Templars (Hyperion Cantos)
Encyclopedia
The Templars are a religious and political group in Dan Simmons
's Hyperion Cantos
, appearing in the novels Hyperion and The Fall of Hyperion
.
The Templars are a cult of nature-worshipers who regard the nineteenth-century American naturalist
John Muir
as a prophet. They are headquartered on the planet God's Grove. The Templars' ideology exhorts them to preserve and spread life throughout the galaxy. A part of the Hegemony of Man, the Templars ply the spaceways in giant "treeships", organic
starship
s grown in a manner similar to Dyson tree
s and capable of carrying thousands of crewmen and passengers over vast distances. Containment field
s in the treeships maintain atmosphere and the passengers are placed in hibernation while the ship's Hawking drive is engaged. Slower-than-light movement of the treeship is achieved through the use of ergs, living organisms capable of manipulating gravitational field
s.
In Hyperion, Het Masteen, a Templar and captain of the treeship Yggdrasil
, transports the pilgrims to the planet Hyperion and joins them on their journey to the Time Tombs.
In The Fall of Hyperion, it is revealed that the Templars are in league with the Ousters
, a race of genetically-engineered humans who live in deep space and oppose the TechnoCore
and the Hegemony. The government of God's Grove prepares to greet an incoming fleet of Ousters they believe are participating in a coordinated invasion of the Hegemony. Unfortunately, the fleet inbound to God's Grove proves to be a TechnoCore fleet disguised as Ousters, and the planet is attacked and largely destroyed.
However, Templars continue to exist in various locales across the Milky Way galaxy, particularly
at Ouster colonies where Templars are found in The Rise of Endymion
. These colonies experienced the "Shared Moment" of humanity that ensued during the death of Aenea. In the short story "Orphans of the Helix
", Templars are found living in an Ouster colony several centuries after the events of the Hyperion Cantos.
Dan Simmons
Dan Simmons is an American author most widely known for his Hugo Award-winning science fiction series, known as the Hyperion Cantos, and for his Locus-winning Ilium/Olympos cycle....
's Hyperion Cantos
Hyperion Cantos
The Hyperion Cantos is a series of science fiction novels by Dan Simmons. Set in the far future, and focusing more on plot and story development than technical detail, it falls into the soft science fiction category...
, appearing in the novels Hyperion and The Fall of Hyperion
The Fall of Hyperion
The Fall of Hyperion is the second science fiction novel by Dan Simmons in his Hyperion Cantos fictional universe. The novel was written in 1990, and won both the British Science Fiction and a Locus Awards in 1991...
.
The Templars are a cult of nature-worshipers who regard the nineteenth-century American naturalist
Naturalist
Naturalist may refer to:* Practitioner of natural history* Conservationist* Advocate of naturalism * Naturalist , autobiography-See also:* The American Naturalist, periodical* Naturalism...
John Muir
John Muir
John Muir was a Scottish-born American naturalist, author, and early advocate of preservation of wilderness in the United States. His letters, essays, and books telling of his adventures in nature, especially in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California, have been read by millions...
as a prophet. They are headquartered on the planet God's Grove. The Templars' ideology exhorts them to preserve and spread life throughout the galaxy. A part of the Hegemony of Man, the Templars ply the spaceways in giant "treeships", organic
Biotechnology
Biotechnology is a field of applied biology that involves the use of living organisms and bioprocesses in engineering, technology, medicine and other fields requiring bioproducts. Biotechnology also utilizes these products for manufacturing purpose...
starship
Starship
A starship or interstellar spacecraft is a theoretical spacecraft designed for traveling between the stars, as opposed to a vehicle designed for orbital spaceflight or interplanetary travel....
s grown in a manner similar to Dyson tree
Dyson tree
A Dyson tree is a hypothetical genetically-engineered plant, capable of growing in a comet, suggested by the physicist Freeman Dyson...
s and capable of carrying thousands of crewmen and passengers over vast distances. Containment field
Containment field
In Dan Simmons's Hyperion universe, the containment field is a common technology with many uses varying from military defense shield to civilian safety restraint....
s in the treeships maintain atmosphere and the passengers are placed in hibernation while the ship's Hawking drive is engaged. Slower-than-light movement of the treeship is achieved through the use of ergs, living organisms capable of manipulating gravitational field
Gravitational field
The gravitational field is a model used in physics to explain the existence of gravity. In its original concept, gravity was a force between point masses...
s.
In Hyperion, Het Masteen, a Templar and captain of the treeship Yggdrasil
Yggdrasil
In Norse mythology, Yggdrasil is an immense tree that is central in Norse cosmology. It was said to be the world tree around which the nine worlds existed...
, transports the pilgrims to the planet Hyperion and joins them on their journey to the Time Tombs.
In The Fall of Hyperion, it is revealed that the Templars are in league with the Ousters
Ousters
In Dan Simmons' Hyperion universe, Ousters are the branch of humanity that left the Worldweb and the Hegemony, and chose instead to travel among the stars, adapting away from planetary life and the influence of the TechnoCore....
, a race of genetically-engineered humans who live in deep space and oppose the TechnoCore
Technocore
The TechnoCore is the 'race' of post-singularity Artificial Intelligences in Dan Simmons' sci-fi novel Hyperion. The Core consists of a grid of AIs hidden throughout human space, residing in "datasphere" networks, hidden underground computers, and other hidden locations...
and the Hegemony. The government of God's Grove prepares to greet an incoming fleet of Ousters they believe are participating in a coordinated invasion of the Hegemony. Unfortunately, the fleet inbound to God's Grove proves to be a TechnoCore fleet disguised as Ousters, and the planet is attacked and largely destroyed.
However, Templars continue to exist in various locales across the Milky Way galaxy, particularly
at Ouster colonies where Templars are found in The Rise of Endymion
The Rise of Endymion
The Rise of Endymion is a 1997 science fiction novel by Dan Simmons. It is the fourth and final novel in his Hyperion Cantos fictional universe...
. These colonies experienced the "Shared Moment" of humanity that ensued during the death of Aenea. In the short story "Orphans of the Helix
Orphans of the Helix
"Orphans of the Helix" is a 46-page short story by Dan Simmons set in his Hyperion Cantos fictional universe...
", Templars are found living in an Ouster colony several centuries after the events of the Hyperion Cantos.