Orz

The Orz are — is — an alien species/projections of an extradimensional entity first encountered by The Captain in the space near where the Androsynth (c.22nd century CE) and the Taalo (c.23,000 BCE to c.20,000 BCE) had been known to reside. Despite a notable distaste for the human-derived Androsynth and for the mysterious Arilou, the Orz would happily join with the New Alliance of Free Stars and provide the Captain with their powerful Orz Nemesis starship designs, if desired.

Description
Orz appear as gill-breathers who resemble yellow parrotfish with eyestalks, though it is not known if this is their actual true form (or if such terms are actually applicable to them). Direct conversation with Orz, despite the translation difficulties, usually leads to the conclusion that the Orz come from another dimension; additionally the Arilou describe the Orz as "dimensional travellers." When asked about their origins, the Orz explain that, though both the Arilou and the Orz are from the *outside*, the Arilou are from *above* while the Orz are from below. The precise meaning of this explanation is still up to debate. There are three possible interpretations — if *above* refers to QuasiSpace, *below* would then likely refer to another, similar dimension located on the "other side" of HyperSpace and TrueSpace; if *outside* refers to QuasiSpace, then *above* and *below* might be regions of QuasiSpace; *above* and *below* may also stand for an obscure characteristic of the Orz in contrast to Arilou.

There has been some discussion — confirmed by Fred Ford and Paul Reiche III — that the Orz as they are seen in normal space are actually a projection of some higher-dimensional being, namely Them.1 The Orz-entity refers to what is seen of itself in the known dimensions as its *fingers* and explains that it is not like other races who are *many bubbles*. In essence, all Orz may be multiple manifestations of the same creature. The Orz sometimes refer to themselves in the singular third person, although whether this is another quirk of the Orz's odd speech pattern or a reference to their true essence is unclear.

Origin
The Orz are a newcomer to TrueSpace that appeared suddenly in the vicinity of the Vulpeculae constellation, the adopted homeworlds of theAndrosynth. As the Androsynth vanished about the same time the Orz arrived, it is reasonable to think that the Orz did something to them, but asking the Orz about the subject infuriates them. The Melnorme and the Spathi state that the Orz caused the Androsynth disappearance, but both admit that this is their belief and not an actual certainty. Based on comments from the Arilou, it is possible that the Inter-Dimensional Fatigueexperiments that were being performed by the Androsynth (and perhaps the Taalo before them) brought the Vulpeculae constellation to the Orz's attention.

Just where the Orz resided before arriving in the area of Vulpeculae is unknown. The Orz indicate that they like TrueSpace and even prefer it over their origin dimension and are now in the process of fully moving into TrueSpace. They also denote that they have no intention of returning at any time to their original home.

Relations with other races
Only a few of the races in Star Control II mention the Orz at all. This is not surprising as they appear to be new in TrueSpace. The relations that they do have are as mysterious as the Orz themselves.

Androsynth
The appearance of the Orz coincided with the disappearance of the Androsynth from the same location. In fact, both the Arilou and the Orz themselves suggest that it was the IDF research of the Androsynth which enabled the Orz to come to TrueSpace.

Whether the Orz themselves were the cause for the disappearance of the Androsynth is the subject of a lot of speculation. Evidence for it exists, but is very circumstantial. Whatever their involvement, asking too much about the Androsynth is enough reason for the Orz to attack you.

Arilou Lalee'lay
Dialogs with both the Arilou and Orz suggest that they have had contact outside of TrueSpace. The Orz do not like the Arilou very much, and complain that the Arilou are always "*jumping in front*". Conversely, the Arilou warn not to trust the Orz, as they are dangerous.

Melnorme
The Melnorme know of the existence of the Orz, and that they appeared when the Androsynth disappeared. Whether they've met them in person is unclear. While there is a Melnorme trader in Orz space, the Orz never mention Melnorme.

Spathi
The Spathi also mention that the Orz entered this space when the Androsynth disappeared. They think that they are creepy and warn against an alliance. This is all based on their own speculation though, and arguably the Spathi would object to an alliance with almost any race on this basis. Whether they have met the Orz in person or only heard about them from descriptions is unclear.

