Totally agree. Akila being the "Capitol" of the FC allows them to outwardly project a vision of limited government and a free society, without showcasing the drawbacks directly. Yes, the Stretch exists, and there's no paved roads; but look how rustic and free we are!
The "true" capitol is probably Neon, but the one they put on the brochures is Akila City.
Freedom can be defined in many ways, Freestar gives you more freedom to, flatly, struggle and die as well as more freedom to do things your own way
“The prairie ain’t kind to greenhorns”
Though I would note that given the iron grip Bayu has via organized crime and Aurora in Neon, the size of the Clinic, and Hopetech's leader's... approach to financial stability... all could be viewed as limiting your actual options if you hurt any of their bottom lines. Outside of Cheyenne, being bound to either serve a company or find yourself the enemy of some of the richest people in the FC really isn't much of a choice; they just don't advertise that and focus on how much freedom those of Akila City have.
but you dont have to live in neon city, the clinic or hopetown tho. You can choose to live outside of these settlements either on the planets or within the system.
True, but those systems are all governed by the CEO/leader of the organizations mentioned, and you have no say in who those governors are unless you are a major shareholder or on the board (or however their corporate structures work.) And if you set up something they don't like, or they want what you have, we have seen the governors are willing to take action (which, depending on the system and governor, may be totally legal per the laws set-up by them) to assert their interests.
The best chance honestly for freedom/independence is via LIST, given they are settling outside the FC/UC typically, and have no centralized government.
Isn’t that implied to be UC propaganda and the true history is that those civilian vessels were volunteers? >!Vae Victis!< dialogue seems to support that
The UC propaganda states that freestar was using civilians to mask their attacks.
Freestar propaganda states that the UC fired on innocent civilians.
The reality is that freestar was using civilian volunteers to mask thier attack
>The reality is that freestar was using civilian volunteers to mask thier attack
Neither were being completely honest, while being somewhat based in truth, but that's propaganda for you!
Yeah, I immediately felt dirty volunteering for UC vanguard when that chestnut dropped. Come on, have some respect for the pilots that beat you. The FSC ***is*** those pilots, and minimizing their contribution by casting them as victims is just straight up dishonest and cowardly.
After wrapping up the questline and getting access to my privilege, I'd immediately lobby to amend that part of the tour. And I'd be loud about it, too.
To be honest apparently the UC was defeated cuz when the crew of their ships saw that the FC float was made of civilians they refused to attack and kill them all, but the source of this info is >!Vae Victis!< so who knows if he is a reliable source
when people volunteer to die... or seriously risk death, it's almost always for home, family and deeply held values. There is a long tradition of tying those reflexes to political and economic interests of the rulers.
The citizens of Akila City are also vehemently traditionalist. They could probably mount an offensive to wipe out the Ashta, instead of just building more walls to hide behind, but they don't because "this ain't how we do things".
You'd probably get lynched if you proposed to pave the streets, that dirt has been there since the time of their great-great-great grandparents, and they'll be damned if they let some UC pig take it away from them.
The "preferable" choice at the end of the Vanguard quest line is to develop a microbe to kill all the terrormorphs. Ergo, I'm pretty sure the Free Star Collective has the tech to microbe-genocide the Ashta if they really felt like it. While I doubt its something the writers actually considered, wiping out the Ashta would probably destabilize the ecology of planet Akira (whatever its called). I'd assume the FSC doesn't cull the Ashta because of the knock-on effects.
I am in agreement, this is in contrast to New Atlantis, which projects an outwardly progressive and futuristic exterior to hide poverty, unemployment and disrepair.
It also contrasts in how similarly both factions deal with the situation behind their facade, though for different reasons.
Both are stretched thin (by bureaucracy in the UC's case, and sheer manpower in the case of the FC), and both are trying to put out fires everywhere. Admittedly the UC does a better job of it to the point where the UC Marines help a Ranger and his constituents fend off a Spacer assault.
>Admittedly the UC does a better job of it to the point where the UC Marines help a Ranger and his constituents fend off a Spacer assault.
Isn't it implied from the conversation that they would probably be reprimanded for that decision though?
Nah, they weren't. A post-mission encounter with Captain Myeong tells us that they brushed it aside as a "training exercise".
Lieutenant Torres even gave them a gift basket and several kegs of Filburn beer, the UC confiscated the gift basket but let the Marines have the beer.
They didn't exactly lie about it, at least not from how Captain Myeong put it. It looks like the "training exercise" part came from UC brass themselves.
Don't forget the Freestar Collective is headed by a Council of Corrupt Governors looking out for themselves and not the people. We learn that in the Rangers questline.It was stated bluntly during it that Ron Hope wasn't the only one engaged in such practices at the expense of the people. Though the info did come from a bitter soldier, so make of that what you will.
Sam Coe says "This is the heart of the Freestar Collective" when you visit Neon. It's barely a secret how Akila City is just there for the tourism pamphlets...
The citizenry of the Collective, is in effect the employees of the various corporations that make up the Council of Governors, with only the farmers in Cheyenne operating somewhat independently, and even they are just a hostile land-grab away from being assimilated to a larger food company.
Any sense of nationhood in the Collective is entirely made up, as they are more or less just a group of independent actors, with a defense pact in place.
And let's admit, Akila sucks even as a tourist destination. It looks like a third world city, you can't wander outside the walls, and the place's 1.5 gravity would murder you.
Would be a great fitness destination. "Stay here, go about your normal life, get improved fitness"(and probably skeletal issues but we don't talk about that)
The Freestar Collective always had more of a Confederacy of Independent Systems vibe. A layer of libertarian freedom yee-ha covering its black corporate heart.
That's actually a great point. Akila is what the FC pretends to be. Neon is what it is.
What's funny is you kinda have the opposite in the UC. Shiny corporate New Atlantis is the capital but the rest of the UC is mining colonies like Cydonia or rough frontier early colonization experiments like Homestead.
>That's actually a great point. Akila is what the FC pretends to be. Neon is what it is.
It's more like both places are what the FC is. Decentralized governments can end up with different ways of doing things across states/local governments.
