History Main / OrderVersusChaos

** The concepts of Master & Crazy Hands compared to that of [[spoiler:Galeem & Dharkon]] shows both sides of both ways Order & Chaos can be taken. Master Hand represents the Order of creation and structure, while Crazy Hand is the Chaos that exists for the sake of change. [[spoiler: Whereas [[LightIsNotGood Galeem]] is Order for the sake of control and tyranny, and [[DarkIsEvil Dharkon]] is Chaos as a purely destructive influence that seeks to erase all life.]] The difference is that the Hands can put aside their differences to work together for the good of the universe, while [[spoiler: Galeem & Dharkon]] cannot, making this more akin to a BlackAndWhiteMorality story in a way.

Order, sometimes called Law, is associated with civilization, authority, rules, protection, the status quo, tradition, and, when [[LawfulEvil stretched to]] [[LawfulStupid its extreme]], mindless obedience, totalitarianism, and abuse of power. It's quite common to depict what happens when Order takes [[KnightTemplar their laws and oaths]] [[TautologicalTemplar just a little too far]], but also don't be surprised to see TheGoodKing portrayed positively. When they have [[PersonalityPowers powers]] associated with them, it's often [[TheLeader leadership]], TheVirus, [[{{Brainwashed}} Brainwashing]], and the [[MagicallyBindingContract power to bind with rules and oaths]]. When used as a villain, he's likely to say "WeHaveReserves."

Using it in a setting allows you to have two sides, in a similar way to Good and Evil. While the most traditional works have assigned [[LawfulGood Order to Good]], and [[ChaoticEvil Chaos to Evil]] (with {{Card Carrying Villain}}s of the latter [[ChaosIsEvil often invoking Chaos]]), [[InvertedTrope inversions]] of this are also common: often, you'll find a ChaoticGood [[RagtagBunchOfMisfits band of rebels]] fighting against a LawfulEvil [[TheEmpire empire]] (Common enough it's becoming [[OrderIsNotGood its own trope]]). In another take on the subject, true goodness is seen as the [[BalanceBetweenGoodAndEvil balance]] [[NeutralGood between the two forces]], and [[GreyAndGrayMorality both Order and Chaos are portrayed as evil when they are]] [[LawfulStupidChaoticStupid taken to their extremes]].

* ''Anime/{{Scryed}}'' (anime version) casts the independent mercenary Kazuma as a proponent of Chaos and the military-mindset HOLY member Ryuhou as a Orderly KnightTemplar who's confidently skirting the MoralEventHorizon. Most of Kazuma's potential Inner allies aren't all that good, and Ryuho's fellow CapeBusters run the gamut from easygoing to TheCaligula. Then ConflictKiller [[spoiler: Kyoji Mujo]] shows up, having suckered the mainland brass into thinking him a full-blown KnightTemplar when he's really a [[TheSocialDarwinist Social Darwinist]]. At this point, if the two are left unattended for more than ''two seconds'' they start pounding on each other, but both agree that he's the biggest threat.

** This is played out in the race of Ents: male Ents loved the wilderness and forests, nature untamed, while the Entwives cultivated gardens and loved orchards and farmlands. The two genders drifted apart over the years, and the Ents have since lost the Entwives completely. Less a war and more like contrasting life-styles and preferences that took them awya.

See also CharacterAlignment, where this is a major factor. See also AlikeAndAntitheticalAdversaries for other variants on this conflict. Can often be involved with the dilemma of HarmonyVersusDiscipline. Visually represented on a smaller scale with SlobsVersusSnobs. Also not uncommon in {{Odd Couple}}s. SubTrope of ChangeVsStatusQuo.

See also CharacterAlignment, where this is a major factor. See also AlikeAndAntitheticalAdversaries for other variants on this conflict. Can often be involved with the dilemma of HarmonyVersusDiscipline. Visually represented on a smaller scale with SlobsVersusSnobs. Also not uncommon in {{Odd Couple}}s.

* ''ComicBook/TheSagaOfCrystarCrystalWarrior'' is about a war between the magical forces of Order and Chaos on the planet Crystalium. While the good guys are all allied with Order, and the demon lord Chaos is indisputably evil, it's worth noting that the Order wizard Ogeode recognizes that if Order were taken too far, it would be just as destructive as Chaos (his [[LawfulStupid bosses]] don't like it when he talks like this); while Chaos's [[TheDragon Dragon]], Moltar, was railroaded into the job and clearly doesn't really believe in it wholeheartedly, either. [[spoiler:Moltar finally does a HeelFaceTurn at the very end of the series.]]

