Super Earth

"Super Earth - Our home. Prosperity, liberty and democracy - Our way of life. But it doesn't come free: it is every man, woman and child's duty to protect our home, our culture, and our families. Why not make the most important decision of your life; make the safety of your family a personal responsibility, and prove that you have the strength and courage to be free? Join the HELLDIVERS! Travel the galaxy, visit the capitals, meet unusual people and represent the federation. Secure the resources we need to preserve our way of life and create a future for Super Earth. Spread managed democracy throughout the galaxy. Become more than you are. Become a Hero. Become... a Legend!"

- Broadcast Narrator



"It is the year 2084.

''When mankind ventured into space, we were curious to see if anything loomed behind those stars; unfortunately, we were right. The initial contacts were peaceful, but soon the people of Super Earth realized the potential danger of communicating with alien species, and before we knew it, they started our first intergalactic war.''

''For 40 years, the war has raged on, a conflict whereby three hostile alien species are hell-bent on a single goal: the total annihilation of the human species. Luckily, the fighting spirit of man has not decayed since the last great war on Earth. We are now stronger than ever; man, woman and child alike are encouraged to try their strengths in the ultimate test - to have the courage to defend Super Earth." - Encyclopedia Description''

Politics of Super Earth
''"Mankind has improved upon the old concept of Democracy. Utilizing computer aided voting software, citizens are asked to answer several questions, and the outcome of their vote is decided upon by the computer. This removes the uncertainty that existed in the old systems where voters didn't understand fully what they were voting for, giving us Managed Democracy." - Encyclopedia Description''

Citizens of the federation of Super Earth use automated voting software; they answer a few questions on the Galactic Wide Web (GWW) and the computer votes for them based on that outcome. The GWW is a network of interlinked communication devices that transmit data using quantum communication, "very elementary stuff" according to the ship's C.O.

Political Climate
It is made very clear at several points in the game itself and in some of its DLC's descriptions that the government of Super Earth has a history of brutally suppressing dissidents:
 * The Super Earth broadcast screen states that: "Questions regarding the Federation or Government of Super Earth shall be sent to the appropriate quadrant. It is illegal to express oneself openly about the Federation or Government of Super Earth in a negative manner and serious cases may result in arrest or termination. Brought to you by Super Earth Pt Ltd. Sponsored by Super Earth."
 * One of the Privates on the ship's bridge mentioned that their neighbor apparently pressed charges on their son for not honoring the Super Earth flag, implying that is considered a crime serious enough to warrant turning in one's own close family members.
 * The ship's C.O. states that all communications over the Galactic Wide Web (GWW) are continuously monitored by Super Earth in search of "alien sympathizers".
 * Citizens who doubt whether the terrorist bombings Super Earth uses as a justification to attack the Cyborgs are actually caused by anyone affiliated with the Cyborg Nation are decried as "Cyborg sympathizers". Those who wish for peace talks with the Cyborgs are painted as "hippies" and Senator John W. Killjoy threatens to have them jailed or even executed.
 * Entire units of Helldivers, arguably among the most loyal citizens of Super Earth, have been known to be summarily executed for supposedly being alien sympathizers.
 * The first use of the iconic Hellpods was when the socialist government of Northman's Creek tried to secede from the federation of Super Earth. After fifty Helldivers dropped into the Parliament, they were quickly executed and the planet brought into compliance. These days, Northman's Creek is the region capital of the Struve Region on the Bug front.
 * The MP-98 Knight SMG is "often used by the Ministry of Defence to rapidly incapacitate groups of wrong-thinkers".
 * The Defenders' signature weapon is the aptly-nicknamed CR-9 Suppressor, a semi/full auto rifle firing small fragmentation grenades that can devastate large masses of enemies. Their AD-334 Guard Dog drones are most effective against unarmored targets, firing indiscriminately at anything deemed hostile.
 * The Ranger Pack DLC description mentions that "Ranger training was standard procedure for all Helldivers in the early years of Super Earth, but has now become rarer". From the Defender Pack DLC description, we know that "Helldiver Defenders used to double as riot police before humanity unified properly".

The above means it's likely that (a portion of) early Super Earth riot police were fully-trained military assassination and reconnaisance specialists before Super Earth unified -- and that the Ministry of Defence also either acted as a police force or supplemented it.

