Desolation of Terra
With no surviving historical records, the fate of Terra—just like the historicity of its existence—is shrouded in uncertainty. However, stories of Terra's desolation (some say destruction) have been passed down by generations of Terrans. Details vary, but in all versions of the story, it is the Grid that brings doom to the planet.
Summary
This is a summary of the tale as passed down by the Hua family and told by Mulan's grandmother in Cosmic Warrior Hua Mulan:
Terra was once a prosperous place. Its people lived in peace and harmony, and they worked together to establish a global paradise. They almost succeeded in realizing their vision, but not before generations of environmental destruction caught up. Too much damage had been done, and it was too late to fix it. Mass extinctions occurred, and famine followed.
All was not over for humanity, however. Scientists developed synthetic food, as well as an artificial intelligence, GIDION (the original name of the Grid), that would manage its production and distribution. GIDION was far more efficient than any human organization, and the hunger crisis was solved.
But GIDION continued to build factories and produce far more food than anyone needed, eventually causing a power crisis. Terrans attempted to put a stop to it, but that only provoked GIDION to build weapons to defend itself. It became an unstoppable force... until it stopped, and it moved its operations to Mercury.
Terrans celebrated their victory, but satellites began to appear around the sun soon after. They were orbital factories, built where they could harness limitless solar energy and where GIDION wouldn't be disturbed. GIDION continued building them until it had used up all the material on Mercury, and the sheer volume of satellites blocked the sun's light from reaching Terra. As Terra froze, its people built starships and fled, never to return.
Historical Basis
Show spoiler
The discovery of Terra confirms that the Grid did in fact originate on Terra, which it has transformed into an industrial wasteland where it is still producing food.
Variations & Mutation
According to some versions of the legend, the Grid produced other items (for example, shoes), originated from outer space, and/or destroyed Terra.
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