The Precursors reference article from the English Wikipedia on 24-Apr-2004 (provided by Fixed Reference: snapshots of Wikipedia from wikipedia.org)

Precursors

The Precursors are a fictional race of beings featured in the sci-fi Star Control computer game series.

Like so many Science Fiction universes, even the Star Control universe has his own ancient, long-lost civilization. The Precusors are to the Star Control universe like the Atlantis-saga is to humankind since the ancient greek and Plato.

It is not uncommon in this region of the galaxy to find ruins and relics of the race we know as the Precursors. It seems strange, then, that we know so little about the Precursors, since so many of their artifacts and installations have been found; we don't even know the proper name for their species. The Precursors inhabited space approximately 300,000 years ago. Both their origins and subsequent demise are shrouded in mystery. On some planets they inhabited, they left knowledge tablets containing the imprint of valuable technological relics. These are age-old, still functional devices left in stasis cubbies by the Precursor cultures. The most famous of the Precursor finds was on the planet Vela II where an entire Precursor base has been discovered.

Physically, little is know about the Precursors, although some light was shed on this when the Vela II base started producing a Precursor sevice vehicle. The ship was huge, and the interior layout showed that the Precursors were giants, and seemingly not bipedal. Levers were almost impossible to move, three people were required to actuate a single switch, and the chairs, beds and other furnishings were better suited for a wooly mammoth than a human. Human explorers conversing with the Slylandro reported that the "gas bags" had seen the Precursors and described them as shaggy giants, thus keeping in line with the general idea of what a Precursor looked like.

It is widely believed that the Precursors left this region of space heading coreward. As they departed, they left behind the many artifacts and several rainbow worlds, aligned in the direction of their departure about 235,000 years ago. The Precursors were the most technologically advanced race that this part of the galaxy has ever seen and remain a true mystery to this day.

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