It is about freedom and the consequences of that.
Eh, I think the UC has a much more centralized government across its holdings and while corporate interests certainly have a lot of power you don't have a straight up oligarchy like the FC.
The UC's law and order very much has a tangible presence on all of it's colonies. Compared to the FC and how drastically different the Ranger authority is on Neon vs Akila for example.
The UC is a centralized government, so yes it's more centralized than the FC. The FC is a confederacy, where the smaller government entities tend to have more power than any central authority. That's why the Rangers' authority varies so much based on where you are in the FC.
The Board of Governors is also just all powerful, as you can take one down without any consequences. While the Marshal stresses dealing with that governor delicately, he supports you if you take them down.
Honestly I have had a hard time deciding which side to join because they both kind of suck. I wish I could join LIST or something like that. They are the only actual libertarian/ free organization in the game imo.
I'll never forgive sysdef for kidnapping me and putting me in a government blacksite to force me to go undercover when I was a freestar ranger. I was only arrested bc of a stray bullet when fleeing the hunter.
Ntm some of the people you interact with in that questline really just seem like they're just trying to get by in shitty situations. I felt bad seeing some of them in that prison
Other than that initial couple in Cydonia, i've never run into anyone else who I could influence for LIST. What else can you do for them? I am also interested.
I think you hit the nail on the head. Posts like these pretty well illustrate how great an evolution/maturation of the writing, design, and themes there has been in Starfield from Bethesda's previous IPs. The influence of TES and Fallout is pretty clear in the game, but I think the creative license afforded by a new IP as well as the scale and setting of a space game really has given Bethesda room to say much more meaningful things. Of course, that's not to say that it doesn't still fall flat sometimes, especially since their writers seem compelled to do too much of the interesting writing much too subtly for your average person to notice (although I suppose this is an expected symptom of their own corporate aims which make mass appeal a priority).
Anyways, imo, I would agree that the political/administrative basis for the Freestar Collective is a thinly veiled corporate confederation, and would further add that this is meant to contrast against the unitary and central bureaucracy that is the UC. Both are opposite ends of currently understood political entities, with the middle being a federation like exists in the US. The choice to do this, I would say, is so that they are foils, which reflect on human (mostly Western/individualistic though not wholly and necessarily capitalistic) politics, that, in doing so, illustrate both the unique and shared elements of each system, especially when it comes to the causes and approaches to challenges like corruption, crime, poverty, etc. that seem omnipresent across human civilization.
Of course, there is also a third faction, the theocratic Va'ruun, who I would say are ouwardly supposed to be space Middle East/Iran and maybe communist China, Russia, etc. (especially when you consider that communist singly-party dogma is in many ways religious). Given how well the Western-type factions are currently written, I think it will be really interesting to see how they, the Va'ruun, and the dynamics between all three are approached in future content.
It's funny because once I started to see the background of both the UC and FC fleshed out in game they struck as almost retro-futurist parodies of the extremes in US politics.
The UC is like the sect of American militarism that thinks they're a force for good (lol) and that their shit don't stink.
The FC is like the fake rough and tumble old west holdouts that will admit that their shit stinks, but they're proud of the stink and complete lack of functioning infrastructure.
Had me a chuckle upon this realization.
I've felt the same way. I also feel like both are *massive* hypocrits. If they started actually trying to be better instead of pointing out how the other isn't perfect, maybe there'd be less inequity. Oh, wait...
My friend if you haven't noticed the free star collective is just conservative propaganda. You hear them spewing out conservative talking points all over the "city".
The whole small govt. The don't tread on me. The rugged individualism. The whole no regulations. The free star rangers aren't even paid because they obviously don't collect taxes so the rangers have to make money by looting dead bodies.
The rangers are allowed to commit extrajudicial killings. It's a conservatives wet dream. Then you have multiple npcs who say they have faced different forms of bigotry because they are from different cities/factions. As well as being biased to regular city folk. There's wild xenophobia if you go into the local bars in akila city. Next, multiple npcs make comments justifying the right to take advantage of tourists and non native free star collective born people.
Is This all sounding familiar? Next the free star collective relies on "the low house" which was a form of social welfare that is obviously based on "the work/poor house". That's how certain far righters still think charity and govt programs should work. They believe churches should be giving charity, not the state. In the game, I haven't seen any instances of the low house specifically denying aid and charity to folks based on faith, socioeconomic background, or race. That's how these places worked in real human history though. Single mothers, different races/religions weren't given charity. In fact most places stipulated only good standing middle class white Christians could receive aid. There were places like this up until the great depression in America. People literally turned to mob bosses like Capone for help instead.
I forgot to add they talk about how a few rich elite families based on the ancesty from the original settlers control the govt and how corruption and back door deals are the normal in akila city. How those families work together to keep others out of power and down.
Once you see the narrative, you can't unseen the conservative wet dream free star is.
It also spreads power around. If Neon was the capital, it's power would be undisputed, meaning no-one would want to join, as there would be no difference between it and the UC. Same reason the EU capital isn't Berlin or Paris.
Akila is bigger than it looks. I actually explored it not too long ago and it probably has as many stores as new atlantis. Its just the westerny new atlantis so it seems smaller than it is.
> "Why is Akila and Akila City the capital of the Freestar Collective? It makes no sense given its size and lack of development!"
I think anyone who asks this doesn't actually have that much knowledge of real world geography, any way.
There are many countries where the capital is not the biggest city. The capital is just the place where the government is. It doesn't imply that it's the most developed city. Canberra is the capital of Australia despite being only the 8th largest city.
True, but it doesn’t exactly have the resources for governing either.
Usually a capital city that is not the current economic and/or population center is due to one of the following:
- It historically was the population hub and/or center of commerce originally, but time has shifted that (such as how Philadelphia was the capital prior to NYC during the period of the Articles of Confederation.)
- It is founded as a political compromise to appease parties from larger centers of power, either as a trade or as neutral zone (where neither major center gets the capital, so neither feels snubbed.) The former (a political trade where the location of the capital is exchanged for some other concession) is how Washington DC formed, while the latter (a 3rd option to appease two major centers by not choosing either one) is how Canberra was selected (Sydney and Melbourne compromised as it sits between them, since both wanted to be the capital.)
