A brief (unofficial) History of the SCDB

[Lukipela]

Please do not post in this thread. My intentions here thread are to put up a brief historical overview of what has happened on the SCDB boards in the few last years. I will begin at the creation of the new forum in 2003, and work my way forward in a series of semischeduled posts attempting to make it all the way up til today. The idea is to try and mention interesting topics and discussion, give a picture of which members has come and gone. I will not touch upon the old messaging board, as I wasn't present there and have no knowledge of the significant events.

If you feel that you have somehow been misrepresented, or that I've left out something from a timeperiod that definetly should be included, please do not post it in this thread. PM me, or create a thread called "things that have been omitted from SC history" or something. If the thread is filled with extra posts it'll just make it that much harder to read smoothly.

Hopefully you will enjoy reading about times gone by. If you don't, don't worry. I'm doing this for my own amusment more than anything else.

As you browse through history, be sure to keep in mind that this is history we're talking about, Many of the threads you will discover through this history are filled with debating, and there are a myriad of different opinions here. Still, please refrain from posting in the older threads. Many of the debaters present back then are not here now, and for most of the others it IS ancient history. If you find that you have something very important to say, that has been omitted during the course of a thread, I would recommend that you make a new thread about the topic, present your opinions and rebuttals, and see if anyone is interested in deabting the issue further. There is precious little point in reviving a 3 year old thread for one post of ego-stroking.

[Lukipela]

Basic information and Terminology

The SCDB Forum was preceeded by the actual Star Control Discussion Board. The Board was replaced by the Forum because it was deemed messy and ineffective. Some sources claim that Chad noticed the success of the UQM Forum and updated not to be left behind. To many, this is ancient history. However, for those curious about the subject, the old Board can be accessed through The Wayback Machine. This will not be included in this history, but the Board does contain a lot of backstory, and many interesting threads that were never recreated on the new Forum.

Terminology

• Board
- The actual Star Control Discussion Board.

• Forum
- The new SCDB Forum, the topic of this history.

• Old-timer
- A person who used to frequent the old Board, but moved over to the Forum after it's founding. Many of these stayed on for just a few months, but some are active even today.

[Lukipela]

The forum you now stand in was created in early 2003. The first registered user was the Forum Admin, with the date 1 jan 2003. However, whatever machinations went on behind the scenes during that time, the Forums real history begins with Chads announcement of the new Forum on his website, and with the starting of the first thread on the 18th of February 2003.

On Febuary 18th 2003, the first two members ever join the SCDB, Ereklich and Tim. Tim doesn't stick around for very long, but Ereklich, who is an old-timer, becomes a force to be reckoned with. The first topic about a possible new game is posted

On February the 19th  several more members that will later become prominent contributors join the board. The most noteworthy are Scott_Irving, an old-timer of XR fame, Viropher, a irish old-timer with an attitude,Yukki, who runs a TFB fansite since dissappeared and Meep-eep, and old-timer who is active on the UQM project. The first topic in Technical issues is posted. First Hints topic is posted. While these topics in themselves aren't that noteworthy, they are the very first things to be written i nthe history of the Forum.

On February the 20th, several major topics are posted, and several old-timers register, such as Eth and Tsing, the world famous lurker. As the board has thus far been moderatorless, moderators are now created, and they announce themselves. In present day when moderators are scarce, it may be hard to imagine that we once had 4 moderators on this board. What made it even stranger back then was that there probably weren't more than 10 or 12 registered users. The topic is also notable for being the first time a_stupid_box chides a newbie and "rubs Eth the wrong way". Another long lived topic concerning the buying of property is created. This thread quickly spirals away, and contains some ponderings on how to construct an actual Earthling Cruiser. It is still uncertain wether Rider was actually being serious in this thread or not.

On February the 21st two more major members register, Lukipela who is new to the forum, and Tou-Foo-Rool another old-timer. Lukipela will later go on to write this history.

On February 22nd, the SCMMORPG thread is born. Though nothing comes of it, it is typical of the young board days, filled with wild dreams.

The next larger topic that is sprouted occurs on the 24th, and covers dreaming about SC. This thread contains a particulary weird dreampost by happy_camper. It also contains brief debating on the Ilwrath cloaking technology, and it's origin.

