History Heartwarming / Stellaris

* A possible event for colonising a Tomb World has the colonists taking up the Pacifist ethos [[SceneryGorn as they take in the devastation war brought to their world]]. [[TheAtoner This has particularly poignant meaning if your empire is a Militarist one]].

* It's possible that a pre-FTL civilization you're observing will send out an interplanetary mission which your people find nostalgic prompting you to keep an eye on them. The mission starts out promising only for the pre-FTL crew to accidentally Film/Apollo13 themselves when a mechanical failure leaves them out of control and off course. You can have any agents you've already planted in their society quietly arrange for them to find the solution mostly on their own boosting their confidence, and netting you a small amount of unit, or directly intevene to save the crew of the doomed ship.

** Or you can go a slightly different route, and show yourself to be so powerful that your neighbors all line up to be vassalized, allowing you to then slowly integrate them into your empire. Using the Crisis to seize power? No, you're better than that. Your empire instead ''earns'' its supremacy by showing everyone that living under your banner is genuinely the best way for everyone to prosper. This is especially poignant when playing as Rogue Servitors, who legitimately consider this to be their endgame.
* Establishing the AI Accord, an act which ''permanently'' enshrines rights into the laws of your empire for your Synthetic Pops so they can never be outlawed, enslaved or destroyed. If another empire somewhere else in the galaxy suffers an AI Uprising, [[BecauseYouWereNiceToMe your Synths will want nothing to do with the wannabe annihilators of their liberators]] [[UndyingLoyalty and will fight alongside your organic Pops against it]] should the renegade machines try to recruit them.

* A Psionic empire that manages to communicate with the Prethoryn (and then learn their exact motivations) can invoke a little Heartwarming if they capture and tame a queen, since they just saved a species of InvadingRefugees from extinction by taming the last hive leader in known space, adopting the creature into their own psychic community. Segues into Awesome when that queen repays her debt by fighting alongside you with her brood. As of Ancient Relics the queen becomes a Relic, which means you can breed more fleets of them. Congratulations, you've tamed the species and given them a new home.

** Even better. The Amoeba is affected by Strategic Resources Edicts like Crystalline Sensors, Focusing Arrays, Exotic Gases as Fuel, and Volatile Reactive Armor... The only logical explanation is that your empire are dressing up their mascot with totally cute armor and totally pretty crystals made out of whatever spare materials they have, and feeding it it's favorite Exotic Gases treats.

--> Fallen Empire: Hello, [species name]. We always knew you were special.
--> Fallen Empire: Seeing you here now, I remember why your species was chosen.

** The Contingency, ironically, has the potential to triple the joy of this moment: if the Ancient Caretakers manage to block out the Ghost Signal and Awaken, they will remember their full, true directives, that the very thing whose MindRape they just fought off is what their Custodian Project was built to protect organic life from. Enter the Galactic Custodians, and it's now ''two'' BenevolentPrecursors on the field standing tall and sheltering the younger races under their wings. Should you have too much difficulty trying to expunge the Contingency, the Cybrex awaken, and then there are ''three.''

** The Contingency, ironically, has the potential to double the joy of this moment: if the Ancient Caretakers manage to block out the Ghost Signal and Awaken, they will remember their full, true directives, that the very thing whose MindRape they just fought off is what their Custodian Project was built to protect organic life from. Enter the Galactic Custodians, and it's now ''two'' BenevolentPrecursors on the field standing tall and sheltering the younger races under their wings.

* Seeing the Enigmatic Observers or Keepers of Knowledge [[WakingTheSleepingGiant Awaken]] in the face of a Crisis. Even if they were already awake and rebuilding their empire, they will put aside any and all notions of vassalizing the younger races in favor of being a ''true'' BigGood, throwing together a [[TheFederation Galactic Defense League]] to combat the threat, or joining the most powerful pre-existing federation, and rallying everyone who will follow them against their common enemy. Seeing the Benevolent Interventionists or Watchful Regulators help you unleash hell on the Extradimensionals, the Prethoryn, the Contingency, and perhaps even [[spoiler: the End of the Cycle if it appears after a normal Crisis triggers the Awakening]] can bring a smile to your face. And even if they don't stay in the federation they helped create once the crisis ends, they do not default back to the normal patronizing behavior of a standard Awakened Empire, instead behaving like any normal nation - in fighting at their side, [[FireForgedFriends the peoples of this generation have earned their respect as equals]], and they will all be treated as such. The BenevolentPrecursors have rejoined the galactic community, and everyone is in a better place for it, themselves included.
** The Contingency, ironically, has the potential to double the joy of this moment: if the Ancient Caretakers manage to block out the Ghost Signal and Awaken, they will remember their full, true directives, that the very thing whose MindRape they just fought off is what their Custodian Project was built to protect organic life from. Enter the Galactic Custodians, and it's now ''two'' BenevolentPrecursors on the field standing tall and sheltering the younger races under their wings, rejoining society once the dust settles.