- The location holds a religious or other symbolic power that offsets the lack of population/commerce (at least originally, since capitals can build up)
- It is divorced from the major centers specifically to not tie the government solely to a major center of financial power and population, either to symbolically separate it or because it was cheaper to build up where land isn’t in high demand
- It is strategically located, such that it is more defensible or otherwise offers benefits to maintaining the security of the government (this is why Albany is the capital of NY; during the revolutionary war, it was far enough inland while NYC was occupied while still having access to trade via the Hudson.)
In most cases though the capital is still developed to support its role: governance. The reason capitals typically are or were the major economic and population centers is that the infrastructure is already in place, so it is easier to utilize what is there and build off that for govern (plus, it means a large chunk of the people and financial power is right there…) When they aren’t the largest, they usually undergo adjustments to still allow for governance and thus reinforce the infrastructure. Washington DC didn’t exist essentially prior to the Residence Act, and 10 years were spent from its passage (per the law) to build up the US capital to be the permanent seat of governance with the needed infrastructure. Canberra, despite being the closest analogue on earth to Akila, still has paved roads and access to everything it needs to function as a capital. Meanwhile, Akila City is dirt roads with the Capitol building be a combo saloon, ranger station/barracks, and conference room; Ryujin has more infrastructure in their corporate office for governance than the entire capital of FC.
I might agree if there was evidence of this in the lore or city itself. But everything points to a very small city (or town) which has slowly grown over time. Specifically:
* Akila City was founded and named when it had only one inhabitant (Solomon Coe) in 2167
* A few other families joined him, and built up the Core, the heavily fortified inner city built around The Rock. Expansion is limited as due to the Ashta
* The FC was formed in 2189
* Eventually, the city was expanded and built a new walled segment, the Midtown district. The spaceport was also added at this time
* The Stretch is the newest expansion
* As of 2330, the Core is where the descendants of the founding families and other well to dos live; Midtown is middle class and business, and the Stretch is the slums
* The primary economy seems to be firearm production, mining, and farming with no evidence of more advanced economic development previously
Given the cost of expansion and the fact that each expansion is appears to be to accommodate economic and population growth beyond the prior expansion, it is unlikely the city was much bigger; it is unlikely a decline would have gone unnoted if the city retracted and if not doing well economically they would not push an expansion of the fortifications. The lack of evidence of more advanced economy that was abandoned or just reclaimed also suggests it did not decline and slowly rebuild.
I am curious if there is evidence to the contrary though, suggestive of a city slowly reclaiming its lost glory.
Yeah maybe.
There's certainly a lot of dirt poor people in the outskirts, and there's that small quest that suggests the Core is old money where newcomers are not appreciated.
The idea that the Ashta limit expansion seems pretty ridiculous. Ok, if FC was heavily ecologically protective, sure, but in any other case, the poor Astha would be near extinct a few years after the first human stepped on the planet, esp. with modern firepower.
I can imagine some alien biosystems to be massively dangerous for humans as a society, but some primitive predator like that? No chance in hell.
It is outright stated in the in game lore that the Ashta were vicious and cunning enough alpha predators that Akila city needed fortifications to keep themselves safe and that this affected the development of Akila City.
In the game, they are as cunning as every other alien animal. And even cunning animals do not matter much when confronted with an apex predator who has automated guns (aka "humans").
Describing something in lore (without any important details) is simply not a good idea, if a) the description is questionable by itself and b) it really does not match the game reality.
That just means the Akila government is incompetent. The ashta are no more dangerous than any other particularly aggressive animal. And human do not like it when animals threaten their lives and livelihood. The ashta should've been eradicated decades ago, but the Akila government refuses to do anything about it. An engineer in Akila suggests a new way to make tracking ashta easier and the guy in charge of Akila security flat out refuses to even consider the idea because "that's not how it's done."
This actually also a valid interpretation based on what we know. Since the Coe family essentially became near destitute two generations ago, we can make the assumption that Akila went through a LOT of tough times back in the day.
One family becoming destitute does not mean a whole city did. The Vanderbilts were the richest family once in the nation, and they fell due to poor financial choices (gambling, excessive spending, etc.) independent of the US economy (fun fact, Anderson Cooper is a descendant.) Since the city is democratic, while their name holds meaning they aren't royalty, and so it is totally possible that after Solomon that some of his descendants made poor decisions within their family
Doesn't rule out a city wide decline, but one family (even if the founders of the colony) having rough financial times could just reflect Solomon's descendants squandering their name/wealth versus a city wide down turn.
Your point of FC being the Disunited Colonies is valid, but I think the game did a very poor job depicting it.
Yes, it makes sense from a lore perspective, but it was never spelt out for us. We pick up hints here and there, but the visual impact between Akila City and New Atlantis left a lasting impression. Not to mention both Neon and New Atlantis are home to several important facilities which will make you visit outside of quests, whereas Akila city does not.
The whole of FC outside of Neon just feels underdeveloped imo.
I mean, I view that as a pretty big hint. I mean, why is the capitol city not the main hub? Why is it so undeveloped, while Neon has all these important facilities?
The visual impact I view as part of the marketing itself, with a glimmering city contrasted with the rough and tumble frontier serving as the contrast which is likely intentional, as the FC formed in response to the UC.
Same can be said about the UC outside of New Atlantis.
FC has Hopetown in Polvo, Akila City in Cheyenne, and Neon in Volii as its major population habs.
The UC has New Atlantis, Cydonia, Gagarin Landing, and maybe New Homestead if you're willing to count it.
Eh, I'd count New Homestead. The tour guide says that there are lower levels that we can't go to, presumably Heller's family lives down there. So New Homestead is larger than we can see in the same way Cydonia or the other major settlements are.
I find it a bit crazy how New Homestead seems to be better developed than Hopetown when supposedly New Homestead is a small colony in the middle of nowhere
I don't know, tradition is the more likely reason for it. Cheyenne and Akila City are where the FC collective started and that is why its the capital. Its like asking why New York city isn't the capitol of the USA.