** ''ComicBook/TheInvisibles'' had the good guys as agents of Chaos, fighting off the evil forces of eternal Order. The series often plays with these associations, as a member of the Outer Church (the Order side) tries to convince a bunch of outsiders they're the good guys by citing the story of Ahura Mazda versus Angra Mainyu (see below).
** The original, [[UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks Silver Age]] run of ''ComicBook/DoomPatrol'' had the team tending toward Good Chaos, as they were the rejects and cast-offs of society. Creator/GrantMorrison's later run kicked this into overdrive, with surreality as the order of the day, and characters like Crazy Jane (each of whose multiple personalities has its own superpower) and Danny the Street (a sentient transvestite boulevard). It also featured Evil Chaos in the form of the Brotherhood of Dada, and Evil Order as Darren Jones and the Men From N.O.W.H.E.R.E. Granted, the Brotherhood of Dada wasn't evil so much as plain weird. In fact the heroes found themselves working to SAVE the Brotherhood of Dada in their second appearance, and two of them even pointed out that the Brotherhood had the right idea.
*** In the last issue of Morrison's run, [[CuckooNest Crazy Jane is kept in another world (implied to be our own) and her therapist insists her adventures with Doom Patrol are delusions]]. The therapist claims that some enemies the Doom Patrol faced—the Scissormen and Orqwith, the Men from N.O.W.H.E.R.E., the Sex Men, the Ant Farm and the Telephone Avatar—were representations of cold, alien, tyrannical authority ([[LawfulEvil Evil Order]]), while others—Red Jack, Desecrator, Shadowy Mister Evans, the Candlemaker—were predatory forces of destruction ([[ChaoticEvil Evil Chaos]]) representing her father.
** ''ComicBook/Nameless2015'' is a CosmicHorrorStory in which a monstrous, otherworldly intelligence has been imprisoned in our universe and punishes anyone who dares defy its whims—in other words, according to Morrison, it's [[spoiler:the Christian God, ultimate symbol of order]].
** ''ComicBook/{{Seaguy}}'' is a more comedic take on this idea: [[CrapsaccharineWorld a colorful, whimsical world]] in which the last superhero is no longer needed, because all of the villains were defeated long ago—and in which the apathetic citizens are secretly ruled by the tyrannical I-Pol.
* Franchise/TheDCU:
** The SufficientlyAdvanced EnergyBeings known as the Lords of Chaos and Lords of Order. Several previously-existing magical beings were [[{{Retcon}} retconned]] to fit in with this; Dr. Fate's mentor Nabu became a Lord of Order, the ComicBook/LegionOfSuperHeroes' antagonist Mordru was revealed as a Lord of Chaos, and so on. Most portrayals of these focused on balance, especially Hawk and Dove, who represent, respectively, Chaos and Order and were created by a Lord of Order and a Lord of Chaos who had fallen in love and tried to find some happy middle.
** It also has Jack Kirby's Fourth World of the ComicBook/NewGods, where Order is represented by the oppressive tyrant, Darkseid, who demands absolute obedience and seeks the Anti-Life Equation, mastery of which will force any mind to submit to the will of he who wields it. He's opposed by the Space Hippies of New Genesis, who believe in peace and free will ("That is the Life Equation!") -- and his own son, who is essentially a personification of pure, primal fury. Amazingly, though Kirby clearly spells this out several times, many writers who followed him Just Didn't Get It, and explicitly flipped around the Order and Chaos attributions of the two factions. This may be because it was most clearly stated in ''The Forever People'', the least well-regarded series in the saga. In ''Comicbook/TheNew52'' Highfather and Darkseid ''both'' represent order, with the Forever People rejecting both of them in favour of a chaotic [[TakeAThirdOption third option]].
* ComicBook/{{Batman}} and ComicBook/TheJoker are Order and Chaos respectively.
** Batman upholds justice and the rule of law (the spirit if not always the letter). His mental discipline is the closest thing he has to a superpower, and prevents him from going mad in spite of all he has to deal with. Unquestionably a good guy, but difficult to get along with, and the possibility that a loss of human contact would drive him to KnightTemplar tendencies is a disquieting one.
** The Joker is strongly anti-authoritarian and anti-society, indiscriminately destructive, and downright insane. He's unquestionably evil, though sometimes his antics are meant to expose hypocrisy or evil in other people.
* Creator/MarvelComics' ''ComicBook/CrystarCrystalWarrior'' is about a war between the magical forces of Order and Chaos on the planet Crystalium. While the good guys are all allied with Order, and the demon lord Chaos is indisputably evil, it's worth noting that the Order wizard Ogeode recognizes that if Order were taken too far, it would be just as destructive as Chaos (his [[LawfulStupid bosses]] don't like it when he talks like this); while Chaos's [[TheDragon Dragon]], Moltar, was railroaded into the job and clearly doesn't really believe in it wholeheartedly, either. [[spoiler: Moltar finally does a HeelFaceTurn at the very end of the series.]]
* Comicbook/DoctorStrange villains [[DimensionLord Dormammu]] and [[EldritchAbomination Shuma]]-[[MultiversalConqueror Gorath]] have both been described as Lords of Chaos. There is also the [[GodOfEvil God of Chaos]] Chthon, the source of power for the ComicBook/ScarletWitch, who is more of a general Marvel-wide villain; he created [[BlackMagic Chaos Magic]] which causes RealityWarping and other chaotic-style stuff, but he also represents conquest. The personifications of Chaos and Order represent more of a BalanceBetweenGoodAndEvil.