The 26th brings the first ever movie thread, which quickly degenerates into bashing ones local artists. It also brings around a more serious topic, covering the political events of time. This is a fine example of how delicate subjects could be discussed in a civilised matter, without the disagreeing parties starting to call eachother names. Not even when the oil argument is brought to light by Rider. The same thread is created over at UQm, where it produces a similar debate, but in a slightly less civil tone.

On the 27th, the world famous writer Angryshrew joins the board. He has written many classic fanfics about Star Control, all saved for posterity at The Star Control Writers Collective. Unfortunately, he does not stay around for long.

And on the first of a new month, the first drug debate was initiated. As seen in the thread, opinions on drugs vary radically between posters. Thsi is yet another example on how liberal the Forum is. Everyone is allowed to voice their opinions, without having to fear personal attacks.

This concludes the first month of activites on the SCDB board. As you can see, it was an exciting time where friendships were formed, and serious debates were initialized. Stay tuned for more SCDB history in a while!!!

[Lukipela]

The Forum continues to be intersting place, and over the next couple of months, many important poeple join the community. Some of these will become community pillars, whilst others will fade away. The three most influential are undoubtedly Rider on the 18th of February, a_stupid_box on the 25th of March and Megagun on the 21st of April Many minor members join as well, the most remeberable being Jenia on the 12th of April. Other members join as well, but while some of them remain active for a while, none remain to this day.

Threadwise, many important things come up. On the 6th of March, the Board Posting Policy is announced, this document is still one of the most important documents on the Forum. A discussion on happiness is initiated, and this is one of the first threads Rider ever resurrects. This becomes a notable behaviour, so much that other mebersat times express dismay with Riders necromancy and postcount raising activities. However, as time goes by, Rider matures in his role and becomes a more serious poster.

Later in the month, on the 11th to be specific, the first music discussion is initiated. Another topic of interest is Captain Riders log, which contains not only some interesting SC2 experiences, but mention of the M2 add-on, and a astounding thread necromancy. Strangely enough, just after the log detailing the good captains hopeless situation, his thoughts appear in another thread.

On the 20th of March, what SC was influenced by is discussed. The topic continues on for a bit, but due to hormones soon focuses on the Syreen Penetrator. As mentioned earlier, Rider posts a lot. So much that he feels compelled to start his own topic about it.

Five days later, the first topic created by a_s_b sees daylight. It carries on for a while, but ultimatly Eths family sinks it.

On the 26th, Captain Riders thoughts are continued, but this incarnation sees little response from the forum in general. This may be because of the enormous abundance of requests for help he posts. This is finally solved at the end of the month, when the rest of his questions are condensed into one thread

As a new month begins, another old-timer returns to briefly question board policy. A few days later, a discussion about Ur-Quan fleets brings up the interesting fact of how a_stupid_box managed to limpet a Avatar, and thereafter turn it into a avatar.

A bit later, on the 8th of april, the value of SC3 as a sequel is touched upon for the first time. More revelations follow when Jenia introduces himself prompting several other members to share personal details.

On the 15th, during a listing of favorite and least favourite races, Jenias gender is called into question. Undeterred Jenia posts a topic about favourite games.

Om April 21st Megagun posts a topic about the SEIV mod, which is somethign Scott_Irving is working on a version of as well. During the same time period, other games based in the SC universe appear.

All such things are forgotten however, as the local godess makes an appearance on April 23rd. Two days after that, even such a momentous event is shifted out of focus as Eth has once again smoked He gets some severe tounge lashing from Rider, and a debate unfurls.

Even though his gender has seemingly been mentioned only in passing, Jenia snaps.

As Aprils end draws near, another old-timer returns. In fact, he does so twice. The topic would otherwise go fairly unnotcied, but it is revived much later, provoking a discussion concerning Riders family and posting quality in general.

And so, the first two month come to an end. The boards are stable, with a small population that al know eachother and get along fairly well. It is a nice little place. But will it remain so? Only time will tell...

