CALDORCALDOR
Official Name: Caldor
Nature: Alternate Reality (Reality-8116) extraterrestrial planet, Chalfalon star system (500,000 light years from the Dark Sector (formerly the Milky Way Galaxy), Empirical Galaxy
Environment: Life-sustaining biosphere
Gravity: Unrevealed (but presumably possessed a gravitational field in which it was
comfortable for humanoids to function; Vanth did not comment on it being significantly different than from Earth)
Atmosphere: Unrevealed (presumably mostly nitrogen and oxygen as it can be breathed by humanoids)
Natural Satellites: At least one moon; possibly two or more
Artificial Satellites: None known
Natives: Birds of an unidentified species were present and may have been native; alternatively, they could have been brought there by Instrumentality scientists. Perhaps pets escaped and flourished there...
Population: None known;
the people had approximately 320 members (all were slain except Oedi,
who departed Caldor), plus formerly four non-native residents, plus
whatever group of Instrumentality scientists were there for an
undetermined period of time
Prominent residents: Formerly the People (Oedi (only known survivor); Lectra, Minde', Oedi the elder, approximately 315 others (all deceased)) were created and lived there;
Syzygy Darklock, Delilah D-50, Pyrax 8-13, Vanth (later Dreadstar)
Visitors: Aknaton (buried there), First Nova Squadron (notably Lt. Sandorz)
Capital City: The Village was the only known settlement
Government: The People lived is something of a commune, loosely under the surveillance of the Instrumentality;
Languages: Unidentified language used by the Instrumentality
National/Planetary Defense: None; the People were pacifists, Vanth had renounced his violent past at the time, and Syzygy Darklock was living in isolation
Major Resources: Unrevealed
Monetary Unit: Money did not seem to be a part of the commune-like civilizations; the People like shared/bartered/helped as needed
Places of Interest: Mist Valley (which contained Syzygy's abode), the Village (Research Center Delta 219; contained Delilah and Vanth's home)
First Appearance: Epic Illustrated#9 (December, 1981)
History:
(Dreadstar
and Company#5: The Dreadstar and Company Files: Oedi) <Perhaps
150-170 years before the main story in Marvel Graphic Novel#3: The
Metamorphosis Odyssey Book Three: Dreadstar> - War broke out between
two imperial powers within the Empirical galaxy, the Monarchy and the
theocratic Instrumentality. Early in the course of the war, the Church
of the Instrumentality established scientific research centers on
planet throughout its empire whose purpose was to discover or devise a
means of assuring the Instrumentality's victory.
(Marvel Graphic Novel#3: The Metamorphosis Odyssey Book Three: Dreadstar (fb) - BTS) <Decades before the main story> - In hopes of creating a race of super-warriors to use against the Monarchy, Instrumentality scientists established Research Center Delta 219 for a top secret research project on the planet Caldor, which was "pretty far from any regular space corridors."
(Dreadstar and Company#5: The Dreadstar and Company Files: Oedi) - Caldor had no native humanoid population.
(Marvel Graphic Novel#3: The Metamorphosis Odyssey Book Three: Dreadstar (fb) / Dreadstar and Company#5: The Dreadstar and Company Files: Oedi) - There they cross-bred (almost certainly via genetic engineering) cats and humans in hopes of producing super-warriors with feline reflexes, instincts, and ferocity coupled with man's intelligence and manual dexterity.
However, while the resulting cat people did have human intelligence and body conformation, their natural temperaments were so peaceful and gentle that all attempts to use them as soldiers failed miserably. With the first generation being herbivores, they proved to have a real talent for farming. They were dubbed the People.
(Marvel Graphic Novel#3: The Metamorphosis Odyssey Book Three: Dreadstar (fb) - BTS) - Nonetheless, as wars needed soldiers, soldiers needed food, and Caldor was a very fertile planet, the People, were allowed to survive as long as they kept producing high-quality forest wheat and other crops for the government...at prices set by the government.
(Dreadstar and Company#5: The Dreadstar and Company Files: Oedi) - Over the succeeding decades, the People's population grew to 320, while the research center retained no Instrumentality personnel on base). For unrevealed reasons, the Instrumentality did not attempt to convert the People to the repressive state religion.
(Marvel Graphic
Novel#3: The Metamorphosis Odyssey Book Three: Dreadstar (fb) - BTS) -
The People perpetuated the name Mist Valley, established by the
earliest Instrumentality settlers, considering it part of the "out
there" (space), because its cliffs and rocky terrain made it
inarable (unfarmable); as a result, few ventured out there. 