* ComicBook/{{Vampirella}} has a cosmic conflict between Order and Chaos with the Conjuress representing the BalanceBetweenGoodAndEvil. By and large, Vampirella sides with Order as that is associated with good and justice. However, she has several friends on the side of Chaos. It is also noted that Chaos, the SatanicArchetype ruler of Hell, is insane and not really doing his job well.
* Marvel also has Lord Chaos and Master Order, two {{Anthropomorphic Personification}}s of the concepts. Usually Lord Chaos serves the role as the antagonist, or they both team up to protect the universe against a greater threat. An exception was when the cosmic being Edifice Rex planned to revert the universe back to a point singularity - all of the other cosmic beings opposed him, except for Master Order who thought it was a wonderful idea.
* {{Subverted}} in ''ComicBook/VForVendetta'': V fights to bring down the oppressive government, but is careful to tell to Evey that it's law, rather than order, that he opposes. He also makes sure to explain that anarchy is not the same as chaos. This is because in oppression a resistance will always exist, while in anarchy it will not, as there is nothing to resist.
* According the comics, the [[Franchise/{{Hellraiser}} Cenobites]] are order. In one of the more comedic stories, an obnoxious, lazy office worker spends all his time tinkering with one of the puzzle boxes, distracting his fellow employees and annoying his borderline ClockKing boss, who easily solves the puzzle for him, summoning some Cenobites. The Cenobites prepare to take the boss to the Labyrinth, only to be told off by him; the boss says he only solved the puzzle because it was disrupting the order, productivity and perfectionism he constantly strived for, which the Cenobites are now doing. The Cenobites mull this over for a bit, eventually decide the boss is essentially "doing Leviathan's work" and decide to take the employee, who the boss had earlier described as "a gear that has become misaligned", in his place.
* The theme of Jonathan Hickman's ''ComicBook/{{SHIELD}}'' is a war between science as a force for change (represented by Creator/LeonardoDaVinci) and science as a means of control (represented by UsefulNotes/IsaacNewton). The lead character, the son of UsefulNotes/NikolaTesla, initially sides with Leonardo, before deciding both sides are wrong because they're locked into the idea there must ''be'' a war.
* Modern ''ComicBook/GreenLantern'' comics have shades of this with emotional spectrum.
** Green in the middle represents Order and the further you go from it, the more chaotic the corps become. Each color represents emotion, except for Green, which is willpower - the ability to overcome and control your emotions for the greater good, so the further you go from it, the less control you have.
** Blue and Yellow, hope and fear respectively, represent how you can use the emotions to affect and shape the world. Their goal is to establish order, but Blue Lanterns see it as [[LawfulGood harmony]] that can be built only in cooperation with Green, while the Sinestro Corps tries to impose [[LawfulEvil tyranny]] and rule the Universe with an iron fist.
** Orange and Indigo - greed and compassion - represent what happens when you let your emotions define your life. Indigo Tribe sacrifice their individuality for [[NeutralGood the common good]], but it makes them detached and borderline sociopathic. Larfleeze, on the other hand, is completely [[NeutralEvil selfish]] and cares only about himself.
** And finally we have Pink and Red - love and anger - who represent Chaos. Members of both corps lose their minds, taken by the representative emotion. Star Sapphires want to [[ChaoticGood spread love through the Universe]] and are willing to go to extremes to do so, as well as tending towards [[{{Yandere}} yanderish]] behavior. Red Lanterns are a horde of [[ChaoticEvil berserkers]] destroying everything in their path and often fighting between each other, when not provided with better (as in, any) targets. In the beginning they were mindless and bestial, but Atrocitus allowed them to regain some degree of self-control since then.
** It should be noted that Order isn't presented as completely good and Chaos as completely evil. The White Entity is composed of white light, ([[AllYourPowersCombined formed when all of the seven colors are combined]]), and represents life, which is a combination of all emotions, as well as order and chaos in all their forms. Meanwhile, Black represents absence of emotions and life, the state of emptiness and stasis. The Guardians' actions to purge emotions from the Green Lantern Corps allowed the forces of Black to infiltrate them, as their actions have bought them too close to this cold, emotionless state.
* ''ComicBook/NemesisTheWarlock'' pits the titular powerful alien wizard in service of [[XtremeKoolLetterz Kaos]] against the tyrannical bigot ruling humanity, Torquemada. At first it looks like Chaos/Nemesis is good and Order/Torquemada is bad, but as the series goes on it becomes clear Nemesis is manipulating both people around him and readers as well to portray himself as a hero, but in reality is a cruel, bored god [[BloodKnight prolonging the war for his own amusement]], because Torquemada is the only man to give him any challenge. At the end it's clear they are both bastards.