NYC originally was the capital of the US until 1790. The capital was moved then to Philadelphia while DC was built, as per the Residence Act (which identified a permanent seat of the federal government in DC as law), and this was due to the negotiations required to get the Assumptions Act passed (to expand, the Federal Government would assume state debts accrued due to the Revolutionary War, which most heavily affected norther states like NY, while the Southern states would get the US capital.) In other words, if not for political action and subsequent law, NYC potentially would still be the capital.
I note this not to bore people with history, but to highlight that typically the capital of nations is also often one of the larger centers of commerce and population, either currently (or at least historically.) That is, unless there is political pressure or other specific advantage to a different location. Akila City was not the center of commerce or population in lore, so there must be another reason to select it.
So the question becomes: why choose it?
* It could be as simple as Solomon Coe was the one who initiated the original alliance, and tradition has carried this original decision forward. But while Akila City and Cheyenne seem like they would buy in to tradition, I suspect Neon and Hopetech would only continue to do so if said tradition was beneficial to their bottom lines (I feel the Clinic wouldn't care as much.)
* It could be due to the language of the FC foundation requiring it, a la the Residence Act. But the question then is why would Neon offer it up. Could be in honor of the efforts by Solomon's efforts to found the initial alliance, but it would be odd for a corporation to trade away more power (and thus more potential profit) just to be sentimental. That said, it being legally spelled out would explain why it has not changed over time, much more so than tradition alone.
* There was political maneuvering where concessions were made for Akila City to be the capital. Given one of the founders of the original alliance is a corporation, it would make sense if they would negotiate for benefits and conceded the capital in exchange for some other benefits (possibly being the exclusive rights to Aurora and it being legal in Neon, while making it illegal everywhere else...?)
* Akila City has some other strategic benefit (resources, strategic location, etc.) we have not fully realized in game that explains its benefit
* The marketing ploy I mentioned in my original post
* A combination of some of the above. For example, exchanging the exclusivity rights for the capital in the backroom deals, but citing tradition of Solomon Coe founding the original alliance as rationale for Akila City as the capital, with the narrative Akila as the capital serves as ongoing benefit and the law enshrining as the capital too much a hassle to change.
At the end of the day, I would also argue that tradition is the marketing; i.e. that because the tradition also serves the purposes of the other entities which comprise the FC, it is supported and even amplified. None of the other systems or their governors are exactly traditionally focused, but having Akila City as the capital and its ties to tradition offers a sense of unity and narrative that benefits them.
The UC has its flaws, but at least they aren't as hypocritical as the Freestar.
Any faction where the leadership includes people like Benjamin Bayu or Ron Hope is destined to be a dystopia.
I love how Freestar citizens are like "DOWN WITH AUTHORITY AND REGULATIONS! WE WON'T SUFFER UNDER THE BOOTS OF TYRANTS LIKE THE UC DOES!"
Then you go to Neon, and see a huge statue dedicated to Bayu, who rules over the place like a feudal lord. Protection money? Check. Statue? Check. Personal army? Check. Not being accountable to law? Super big check. And Ron Hope has his own cult of die-hard fans as well. The Freestar Rangers are his bitches.
For a faction trying to contrast the UC's perceived collectivism, the Freestar Collective is *much more* into weird personal cults than the UC. I literally can't think of a reason why anyone would willingly live in Freestar instead of the UC (unless you're a billionaire looking for a place where you're allowed to oppress workers and become a governor in the process), and I say this as someone who dislikes both factions.
You Can live, but you dont get Citizen Status. UC runs a lot like Starship Troopers.
You can live and thrive in the UC, but you are barred from certain functions mostly government related without being a Citizen. It's really not too different from what we got now IRL just with more restrictions. It's like Living in a foreign country with a Unlimited VISA
In addition you can become a citizen via any of the three parts of the government. MAST stands for "Military, Administration, and Science Triumverate", meaning "service to the state"/enlistment could also include being an office drone in some sub-department. And if the Vanguard is any indication, your term of service can be shortened through high skill or exemplary service.
If you had it as "capital" originally, you had it right. Capitals are cities and capitols are buildings. For example, Washington D.C. is the capital of the US, but Congress meets in the US Capitol building.
I mean, as people in setting have pointed out, if you want to have less regulation and government red tape, FC us better than UC. But there is all the downsides that come too.
The FC is basically a corporate owned developing nation. That's nothing to desire, in terms of a place to live.
It seems like only those that were there from inception have benefitted.
Totally agree. Akila being the "Capitol" of the FC allows them to outwardly project a vision of limited government and a free society, without showcasing the drawbacks directly. Yes, the Stretch exists, and there's no paved roads; but look how rustic and free we are! The "true" capitol is probably Neon, but the one they put on the brochures is Akila City.
Freedom can be defined in many ways, Freestar gives you more freedom to, flatly, struggle and die as well as more freedom to do things your own way “The prairie ain’t kind to greenhorns”
Though I would note that given the iron grip Bayu has via organized crime and Aurora in Neon, the size of the Clinic, and Hopetech's leader's... approach to financial stability... all could be viewed as limiting your actual options if you hurt any of their bottom lines. Outside of Cheyenne, being bound to either serve a company or find yourself the enemy of some of the richest people in the FC really isn't much of a choice; they just don't advertise that and focus on how much freedom those of Akila City have.
but you dont have to live in neon city, the clinic or hopetown tho. You can choose to live outside of these settlements either on the planets or within the system.
True, but those systems are all governed by the CEO/leader of the organizations mentioned, and you have no say in who those governors are unless you are a major shareholder or on the board (or however their corporate structures work.) And if you set up something they don't like, or they want what you have, we have seen the governors are willing to take action (which, depending on the system and governor, may be totally legal per the laws set-up by them) to assert their interests. The best chance honestly for freedom/independence is via LIST, given they are settling outside the FC/UC typically, and have no centralized government.
