Vector Shift — Earth Heritage Decision#

Approved by Briana • 18 September 2026

Humanity on Kethra/Selenne descends from Earth. The people of Kethra do not know where Earth is. To them Earth is a myth, spoken of as "Earth that was".

Briana's words: "The Earth heritage has to be noted - but these people have no idea of earths location, only that it is like a myth: 'Earth that was'".

This settles the question left open in the star naming decision. The Greek and Norse star names are remembered Earth mythology, carried across from a world no one can find.

What this settles#

• Humans came to Andromeda from Earth.
• Earth's location has been lost.
• In the culture, Earth survives only as myth: "Earth that was".

Still open#

• How and when humans reached Andromeda, and why the way back was lost.
• Whether any records, artefacts or technology from the crossing survive, and who holds them.
• Whether the capital and the frontier tell the Earth myth differently. (Proposal: they probably do, in the same way they name the planet and stars differently.)
• Whether this bears on the "humanity's homeworld" saga. Kethra could serve as humanity's homeworld in the sense that matters to the people living there.

Guidance for AI actors#

• No character knows where Earth is. No character can prove Earth existed.
• Characters may treat "Earth that was" as history, religion, legend or nonsense, depending on who they are.
• Myths from Earth, such as the Greek and Norse star names, are part of the culture. Where those myths came from is part of the legend.

Phrase note#

"Earth-That-Was" is also the phrase used in Joss Whedon's Firefly and Serenity for humanity's lost origin world. Briana was told about this overlap. This is a creative approval, not a finding about trademark or commercial availability.

Prepared by Claude.