* ''Comicbook/{{PS238}}'' does this, complete with angels of order and demons of chaos along with the fact that their conflicts are "mostly political nowadays," may be explained by the fact that ''ComicBook/PS238'' is intended as a children's comic. There's also [[RealityWarper Malphast]], whose parents [[GodKartingWithBeelzebub are on opposite sides]] of this war.
* Invoked in ''ComicBook/{{Birthright}}'' by God King Lore who is universally branded as an evil overlord. Lore claims that the affected people spend all their time warring already, but if he conquers all the combatants then he can finally deliver peace.

* Nonfiction example: Thomas Hobbes's ''Leviathan'' is very pro-Order, characterizing totalitarianism as the only alternative to "the war of all against all".

* ''Manga/OnePiece'' has -- at least as a background story so far -- the war of the World Govvernment and their policy of "absolute justice" against the free-spirited pirates. The World Government is portrayed as corrupt and pretty much completely evil, aside from a few story-prominent Navy officers who reject "absolute justice" in favor of their own brand of justice. The pirates, on the other hand, range from nice guys like [[IdiotHero Luffy]] to {{jerkass}}es like [[MonsterClown Buggy]] to [[KickTheDog dog-kicking scumbags]] like [[FantasticRacism Arlong]] and [[MagnificentBastard Crocodile]].

** The ''Nemesis'' expansion provides the opportunity to reform the [[FictionalUnitedNations Galactic Community]] into the [[TheEmpire Galactic Imperium]]. In case of a significant weakening of the Imperium's authority, it is very likely that a large-scale uprising will begin, which can quickly turn into an all-galactic CivilWar between two hostile coalitions. Conceptually, this conflict directly refers to this trope, since the [[HegemonicEmpire loyalists]] defend the Imperium as a bulwark of stability, unity, and development of the galaxy, as well as peace in it, while the [[TheAlliance rebels]] want to return to a much more democratic format of the Galactic Community, [[GoodRepublicEvilEmpire accusing the Imperium of tyranny and oppression]]. The war between them can end in victory for either side, or with the signing of a peace treaty, which will lead to the political independence of the two power blocs from each other, and also to a continuation of their conflict in a [[SpaceColdWar cold war manner]].

* The famous GreenRocks of ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'', are called the ''Chaos'' Emeralds. The scrapped game ''Sonic X-Treme'', [[WhatCouldHaveBeen would have]] featured a contrast to them called the Rings of ''Order'', which were what Sonic was trying to protect from Dr. Robotnik.