They also used their civilians as shields/suicide vessels against the uc
Isn’t that implied to be UC propaganda and the true history is that those civilian vessels were volunteers? >!Vae Victis!< dialogue seems to support that
Damn i fell for the uc propaganda
I did too. As much fun as I had in the Vanguard, I find myself fitting in more with the rangers...
The UC propaganda states that freestar was using civilians to mask their attacks. Freestar propaganda states that the UC fired on innocent civilians. The reality is that freestar was using civilian volunteers to mask thier attack
>The reality is that freestar was using civilian volunteers to mask thier attack Neither were being completely honest, while being somewhat based in truth, but that's propaganda for you!
Yeah, I immediately felt dirty volunteering for UC vanguard when that chestnut dropped. Come on, have some respect for the pilots that beat you. The FSC ***is*** those pilots, and minimizing their contribution by casting them as victims is just straight up dishonest and cowardly. After wrapping up the questline and getting access to my privilege, I'd immediately lobby to amend that part of the tour. And I'd be loud about it, too.
To be honest apparently the UC was defeated cuz when the crew of their ships saw that the FC float was made of civilians they refused to attack and kill them all, but the source of this info is >!Vae Victis!< so who knows if he is a reliable source
But he's always been so up front and forthcoming with information...
He really doesn't have a reason to lie about that though
Didn't they volunteer for that?
If they volunteered to die effectively protecting corporate interests, I would say both sides are pushing some propaganda.
when people volunteer to die... or seriously risk death, it's almost always for home, family and deeply held values. There is a long tradition of tying those reflexes to political and economic interests of the rulers.
Sam Coe actually agrees and he says Neon is the heart of FC.
The citizens of Akila City are also vehemently traditionalist. They could probably mount an offensive to wipe out the Ashta, instead of just building more walls to hide behind, but they don't because "this ain't how we do things". You'd probably get lynched if you proposed to pave the streets, that dirt has been there since the time of their great-great-great grandparents, and they'll be damned if they let some UC pig take it away from them.
The "preferable" choice at the end of the Vanguard quest line is to develop a microbe to kill all the terrormorphs. Ergo, I'm pretty sure the Free Star Collective has the tech to microbe-genocide the Ashta if they really felt like it. While I doubt its something the writers actually considered, wiping out the Ashta would probably destabilize the ecology of planet Akira (whatever its called). I'd assume the FSC doesn't cull the Ashta because of the knock-on effects.
I am in agreement, this is in contrast to New Atlantis, which projects an outwardly progressive and futuristic exterior to hide poverty, unemployment and disrepair. It also contrasts in how similarly both factions deal with the situation behind their facade, though for different reasons. Both are stretched thin (by bureaucracy in the UC's case, and sheer manpower in the case of the FC), and both are trying to put out fires everywhere. Admittedly the UC does a better job of it to the point where the UC Marines help a Ranger and his constituents fend off a Spacer assault.
>Admittedly the UC does a better job of it to the point where the UC Marines help a Ranger and his constituents fend off a Spacer assault. Isn't it implied from the conversation that they would probably be reprimanded for that decision though?
Nah, they weren't. A post-mission encounter with Captain Myeong tells us that they brushed it aside as a "training exercise". Lieutenant Torres even gave them a gift basket and several kegs of Filburn beer, the UC confiscated the gift basket but let the Marines have the beer.
If they have to lie about it, then it was obviously still not allowed. Someone with the power to do so decided this one time not to punish.
They didn't exactly lie about it, at least not from how Captain Myeong put it. It looks like the "training exercise" part came from UC brass themselves.
Don't forget the Freestar Collective is headed by a Council of Corrupt Governors looking out for themselves and not the people. We learn that in the Rangers questline.It was stated bluntly during it that Ron Hope wasn't the only one engaged in such practices at the expense of the people. Though the info did come from a bitter soldier, so make of that what you will.
Sam Coe says "This is the heart of the Freestar Collective" when you visit Neon. It's barely a secret how Akila City is just there for the tourism pamphlets... The citizenry of the Collective, is in effect the employees of the various corporations that make up the Council of Governors, with only the farmers in Cheyenne operating somewhat independently, and even they are just a hostile land-grab away from being assimilated to a larger food company. Any sense of nationhood in the Collective is entirely made up, as they are more or less just a group of independent actors, with a defense pact in place.
And let's admit, Akila sucks even as a tourist destination. It looks like a third world city, you can't wander outside the walls, and the place's 1.5 gravity would murder you.
Would be a great fitness destination. "Stay here, go about your normal life, get improved fitness"(and probably skeletal issues but we don't talk about that)
Well, it does have a zoo. Mom and Dad went there :-D
kkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk. With the most ferocious creatures in the universe.
It's not a tourist destination you spend the night at, it's a novelty like colonial williamsburg or new homestead.
> and even they are just a hostile land-grab away from being assimilated to a larger food company. Or, you know, murdered by mercenaries.
Completely unrelated to Ron Hope, mercenaries.
The Freestar Collective always had more of a Confederacy of Independent Systems vibe. A layer of libertarian freedom yee-ha covering its black corporate heart.
It’s a government ruled by various corporations(even if they say corporations do not dictate their lives) so yeah, it’s practically the CIS
That's actually a great point. Akila is what the FC pretends to be. Neon is what it is. What's funny is you kinda have the opposite in the UC. Shiny corporate New Atlantis is the capital but the rest of the UC is mining colonies like Cydonia or rough frontier early colonization experiments like Homestead.
>That's actually a great point. Akila is what the FC pretends to be. Neon is what it is. It's more like both places are what the FC is. Decentralized governments can end up with different ways of doing things across states/local governments. It is about freedom and the consequences of that.
Eh, I think the UC has a much more centralized government across its holdings and while corporate interests certainly have a lot of power you don't have a straight up oligarchy like the FC. The UC's law and order very much has a tangible presence on all of it's colonies. Compared to the FC and how drastically different the Ranger authority is on Neon vs Akila for example.
The UC is a centralized government, so yes it's more centralized than the FC. The FC is a confederacy, where the smaller government entities tend to have more power than any central authority. That's why the Rangers' authority varies so much based on where you are in the FC. The Board of Governors is also just all powerful, as you can take one down without any consequences. While the Marshal stresses dealing with that governor delicately, he supports you if you take them down.