[Lukipela]

As April draws to it's inevitable conclusion, May follows with bright new tidings. During the following three months, very few members of signifcance join. The forum is already staffed with regulars, and while some new members stay around for a while, most fade into obscurity. Even so, some of the newcomers deserve a mention, even if it isn't for longevity. The first of these to arrive is Baltar, the owner and operator of the old TimeWarp pages. He is followed closely by Guesst, an old-timer who strays around on and off, until real life turns his attention away. 2-23-6 is the next to arrive, an old-timer from days gone by. In some threads he is referred to as a trouble maker, but as this history does not concern itself with prehistoric times, the truthfulness of this cannot be established. happy_camper follows suit, and becomes (in)famous for being the first and only person to ever have been banned from the forum. This was due to graphically and physically threatening another board member, something that was punishable in the old days. The offending post was removed, but mentions of his banning can be found in many places. youBastrd, the coupmaker who wrests TimeWarp from Baltar also appears during this time. Baltar and youbastrd actually caused rather large waves of drama over at TW, and partially over at UQM. This particular forum was rather unaffected though. Another notable member known more for who he is than for his postcount is Slylendro, animator extraordinare.

The month kicks off with one of many "Hi, I'm new" threads. More excitment is brought out the folloing day, when forumites find out that SC2 is in the top 100.  This is actually to be the first of many SC2 top XX of XX games threads. It seems that these lists are compiled quite often, and as a testament to the games undying quality it is always included somewhere upon the list.

On the 4th of may, a long debate concerning the intelligence and procreative possibilities of the M:bots begins. This is also the thread where the phrase M:bots is adopted to avoid having to spell out Mmrnmhrm. The debate on intelligence begins towards the end of the thread, as the beginning is taken up by something quite different. The middle contains some quite typical a_s_b frustration on the subject of illogical debaters. This is a recurring theme for a_s_b, as he seems to run into such people quite often. On the tactical side of things, a thread about the destruction of Avatars is born, and becomes resurrected several times. Other notable events in this thread is Falcons successful limpeting of a Avatar, a feat not many can do.Not as successful is the SC2 speed test, even though it makes an interesting comparison. The premise is flawed, but it goes to show what kind of strange things SC2 fans come up with in their free time.

On the 12th of May, a theological discussion is born from pondering the difference between the new testament god and the old one. The debate gets quite technical, and requires the reader to have a good understanding of religous theory. Even so, for the wondering reader it can be quite a interesting read. Another innocent discussion regarding Starscape gets twisted, until piracy is the word of the day. Differing opinions are given, and the thread contains a link to a larger debate on the UQM forums. More moral debating on the topic of good and evil soon pops up, even though Orz where the intital topic.  It seems that it is a time for moral debating on the forum. This is another exemplary topic of how a_s_b's "knowing" attitude can sometimes rub people the wrong way, even though he is in the right. Still, the debate is very good. To stir everything up a bit, things are happening in the real world as well. On the 14th, the UCLA Astrobiology Society announces its presence and plans.

Even with all of this going on, some members feel that the forum is getting boring. This probably isn't made any better by the following topic, regarding deities. Morals, gods and intellectual debate seems to be very much in at this time.

Still, things look up for those who need more creativity. On the 15th, Megagun launches his Ctree² competition. This interesting ideas fizzles out despite its potential, as very few actual submissions turn up. Almost as intellectually challenging is thinking up a SC motto, or t-shirt. Some rather hilarious t-shirts are designed in this thread. The Matrix spawns a very long and complex debate, notable for being the first ever locked thread, and the only place where a top 10 movie can be something not produced yet. This thread also embodies what how a real forum moderator should act. Forum moderators, while responsible for keeping their peace can sometimes choose not to intervene, if one party is sufficently in the wrong. This can be seen in Virophers response to a_s_b's scolding of happy_campers list.

On the 19th of May, a historical event takes place. The discussion that will eventually spawn the *Heavy Space* section begins right here. By the end of the discussion a new subforum has been created, moderated by Rider and a_s_b. The following day, Scott_Irvings lack of presence is noticed. XR is a very long term project, and questions about its status pop up every now and then. The day after that, the Board Policy is updated, so that there will be no doubt about wether discussing pirated amterial is allowed or not.

