What Sci-Fi is Your New Eden?

Space, by definition, is a void. When we inhabit a space such as New Eden, it is up to us to fill this void. This is EVE’s brilliance, to me. Strip away all game mechanics, skills, numbers, and menus, and the heart of our experiences in New Eden are about what it might be like to simply live in space. Because of this, in a sense, New Eden is a mirror of ourselves. We each look into the black, and we each see a different universe defined by our tastes, experiences, and greatest influences in science fiction.

I recently posed a question to my friends on twitter: “What sci-fi movie/show is closest to how you imagine your EVE universe, in terms of general way of life/environment?”

The answers, quite honestly, weren’t too surprising. Four out of the four capsuleers that responded said Firefly, to some degree. And that’s a damn good response, but also an easy one. Let me explain.

I will not deny the brilliance of Firefly, and anyone that reads my blog in the slightest will know my immense love for the show. But I think the main reason why this was such a quick answer is because Firefly embodies so many archetypes of science fiction canon in all varieties. There’s no question about how deep its influences run: Mal, the Han Solo-esque scavenger with a heart; the wit and humor of Douglas Adams; the exploration of a wild frontier of Star Trek; the token all-powerful empire suppressing a deep seeded rebellion of Star Wars; the psychological mind games of Phil K. Dick; the savage horror of Aliens (reavers)… The list could go on. My point is, one could also look into Firefly, and due to its brilliant variety, could find an entirely different thing than another viewer to love about the universe they live in. I would bet that each of the four that answered Firefly as the closest to how they imagine their world of New Eden, if pressed to elaborate on why, would actually have much different answers.

Here’s how I see New Eden, from the eyes of Rettic (and this is by no means whatsoever the “right” answer, just mine):

Daily life for someone outside of the extremities that define each race’s culture is probably very much like the themes of “everyday life” from Firefly. We enjoy the action but aren’t afraid to cut up when things get tough. We worry about our income, small jobs, and just generally getting by. In this sense, I’m in full agreement with my twitterean friends. EVE, after all, is about fun. And so was Firefly.

But as a little self-experiment, I found that more interesting stuff comes when you try to break down each race by their broader motifs:

The Gallente Federation is closest to Blade Runner. It’s foggy streets give refuge to derelict smatterings of capitalism run dry by free-wheeling liberalism. A world where each turn might bring you to a Jin-Mei fish sales cart ornate in gaudy neon lights, or by the foggy pink-lit windows of an Intaki-run whore house. It’s wealthy live in skyscrapers above the clouds, never seen by the common citizen, and their slums leave no ground surface of their planets untouched, eternally darkened by a canopy of smog.

The Amarr are closest to the Egyptians of Stargate, quick to power-feed on the enslaved to fulfill some greater, but blind, spiritual existence. They’re also thick with political corruption, backstabbing in the name of divinity, with hints of classicism more like the Houses of Dune. The sheer beauty of their golden architecture and massive monuments are meant to inspire religious empowerment, but more likely serve as a facade to hide the more horrific shades of red flowing behind stone walls.

The Caldari are somewhere between the stately order of Star Trek (probably more the NG era), and the lock-and-load militarism of Aliens’ marines. In terms of visuals, it feels like the cold, utilitarian, exposed-materials architecture of the ships in Aliens to perfection. Hard edges that say “it ain’t supposed to be pretty, but it gets the job done”. But I imagine their extreme capitalistic home-worlds are more like the clean vision of San Francisco in Star Trek. Everything is in order. Everything ready when you need it. But what none of those perfectly content citizens know are to what extremes their labor force in space are working to keep things that way.

And finally the Minmatar. This is junky-clunky space faring at it’s finest. Though not space-bound sci-fi necessarily,  I think the raw, rusted look of their architecture, and the desperate-but-still-fighting story lends itself to a more post-apocalyptic reality, a la Mad Max. I mean, as far as they’re concerned, the Minmatar faced the apocalypse when they were enslaved by the Amarr. I would imagine, due to this, their planets would be poorly terraformed, leaving dusty deserts spanning all surfaces. Their gang infighting born from simply competing to survive with as little as possible. Their ships built from scraps and their weapons from natures most plentiful resources: fire and powder.

But again, Rettic is simply his own soul lost in a universe of extremes. He’s the resourcefulness and street-wit of Malcolm Reynolds, the cool inquisitiveness of Deckard, the sly spontaneity of Kirk, and the “guy that doesn’t draw attention to himself but is always there on the sidelines when you need him-ness” of Wedge Antilles. He’s all of these guys, and someone completely different at the same time.

What that “something different” is exactly? I don’t know. And neither does he. But when Rettic looks out into the black, he knows the answer is there. And he’s damn determined to find it.

I’d love to hear more takes on how you might see New Eden based on influences. What canon of sci-fi best fits your life in EVE?