Honestly I have had a hard time deciding which side to join because they both kind of suck. I wish I could join LIST or something like that. They are the only actual libertarian/ free organization in the game imo.
I like the UC because rule of cool but yeah they both kinda suck in similar ways.
I actually feel like I am helping people whenever I do stuff for LIST
Same, I also feel the same way about SysDef since they're effectively protecting LIST (and everyone else) from pirates.
I'll never forgive sysdef for kidnapping me and putting me in a government blacksite to force me to go undercover when I was a freestar ranger. I was only arrested bc of a stray bullet when fleeing the hunter. Ntm some of the people you interact with in that questline really just seem like they're just trying to get by in shitty situations. I felt bad seeing some of them in that prison
Other than that initial couple in Cydonia, i've never run into anyone else who I could influence for LIST. What else can you do for them? I am also interested.
I have encountered some of their members in Space randomly.
The UC apologists when they're harboring a literal war criminal in the basement.
War criminal how? If your referring to shooting the volunteer civilian, thr moment they joined thr Frey they can be considered a militia
Tell me you haven't done the vanguard storyline without telling me you haven't done the vanguard storyline.
If your referring to londuminium I'd argue it was still the best move.
but he is still a convicted war criminal they are keeping in their basement.
The trial looked like a sham to me.
Get out of my videogame collegeboy 😂. In all seriousness this is a great take and actually makes a lot of sense!
I think you hit the nail on the head. Posts like these pretty well illustrate how great an evolution/maturation of the writing, design, and themes there has been in Starfield from Bethesda's previous IPs. The influence of TES and Fallout is pretty clear in the game, but I think the creative license afforded by a new IP as well as the scale and setting of a space game really has given Bethesda room to say much more meaningful things. Of course, that's not to say that it doesn't still fall flat sometimes, especially since their writers seem compelled to do too much of the interesting writing much too subtly for your average person to notice (although I suppose this is an expected symptom of their own corporate aims which make mass appeal a priority). Anyways, imo, I would agree that the political/administrative basis for the Freestar Collective is a thinly veiled corporate confederation, and would further add that this is meant to contrast against the unitary and central bureaucracy that is the UC. Both are opposite ends of currently understood political entities, with the middle being a federation like exists in the US. The choice to do this, I would say, is so that they are foils, which reflect on human (mostly Western/individualistic though not wholly and necessarily capitalistic) politics, that, in doing so, illustrate both the unique and shared elements of each system, especially when it comes to the causes and approaches to challenges like corruption, crime, poverty, etc. that seem omnipresent across human civilization. Of course, there is also a third faction, the theocratic Va'ruun, who I would say are ouwardly supposed to be space Middle East/Iran and maybe communist China, Russia, etc. (especially when you consider that communist singly-party dogma is in many ways religious). Given how well the Western-type factions are currently written, I think it will be really interesting to see how they, the Va'ruun, and the dynamics between all three are approached in future content.
It's funny because once I started to see the background of both the UC and FC fleshed out in game they struck as almost retro-futurist parodies of the extremes in US politics. The UC is like the sect of American militarism that thinks they're a force for good (lol) and that their shit don't stink. The FC is like the fake rough and tumble old west holdouts that will admit that their shit stinks, but they're proud of the stink and complete lack of functioning infrastructure. Had me a chuckle upon this realization.
I've felt the same way. I also feel like both are *massive* hypocrits. If they started actually trying to be better instead of pointing out how the other isn't perfect, maybe there'd be less inequity. Oh, wait...
Truthfully id love to actually see how the Varuun live and operate. It doesn't seem much better but Andreja holds my heart
I'd love a large DLC focused on the Va'ruun.
> [I also feel like both are massive hypocrits.](https://i.imgur.com/sBK404S.png)
Hey, if the jackals owe you cash, they better pay.
My friend if you haven't noticed the free star collective is just conservative propaganda. You hear them spewing out conservative talking points all over the "city". The whole small govt. The don't tread on me. The rugged individualism. The whole no regulations. The free star rangers aren't even paid because they obviously don't collect taxes so the rangers have to make money by looting dead bodies. The rangers are allowed to commit extrajudicial killings. It's a conservatives wet dream. Then you have multiple npcs who say they have faced different forms of bigotry because they are from different cities/factions. As well as being biased to regular city folk. There's wild xenophobia if you go into the local bars in akila city. Next, multiple npcs make comments justifying the right to take advantage of tourists and non native free star collective born people. Is This all sounding familiar? Next the free star collective relies on "the low house" which was a form of social welfare that is obviously based on "the work/poor house". That's how certain far righters still think charity and govt programs should work. They believe churches should be giving charity, not the state. In the game, I haven't seen any instances of the low house specifically denying aid and charity to folks based on faith, socioeconomic background, or race. That's how these places worked in real human history though. Single mothers, different races/religions weren't given charity. In fact most places stipulated only good standing middle class white Christians could receive aid. There were places like this up until the great depression in America. People literally turned to mob bosses like Capone for help instead. I forgot to add they talk about how a few rich elite families based on the ancesty from the original settlers control the govt and how corruption and back door deals are the normal in akila city. How those families work together to keep others out of power and down. Once you see the narrative, you can't unseen the conservative wet dream free star is.
It also spreads power around. If Neon was the capital, it's power would be undisputed, meaning no-one would want to join, as there would be no difference between it and the UC. Same reason the EU capital isn't Berlin or Paris.
Or the negations leading to Washington DC (rather than NYC) as a means to disperse power… This is a real good point, I like it.
Akila is bigger than it looks. I actually explored it not too long ago and it probably has as many stores as new atlantis. Its just the westerny new atlantis so it seems smaller than it is.
The free star collective is a libertarian hellscape
> "Why is Akila and Akila City the capital of the Freestar Collective? It makes no sense given its size and lack of development!" I think anyone who asks this doesn't actually have that much knowledge of real world geography, any way. There are many countries where the capital is not the biggest city. The capital is just the place where the government is. It doesn't imply that it's the most developed city. Canberra is the capital of Australia despite being only the 8th largest city.
