Ender's Game Wiki
No edit summary
Tag: rte-source
m (Updating Category:EnderVerse → Category:Enderverse (automatic))
(20 intermediate revisions by 2 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
  +
[[File:StarwaysCongress.png|thumb|220x220px|The logo of Starways Congress in [[Speaker for the Dead (Comic Book)]].]]'''Starways Congress''' was an interstellar governing body that ruled over the [[List of Enderverse planets|inhabited human planets]] in the galaxy.<ref name=":0">[[Speaker for the Dead (Novel)|''Speaker for the Dead'']]</ref>
{{Spoiler}}
 
  +
== History ==
  +
=== Founding ===
  +
Starways Congress was founded many [[Timeline|years]] after the [[Third Formic War]]. When it was created, it re-established the calendar based on the year of Congress' formation. Various religions and ethnic groups were granted permits to found colonies and allowed to rule them according to their belief systems provided they followed the laws set by the Congress. The human planets that followed the established rules and regulations were allowed as member planets in the [[Hundred Worlds]].<ref name=":0" />
   
  +
Starways Congress established [[International Fleet Common]] as the communal language for the Hundred Worlds, and renamed it to [[Starcommon|Starways Common Speech]].<ref name=":0" />
==Duties and Roles==
 
   
  +
By about 500 [[AX]], Starways Congress appeared to have incorporated the [[Interstellar Fleet]], [[Exploratory Service]], and [[Ministry of Colonization]] under its umbrella.<ref name=":1" /> However, by approximately 3000 AX these distinct organizations under the control of Congress appeared to have been directly assimilated into Starways Congress itself, with no nominal distinction between branches.<ref name=":0" />
'''Starways Congress''' is the fictional interstellar government body in ''[[Speaker for the Dead]]'' and its sequels.  It was established years after Ender's Xenocide in ''[[Ender's Game]]''. When it was founded by the United States of America(see [[USA and FPE War]]), it re-established the calendar based on the year of the Congress' founding. Various groups ( nationalities, ethnic groups, etc.) were granted permits to develop colonies and allowed to rule them according to their belief systems provided they followed the laws set by the SC.
 
  +
=== Speaker for the Dead ===
  +
After the discovery of another sentient alien species, the [[Pequeninos]], Congress declared minimum interaction and cultural contamination by the[[Xenologer| xenologers]] of the colony planet [[Lusitania]]. When it was discovered that the xenologers [[Miro Ribeira]] and [[Ouanda Figueira]] had gone against the rules set by Starways Congress, they were declared criminals and were to be arrested by the governor of Lusitania, [[Mayor Bosquinha|Bosquinha]], and sent to [[Trondheim]] for trial.<ref name=":0" />
   
  +
Lusitania's populace [[Lusitanian Rebellion|did not follow this decree]], and so Congress assembled and sent a [[Lusitania Fleet|Fleet]] to subdue the rebellious inhabitants of the planet and contain the [[Descolada]]. During the time the Fleet was traveling to Lusitania, Starways Congress gave them authorization to use the [[Molecular Disruption Device]] if necessary.<ref name=":0" />
Starways Congress rules according to the Starways Code. It is known to have the power to issue and revoke the charters of planetary governments.  Starways Congress also holds some level of control over the [[ansible]] network; until the discovery of [[Jane]], they believed their control 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 the two xenologers of Lusitania to travel to the nearest planet to stand trial for their crimes.
 
  +
=== Children of the Mind ===
  +
After [[Peter Wiggin II]] and [[Si Wang-mu]] convinced swing groups in Starways Congress to revoke the order, [[Admiral Bobby Lands]], the commander of the Lusitania Fleet, ignored the changed plans and launched the M.D. Device anyways. [[Jane]], along with Wiggin and Wang-mu, moved the device back on to the Fleet's flagship, where it was disabled.<ref>''[[Children of the Mind]]''</ref>
  +
== Framework ==
  +
=== Beliefs and Power ===
 
Starways Congress ruled according to the Starways Code. It was known to have the power to issue and revoke the charters of planetary governments. Starways Congress also held some level of control over the [[ansible]] network; until the discovery of Jane, they believed their control to be absolute.<ref name=":0" />
   
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]].
+
Starways Congress' core belief was in the survival of the human race. When they learned of the danger posed by the Descolada, [[Gobawa Ekimbo]], the chairman of the Xenological Oversight Committee of Starways Congress, ordered the termination of the entire planet on the grounds that humanity's survival preempts the survival of the Pequeninos.<ref name=":0" />
   
 
Starways Congress made secret genetic modifications to certain of the planet [[Path]], giving them high intellect, but also extreme [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OCD OCD]-like symptoms. These people, known as the [[Godspoken]], believed that the Gods were speaking to them, and thus gave birth to a religion. This displayed the power of Starways Congress, for they could isolate and harbor a culture such as that without allowing it to become diluted with other facets of human society.<ref name=":2">[[Xenocide (Novel)|''Xenocide'']]</ref>
When Bishop Peregrino orders the citizens of Lusitania not to speak or answer the Speaker, Ender (Andrew Wiggin) threatens to petition for the status of Inquisitor.  If the planet is found guilty of religious persecution, then their Catholic-only license is revoked, which would lead to 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.
 