In the begining of June, confusion is afoot. Having deleted one of the original sections, all "Game Inconsistencies" threads are dumped into General discussion. Luckily, the threads aren't many, but they are out of cronological order. It will take this historian some extra time to insert them into the right place. Another notable events in June is the quotes thread. While not long, it does contain some of the best Sc2 quotes out there. If one has not played the game in a while, or simply cannot be bothered to read through the converdations at PONAF, this is certainly a worthwhile thread. Still, all of this drowns in the excitment that is *Heavy Space*. The rules come first. Then the first story. Not all stories are successful though. Still, *Heavy Space* is like a breath of fresh air, where forumites can try their own hand at rewriting SC history.

On the 7th, it is revealed that postcount is still a controversial issue. While the thread starters intentions are questionable, happy_camper certainly makes a name for himself through the spamfest that follows. Alas, not all attention is good attention. Ecven Ozzys tattoos can't change that.

A couple of days later, an interesting game is released. The game itself is vaguely reminiscent of SC melee, but all in all quite amusing. A alienspeak competition takes off. This thread contains a lot of impersonations, varying from very good to quite bad. Even SC3 aliens are impersonated here, despite the general animosity felt towards this game. The last post in the topic is especially interesting, as it points fingers towards the identity of a mystery poster.

More controversy quickly rises, when pets are discussed. As with most forum controversy, a_s_b is involved in his own way. Still, even though heat is vented, most of it turns out to be a misunderstanding. The thread shows how important it is to differentiate between opinion and fact. All this controversy creeping up causes some members to become concerned about the tone of the forum. Apaprently, there really isn't that much trouble, as the discussion soon strays into different kinds of employment. Still, other people don't care about tone, but rather want to rile everyone up by displaying quite controversial opinions. Still, the attempt sadly fails.

As we reach the middle of June, the issue of a 3D Starmap is brought up. the idea has still not been implemented anywhere, and is free to use.On another note, even though it may seem ironic to todays boardmembers, even back in the old days people still harked for the old days.

On June 21st, as the end of the month draws near, a SC art contest is created, with some impressive submissions from Guesst. Two days later. it's a_s_b's birthday, a topic that just wont die. Much like a_s_b himself really, despite several atempts in-thread. Nor will Riders annoying posts, apparently. And Jenia is mentioned, one last time, even though the thread itself is quite pointless.

Apparently, even Gamespot loves SC2. This recieves more response than Riders vacation, even though many members feel quite some antipathy for Gamespot. Riders vacation is one of those threads that may not have been amusing at the time, but sure is now.

Thus ends the motnh, on a comical note.

[Lukipela]

Not a single important member joins the boards during the following month. But then again, the board does have a full complement of competent posters at this point.

July is a very slow month, but there are a few noteworthy threads. The first thread demands to be read, seeing as everyone loves comics. This thread lists some quality comics and shows. it also lets us know that a lot of members are cynical towards modern day animated shows. Still, the knowledge that some members have the ability to view every episode of the old X-men at their leasure can't help but bring a smile to your face. Destroying Universes is something else that comes up. As with many threads, this one begins in a silly manner, but then spins off. Quantum mechanics, multiverses and the likes are briefly pondered here.

Tonys strategy guide is quite important to anyone who wishes to be an expert melee fighter. The tips contained within it can make or break any battle-ace. It's really a pity that no link to the guide itself remains, but a diligent apprentice should localise it without much trouble. But what if you can't even get the game to run? Well, Rider suggests a simple fix to all your computer problems. That no new persons join the board during this time is really not much of a problem. The crew already knows eachother quite well. Of course, some are more well known than others, and can justly be called Forum Junkies.

And on the very last day of the month, another semi silly post sparks a long discussion on time travel. Can it be done? How? When? What? All of these questions are answered within this fascinating thread.

FOR THE READERS:

I decided to do only a month at a time, as it cuts down the time I have to spend on each post. Still, this month was pretty eventless, so I'll update next month into this post as well. Fell free to tell me if anthing is amiss!

