First Formic War
Humanity's first war with the Formics, fought against a single scout ship.
The First Formic War is the first conflict between humanity and the Formics, or buggers, in the Ender's Game series. It is set a century before the events of Ender's Game and is told in the First Formic War trilogy by Orson Scott Card and Aaron Johnston: Earth Unaware, Earth Afire and Earth Awakens.
Lore & Background
An alien ship enters the Solar System, decelerating from near light speed, and shows its hostile intentions by destroying human ships, among them a fleet of asteroid miners who band together to stop it. The miner Victor Delgado reaches the Moon with a warning but is not taken seriously, so humanity is unprepared when the war starts. The ship sends three enormous landing craft to southeast China, where the Formics use gas to defoliate the surrounding areas. Mazer Rackham and the Mobile Operations Police destroy one lander with a tactical nuclear weapon. A boarding party led by Victor Delgado then captures the alien ship intact, at the cost of Captain Wit O'Toole's life.
Reader's Guide
The captured ship turns out to be only a scout ship: the real mothership is reconfiguring itself into a battle fleet that will arrive in about five years. The devastation of China leads to the reorganization of Earth's government for defense, with a Hegemon, a Polemarch and the new International Fleet.
Frequently Asked Questions
What was the First Formic War?
It was the first Formic invasion of Earth, set a century before the events of Ender's Game. The invaders devastated China before a coalition of corporate and international military forces and the Chinese army beat them back.
How did the First Formic War end?
It ended when a human boarding party captured the Formic ship intact, while a force led by Lem Jukes held off the Formics returning from Earth.
Where did the battles take place?
The fighting began far out in the Kuiper Belt, where the alien ship destroyed mining ships, and moved to southeast China, where its three landers came down. The last battle was fought in space, around and aboard the alien ship.
What technology was used during the conflict?
Asteroid miners attacked the ship with mining explosives planted on its hull, and a tactical nuclear weapon destroyed one of the landers.
More in Lore & History
Elsewhere in Ender's Game
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