Kushan (Homeworld)

This article refers to the computer game Homeworld. For the real-life historical empire, see Kushan Empire.

Kushan refers to a race playable by the protagonist, which appears in all three games of the Homeworld series of computer games, developed by Relic Entertainment and Barking Dog Studios.

The Kushan was a powerful empire divided into extended families called kiithid, centered on the planet of Hiigara before they fell from grace in a war and were exiled from their world on pain of death. Some of them hid in the Nebula of Kadesh (these people were to be called the Kadeshi) while others fled to the planet of Kharak where they forgot their origins and became similar to the Bedouin in terms of culture and religion.

Later they discovered they were not really from Kharak when they found the ruins of an ancient starship, the Khar-Toba, and within it a map to their home called the Guidestone. Building a giant colony ship called the Mothership they began a journey to return home. Before leaving their system after practising a Hyperspace Jump they discovered their ancient enemies, the Taiidan Empire who exiled them to Kharak. The Kushan return to Kharak and witness the destruction upon its surface. They pickup emergency communications from the Cryotrays stationed nearby and jump to battle stations. They destroy the remenents of what was left to finish off the Kushan empire and Salvage one of the attacking ships. They discover that they broke a 4000 year old treaty forbidding them to develop Hyperspace Technology and the punishment for that was extermination. Not surprisingly, those that they captured did not survive interrogation.

After returning to their homeworld and destroying the Taiidan Empire, the Kushan became the Hiigarans once again and lived out their lives and recovered from the war, fighting other fights as explained in Homeworld: Cataclysm. One hundred years after returning they were forced to meet a new enemy in Homeworld 2: the Vaygr.