[Lukipela]

During the illustrious month of August, only a single important member joins. That member isPelorki, known from SCRPG.

The month begins with an innocent question. It is easily enough answered and not terribly original. What makes the topic interesting though, is the high esteem everyone seems to hold Fwiffo in. He is the shiznit. Other than that, the entire topic is filled with handy tips for novice players.

After that we come to a long-forgotten yet interesting topic. DarkOne’s interviews with board members are uncannily accurate at times. Unfortunately DarkOne never posted any more material, so this gem is all we have. An interesting reference in this thread is also that Eth is supposedly ”gone”. Where he resided during this time, we do not know.

Inconsistencies pop up every now and then. Even a game as great as SC2 has a few flaws here and there. One of the hardest to spot is probably the Yehat wing inconsistency, displayed here. Even people who had played through the game countless times had missed it.

An alien dictionary could certainly be a useful thing. It’s a shame it amounted to no more than a few dead presidents. Being nerds on the internet, perhaps SC fans are simply more adept at using numbers? From consecutive to binary, and back again. This is a worthwhile topic to study, if for no other reason than it being absurdly pointless. Still, even nerds have some spelling rules. And SC fans have SC rules.

An excellent example of topic drift pops up this month. In few places can one topic cover as diverse subjects as Texan intelligence, Bush bashing, DBZ and Ren&Stimpy without ever breaking its stride. And then Rider kills it all with his cubicle. Bob the Angry Flower however, is cool enough to have his topic unsullied. If you haven’t checked out the SC themed BTAF comics, you really should. They are beautiful.

And as the month draws near its end, aggression rears it’s ugly head. Frustrated beyond belief, a_stupid_box attempts to take his fight to the streets. A moderator fails to see the humorous side however, making it the fastest lock ever

EDITORS NOTE: I’ve decided to start doing these a month at a time. It means shorter posts, but it is also much more doable than trying to cram three months into a single post. I’ll try to post a new month every Monday for a while, and see how that works out.

[Lukipela]

fluffy_banana, a promising young spammer and Sage, operator of the Ur-Quan planetary Database joins.

The month of September contains a multitude of interesting threads. The first worthwhile one contains an interesting picture from master of Orion. However, it shifts over to a discussion o nthe “bible belt” rather quickly. The thread also contains an amazing example of Riders lack of geographical knowledge. Rider is a big name this month. He creates and participates wildly, beginning with this contest.

At the time of writing this, the administrator is gone. This has led to a sad lack of respect for many board rules. One of the most important, and most strictly enforced rules on the board was the one regarding copyrighted material. As can bee seen here and here, piracy was frowned upon. Sadly, many newer members do not understand nor respect this.

Riders type of posting has not gone unnoticed by other members, and even simple topics about quotations include digs at him and his abilities. A more serious topic this month is all about mining. How to do it, where to do it. Hot on the heels of this serious topic follows another. This is the first ever topic to be created in the defence of SC3. During the years to come, people will come in and defend SC3 on a semi-regular basis, for some reason assuming that the forum is infested with SC3 haters.

A real treasure that appears during September is this. At the time of writing, the links in this thread are still fully functional, and anyone interested in SC history can have a look at the fall of the Milieu. Unworthily enough, this is followed by another Rider-esque thread, about cubicles.

The SC universe is filled with interesting myths and rumours. One of the odder one is undoubtedly the “Fuel Thingie”, which seems to be completely unsubstantial. But you never know, perhaps it’s out there somewhere… hiding. Someone who isn’t hiding is the brand new member fluffy_banana. He goes right out to challenge Rider for the title “King of Nonsense” with his “No Topic” thread. For a while, forum members seriously consider the possibility that the two are one single person.

For those interested in the fair art of music, both original songs and remixes are brought up this month. What sticks in your head?

The Sa-Matra is discussed during this month. Weapons strength, use of backup, the whole shebang. Anyone interested in how it might work should definitely have a read here. The month ends with Rider leaving. Possibly he feels pushed aside by the new spam-king fluffy_banana, but there were probably other factors, such as Chi and Ki involved as well. Still, it is balanced by Viropher returning to the board. A fair trade.