  +
=== Structure ===
 
  +
Starways Congress was ordered by different committees and organizations that existed under its jurisdiction.<ref name=":2" />
Another example of this ability to control the people is seen in ''[[Xenocide (Book)|Xenocide]]'' and ''[[Children of the Mind]]'' on the world of Path.  Path is an all-Chinese world with its own unique 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 Fei-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 a future 'God of Path', which is inferred to mean some kind of holy guardian.
 
  +
==== Organizations ====
 
  +
===== Interstellar Fleet =====
Starways Congress had their hands deep in this project, having made secret genetic modifications to some people giving high intellect, but also extreme [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OCD OCD]-like symptoms. These people believe the Gods are speaking to them, and thus gave birth to their religion. This shows the power of Starways Congress, for they can isolate and harbor a culture such as that without allowing it to become diluted with other facets of human society.
 
  +
Formerly the International Fleet, the Interstellar Fleet was the military of Starways Congress. They appear to have been incorporated into the structure of Congress as it came to power sometime before 500 AX, but at the time they were still a distinctly named branch.<ref name=":1" /> However, by 3000 AX, it was simply known as the Fleet.<ref name=":0" />
[[Category:EnderVerse]]
 
  +
===== Exploratory Service =====
[[Category:EnderVerse Organizations]]
 
  +
The Exploratory Service managed planets in their exploration stage, before they were granted continuing status. While they were a distinctly named organization during 500 AX,<ref name=":1" /> by 3000 AX they appeared to have been assimilated into Congress directly.<ref name=":0" />
[[Category:EnderVerse Governing Bodies]]
 
  +
===== Ministry of Colonization =====
  +
MinCol administrated planets that had been granted continuing status, but were not yet fully independent members of the Hundred Worlds.<ref name=":1" /> However, by 3000 AX MinCol seemed to have been assimilated into Congress, as the colony worlds of Path and Lusitania are said to be administered by Congress directly.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2" />
  +
==== Committees ====
  +
===== Xenological Oversight Committee =====
  +
The Xenological Oversight Committee was in charge of the dealings with the sentient Pequeninos of Lusitania.<ref name=":2" />
  +
=== Planetary Positions ===
  +
==== Inquisitor ====
 
The position of Inquisitor was a role within the government of Starways Congress. When [[Bishop Peregrino]] ordered the citizens of Lusitania not to speak to [[Andrew Wiggin]] on the basis that he was a [[Speaker for the Dead (Occupation)|Speaker for the Dead]], he threatened to petition for the status of Inquisitor.  If the planet was found guilty of religious persecution, then their Catholic-only license would be revoked, which would lead to Starways Congress shipping enough people off and to the planet to allow for a mixing of religion and culture so that it would be fair to everyone.<ref name=":0" />
  +
==== Proconsul ====
  +
The position of Proconsul was delegated to those in the Exploratory Service who governed over planets that had not been granted continuing status. [[Dabeet Ochoa]] was Proconsul of the planet [[Catalunya]].<ref name=":1">[[Renegat|"Renegat"]]</ref>
  +
==== Governor ====
  +
The position of Governor was assigned by Congress to those who governed non-independent colonies. On independent worlds, Governors were elected, as in the case of Ender Wiggin on [[Shakespeare]].<ref name=":1" />
  +
==== Legate or Ambassador ====
  +
While only mentioned once, it can be inferred that Legates or Ambassadors were individuals selected by Congress to travel to a certain colony as a representative of the organization.<ref name=":1" />
  +
=== Levels of Planetary Independence ===
  +
==== Without Continuing Status ====
  +
The lowest level of colony was one without continuing status. This likely meant that the colony had the chance to be terminated and dispersed to other planets at any time. These colonies were administered by the Exploratory Service.<ref name=":1" />
  +
==== Continuing Status, Non-Independent ====
  +
The next level of recognition a colony could be granted was continuing status. This likely meant that the colony was firmly established and would not be dispersed, but was not a member in Starways Congress and thus was not represented in the human galaxy. These planets were administered by the Ministry of Colonization.<ref name=":1" />
  +
==== Member Planet ====
  +
The highest level a planet could be granted was member status. This meant that the colony was represented in Congress, and had equal sway with other members of the Hundred Worlds. Member planets could request to colonize other uninhabited planets.<ref name=":0" />
  +
== References ==
  +
<references />
 
[[Category:Enderverse]]
 
[[Category:Organizations]]

Revision as of 21:58, 16 September 2018

StarwaysCongress

The logo of Starways Congress in Speaker for the Dead (Comic Book).

