Just wanted to say that I've found the PDFs of the original manuals for SC1 and SC2 - that is, the manuals that came with the original floppy releases of the games.
The manual PDFs that widely circulate on the net came from the Star Control Collection CD re-release in 1995. As far as I know, those PDFs were made by Accolade themselves, and they made some changes to the original manuals - for example, they removed all of the original artwork by Erol Otus from the SC1 manual (replacing it with artwork from the SC2 manual and the RPRG), as well as the signatures by Zeep-Zeep and Ivana Or-Kochav. The original manuals also have some in-game screenshots, and some of the screenshots come from the pre-release versions of the games, which should be a treat to anyone interested in Star Control/UQM history. Sadly, some of the wireframe ship models do not appear properly in these manuals, but those at least were perfectly preserved in the SCC PDF versions. There are also joke biographies for Fred Ford and Paul Reiche III in the SC2 manual.
These are great. The SC1 manual in particular was what really helped grab my attention with the lore, so it's great to take a trip down memory lane with the same version I read some 30 years ago. Thanks a ton for posting these.
Yes, just like Draxas, I especially have fond memories of that old Star Control 1 Manual. I'd create battle stories in my head as I looked through the pages. I posted a while back when I found my old floppy disk of SC1... and it still works! I kept the cover box the game came in for years, but it got torn up over time and I threw it way at some point. I always thought it was marketing genius to come up with the slogan: "How does eternal slavery sound, Earthling?"
“He tasks me. He tasks me, and I shall have him! I’ll chase him ’round the moons of Nibia and ’round the Antares maelstrom and ’round Perdition’s flames before I give him up!” ― Khan Noonien Singh
Thanks for sharing PRH. I searched for this but never thought I could find it on archive.org.
I recently started studying astrology and discovered a lot of interesting things. The zodiac signs compatibility chart gives an accurate idea of the best and worst couple.
Sadly, some of the wireframe ship models do not appear properly in these manuals, but those at least were perfectly preserved in the SCC PDF versions. There are also joke biographies for Fred Ford and Paul Reiche III in the SC2 manual. 
