Mysteries left by Star Control II

This is a list of mysteries that are still open at the end of Star Control II.

Central mysteries

Mysteries that have (had) a drastic effect on the Star Control Universe. These could be a major story-line in a possible sequel.

What happened to the Precursors?

From the Slylandro:

Joyous Lifting, who has a better memory than I recalls that the Shaggy Ones were described as being... worried.

They were always hurrying from place to place, seeking knowledge as though they were in a desperate search for some important secret some answer to a question that they never shared with us.

Sullen Plummet remembers that the last time the Shaggy Ones visited our world they came aboard a great circular starship, one even larger than your own.

They had discovered their Answer and were leaving to go somewhere and they didn't tell us exactly where 'somewhere' was.

From the 1998 IRC chat with Toys for Bob (Fwiffo is both Fred Ford and Paul Reiche III here):

<_Stilgar> Fwiffo- was it your intention to make the Orz the "bad guys" in StarControl 3?

<Fwiffo> In our rambling thoughts about SC3 we did seriously consider having the Orz assume a much larger and more ominous role, opposed to the return of the Precursors.

What is the purpose of the Rainbow Worlds?

From the Slylandro:

We were told the planets were... again this is confusing... organized (?) in some pattern which in some way alluded to the Shaggy Ones' ultimate fate.

What happened to the Androsynth? Are any still alive?

From the 1998 IRC chat with Toys for Bob (Fwiffo is both Fred Ford and Paul Reiche III here):

<LordR-man> Fwiffo- What really happened to the Androsynth in sc2?

<Fwiffo> In regards to the Androsynth: They were snagged by the entity who/which projected its fingers into our dimension (which looked to us as the Orz.)

From a fan email with Fred Ford:

> Were ALL the Androsynth destroyed when the Orz came?

Perceptive lad. This was a leading plot candidate for our theoretical sequel.

Major mysteries

Mysteries with a possible impact on a future plot.

Are there still Taalo alive?

From the 1998 IRC chat with Toys for Bob (Fwiffo is both Fred Ford and Paul Reiche III here):

<_Stilgar> <che`z`puf> Are the Taalo really dead, and when the Pkunk spoke of rocks that were awakened, did they mean the Taaolo?

<Fwiffo> The Taalo LIVE!

How were the alien societies affected by the fall of the Ur-Quan?

• The Battle Thralls
• The Fallow Slaves
• Other races

Minor mysteries

Mysteries that are possible to affect the plot, although only slightly.

Did the Arilou interfere in the development of other races besides the Humans?

Commander Hayes mentions that the Arilou intimated that they "had some fun" with "an alien race in Draconis" (the Thraddash).

What is the history of the Arilou with the Orz?

From the 1998 IRC chat with Toys for Bob (Fwiffo is both Fred Ford and Paul Reiche III here):

<Mephisto_> Fwiffo: What exactly did the Arilou *quickbabies* do to piss off the Orz so much?

<Fwiffo> The Arilou always *jumped in front*, which was both a physical taunt as well as a political one. They got to the humans first.

What happened to the Tobermoon and its crew in the Vela Oort Cloud?

The Star Control II manual states that The Captain finds the drifting, battle-damaged ship, "Strangely, there were no bodies at all on board." Who attacked it, and why take the bodies but leave the ship?

Does the Spathi's Ultimate Evil really exist?

From the 1998 IRC chat with Toys for Bob (Fwiffo is both Fred Ford and Paul Reiche III here):

<_Stilgar> <Spyhunter> Fwiffo: "How does an "Ultimate Evil" -race in an SC2 -style game behave when meeting the player?"

<Fwiffo> You mean the big carnivorous teddy bears on Spathiwa?

<Xxyl> I believe those were those "Evil Ones"

<_Stilgar> <Spyhunter> Fwiffo: "No, I mean the main enemy in the game. ;)"

<Fwiffo> Oh yeah. Well, I rarely paint someone as absolutely "evil" -- it's all a matter of perspective. What is interesting is why people (aliens) do things that seem evil to you or me, and what prevents us from doing the same.

The fact that Paul/Fred didn't recall the Ultimate Evil suggests that this is not an important plot point, but merely a product of the Spathi's paranoia. Fwiffo's description "[...] it lurks just outside the range of even the most sensitive, long-range detectors [...]" supports this idea.

How will the Ultron affect the Druuge and how did it affect the Supox?

From the Utwig:

The Druuge were only one of the few to benefit in this way.
Even now, they are puzzled by the way we rewarded them for the delivery of the Ultron to its correct place.
In twenty-four years, two months and three days they will all dance the dance of Jubilation.
Indeed, the Ultron has allowed us to fundamentally change the Druuge forever!
The Supox too received many benefits from our use of the Ultron.
They can testify to its power!

What is the connection between the humans and the Syreen?

They seem to be physically compatible, at least to a certain extent.

Is the Ultron still in working order?

Are the events in the outtakes with respect to the Ultron to be taken seriously?

What happened to the neo-Dnyarri?

Did he survive as it is said in the out-takes?

Trivia

Things that may leave you wondering when you first find out about them, but which are not important in the big picture.

Why did the Melnorme's bridge turn purple?

The Melnorme offer to tell you this piece of information for 120,000 credits (on the PC version) or 12,000,000 credits (on the 3DO version and UQM), but it is impossible to gather this many credits, and their conversation tree doesn't include a response for this.

From the 1998 IRC chat with Toys for Bob (Fwiffo is both Fred Ford and Paul Reiche III here):

<Fwiffo> The Purple Bridge question, eh? How much is it worth to you?

<Deep-Reep> 120,000 credits

<ORZ> 120,000 credits

<Fwiffo> I promise here and now, that in our next SC project, we'll answer that Purple Bridge question to your ultimate satisfaction.