''Fun fact: the TOX-13 Avenger was "developed by Dr. Junko under the 2079 act of self-defence research and has been tested extensively on live targets". The DLC description for the Hazard Ops Pack also notes the following: "Sometimes shunned by fellow Helldivers for their use of inhumane warfare, many a Helldiver is happy to have them on the mission when it comes down to life or death. It's not like the enemy is Human after all."''

Enemies of Super Earth
"Our galaxy, the Milky Way, is inhabited by more species than was previously believed, and it turns out, most of them are, in one way or another--hostile.

''The Super Earth military is fighting to keep back the tide of enemies that besiege us from all fronts. The elite Helldivers go both beyond the front and behind our own lines to support you and our troops." - Encyclopedia Description''

The game consists of an endless series of wars against three factions: the Bugs, Cyborgs and The Illuminate. As soon as one war is won (or lost), another one immediately starts. The admiral on the ship's bridge pretty much admits to this, stating: "[...] of course, when we have won this war, there will be another to fight, and after that - another! After that? Another! I could go on, but you get my point - let us focus on this war."

Cyborg Secessionists
''"A couple of years ago, Cyborg terrorists detonated a massive bomb in one of the city-planets killing thousands of civilians – now is our time to get back at them!" - Ship's C.O.''

Super Earth's usual "case for war" against the Cyborg Nation is: a cybernetically augmented human, in an act of terrorism, detonates explosives in the center of District 48 of Super Earth, killing 8 citizens. Those who doubt the official story run the risk of being labeled "cyborg sympathizers". Note that the initial explosion may have killed thousands, but that every war with the Cyborgs in the game's Galactic Campaign is caused by a much, much smaller-scale terrorist attack.

Cyberstan, the Cyborg Nation's homeworld, is a barren snow-covered wasteland on the galactic fringe. Whenever it is conquered by Super Earth, the Cyborgs are then "democratized" by force, coerced into the voting booths by the threat of losing their civil rights. Super Earth's Army Tactical Command invariably stations troops on the planet for a period of 5 years to "keep the peace and run government positions", after which period the Cyborgs' culture is supposed to have transitioned to a "fully democratic" one (by Super Earth standards). Meanwhile, the Super Earth Construction Company (SECC), a government contractor, takes over the massive forges and industrial complexes of Cyberstan. Eventually, inevitably, another bombing starts this whole cycle anew.

Cyborgs are often depicted by the Super Earth government as socialists; they're not helping their case with their choice of logo: a red star. Constantly shouting battle cries and muttering to themselves in a variety of languages, Cyborg troops gleefully deride the Helldivers and Super Earth as (among other things) "plutarch scum".

Rumors about the Cyborgs circulate among the ship's crew members; some (or all) of these rumors could be the result of Super Earth propaganda. According to one of the Privates, "a crazy scientist started replacing body parts on people she had kidnapped." The threat of being taken away by Cyborgs for these "perverse modifications" is apparently used as a boogeyman.

Bugs: Problem or Solution?
''"The federation has decided that the Bug threat is becoming too great. Senator John W. Killjoy declared "The Bugs have been a plague in this galaxy for far too long, they must now be eradicated before they spread to other worlds"." - Bug War Announcement''

The Bugs are a sentient extraterrestrial species, their form reminiscent of very large Earth insects, arachnids or crustaceans. As far as the scientists of Super Earth know, their homeworld is Kepler Prime, a desert planet on the eastern fringe of the galaxy.

Bugs are known to generate "vast quantities" of oil during decomposition, similar to how Earth's pre-human lifeforms provide us with fossil fuel sources. During the announcement of each new war against the Bugs, mention is made of "lost oil pumps" that the Helldiver Corps is to reactivate. These oil pumps (which, as shown in the game's intro, prominently feature a Helldiver skull emblem over an oil drop) are also found on Kepler Prime. The implications of this are that the Helldiver Corps is responsible for at least part of the resource-gathering process, and that they have been to Kepler Prime before – possibly triggering the Bugs to attack Super Earth.

Super Earth propaganda depicts the Bugs as a threat that will infest the entire galaxy if not suppressed. However, when the war against the Bugs is won, the tune is quickly changed; suddenly, the Bugs are a rare, valuable species that is a potentially unlimited supply of fossil fuel resources for Super Earth and eliminating them "just wouldn't be right from a moral perspective". Following this, a certain scientist called Dr. Henk Ploeg then works on a way to safely breed the Bugs in a controlled manner.