Once a year, a huge Instrumentality ship came from space to collect the forest wheat harvest and to deliver used agricultural equipment, rations (always in insufficient quantities), approved literature (mostly almanacs), and an occasional visitor (usually some type of scientist).
The People called Research Center Delta 219 home or "the village."
(Marvel Graphic Novel#3: The Metamorphosis Odyssey Book Three: Dreadstar (fb) - BTS) <Twelve cycles before the main story> - Pyrax 8-13 and his wife, Delilah D-50, arrived one of the annual Instrumentality ships, intending to study the People on a university grant.
(Marvel Graphic Novel#3: The Metamorphosis Odyssey Book Three: Dreadstar (fb) - BTS) <Six cycles before the main story> - Pyrax was killed by a Monarchy scout ship, and he was buried. Delilah stayed on to finish Pyrax's anthropological work. She became an accepted member of the community despite being "human."
(Epic
Illustrated#9) - The
mystic sphere containing Orsirosian Aknaton and his warrior Vanth
Dreadstar -- who had facilitated the destruction of the entire Milky
Way Galaxy to eliminate the threat of the Zygoteans -- approached Caldor after 1 million years of travel.
Aknaton's senses told him that Caldor was where Vanth's destiny awaited.
After explaining how they had survived and where they were, Aknaton
detailed how Caldor and its surrounding star systems were chiefly
populated with human and semi-human beings and was much like the Milky
Way Galaxy in many ways; and this space sector had need of a person of
Vanth's particular talents and qualities.
Overwhelmed at having been led to
contribute in the destruction of an entire galaxy, Vanth fatally
wounded Aknaton with his laser pistol. 
Aknaton continued that
the people of this galaxy were at a moral crossroads, a point of
technological development where they could change their worlds into
scientific gardens of paradise or breed their own race of Zygoteans.
Aknaton advised Vanth that he was needed to lead the people down the
right road, but that he would not be alone, as others would help him,
though those people would need Vanth in order to survive. Aknaton
explained that Vanth had to make others hear his
message or they would suffer the same damnation.
After confirming that he had goaded Vanth into killing him, Aknaton died.
(Epic Illustrated#9 (fb) - BTS / Epic Illustrated#9 - BTS) - Vanth dug a shallow grave for Aknaton, buried him under a pile of rocks, and then wandered away.
(Marvel Graphic
Novel#3: The Metamorphosis Odyssey Book Three: Dreadstar) - Near the
Village, Vanth collapsed from a radium laser blast he had taken prior
to their journey in stasis. He was found by the People, who brought him
to Delilah, in whose home he recovered. The two soon fell in love, and
the People came to accept him, while Vanth renounced his violent past
and became a farmer.
Thirty years later, the Altarix mystic Syzygy
Darklock arrived in the Lightcutter II, seeking to join with Vanth to
fulfill a prophecy to improve the lives of the people of the galaxy and
made base in Mist Valley.
(Marvel
Graphic Novel#3: The Metamorphosis Odyssey Book Three: Dreadstar (fb) -
BTS) - For an unspecified number of star cycles (years), Vanth met with Syzygy
Darklock twice every moon cycle, and the two became friends while
Syzygy shared his knowledge with Vanth.
(Marvel
Graphic Novel#3: The Metamorphosis Odyssey Book Three: Dreadstar (fb) -
BTS) - The Monarchy's intelligence forces received decades-old
information about the Instrumentality's "cat warriors," and King
Nellor resolved that they should destroy them before they were put into
action as well as to terminate any scientists they found on the
site.
(Marvel
Graphic Novel#3: The Metamorphosis Odyssey Book Three: Dreadstar (fb) -
BTS) - While Vanth and Syzygy were within Syzygy's multi-dimensional
overlap-constructed home, the Monarchy's First
Nova Squadron assaulted the Village. They easily slaughtered the
People.
(Epic Illustrated#15) - Only the younger Oedi survived.
(Marvel Graphic Novel#3: The Metamorphosis Odyssey Book Three:
Dreadstar (fb) - BTS) - After presumably questioning/torturing Delilah, First Nova Squadron slew her.
(Marvel Graphic Novel#3: The Metamorphosis Odyssey Book Three: Dreadstar - BTS) - As Vanth departed Syzygy's place, they saw a bright light over the village and Monarchy ships flying away from there. Syzygy told Vanth that he had only had a feeling but that Vanth better get home, and Vanth took Syzygy's flyer to return the distant Village in minutes.
(Marvel
Graphic Novel#3: The Metamorphosis Odyssey Book Three: Dreadstar) -
Finding the Village in flames, the People all slaughtered, and Delilah's body,
Vanth summoned his Sword of Icy Fire, learning what
had happened from First Nova Squadron's Lt. Sandorz, whose flyer had been downed, before
killing him.