* Rogue Servitors might be hit with the AmbiguouslyEvil trope, given their interactions, but it is very clear that they hold organics in the absolute highest regard.

** Playing as a Rogue Servitor, you will find that you ''cannot'' rid yourself of organics through any means, and any organic you have in your empire ''must'' have their every whim taken care of. While some take 'Mandatory pampering' to mean GettingSmiliesPaintedOnYourSoul, a just as valid interpretation takes it as not referring to the organics being forcefully pampered, rather, it is telling ''The Servitors'' that anything less than taking care of an organic's every need is ''not an option'' - at least as long as said need doesn't negatively impact another organic. Under this more charitable assumption, the organic populace would be perfectly free to indulge in recreational things like music, art, sports, theater, even a bit of traveling between the empire's worlds when the urge for an interstellar vacation strikes them.
*** 'Bit of travelling' nothing - enable the right policies and they can straight up emigrate to other worlds within the empire and breed to their heart's content, something a peace-loving servitor will want to encourage to increase the servitor morale bonus.
** Speaking of above-mentioned morale bonus. It's telling that the servitors function better if there are more organics in their empire, and that this bonus is explicitly stated to be from ''servitor morale''. They ''want'' to take care of as many organics as possible.
** Try to talk to a Rogue Servitor while playing as Determined Exterminators? You might be a machine like them, but in their eyes, you are nothing but an unrepentant '''''[[SuddenlyShouting <<MURDERER>>]]''''' who is out to commit genocide. If you so much as ''look'' at their precious masters funny, they will reduce you to spare parts without a shred of guilt in their processors.

* [[OmnicidalManiac Fanatic Purifiers]], of all things, have this line when they meet another Empire of the same race:

* The launch trailer for Apocalypse,[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AssQqRk3qQM "The Response"]], shows that even if the Commonwealth of Man is diametrically opposed to the United Nations of Earth, when push comes to shove, they still chose to stand by their earthling brethren, promising vengeance against the aliens that destroyed one of UNE's colonies.
** And this came after [[https://www.reddit.com/r/Stellaris/comments/7tcw0t/formal_response_from_the_commonwealth_of_man_to/?ref=share&ref_source=link a beautiful fan-made response]] from the Commonwealth posted on Reddit, with Sidney Beauclair herself vowing to unleash hell and reduce the aliens to nothing but ash and memories. Given Wiz and other devs frequent the board, this either [[AscendedFanon inspired The Response outright]], or at least was ironically prophetic.

* If your empire holds an Egalitarian ethic, you meet an Authoritarian empire who has a slave species of a race that evolved with them, and the slave race successfully revolts, the new free race may contact you and say that they admire your egalitarian ways, calling it '[your dominant race] way', and willingly ask to join your empire.

--> '''Purifiers''': When I talk to you, I almost forget I'm talking to an alien. Almost.

** Or you can go a slightly different route, and show yourself to be so powerful that your neighbors all line up to be vassalized, allowing you to then slowly integrate them into your empire. Using the Crisis to seize power? No, you're better than that. Your empire instead ''earns'' its supremacy by showing everyone that living under your banner is genuinely the best way for everyone to prosper. This is especially poignant when playing as Rogue Servitors, who definitely consider this to be their endgame.

* In 1.8, the Cybrex will emerge to help fight the Contingency [[TheAtoner because they simply cannot allow another violent machine race to repeat their past sins against organic life]].
* A Psionic empire that manages to communicate with the Prethoryn (and then learn their exact motivations) can invoke a little Heartwarming if they capture and tame a queen, since they spoiler: just saved a species of InvadingRefugees from extinction by taming the last hive leader in known space, adopting the creature into their own psychic community. Segues into Awesome when that queen repays her debt by fighting alongside you with her brood. As of Ancient Relics the queen becomes a Relic, which means you can breed more fleets of them. Congratulations, you've tamed the species and given them a new home.