As there is always a new war after the current one, and a new one after that, and so on, we can infer that this "safe breeding" of Bugs tends not to work out too well.

Illuminate Weapons of Mass Destruction
''"We have solid evidence that the Illuminate have an extremely powerful nano-fusion device that can destroy an entire planet. Could you imagine the cry of millions if even one of these devices are used?" - Ship's C.O.''

The Illuminate, or Sq'uith as they call themselves, are an advanced extragalactic race which for millennia has had settlements in the south quadrant of the galaxy. If Super Earth propaganda is to be believed, the aliens consider themselves enlightened beings (hence the name – but why would they call themselves the Sq'uith then?). Originating from the ocean, the Illuminate species makes use of bio-electronics and nano-powered devices. According to the ship's science officer, they still sting slightly when touched because of their vestigial electrolyte glands: "[The Illuminate] went down the path of electricity in the same way we did from rocks to bullets".

The blue-skinned species was first encountered in the late 21st century, when Illuminate recon craft were frequently sighted. These sightings were dismissed as folklore back then, but after a time, the Illuminate came forward with a peace offering. This was declined by the government of Super Earth when it was found out that the mollusc-like aliens had "large quantities of world-destroying devices", nicknamed "obliterator bombs" by Super Earth. This was deemed sufficient cause for a pre-emptive strike, aimed at removing their presence from the galaxy and obtaining their highly-advanced technology. To quote senator John W. Killjoy: "The statement sends a clear message to all would-be threats to Super Earth; if they have more advanced technology than us, be prepared to pay the price".

After succesfully defending against a region capital assault from the Illuminate, the ship's admiral reminds the player that there is solid evidence that the Illuminate were planning to use a planet-destroying device. However, lost region capitals can be recaptured from the Illuminate. Considering that Super Earth is destroyed and then moved to a new planet whenever the war is lost, the capitals could indeed have been destroyed and a new one with the same name set up; it could also simply mean that the Illuminate are not as willing to use their weapons of planetary destruction as the citizens of Super Earth are led to believe.

Super Earth deals with those who take a more tolerant stance towards the Sq'uith (describing the aliens as "ancient and wise") by means of public executions. The Helldivers are sent in to disarm or preferably capture any WMDs and other potentially useful technologies that eclipse what Super Earth has at its disposal.

Upon their defeat, Super Earth forces the Illuminate to sign a treaty which disallows them from creating an armed forces branch and requires them to turn over all of their weapons technology to Super Earth. According to Dr. Henk Ploeg, PhD, "the amount of technology we are going to receive will accelerate our technology tenfold and allow us to create peacekeeping devices that have the power to destroy entire planets!"

Culture

 * Liberty Day is celebrated by the citizens of Super Earth on the 26th of October. The HELLDIVERS community also celebrates Liberty Day. Arrowhead Studios has released free DLC, available to everyone, on this date consistently (as of 2018).


 * Every citizen of Super Earth is issued a ceremonial (but functional) M2016 Constitution bolt-action rifle when they turn 16, to encourage military service. The government is giving out free weapons to get its young citizens used to handling a firearm, which implies a highly militaristic society.


 * The C1-PERM (pronounced "cee-one-perm") child permit form is required for citizens of Super Earth to legally reproduce. According to the NPC Privates on the ship's bridge, these forms are not that easy to fill out. Interestingly, the female Private also mentions having a wife (in text, but not in the spoken dialogue). If this is not an oversight (considering that the Privates mostly have the same lines), it can be inferred that same-sex relationships are not considered a taboo in Super Earth culture.

Technology

 * "[The GWW] can receive information at any time: during warp, deep space exploration and even during battle. It works by an array of quantum devices with interlinked particles, which can instantly transfer voice communication, text messaging, important information from Super Earth, and so forth! The only delay is from the surveillance patriots on Super Earth who search all communication for signs of alien sympathizers." - Ship's C.O.


 * "Fun fact: Did you know that this ship can get to any position in the galaxy in mere seconds? This is due to the Alcubierre drive invented in the early 2030s. The drive works by creating a wave in the time-space to actually make time and, well, space flow around the ship!" - Ship's C.O.