Khar'shan: The Batarian Homeworld
Khar'shan was the homeworld of the batarians, the center of an empire whose boastful propaganda masked a state hollowed out by Citadel sanctions. The Reapers struck it early in their invasion, severing its communications and likely dealing the empire a death blow.
Khar'shan was the homeworld of the batarians and the heart of their empire, a state wrapped less in mystery than in outright lies. Batarian propaganda boasted of a vast population and an economy rivaling the asari, but Citadel sanctions had reduced the empire to a paper tiger that fought its rivals through deniable terrorism rather than open war. When the Reapers came, Khar'shan was among the first worlds to fall, and the assault likely marked the death blow for the old batarian order. (Mass Effect 3)
A homeworld of propaganda#
Khar'shan was the batarian homeworld, a place wrapped less in mystery than in outright lies. Batarian propaganda claimed that the world held fifteen billion inhabitants and supported an economy that rivaled that of the asari. The reality was far more modest. While the empire's legal slave trade did boost batarian profits somewhat, Citadel sanctions had hollowed the state into a paper tiger, an empire that pursued its rivals through deniable terrorist actions rather than the open wars it had waged in its heyday centuries earlier. (Mass Effect 3)
Native life#
The world was a harsh one. Its plains were home to the ignac, a spiky type of spice cone, and its waters held a black and yellow snapping eel known to attack fish larger than itself when hungry. (Mass Effect 3; Mass Effect: Annihilation)
The Reaper invasion#
The Reapers would likely prove the death blow to the batarian empire. Khar'shan was struck early in the invasion, and after the Reapers destroyed its comm buoys almost no information escaped the world. What did come out arrived through batarian refugees, who reported that the shared experience of resistance had forged a new bond among the common people. If a new government could rise from the ashes of the old empire, that bond might yet sustain a new batarian society. (Mass Effect 3)
Frequently asked questions
- What is Khar'shan?
- Khar'shan was the homeworld of the batarians and the heart of their empire, a garden world in the Milky Way. The article describes it as a state wrapped less in mystery than in outright lies.
- Was the batarian empire as powerful as its propaganda claimed?
- Batarian propaganda claimed the world held fifteen billion inhabitants and an economy that rivaled the asari, but the reality was far more modest. While the legal slave trade boosted profits somewhat, Citadel sanctions had hollowed the state into a paper tiger that fought rivals through deniable terrorism rather than open war.
- What native life is found on Khar'shan?
- The world was a harsh one. Its plains were home to the ignac, a spiky type of spice cone, and its waters held a black and yellow snapping eel known to attack fish larger than itself when hungry.
- What happened to Khar'shan during the Reaper invasion?
- Khar'shan was struck early in the invasion and was among the first worlds to fall, likely marking the death blow for the old batarian empire. After the Reapers destroyed its comm buoys, almost no information escaped the world.
- Could the batarians rebuild after Khar'shan fell?
- What information escaped came through batarian refugees, who reported that the shared experience of resistance had forged a new bond among the common people. If a new government could rise from the ashes of the old empire, that bond might yet sustain a new batarian society.
Sources
- GameMass Effect 3, BioWare, 2012
- BookMass Effect: Annihilation, Catherynne M. Valente, 2018
Spotted a factual error or a primary source we missed? Email a correction. Every flagged claim gets reviewed.
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