(This is part of my journey going checking out Star Control 2. You can follow the entire series on the Retro Gaming page.)
Is there a way to break through the slave shields that cover the planets of those non-complient races? If there’s anyone who can do it, I was told, it’s the Chenjesu. Heading over to their home planet, I find that the Chenjesu and their partners, the Mhrmmmhmr, have already figured out some say to bust through the shield and return home. Also, they’re looking into creating some sort of hybrid race because there’s genuine love going on here. Aww.
Even if the shield is compromised, there’s a huge fleet of spider jerks between the planet and me, and they are all sorts of willing to pull off my arms and evangelize about their dark gods. Where’s my extra-strength can of Raid when I need it?
Unfortunately, as the Ilwrath fleet is endless here, I need to find some other way than straight-up combat to get them to scoot off.
This is actually pretty easy. I have some sort of caster device that, when used, makes the Ilwrath think that I’m the voices of their twin gods (but it’s against my programming to impersonate a deity). Once I use it, the Ilwrath start falling over themselves to obey my commands, which definitely does not go to my head. Who WOULDN’T want a personal race of hideous space spiders to command?
So after getting them to rename their race to the Dill-Rats (because I’m 14 at heart), I tell the spiders to lay off the Pkunk and go attack the Thraddish instead. This gets rid of both of these enemy races once and for all — and clears my path to the slave planet.
With the Dill-Rats off on their “evil jihad” (the game’s words, not mine), I’m free to approach the slave planet and use one of my doohickies to talk to the two races on the surface. Apparently they have a plan, which is good, because so far mine has been “wander aimlessly across the cosmos and hope I win.”
The first step is to merge their two species into one much more powerful race, then break through the shield and start bringing the pain to both the major alien enemy powers. Sure, I’m on board with that. The process is supposed to take 35 years, but ain’t nobody got time for that, so I blast them with my handy Sun Device and speed things up a tad.
The Chmmr emerge as the merged race, a little peeved that I sped up the process. OH WELL. Get over it, unfeeling video game. At least they’re willing to help out and talk.
In addition to giving me access to their fighters, the Chmmr lay out what must be done to defeat the Ur-Quan. The race used a giant precursor platform called the Sa-Matra to conquer the galaxy, so that platform must go if there’s to be any chance of victory. The only way to do that, however, is to assemble the parts of a giant bomb and then sidle right up to the Sa-Matra and explode it. Sounds fun. I’m trying so hard to not use the phrase “Death Star” here.
You know what this means: Time for an intergalactic scavenger hunt! For bomb parts! I am on SO MANY watch lists right now.
What.
Despite what you may think looking at this alien, he’s not a member of some demonic sado-masochistic cult. No, he’s a trader! And not the type that trades in souls. Actually, he’s pretty cheery. I can’t even begin to get into the headspace of this game’s developers.
Bio Break 