Comments: Created by Jim Starlin.
Dreadstar / Reality-8116 primer
See the People's profile for a discussion on when
they were created. Sources and resources vary from estimating 35-200
years before Vanth's profile. I favorVanth's 35-45 years before his arrival on Caldor estimate.
So, as stars are different sizes and planets are various distances from their suns, what is a year on one planet may be significantly longer or shorter than a year on Earth. That being said, I think most writers/stories tend to work on the premise that a year is a year, and I believe that to be true of this story. So 30 years on Caldor was presumably pretty close to 30 years on Earth. Or perhaps not...
I don't recall whether we learned
more about Caldor after the conclusion of the Metamorphosis Odyssey and
the Oedi profile in Dreadstar and Company. After finishing coverage of
the graphic novel and then Epic Illustrated#15, I'll be working my way
though the Dreadstar series and other appearances, and I'll add
anything else on Caldor that I find.
Profile by Snood.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Caldor has no known connections to
  Other
than being grossly similar in appearance to terrestrial birds, the fact
that they lived on Caldor, abd flew in flocks, nothing has been
revealed about them.The People were originally herbivores, but they developed into omnivores over time. --Marvel Graphic Novel#3: The Metamorphosis Odyssey Book Three: Dreadstar |
|
The People considered it part of the "out there"
because of its cliffs and rocky terrain make it unfarmable, so few ever
ventured there. (Marvel Graphic
Novel#3: The Metamorphosis Odyssey Book Three: Dreadstar) - Near the
Village, Vanth collapsed from a radium laser blast he had taken prior
to their journey in stasis. He was found by the People, who brought him
to Delilah, in whose home he recovered. The two soon fell in love, and
the People came to accept him, while Vanth renounced his violent past
and became a farmer. Thirty years later, the Altarix mystic Syzygy Darklock arrived,
seeking to join with Vanth to fulfill a prophecy to improve the lives
of the people of the galaxy and made base in Mist Valley.
--"The Price," Eclipse Graphic Album Series#5; (identified) Marvel Graphic Novel#3: The Metamorphosis Odyssey Book Three: Dreadstar (1982) |
  A multi-dimensional
overlap-construction, Syzygy constructed in Mist Valley soon after arriving on Caldor. A thin veil hung from the sole entrance, passage through which revealed a structure larger inside than outside (like a tesseract?) (Marvel Graphic Novel#3: The Metamorphosis Odyssey Book Three: Dreadstar (fb) - BTS) - For an unspecified number of star cycles (years), Vanth met with Syzygy Darklock twice every moon cycle, and the two became friends while Syzygy shared his knowledge with Vanth.
|
 Delilah and Vanth apparently lived here for 30+ years.--Marvel Graphic Novel#3: The Metamorphosis Odyssey Book Three: Dreadstar |
images: (without ads)
Epic Illustrated#9: Metamorphosis Odyssey, Chapter XIII: Doomsday, pg. 9, panel 3 (Aknaton's sphere approaching Caldor);
"The Price," pg. 44, panel 3 (Syzygy approaching Caldor in Lightcutter II);
Marvel Graphic Novel#3: The Metamorphosis Odyssey Book Three: Dreadstar, story pg. 1 (wounded Vanth wandering barren woods);
pg. 12, panel 1 (wooded area and mountain);
panel 2 (wheat field);
pg. 13, panel 1 (Mist Valley, with smaller image of Syzygy's abode);
pg. 14, panel 1 (Syzygy's abode; closer);
pg. 16, panel 1 (Village at night);
panel 2 (Delilah and Vanth's home, interior);
pg. 17, panel 5 (Syzygy's abode, interior);
Appearances:
Epic Illustrated#9: Metamorphosis Odyssey, Chapter XIII: Doomsday & XIV: Aftermath (December, 1981) - Jim Starlin (writer, artist), Stan Lee
(editor/publisher), Archie Goodwin (editorial director), James Shooter (consulting editor)
"The Price," Eclipse Graphic Album Series#5 (1981) - Jim Starlin (writer/artist); I don't know who edited it; reprinted in Epic's Dreadstar Annual#1 (1983) it credited Jo Duffy (associate editor) and Archie Goodwin (editor)
Marvel Graphic Novel#3: The Metamorphosis Odyssey Book Three: Dreadstar (1982) - Jim Starlin (writer/artist), Archie Goodwin & Jo Duffy (editor)
Started: 05/04/2023
First posted: 10/13/2023
Last updated: 10/29/2023
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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Early Instrumentality settlers dubbed the region "Mist Valley."