Taalo
The Orz mention the Taalo on several occasions. They seem to have been in contact over a longer period of time. According to the Orz, the Taalo have fled TrueSpace to *Pretty Space*, to which the Orz can also go. The Orz refer to Delta Vulpeculae II-C as the Taalo *playground*, where the Taalo "are making *Time jokes*", and the Orz *chase* the Taalo and *play* with them. The Orz consider the Taalo to be better *campers* than the Humans. As the Orz language isn't very clear, it may be that this is all in the past though.

VUX
The Orz briefly mention the VUX, as being "*silly cows*" for asking too many questions about the Androsynth, which prompted the Orz to attack the VUX. (*silly cows* are races disliked by Orz).

Theories
There are various theories to explain the various mysteries surrounding the Orz.

The Orz are Them
There are theories that the Orz are in fact the ghost-like creatures that the Androsynth IDF researchers (and Bukowski, probably) ran into. They are mostly based on the fact that They were coming into this world just before the Androsynth disappeared, which was when the Orz appeared. Even when accepting that the timing of the appearance of the Orz is not a coincidence, they do not have to be Them. The Orz could have detected the Androsynth in the same way as They did.

It has been confirmed (in the 2007 chat) that the Orz is/are a part of Them, or rather the projection of Them into TrueSpace.

The Orz killed the Androsynth
This is based again on the timing of the appearance of the Orz and the disappearance of the Androsynth, combined with the fact that the Orz refuse to talk about the Androsynth. If this is true, then the Orz would be responsible for the violent land war that wiped out the Androsynth civilization. This is suggested by both the Melnorme and the Spathi. In the same dialogs however, it is made clear that they don't actually know that. A reliable source explicitly asserts that the Androsynth were indeed "snagged" by the Orz entity.

The Orz are altered Androsynth
This theory is a variation of the idea that the Orz are responsible for the disappearance of the Androsynth. In this theory, "snagged" is interpreted as meaning some kind of infection or possession that transformed the Androsynth into the Orz. Usually this theory is proposed as a way to explain the mysterious lack of Androsynth corpses in the ruins of their city. The Arilou description of malignant, parasitic creatures from Beyond (Them) and reference to the Androsynth and Orz as an example are also usually taken as evidence of this theory.

The Orz are protecting races by killing those who ask too many questions about the Androsynth
This reflects the remarks made by the Arilou about parasites from beyond that can detect you when you show yourself. If you reject the theory that the Orz killed the Androsynth, this would provide an alternative explanation that connects 'Them', the disappearance of the Androsynth, and the Orz. In this case, the Orz, like the Arilou, would be attempting to keep TrueSpace races ignorant of and thus invisible to the extradimensional parasites. This theory has been shown to be false in the 2007 IRC chat with Toys for Bob (see The Orz are Them).

The Orz snagged the Androsynth to protect them from Them
This one is a variation of the theory previously presented, that also explains what the Orz did to the Androsynth. However, this appears to contradict the Arilou's statements that the Orz are dangerous and not to be trusted. This theory has been shown to be false in the 2007 IRC chat with Toys for Bob.

The Orz seek to take advantage of indigenous races in some undefined way
The Orz say they dislike the Arilou because they are "jumping in front." The Arilou claim to have changed humans to protect them from the "parasites" that would like to find them. It may be that the Orz want space and races that the Arilou do not control as these would be easier to conquer or manipulate.

Translating Orz Communications

 * Main article: Orz communications

The translation computer aboard The Flagship is not able to accurately translate many of the words the Orz are using. While in most cases the meaning can be approximated from the context, an exact translation is usually highly speculative.

Technology
(to be added later)

Notes and references

 * 1 From the 2007 IRC chat with Toys for Bob (robot is Fred Ford, PR3 is Paul Reiche III):
 * 23:55 <+Cap`n`Kyth> One thing I've wondered - is Orz the same as 'Them', or is Orz "competing" with 'Them' over the Androsynth (like food?), or protecting the Androsynth from 'Them' - by *pulling* the Androsynth away before 'They' can find the Androsynth again?
 * 23:57 <+PR3> The Orz is part of Them, the projection of Them into TrueSpace.
 * 2 From the 1998 IRC chat with Toys for Bob (Fwiffo is both Fred Ford and Paul Reiche III here):
 *  Fwiffo- What really happened to the Androsynth in sc2?
 *  In regards to the Androsynth: They were snagged by the entity who/which projected its fingers into our dimension (which looked to us as the Orz.)