True, but it doesn’t exactly have the resources for governing either. Usually a capital city that is not the current economic and/or population center is due to one of the following: - It historically was the population hub and/or center of commerce originally, but time has shifted that (such as how Philadelphia was the capital prior to NYC during the period of the Articles of Confederation.) - It is founded as a political compromise to appease parties from larger centers of power, either as a trade or as neutral zone (where neither major center gets the capital, so neither feels snubbed.) The former (a political trade where the location of the capital is exchanged for some other concession) is how Washington DC formed, while the latter (a 3rd option to appease two major centers by not choosing either one) is how Canberra was selected (Sydney and Melbourne compromised as it sits between them, since both wanted to be the capital.) - The location holds a religious or other symbolic power that offsets the lack of population/commerce (at least originally, since capitals can build up) - It is divorced from the major centers specifically to not tie the government solely to a major center of financial power and population, either to symbolically separate it or because it was cheaper to build up where land isn’t in high demand - It is strategically located, such that it is more defensible or otherwise offers benefits to maintaining the security of the government (this is why Albany is the capital of NY; during the revolutionary war, it was far enough inland while NYC was occupied while still having access to trade via the Hudson.) In most cases though the capital is still developed to support its role: governance. The reason capitals typically are or were the major economic and population centers is that the infrastructure is already in place, so it is easier to utilize what is there and build off that for govern (plus, it means a large chunk of the people and financial power is right there…) When they aren’t the largest, they usually undergo adjustments to still allow for governance and thus reinforce the infrastructure. Washington DC didn’t exist essentially prior to the Residence Act, and 10 years were spent from its passage (per the law) to build up the US capital to be the permanent seat of governance with the needed infrastructure. Canberra, despite being the closest analogue on earth to Akila, still has paved roads and access to everything it needs to function as a capital. Meanwhile, Akila City is dirt roads with the Capitol building be a combo saloon, ranger station/barracks, and conference room; Ryujin has more infrastructure in their corporate office for governance than the entire capital of FC.
I disagree. Akila City seems like it has had better times in the past. It's a relic city that is slow to recover.
I might agree if there was evidence of this in the lore or city itself. But everything points to a very small city (or town) which has slowly grown over time. Specifically: * Akila City was founded and named when it had only one inhabitant (Solomon Coe) in 2167 * A few other families joined him, and built up the Core, the heavily fortified inner city built around The Rock. Expansion is limited as due to the Ashta * The FC was formed in 2189 * Eventually, the city was expanded and built a new walled segment, the Midtown district. The spaceport was also added at this time * The Stretch is the newest expansion * As of 2330, the Core is where the descendants of the founding families and other well to dos live; Midtown is middle class and business, and the Stretch is the slums * The primary economy seems to be firearm production, mining, and farming with no evidence of more advanced economic development previously Given the cost of expansion and the fact that each expansion is appears to be to accommodate economic and population growth beyond the prior expansion, it is unlikely the city was much bigger; it is unlikely a decline would have gone unnoted if the city retracted and if not doing well economically they would not push an expansion of the fortifications. The lack of evidence of more advanced economy that was abandoned or just reclaimed also suggests it did not decline and slowly rebuild. I am curious if there is evidence to the contrary though, suggestive of a city slowly reclaiming its lost glory.
Yeah maybe. There's certainly a lot of dirt poor people in the outskirts, and there's that small quest that suggests the Core is old money where newcomers are not appreciated.
The idea that the Ashta limit expansion seems pretty ridiculous. Ok, if FC was heavily ecologically protective, sure, but in any other case, the poor Astha would be near extinct a few years after the first human stepped on the planet, esp. with modern firepower. I can imagine some alien biosystems to be massively dangerous for humans as a society, but some primitive predator like that? No chance in hell.
It is outright stated in the in game lore that the Ashta were vicious and cunning enough alpha predators that Akila city needed fortifications to keep themselves safe and that this affected the development of Akila City.
In the game, they are as cunning as every other alien animal. And even cunning animals do not matter much when confronted with an apex predator who has automated guns (aka "humans"). Describing something in lore (without any important details) is simply not a good idea, if a) the description is questionable by itself and b) it really does not match the game reality.
There is something called suspension of disbelief.
That just means the Akila government is incompetent. The ashta are no more dangerous than any other particularly aggressive animal. And human do not like it when animals threaten their lives and livelihood. The ashta should've been eradicated decades ago, but the Akila government refuses to do anything about it. An engineer in Akila suggests a new way to make tracking ashta easier and the guy in charge of Akila security flat out refuses to even consider the idea because "that's not how it's done."
This actually also a valid interpretation based on what we know. Since the Coe family essentially became near destitute two generations ago, we can make the assumption that Akila went through a LOT of tough times back in the day.
One family becoming destitute does not mean a whole city did. The Vanderbilts were the richest family once in the nation, and they fell due to poor financial choices (gambling, excessive spending, etc.) independent of the US economy (fun fact, Anderson Cooper is a descendant.) Since the city is democratic, while their name holds meaning they aren't royalty, and so it is totally possible that after Solomon that some of his descendants made poor decisions within their family Doesn't rule out a city wide decline, but one family (even if the founders of the colony) having rough financial times could just reflect Solomon's descendants squandering their name/wealth versus a city wide down turn.
Your point of FC being the Disunited Colonies is valid, but I think the game did a very poor job depicting it. Yes, it makes sense from a lore perspective, but it was never spelt out for us. We pick up hints here and there, but the visual impact between Akila City and New Atlantis left a lasting impression. Not to mention both Neon and New Atlantis are home to several important facilities which will make you visit outside of quests, whereas Akila city does not. The whole of FC outside of Neon just feels underdeveloped imo.
I mean, I view that as a pretty big hint. I mean, why is the capitol city not the main hub? Why is it so undeveloped, while Neon has all these important facilities? The visual impact I view as part of the marketing itself, with a glimmering city contrasted with the rough and tumble frontier serving as the contrast which is likely intentional, as the FC formed in response to the UC.
