Dark Age of Technology

(Copied article from wh40k.lexicanum.com )

The Dark Age of Technology was the zenith of mankind's scientific knowledge and technological power. Even millennia later mankind has not been able to equal or regain their former height of achievement. This age was long before the Age of the Imperium and knowledge of this time period is now incredibly sparse, and many "facts" about it are mere legend.

Although a "golden age" in terms of scientific achievement, because of the catastrophic effects of the following Age of Strife, mankind has since come to regard scientific knowledge as abhorrent and dangerous. The Age of Technology is thus considered "dark" in the Imperium's current age. It is also considered a dark age because mankind in the Age of Technology had come to worship science as god.

The Stellar Exodus
The Stellar Exodus is man's earliest colonisation of other worlds, taking place before the Age of Technology. Humanity initially established colonies within Terra's solar system. Spacecraft were still only capable of sub-light speeds. Voyages outside the solar system took generations and the colonies that were established were effectively isolated from each other and from Terra. Trade was therefore severely restricted. This forced the individual colonized star systems to be completely self-sufficient in all vital requirements (food, medicine, technology, etc).

The Warp Drive
The Age of Technology brought the development of the Warp Drive and the Geller Field, allowing spacecraft to make short warp jumps, traveling vast distances in a relatively short of amount of time. One can compare this to the way the Tau ships currently travel.

The warp drive accelerated the colonization of the Milky Way Galaxy, and allowed trade and communications between the colonies and Terra.

Navigators
The second vital development was that of the Navigator gene and the creation of the mutant Navigators, humans who could see the currents of the warp and navigate a course through them. This allowed spacecraft to make longer and more accurate warp jumps than previously possible.

The STC
Of major importance was the invention of the Standard Template Construct system. These evolved computers allowed colonies to maintain their technological level. The STCs contained all human technological knowledge and provided the instructions to build anything the colonists might need. As most colonists were simple and required only basic equipment, the more advanced technology was rarely utilized.

The resulting exploration brought mankind new knowledge, wealth and arrogance. Science is said to have become God. Humanity had encountered several alien races. With their discovery began the first human-alien wars. With mankind at the height of its power the threat of aliens was trivial and eventually non-aggression pacts were signed with many of the alien races.

At this time the human colonies were federated to Terra - allowing the human race to remain unified.

During the Age of Technology psykers were first scientifically verified to exist. It is however unexplained how these psykers avoided the danger of daemonic possession for thousands of years, which would have led to the destruction of entire worlds.

Where at first the gift of the psychic mutation was limited to a few individuals, who often fell victim to superstitious suppression, towards the end of the age, psykers suddenly began appearing in great numbers, on every human world. On the more progressive human worlds, these psykers - at least until the threat of daemonic possession became apparent - were protected and allowed to develop and explore their abilities. On other worlds they were often killed in witch-hunts.

The End of the Golden Age
This Golden Age would not last. Warp travel became increasingly difficult due to the great Warp Storms that would herald the violent birth of Slaanesh and the Fall of the Eldar. Trade between the Human colonies collapsed. With this relative isolation Abhumans (i.e. new human subspecies adapted to their environments) like the Ogryns, Ratlings, and Squats developed on several planets.

Certain planets, like Terra the ancient homeworld of Mankind - relying on the trade with the rest of humanity - were suddenly unable to feed their enormous populations. Hunger and starvation followed. The Human psykers were relatively weak and unexperienced, and at constant risk of possession by daemons and other warp entities. The sudden impossibility of warp travel meant that unified humanity broke apart into completely isolated systems and worlds. Daemonic possession, widespread insanity and isolation led to inter-human conflict, anarchy and regression to barbarity. The following time period is aptly named the Age of Strife.

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The Squats' Age of Founding corresponds to the Age of Technology.