* The famous GreenRocks of ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'', are called the ''Chaos'' Emeralds. They wasted a perfectly bland plot in the scrapped game ''Sonic X-Treme'', which would have featured the Rings of ''Order''.

* In the ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'' series, the forces of light and darkness initially correspond to [[LightIsGood good]] and [[DarkIsEvil evil]] respectively, with light representing friendship and harmony and dadrkness representing anger and hatred. While this is still mostly true in the series, starting with ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII'', the primal forces of light and darkness themselves are later portrayed as more of an order vs. chaos conflict instead, with characters like Riku and Terra learning to harness their inner darkness through balance with light using righteous anger, and the light-obsessed Master Eraqus being so devoted to order that he would rather kill Keyblade students with a hint of darkness rather than help them learn to healthily harness it.

* In the ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'' series, the forces of light and darkness initially correspond to [[LightIsGood good]] and [[DarkIsEvil evil]] respectively, with light representing friendship and harmony and dadrkness representing anger and hatred. While this is still mostly true in the series, starting with ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII'', the primal forces of light and darkness themselves are later portrayed as more of an order vs. chaos conflict instead, with characters like Riku and Terra learning to harness their inner darkness through balance with light through righteous anger, and the light-obsessed Master Eraqus being so devoted to order that he would rather kill Keyblade students with a hint of darkness rather than help them learn to healthily harness it.

Using it in a setting allows you to have two sides, in a similar way to Good and Evil. While the most traditional works have assigned [[LawfulGood Order to Good]], and [[ChaoticEvil Chaos to Evil]], [[InvertedTrope inversions]] of this are also common: often, you'll find a ChaoticGood [[RagtagBunchOfMisfits band of rebels]] fighting against a LawfulEvil [[TheEmpire empire]] (Common enough it's becoming [[OrderIsNotGood its own trope]]). In another take on the subject, true goodness is seen as the [[BalanceBetweenGoodAndEvil balance]] [[NeutralGood between the two forces]], and [[GreyAndGrayMorality both Order and Chaos are portrayed as evil when they are]] [[LawfulStupidChaoticStupid taken to their extremes]].

* ''Franchise/AssassinsCreed'': the long conflict between Assassins and Templars is essentially a question of whether the world needs more freedom or more control. The games are generally in favor of the Assassins, though Shaun (an Assassin) doesn't consider them to be "heroes" since they still kill people to accomplish their goals. Most Templars aren't portrayed in a favorable light, especially in the second game. The third game brings both sides closer together on the morality scale. William tells Desmond that both sides have made attempts throughout history to join together, but ultimately their ideologies are diametrically opposed.

* In ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'', this conflict is best exemplified with the introduction of the Meta Liberation Army. The QLA, an organization spanning generations since its founding by a villain named Destro, represents Chaos and the ability to freely use the Quirks(formerly known as "Meta" powers) which are possessed by the majority of the population, but they use terrorist tactics to push their agenda. On the side of Order, the government and law-enforcement maintain the peace with the help of licensed heroes. While this works for the most part, it requires that Quirks be very heavily regulated, with professional heroes being the only ones legally allowed to use their Quirks in combat while anyone else would be considered a "villain" for doing so.

** ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIIINocturne'' has an interesting version of this trope with the Reasons. As one might expect, the Demon ending(leave the Vortex World as it is) and the Freedom Ending (turn the world back to normal) are Neutral, while Shijima(a WorldOfSilence) is Law, but one would assume Yosuga(MightMakesRight) is Chaos. That assumption, however, is incorrect, since following any of the Reasons, including Musubi(everyone lives in isolation) is essentially playing by Kagutsuchi's rules. The real Chaos ending is the True Demon Ending, in which you permanently destroy Kagutsuchi and team up with Lucifer.

* Website/TVTropes: The epic struggle between JustForFun/{{SPOON}} and JustForFun/{{FORKS}} could be seen as this kind of conflict, with SPOON being order, and FORKS chaos. JustForFun/{{PLATTER}} and JustForFun/{{KNIVES}} represent two kinds of neutrality: balance and indifference, in respective order.