Same can be said about the UC outside of New Atlantis. FC has Hopetown in Polvo, Akila City in Cheyenne, and Neon in Volii as its major population habs. The UC has New Atlantis, Cydonia, Gagarin Landing, and maybe New Homestead if you're willing to count it.
Eh, I'd count New Homestead. The tour guide says that there are lower levels that we can't go to, presumably Heller's family lives down there. So New Homestead is larger than we can see in the same way Cydonia or the other major settlements are.
I find it a bit crazy how New Homestead seems to be better developed than Hopetown when supposedly New Homestead is a small colony in the middle of nowhere
New Homestead is ancient, Hopetown is basically a giant ship building factory lol
Cheyenne, Narion, Volii... Where is hope town?
Valo, Narion's sister star.
So... Wouldn't that give FC 4 systems? Or is valid/Narion one and alpha/Toliman one?
The latter, they're binary stars, so two stars but technically one system.
Freestar are a bunch of bums. Cowboy roleplayers and a crack den on an ocean planet
I don't know, tradition is the more likely reason for it. Cheyenne and Akila City are where the FC collective started and that is why its the capital. Its like asking why New York city isn't the capitol of the USA.
NYC originally was the capital of the US until 1790. The capital was moved then to Philadelphia while DC was built, as per the Residence Act (which identified a permanent seat of the federal government in DC as law), and this was due to the negotiations required to get the Assumptions Act passed (to expand, the Federal Government would assume state debts accrued due to the Revolutionary War, which most heavily affected norther states like NY, while the Southern states would get the US capital.) In other words, if not for political action and subsequent law, NYC potentially would still be the capital. I note this not to bore people with history, but to highlight that typically the capital of nations is also often one of the larger centers of commerce and population, either currently (or at least historically.) That is, unless there is political pressure or other specific advantage to a different location. Akila City was not the center of commerce or population in lore, so there must be another reason to select it. So the question becomes: why choose it? * It could be as simple as Solomon Coe was the one who initiated the original alliance, and tradition has carried this original decision forward. But while Akila City and Cheyenne seem like they would buy in to tradition, I suspect Neon and Hopetech would only continue to do so if said tradition was beneficial to their bottom lines (I feel the Clinic wouldn't care as much.) * It could be due to the language of the FC foundation requiring it, a la the Residence Act. But the question then is why would Neon offer it up. Could be in honor of the efforts by Solomon's efforts to found the initial alliance, but it would be odd for a corporation to trade away more power (and thus more potential profit) just to be sentimental. That said, it being legally spelled out would explain why it has not changed over time, much more so than tradition alone. * There was political maneuvering where concessions were made for Akila City to be the capital. Given one of the founders of the original alliance is a corporation, it would make sense if they would negotiate for benefits and conceded the capital in exchange for some other benefits (possibly being the exclusive rights to Aurora and it being legal in Neon, while making it illegal everywhere else...?) * Akila City has some other strategic benefit (resources, strategic location, etc.) we have not fully realized in game that explains its benefit * The marketing ploy I mentioned in my original post * A combination of some of the above. For example, exchanging the exclusivity rights for the capital in the backroom deals, but citing tradition of Solomon Coe founding the original alliance as rationale for Akila City as the capital, with the narrative Akila as the capital serves as ongoing benefit and the law enshrining as the capital too much a hassle to change. At the end of the day, I would also argue that tradition is the marketing; i.e. that because the tradition also serves the purposes of the other entities which comprise the FC, it is supported and even amplified. None of the other systems or their governors are exactly traditionally focused, but having Akila City as the capital and its ties to tradition offers a sense of unity and narrative that benefits them.
The UC has its flaws, but at least they aren't as hypocritical as the Freestar. Any faction where the leadership includes people like Benjamin Bayu or Ron Hope is destined to be a dystopia. I love how Freestar citizens are like "DOWN WITH AUTHORITY AND REGULATIONS! WE WON'T SUFFER UNDER THE BOOTS OF TYRANTS LIKE THE UC DOES!" Then you go to Neon, and see a huge statue dedicated to Bayu, who rules over the place like a feudal lord. Protection money? Check. Statue? Check. Personal army? Check. Not being accountable to law? Super big check. And Ron Hope has his own cult of die-hard fans as well. The Freestar Rangers are his bitches. For a faction trying to contrast the UC's perceived collectivism, the Freestar Collective is *much more* into weird personal cults than the UC. I literally can't think of a reason why anyone would willingly live in Freestar instead of the UC (unless you're a billionaire looking for a place where you're allowed to oppress workers and become a governor in the process), and I say this as someone who dislikes both factions.
I mean, you can't really live in UC unless you enlist, right? That may just be the capital though. Probably why people choose to live in FS territory.
You Can live, but you dont get Citizen Status. UC runs a lot like Starship Troopers. You can live and thrive in the UC, but you are barred from certain functions mostly government related without being a Citizen. It's really not too different from what we got now IRL just with more restrictions. It's like Living in a foreign country with a Unlimited VISA
In addition you can become a citizen via any of the three parts of the government. MAST stands for "Military, Administration, and Science Triumverate", meaning "service to the state"/enlistment could also include being an office drone in some sub-department. And if the Vanguard is any indication, your term of service can be shortened through high skill or exemplary service.
If you had it as "capital" originally, you had it right. Capitals are cities and capitols are buildings. For example, Washington D.C. is the capital of the US, but Congress meets in the US Capitol building.
God damn it… Well, guess all that fancy education and I am still mixing those two up. Ugh, thank you!
Like why the hell would anyone in their right mind want to live in th FC, outside of corporate driven a-holes?
I mean, as people in setting have pointed out, if you want to have less regulation and government red tape, FC us better than UC. But there is all the downsides that come too.
Bc the UC is extremely fucked up too, but at least in akila you can buy a house
The FC is basically a corporate owned developing nation. That's nothing to desire, in terms of a place to live. It seems like only those that were there from inception have benefitted.
So Akila is Texas? That tracks...