[Lukipela]

October 2003 is a very interesting month, filled with inconsistencies. The greatest one of these is that in many threads, it is mentioned that the forum is very slow. For instance, here everyone seems to agree that the forum is going through a "lull". And *Heavy Space* appears dead.Of course a history such as this always gives a skewed picture. Threads here are indexed by their first post, not by how active they were during the month. Still, the amount of new threads and news is staggering, especially compared to later times. Still, when this many new members appear, something must be going on! The only notable one is TheWizard, with a moderately successful posting career. Well, Azolero is notable as well, but mostly for all the wrong reasons.

During this time, the news section of this site was updated very frequently. Another oddity can be found in these. For some reason, the news post is always found as the very last post in the thread, and has a post date far earlier than it should. This historian can only surmise that board migration at some point has caused this, as it wasn't the case during the last update. Among the news articles, this is very noteworthy. To begin with it contains interesting revelations regarding the existence of a playable version of StarCon. It goes on to show how close the community was to get their hands on it, and that it probably still exists. And of course, a refreshing spat of Rider backseat modding the board administrator seals the deal for this golden topic.

Several other news posts of interest are made, such as the ones about Flash animations and the UQM remixes. UQM's remix isn't the only relevant one though, as we can see here.

Timewarp is also mentioned in the news post, during this time it not only updates once, but twice! Clearly this is a exciting month. A lot of smaller projects also pop up. Sure, some of them are never heard from again, but others such as the Planetary Database are still going strong today!

An interesting inconsistency is also found, and there is much discussion of ships and navigating around planets. The Ur-Quan are also debated, not always in a friendly manner. A rare scre-up by Guesst there.

On the less official side, a few noteworthy threads turn up. The BORED thread which is notable not only for being the place where a_stupid_box revealed his criminal dealings, but for the only appearance ever of a_dumb_crate. The thread is filled with interesting tidbits about what the forums were like back then. Of course, the very next thread created shows us that being bored can be very dangerous. It also deals with the harsh reality of goodbyes.

Another rare tidbit is this discussion about sizes, which quickly spirals into language discussion. It also contains a clip of Riders voice. Unfortunately this page no longer exists. The thread also features an old timer, Officer_Flubbo and the second quickest scaring away of a newbie so far. Which is the first you ask? Well, poor Vanitas really gets a warm welcome here. And never posts again.

Much merriment can be found in talking like an orz, although it is also revealed that a Klingon version of Hamlet exists. This is worrying, to say the least! Many board members also amuse themselves with Nationstates, something that will become quite popular. Unlike Halloween, which apparently isn't celebrated on the forum. Nor does anyone like the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.

And towards the end of the month, SCDB history is made when the most successful HS thread ever is created, along with it's OOC. Sure, at first some mild threats are needed, but this becomes one of the greatest stories to veer grace the SCDB.

I will leave you this classic example of thread policing, old style. Even during the lull that appeared during the month, post pumping was still frowned upon. At least by some.

[Lukipela]

November sees quite a few new arrivals. Some are only notable for the roles they play in Heavy Space, such as Gill_Bates and Argarak. Others, such as Zelnick are slightly notable. A few more long term posters also arrive, although none of them seem to have survived until the present. These are FalconMWC and NECRO-99.

The month kicks off with some happy news. As some of you may recall the illustrious Rider left the board in late September. To the great relief of all members, he triumphantly returns November 1st, and once again becomes a common sight. This in itself may explain the "lull" that is mentioned several times during October, for without Rider, the amount of posts must surely have fallen. In some alternate history where this return does not take place, thing's are surely very different.


One of the first things Rider does is to integrate himself into the Grand Council, that famous heavy space adventure. Though it may seem amazing to those not present in the beginning, this thread did struggle both during it's inception and end, as we can see here. This month also sees the birth of a sequel, "The War of the Nest" where the Orz plays the role of the main antagonist. This thread, although short, is one fo the few HS threads that has ever come to a natural conclusion. For that alone it is notable, not to mention the fast past action and drama it contains.