Starways Congress was an interstellar governing body that ruled over the inhabited human planets in the galaxy.[1]

History

Founding

Starways Congress was founded many years after the Third Formic War. When it was created, it re-established the calendar based on the year of Congress' formation. Various religions and ethnic groups were granted permits to found colonies and allowed to rule them according to their belief systems provided they followed the laws set by the Congress. The human planets that followed the established rules and regulations were allowed as member planets in the Hundred Worlds.[1]

Starways Congress established International Fleet Common as the communal language for the Hundred Worlds, and renamed it to Starways Common Speech.[1]

By about 500 AX, Starways Congress appeared to have incorporated the Interstellar Fleet, Exploratory Service, and Ministry of Colonization under its umbrella.[2] However, by approximately 3000 AX these distinct organizations under the control of Congress appeared to have been directly assimilated into Starways Congress itself, with no nominal distinction between branches.[1]

Speaker for the Dead

After the discovery of another sentient alien species, the Pequeninos, Congress declared minimum interaction and cultural contamination by the xenologers of the colony planet Lusitania. When it was discovered that the xenologers Miro Ribeira and Ouanda Figueira had gone against the rules set by Starways Congress, they were declared criminals and were to be arrested by the governor of Lusitania, Bosquinha, and sent to Trondheim for trial.[1]

Lusitania's populace did not follow this decree, and so Congress assembled and sent a Fleet to subdue the rebellious inhabitants of the planet and contain the Descolada. During the time the Fleet was traveling to Lusitania, Starways Congress gave them authorization to use the Molecular Disruption Device if necessary.[1]

Children of the Mind

After Peter Wiggin II and Si Wang-mu convinced swing groups in Starways Congress to revoke the order, Admiral Bobby Lands, the commander of the Lusitania Fleet, ignored the changed plans and launched the M.D. Device anyways. Jane, along with Wiggin and Wang-mu, moved the device back on to the Fleet's flagship, where it was disabled.[3]

Framework

Beliefs and Power

Starways Congress ruled according to the Starways Code. It was known to have the power to issue and revoke the charters of planetary governments. Starways Congress also held some level of control over the ansible network; until the discovery of Jane, they believed their control to be absolute.[1]

Starways Congress' core belief was in the survival of the human race. When they learned of the danger posed by the Descolada, Gobawa Ekimbo, the chairman of the Xenological Oversight Committee of Starways Congress, ordered the termination of the entire planet on the grounds that humanity's survival preempts the survival of the Pequeninos.[1]

Starways Congress made secret genetic modifications to certain of the planet Path, giving them high intellect, but also extreme OCD-like symptoms. These people, known as the Godspoken, believed that the Gods were speaking to them, and thus gave birth to a religion. This displayed the power of Starways Congress, for they could isolate and harbor a culture such as that without allowing it to become diluted with other facets of human society.[4]

Structure

Starways Congress was ordered by different committees and organizations that existed under its jurisdiction.[4]

Organizations

Interstellar Fleet

Formerly the International Fleet, the Interstellar Fleet was the military of Starways Congress. They appear to have been incorporated into the structure of Congress as it came to power sometime before 500 AX, but at the time they were still a distinctly named branch.[2] However, by 3000 AX, it was simply known as the Fleet.[1]

Exploratory Service

The Exploratory Service managed planets in their exploration stage, before they were granted continuing status. While they were a distinctly named organization during 500 AX,[2] by 3000 AX they appeared to have been assimilated into Congress directly.[1]

Ministry of Colonization

MinCol administrated planets that had been granted continuing status, but were not yet fully independent members of the Hundred Worlds.[2] However, by 3000 AX MinCol seemed to have been assimilated into Congress, as the colony worlds of Path and Lusitania are said to be administered by Congress directly.[1][4]

Committees

Xenological Oversight Committee

The Xenological Oversight Committee was in charge of the dealings with the sentient Pequeninos of Lusitania.[4]

Planetary Positions

Inquisitor

The position of Inquisitor was a role within the government of Starways Congress. When Bishop Peregrino ordered the citizens of Lusitania not to speak to Andrew Wiggin on the basis that he was a Speaker for the Dead, he threatened to petition for the status of Inquisitor.  If the planet was found guilty of religious persecution, then their Catholic-only license would be revoked, which would lead to Starways Congress shipping enough people off and to the planet to allow for a mixing of religion and culture so that it would be fair to everyone.[1]

Proconsul

The position of Proconsul was delegated to those in the Exploratory Service who governed over planets that had not been granted continuing status. Dabeet Ochoa was Proconsul of the planet Catalunya.[2]

Governor

The position of Governor was assigned by Congress to those who governed non-independent colonies. On independent worlds, Governors were elected, as in the case of Ender Wiggin on Shakespeare.[2]

Legate or Ambassador

While only mentioned once, it can be inferred that Legates or Ambassadors were individuals selected by Congress to travel to a certain colony as a representative of the organization.[2]

Levels of Planetary Independence

Without Continuing Status

The lowest level of colony was one without continuing status. This likely meant that the colony had the chance to be terminated and dispersed to other planets at any time. These colonies were administered by the Exploratory Service.[2]

Continuing Status, Non-Independent

The next level of recognition a colony could be granted was continuing status. This likely meant that the colony was firmly established and would not be dispersed, but was not a member in Starways Congress and thus was not represented in the human galaxy. These planets were administered by the Ministry of Colonization.[2]

Member Planet

The highest level a planet could be granted was member status. This meant that the colony was represented in Congress, and had equal sway with other members of the Hundred Worlds. Member planets could request to colonize other uninhabited planets.[1]

References