First Civilization
The "Civilization",[1] with the Arknights Terra Wiki using "First Civilization" as a tentative designation, is a race in the Arknights universe.
Overview
Members of the First Civilization appear exactly identical to Earthlings, but whether this also extends to physical capability and lifespan, or if they are actually related to Earthlings remains unknown although likely to be the case to some degree.[note 1] The First Civilization is actually alien to Terra, being a spacefaring civilization, possibly a Type-II civilization based on the Kardashev scale, that arrived in Terra over 13,000 years before the events of Arknights take place, bringing animals that would evolve into Ancients and Elders with them. They displaced the Teekaz as Terra's sole inhabitants and built an advanced civilization over the course of millennia since their arrival.
Some 13,000 years ago, the majority of the First Civilization were wiped out by a "threat from above" – implied to be the Observers, and for unknown reasons, they shielded Terra's troposphere with the Starpod. The Civilization survivors constructed "The Door" to reconnect with other planets, but this went haywire as The Door unleashed the Collapsals onto Terra. They also carried out the "Preserver Project" as a contingency plan to ensure the continuity of the Civilization.
By the time of Arknights however, the First Civilization is all but extinct, at least in Terra, since only the Doctor and (technically) Friston who remained while the slumbering Civilization survivors part of the Preserver Project had their Sarcophagi's power drained, preventing them from ever being awakened, and Priestess' fate remains unknown. Although all but few of the current Terrans had no knowledge regarding the Civilization whatsoever, their legacy nonetheless shaped the Terrans in the millennia to come (most notably Originium which turned out to have been birthed from Priestess' "mad experiments"[2]).
Currently, only two notable figures from the current Terran generation have ever reached the "truth" left behind by the First Civilization: Kristen Wright and Herkunftshorn the Witch King. The former excavated relics of the predecessors while the latter used a more mystical approach to uncover the truth of Originium and the threat that buried their legacies.
Notable
Friston-3 was originally known as Trevor Friston prior to his consciousness being uploaded into the Preserver form.
Notes
Trivia
- The First Civilization are based on the ancient astronauts, but they also resemble the science fiction trope of ancient civilization predating the current one with far advanced technological capabilities.