes, a reference to Mel Blanc , who voiced many of the old Looney Toons characters.

  • Clan Coyote 's Delta Galaxy is led by Armin Tamzarian, an alias of Seymour Skinner from The Simpsons

  • Several Battletech players, fans, or development staff have also been canonised, either as recognition for their contribution to Battletech or via Prize Draws in support of various charities. The most notable of these are:

  • ---"Terrence Peter LaCasse": Peter LaCasse

  • ---"Colonel Warner Doles": Warner Doles

  • ---"Marshall Randy Hasek-Bills": Randall N. Bills

  • ---"Demi-Precentor Rebek Craines": Rebekah Crane

  • ---"Intel Director Larry Coleman": Loren L. Coleman

  • ---"Professor Bertram Habeas" and "Aristide Habeas" are the identites of Herbert A. Beas II.

  • ---"Larry Acuff": A Solaris VII Champion of the same name.

  • ---"Brian Pryde": Brian Bunch (a well-known if unlucky Jade Falcon player).

  • --- The late J. Andrew Keith is referenced in memoriam as "Keith Andrew" in the 1999 PC game '' Mechwarrior 3 ''.

  • ---"Dr. Rick Raisley": Rick Raisly, programer of the "Heavy Metal" line of software, used by players (and the development staff) of Battletech to creat units, and print out said units, for play

  • ---"Professor-General Sam Lewis" is a reference to Sam Lewis, once-president of FASA

  • Reference to the holovid show "The ComStar Files", a reference to the TV series " The X-Files ."

  • In an art item in the sourcebook ''Field Manual: Federated Suns'', a suit of powered combat armor has the name "CDR J. Rico" emblazoned on it, a reference to Robert A. Heinlein 's novel '' Starship Troopers ''.



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