[[folder:Web Comics]]

* ''WebOriginal/{{Mortasheen}}'' details a conflict between two cities: Wreathe is an entirely human, technocratic nation with shiny skyscrapers and huge armies of equally shiny robots, while Mortasheen is a hideously polluted city populated by {{mad scientist}}s and horrifying monsters... [[DarkIsNotEvil who happen to live in a twisted harmony with each other]] and really just wonder why those [[HumansAreTheRealMonsters nasty hateful humans]] [[VanHelsingHateCrimes are so horrified of them]].

** In the older editions, the [[EvilVersusEvil Blood War]] was a massive mashup between the demons and the devils on which kind of evil (pure rampaging destructive chaos vs brutal and cunning tyranny) should dominate the cosmos. Now it's changed into a war of EvilVersusOblivion between the demons and the devils. The demons are an infinite source of chaos and destruction, but they cannot access the material plane until the devils are defeated. This makes the devils NecessarilyEvil and the only thing keeping the endless hordes of demons from overwhelming the cosmos. This handily explains why the devils who use order have not defeated the demons and why the forces of good have not intervened to destroy evil - it is impossible with the demons and the devils' destruction means the death of everything.

** In the older editions, the [[EvilVersusEvil Blood War]] was a massive mashup between the demons and the devils on which kind of evil (pure rampaging destructive chaos vs brutal and cunning tyranny) should dominate the cosmos. Now its changed to war of EvilVersusOblivion between the demons and the devils.Not only are the demons an infinite source of chaos and destruction but they cannot access the material plane until the devils are defeated. This makes the devils NecessarilyEvil and are the only thing keeping the endless hordes of demons from overwhelming the cosmos]]. This handily explains why the devils who use order have not defeated the devils and why the forces of good have not intervened to destroy evil it is impossible with the demons and destroying the devils means that death of everything.

** The ''Fanfic/PonyPOVSeries'' has this in the form of the Alicorns, representing Nature's Law, and the Draconequi, representing Nature's Fury (though they favor Chaos, even though Discord is the AnthropomorphicPersonification of it). However, while they did have a war at one point, they generally don't ''hate'' each other and are meant to balance one another out.
*** During the [[BadFuture Dark World Series]], we find out that [[ChaoticEvil Discord]] and [[LawfulEvil Grogar]] went to war, [[EvilVersusEvil forming an all evil version of this trope.]]
** In ''FanFic/ANewWorldANewWay'', Discord (whom is connected to the natural chaotic forces of the Everfree Forest) has a fight when Zygarde, the Order Pokemon, starts to remove that Chaotic energy and replace it with Order.
** ''FanFic/TheImmortalGame'': The backstory involves constant warfare between [[BigBad Titan]] (Order) and Discord (Chaos). And given that Titan is a KnightTemplar of the highest order, this is another [[EvilVersusEvil all evil example]].
** ''FanFic/LinesAndWebs'': The conflict of order and chaos is extremely important for the beginning of the series, with Celestia and the Order she represents being portrayed as evil while Twilight and the Chaos she represents portrayed as good - although the series is heavy on GreyandGreyMorality. Eventually [[GenghisGambit Order and Chaos unite]] against and even greater threat.
** ''FanFic/TheBorderworld'': The whole story collection centered around this conflict, with Discord for Chaos and Order being for, well, Order, and the Tree of Harmony for, of course, Harmony. The conflict is called the Eternal War because it spawned ever since all three sides were born, and has spanned across the universe and time itself.
*** However, the Tree of Harmony at some point decided to re-brand herself as a bridge between Order and Chaos While she opposes both sides negative attributes, she has come to appreciate the good qualities of both sides.

* ''Manga/{{Devilman}}'' spin-off manga ''AMON'' portrays conflict between God, Satan and Amon as this. God is cruel tyrant, who wants to exterminate demons just because he didn't create them and they don't fit his vision of order in the world. Satan, while defending demons, despises their chaotic nature and wants to rule over them. Amon, deeply chaotic spirit, despises both of them.

* In ''TabletopGame/{{Traveller}}'', the Interstellar Wars are very much about the conflict between Order and Chaos. The Vilani Empire is about ten thousand years old and has done almost nothing new in thousands of years. Yet at the same time, it has highly refined all its techniques and technology and has a political system designed to keep order. It is sometimes oppressive, but it holds thousands of worlds together. The Terran Confederation has a more or less democratic structure, as well as a large number of only half-controlled [[IntrepidMerchant Intrepid Merchants]] and SpaceCossacks, which are a great help against the Vilani Imperium.