[b]I had to split this post in two parts, so definitely check out part 2: [/b] https://www.bungie.net/de/Forum/Post/255197369/0/0 “Last Days on Kraken Mare” is a fascinating lore book. Not only does it tell a fantastic mini story, it also gives some inside into some less explored areas of Destiny lore. While I could talk about the info we get about Rasputin, the Collapse or the Arcology, today, I’m going to take a look at all the small references we get about aspects of life during the Golden Age, which is quite possibly the least explored area of Destiny lore. I’ve grouped the references I’ve found into three categories, those being [b]Technology[/b], [b]Society[/b] and [b]Military[/b]. [b][u]Society:[/u][/b] We already knew that human lifespan drastically increased during the Golden Age, but this lore book gives us a specific example. Mia van der Venne, the book’s protagonist is said to be more than 200 years old and has been working at the Arcology for 100 years. She’s also a great-grandmother (at least). This makes me question if the increased lifespan also increased the rate at which humans mature. We don’t know if the increased lifespan came directly from the Travelers influence or if it was due to scientific advancement. I’d like propose the theory that it was due to the latter, specifically body enhancements, which we will talk about later. Let’s talk politics . It’s never explicitly stated that a world unification took place during the collapse, although it seems like it did. This book works against that assumption. [i][quote]"Some American you are," Mia teases him. David comes from the North American Empire, Earth's biggest voluntary retro-nationalist republic, full of people who love military pageantry and muscular aerospace displays.[/quote][/i] We can gather a couple of things from this quote: 1. There is no definitive one-world-government 2. Nationalism is considered outdated 3. The NAE seems to be an independent country 4. There are more counties like the NAE Since Nationalism seems to be outdated at this point in time, we can assume that most of the world has united, except for some independent nationalist counties. The different colonies throughout the solar system also seem to be independent. Mia confirms that the Arcology was at least “legally” considered independent. I think it’s safe to assume that this was also true for other colonies, since most were research-based. We also learn about David Korosec, who is the author of the most prominent theory on the Travelers morality during the Golden Age. "The Traveler will protect us, no matter what happens.” It’s interesting how this sentiment has survived until this day, even through the collapse. Another interesting comparison can be made to the mantras of the speakers we learn about in “Constellations”. Society during the Golden Age seems to be very scientifically driven. The citizens of Titan are raised with scientific theories, specifically game theory and community ethics. Equality is a big deal for them. It’s not certain if this also applies to the rest of humanity, since the colonies on Titan seem to be made to house and raise scientists. Interestingly enough, Religion is also still around. We get a reference to a Muslim character that, instead of praying towards Mekka on Earth, prays to Mekka if it were moved to Titan. This blend of highly advanced society with traditional religious motives is extremely interesting. Even more interesting is the fact that religion has survived the arrival of the Traveler, an actual godlike being. I also want to mention the role of Clovis Bray. We learn that the company had a “corporate embassy” on the Arcology and that there was a personality cult around the Brays. All of this reinforces the huge influence the mega corporation had during the Golden Age, not only on a technological, but on a societal level. I think it’s a given that they were involved in politics as well. [b][u]Technology:[/u][/b] As mentioned above, there are many references to body modifications in this book. They seem to be a common occurrence and come in different forms, specifically genetic and technological modifications. As for genetic modifications, it seems like animal DNA was used to enhance and expand human capabilities: [i][quote]Finch-tiny Xiana McCaig slams her fists down with not a tenth the strength that her chimp-splice muscles could summon.[/quote][/i] [i][quote]The gecko-grip surfaces on his forearms catch—and hold.[/quote][/i] This makes me question if these kind of genetic enhancements have survived in humans after the collapse or if they have been bred out of existence. Humans in the Last City don’t seem to have any extraordinary capabilities similar to that. This doesn’t mean much, since regular citizens rarely get mentioned in the lore. So the question remains. Another possibility is that these genetic enhancements were individually made for every embryo. That could mean that these special genes weren’t passed down from the parents, but rather “added” to the embryos after conception. I don’t know anything about gene splicing though, so I could be absolutely wrong here. The second type of enhancements are technology-based. The most prominent one is something referred to as a “sensorium”. [i][quote]Connectivity supervisor Ismail Barat's Zen-shura training distills his attention down to a single laser-bright point; he is here with Mia, even as his brain drifts on a hundred different data feeds.[/quote][/i] [i][quote]The alert scrolls through Mia's mind, in that hallucinatory screen space that matches but never impairs normal vision.[/quote][/i] The sensorium seems to be a data interface, most likely based on an implant. The interface manifests as a kind of hallucination. This means that’s it’s not a heads-up-display of sorts, but like a thought, which is an extremely cool idea. The sensorium has access to many different data feeds and even allows the user to see through cameras. Unlike the other body modifications, this one seems to be a little more rare and is likely only used in certain professional fields. Only two characters seem to have this enhancement, both due to their jobs on the Arcology. On another note, there is a hint towards some sort of bone modifications: [i][quote]Maybe, like Xiana, her bones are more than bones too.[/quote][/i] Reinforced bones seem like the most obvious answer, but based on the quote and its context, it seems like there is more functionality to them. Based on the level of technology we’re dealing with, that could literally be anything. Continued in part 2: https://www.bungie.net/de/Forum/Post/255197369/0/0 Edit: changed the title