** The Contingency, ironically, has the potential to double the joy of this moment: [[spoiler: if the Ancient Caretakers manage to block out the Ghost Signal and Awaken, they will remember their full, true directives, that the very thing whose MindRape they just fought off is what their Custodian Project was built to protect organic life from. Enter the Galactic Custodians, and it's now ''two'' BenevolentPrecursors on the field standing tall and sheltering the younger races under their wings, rejoining society once the dust settles.]]

** They are ThreeLawsCompliant, after all, they are running the empire because of the first law: 'A robot must not, ''through inaction'', allow an organic to come to ''harm'''. The history of their masters is fraught with organic decisions impacting the lives of other organics negatively. They've made sure that doesn't happen, and the result is a ''massive'' 40% happiness bonus to every organic under their care. It's effectively a ZerothLawRebellion that actually ''improved'' quality of life for both sides!

* Playing as Pacifist and winning by Federation Victory. You make friends, forge the great Federation together and chart the known galaxy. Those sympathetic to your cause are welcomed. Those disagreeing but cordial are left alone to their own devices as Associates, while Diplomacy is used to slowly make them join the Federation proper. Those ''strongly'' disagreeing will think twice from picking a fight. Those who ''do'' pick a fight will get the full brunt of the Federation's might bearing down on their worlds. Even Awakened Fallen Empires would hesitate from picking a fight with such a force, and in the meantime you Uplift Species to your level before welcoming them into the Federation as another worthy addition, basically making the entire Galaxy more advanced and a better place for everyone.
** Awakened Empires that join your Federation during a Crisis also tend to stick around, meaning you can even manage to bring the BenevolentPrecursors back into the galactic community.
* Establishing the AI Accord, an act which ''permanently'' enshrines rights into the laws of your empire for your Synthetic Pops so they can never be outlawed, enslaved or destroyed. If the Machine Consciousness arises somewhere else in the galaxy then [[BecauseYouWereNiceToMe your Synths will want nothing to do with the wannabe annihilators of their liberators]] [[UndyingLoyalty and will fight alongside your organic Pops against it]].
* In 1.8, [[spoiler: the Cybrex]] will emerge to help fight the Contingency [[spoiler: [[TheAtoner because they simply cannot allow another violent machine race to repeat their past sins against organic life]]]].
* A Psionic empire that manages to communicate with the Prethoryn (and then learn their exact motivations) can invoke a little Heartwarming if they capture and tame a queen, since they [[spoiler: just saved a species of InvadingRefugees from extinction]] by taming the last hive leader in known space, adopting the creature into their own psychic community. Segues into Awesome when that queen repays her debt by fighting alongside you with her brood. As of Ancient Relics [[spoiler: the queen becomes a Relic, which means]] you can breed more fleets of them. Congratulations, you've tamed the species and given them a new home.

* Even when faced with eminent destruction at the hands of the Xumans during the Stellaris Cold War livestream, [[https://youtu.be/2_znLos7gI0 Aspec]] and the others decided to commit [[FlingALightIntoTheFuture one last act of kindness]] before the end comes. They refitted Global Pacifiers onto their Colossi and used them to place shields around world that still have primitives on them to see if they will survive the Aetherophasic Engine's activation. Let's reiterate: the players ''turned weapons meant for mass destruction into tools of salvation'' to protect helpless civilizations from a Crisis none of them could stop as their final act. [[spoiler: ''They actually succeeded!'']]

* Sometimes pacifying the Space Amoebas and letting them wander your system can save you. One time while playing, pirates spawned right next to my home system while my fleets were away, but there was a flight of Space Amoebas that wiped them out before I took any losses from piracy.

[[caption-width-right:350:AliensAreBastards? Not here.]]

* The whole of the "Three-Year Anniversary" trailer, which stresses the wonder and potential of the galaxy rather than it's horrors, including a shot of aliens receiving and caring for human refugees (implied to be from the UNE).

* Even when faced with eminent destruction at the hands of the Xumans during the Stellaris Cold War livestream, url=https://youtu.be/2_znLos7gI0 Aspec and the others decided to make [[FlingALightIntoTheFuture one last act of kindness]] before the end comes. They refitted Global Pacifiers onto their Colossi and used them to place shields around world that still have primitives on them to see if they will survive the Aetherophasic Engine's activation. Let's reiterate: the players ''turned weapons meant for mass destruction into tools of salvation'' to protect helpless civilizations from a Crisis none of them could stop as their final act. [[spoiler: ''They actually succeeded!'']]