Caldari State

Lore & Background

The Caldari and the Gallente homeworlds are situated in the same star system. The Gallente homeworld was originally settled by descendants of French colonists of Tau Ceti, while Caldari Prime was purchased by a multinational megacorporation that began to terraform it. The terraforming was incomplete at the time of the EVE wormhole's collapse, so the planet remained environmentally inhospitable for millennia. Originally the Caldari composed a member race within the Gallente Federation, but cultural animosity between the two peoples spiralled into a war during which the Caldari seceded to found their own Caldari State.

The war lasted 93 years, with neither nation able to overwhelm the other. The planet Caldari Prime was initially retained by the Gallente Federation during the war, and did not become part of the new Caldari State. A Caldari offensive later managed to recapture their lost homeworld, a fact which was viewed with abhorrence by the Gallente, who saw the presence of a significant Caldari fleet about the planet as a mass hostage taking. After 5 years of Caldari control over Caldari Prime, the Gallente launched their own offensive to retake the planet through the destruction of the Caldari Leviathan-Class Titan Shiigeru.

They successfully destroyed Shiigeru, although the planet is now demilitarized and separated into districts split between Caldari and Gallente control. The Caldari State is economy- and trade-oriented, but organised as a statist corporatocracy. As the Caldari did not share the Gallente enthusiasm for diversity, the State at the time of its formation found itself at a relative population deficit compared to its Gallente adversary; rather than encourage massive immigration, this population shortage was rectified by a Statewide programme of artificial reproduction, producing a generation of so-called 'Tube Children' raised by the Caldari State apparatus to enlarge the labour pools available to the megacorporations that ruled the State.

Reader's Guide

Caldari ships are typically poorly armored and not particularly fast but utilize powerful energy shields, and make extensive use of torpedo and/or missile launchers. This design philosophy reflects the State's corporate pragmatism: shields provide a regenerating defense that can be maintained without heavy armor, while missiles and torpedoes deliver consistent damage at range. In combat, Caldari pilots often rely on shield tanking and long-range missile volleys to outlast and outdamage opponents.

The State's economy- and trade-oriented nature means that Caldari pilots are also well-suited to industrial and trading roles, leveraging the megacorporations' logistical networks. The State's history of secession and war with the Gallente Federation shapes its military doctrine, emphasizing disciplined fleet formations and electronic warfare to counter the Gallente's drone and hybrid weapon systems.