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unusable — Homeworld Kharak Kiith with NPC Badges

#hiigara #homeworld #homeworld2 #kiith #kushan #manaan #sjet #somtaaw #taiidan #soban #nabaal #siidim #paktu #gaalsien
Published: 2018-04-29 18:43:43 +0000 UTC; Views: 3530; Favourites: 22; Downloads: 13
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Description The following is a brief summary of the logos and insignia from the Homeworld series of games. Most of the early ones from the original Homeworld Manual in 1999 had a symmetrical Japanese kamon theme, like a heraldry coat of arms, which was probably designed based on actual lost uniform badges. Aside from the Hiigara angel moon emblem and the Taiidan crest, the first game did not feature them heavily. Cataclysm introduced the simpler Somtaaw and the Turanic icons. By the time of Homeworld 2, Soban had made it into the story line.

The 30 page Technical and Historical briefing is actually very rich and thorough, almost taking on a Dune novella vibe. If anybody were to make a Homeworld film, this would be the primer for the screen play.

Kiith Siidim - This seal is inverted from the rest because it appears to be a planetary body viewed from the penumbra. In the northern hemisphere on the night side there appears to be a four point light, similar to the four point light of a nearby star. This could be a reference to the distant origins of the Kharak people, implying that the light shining in the night on the planet is the same that shines far away in space.

Kiith S'Jet - The S'jet sigil is "a series of embedded circles representing the celestial spheres" as described in the Homeworld Manual. More specifically it bears the image of a planet with a moon casting an eclipse, both aligned in a circular and symmetric arrangement, hinting at the science and astronomy traditions among the S'jet lineage. The image also bears a resemblance to the yin yang symbology.

Kiith Soban - The manual describes the design as having "a deep and vivid red, the color of blood flowing from the heart" and the clan itself is a martial mercenary group with origins going back to a divisive rebellion after a massacre. This could be some type of armor with a belt or perhaps a ceremonial weapon.

Kiith Nabaal - This emblem has the most symbolism. "Based on the fact that the Naabal crest, a Kharaki silhouetted against a background of tiny circles and stripes, loosely resembles symbols found etched into panels on the wreck at Khar-Toba, some archaeologists have put forth the theory that the Naabal are actually direct descendants from some sort of engineering core that ran the ship that brought us here." So basically it shows a symmetrical scarab, but its form is made with circuit board components. The shell looks a lot like a switch or sensor and the legs are the circuit 'legs' ending with annular rings. This has a deeper meaning given that scarab beetles are resilient desert survivors.

Kiith Manaan - These are basically the wandering gypsy nomads of Kharak. Like kiith Soban, they have few if any land holdings and even their icon is a wandering sand dune pictured in profile to a setting western sun. This is apparently all they have known and all they can look forward to, surviving mainly through luck and magnanimity.

Kiith Gaalsien - It resembles a circular quadrilateral shield or perhaps a compass with the four cardinal directions. Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak fleshed out this kiith as surreptitious (superstitious?) militant fanatics and the emblem even has that same feudal simplistic feel as well. Ironically, their religious phobias and tenants were based on forgotten restrictions imposed on the surviving Kharak people that originally arrived on the planet.

Kiith Khaaneph - Another minor kiith mentioned only in the Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak DLC as a scavenger kiith. Their symbol looks like a roughly etched rhombus diamond, superimposed with three parallel horizontal strokes.

Kiith Paktu - "The flag of the Paktu is white, the color of the sandsails which carried its people across the Banded Desert, emblazoned with a sun stained red by the blood of those who died in search of -- or in defense of -- freedom. Silhouetted against that sun is the shape of the sea-spirit, an eternal symbol of hope and faith." This one also follows the style of circular and symetrical.

Kiith Somtaaw - Their emblem shares some similarities with Siidim and Gaalsien with the central four point star, and a surrounding band that could possibly resemble a vase or water pendant drop ready to drip down. In the Homeworld manual, this kiith was briefly mentioned along with Gaalsien and an unkown Ferriil kiith as the three major religious groups. This status did not continue into Homeworld: Cataclysm as they became the protagonists and a diminished mining clan.

Sajuuk - This was not specifically stated in Homeworld 2, but the symbol did appear in faded form on the side of the ship Sajuuk, which united the three hyperspace cores. The name also kept consistently appearing throughout all the games, along with being a central belief among all the Kharak kiith.

Makaan - This symbol is briefly shown on a chamber housing Makaan after Balcora Gate. It follows a symmetrical kamon crest configuration, with a white outlined trefoil making a truncated hexagon shape. Since it only appeared once in context with Makaan, it could be his personal insignia separate from the normal Vaygr livery. (Linguistic note: makaan spelled backwards; 'naakam' resembles nakam, the Hebrew word for 'revenge')

Taiidan - Another circular crest with bilateral symmetry. The interior design resembles a pair of antlers. Before they were made the canon antagonists in Cataclysm, the Taiidan were the defensive role option over the offensive Kushan. The cutscenes even changed to say your enemy was the Kushan Empire if you chose Taiidan as your player option.

Hiigaran - The historical emblem of the refugees from Hiigara. A bilaterally symmetric image of the Angel Moon above the planet Hiigara with outstretched wings flanking the planet in a protective gesture. This has undergone the most iterations throughout the games, and will undoubtedly continue to permutate.

Turanic - It is the silouhuette of an axe. This placeholder along with the Somtaaw were both introduced in Cataclysm.

Vaygr - A bifurcating letter V with internal stylized serifs introduced in Homeworld 2. The plain angles and centered stencil split indicate an industrial and militant nature. This was also another indicator ingame to the Latin alphabet, aside from the lower case letter 'a' in the final cutscene, and the KUNDE resource container labels.

Taiivaygranic - This was not mentioned in any of the games, but the origins of the Turanic Raiders, The Taiidan Empire, and the Vaygr Reaches all seem identical as invaders from the outskirts. Cataclysm showed Imperialist Taiidan joining forces with Turanic Raiders. Homeworld 2 had Makaan's remaining fleet over Hiigara kept attacking even after he was destroyed. It would only be the logical next step for these vanquished forces to consolidate their power and merge into a portmanteau of epic proportions.
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