Other than Riders return, it's business as usual. a_stupid_box and Viropher still can't play nice. Of course, a_stupid box can bee very grating, but he has some good reasons.. For instance, this thread features one of the most uncalled for arguments in a long time, where a would be hero resurrects a thread only to chew a_stupid_box out.


At this time the Star Control community is still very active. Not only do we get to see TimeWarp produce an update, we can also read about Yukkis Magic Box, a very interesting fan site that sadly does not exist any more. The site contained material from the never released addon pack for Star Control 2, as well as other assorted goodies. One of the greater mysteries in the fandom of SC is what happened to Yukki. One day, the site was just gone. There are plenty of other things going on as well. Megagun starts a very interesting thread in regards to modding Space Empires IV. Despite some misunderstandings as to what it is, the discussion takes off quickly. During this time, the UQM remix project also releases it's second remix pack. It may seem odd to us now that the two first remix packages were only a month a part, especially to those of us who are still waiting for remix pack four. But those were simpler, more effective times. Even the now reclusive Chad was thinking about updating the site logo. Alas, nothing seems to have come of it which can also be said for the idea of custom smilies. 3D modelling is also discussed, although it is quite probable that most of these have been lost a long time ago.

The community is still very active when it comes to discussing  during this time. This thread discusses both the Mycon-Milieu relationship and the significance of Spheres of influence (or SOIs). There is also some discussion of how the Slylandro would fair in the real world. There's also some more discussion about the Orz and their langiage, although it quickly disintegrates into a debate about whether Azolero is really legible or not. The consensus is that he is not even close.

There is of course plenty of off topic talk as well. Besides the usual movie reviews, this political thread shows that the community does not only care about the world of Star Control. Abandonware is a hot topic as well, although people are of course loathe to side with the Evil Empire (TM). This month also features return of a old-timer, albeit briefly. In this history, he will have to serve as an example of that nothing is forever. Even in our digital age, where we assume everything is saved and stored, no reputation burns bright if you are gone for too long. If you return after many years, all your friends will have moved on. You will not be remembered, and you will feel alone. Utterly alone in the vast void that is our modern society.

After that harsh reality, I leave you with this hint of things to come. Although short and stout much like the teapots of old, it goes to show that any dream, no matter how wild can become true. Play over the internet indeed.

[Lukipela]

As all good things, the first year of the Forum must come to an end. Even though one would expect the first year to go out with a bang, this month is fairly unremarkable. The only new member of any importance that joins is scareb, who only stays for a brief time and doesn't start posting for four months.

On the community side, Timewarp gets another update. It doesn't garner much interest on the forum, but it is better than nothing. Speaking of nothing, that is exactly what happens if a member complains about the site.

On the fan side of things, the month kicks off with yet another topic about a new sequel for Star Control 2. This is not uncommon, but not every month gets two separate threads on the subject. There's also some discussion on the aesthetics of ships in Star Control. Ships are discussed in more than one place, as Slylendro provides us with more 3D models. The thread quickly spirals into a discussion about the merits of wings in space, and ends with some very logical conclusions.

As has been mentioned, no significant new members arrive this month. Despite this, the month contains one of the best "I'm new thread" ever, which demonstrates exactly the wrong way to enter this forum. Newcomers take heed. Of course, there are wrong ways and weird ways.

As always, spelling is a hot topic on the forum. Azolero once more proves to us all just how well he can spell. The resultant bandwagon is gigantic, and sad to behold. A topic about Trade Wars receives slightly less attention. That means Eth is two for two for this month.


As has been mentioned, this is certainly not a busy month. Several topics about this are made, including this one, which also teaches us a valuable lesson about being rude and using smilies. That lesson is applied much later, in a thread that contains one of the more hilarious cases of mistaken identities on the board. It's not every day that you get mistaken for an undead spider. Unfortunately, while the result is hilarious, it also leads to an end, kumiorava is not heard from in three years.

And as the holiday season is coming up, there is of course a Christmas thread, as well as one for the New Year.

And thus, the first year is concluded. Stay tuned for January, when a classic contributor arrives.

[Lukipela]

This thread is now officially dead. I've too many other projects to keep this up, even though next month was going to be Moronic Maria month. Oh well, I guess we'll all just have to live with that. locking and unstickying.