Dark Frontiers

Karxan's picture
Karxan
March 24, 2012 - 11:15pm
I was looking for pictuers for the next issues of SFman and found this link to something called Dark Frontiers. I had never seen this before. Looks like it is from around '08 timeframe. If this is anyones post I would like to give credit to them. I thought it was an interesting twist on the SF history. Also it goes along with the discussion about how the races get along. I have included the link as well as the text here.

http://www.feebleman.com/pages/rpg/dfindx.html#06

Dark Frontiers - A twist on the old TSR game Star Fronties

Introduction     Why change the classic Star Frontiers?
History     An alternate history of the Star Frontiers universe
 
     
   
      
 


Introduction
Why change Star Frontiers?

Star Frontiers has always had a special place in my gaming heart. It came out while I was in grade school and ended up being one of the favorite systems that my group played throughout high school. In particular it wasn’t the setting so much as the solid design of the combat system that drew us into to it. When the Knight Hawks expansion released maybe a year later its well crafted space combat system had us locked into adventuring across the frontier for years.

The setting however wasn’t particularly to our liking. Back in 1985 the sci-fi culture was undergoing a strange transformation. The pristine clean cities and citizens of Star Trek with its optimism that science would overcome every modern woe were being overshadowed by a new form of sci-fi where man took his ugliness, hatred and irrationality with him into the future. Movies like Blade Runner, Alien, and the graphic comic magazine Heavy Metal Illustrated filled our heads with a darker much more grim future. William Gibson’s Neuromancer and pretty much anything by Bruce Sterling or Asimov filled in the literary blanks. Our infatuation with punk music also set a tone that was hard to marry to the optimistic traditional sci-fi setting of Star Frontiers. And so like true gamers do to any system they play we tinkered making it uniquely our own.

The unified racial front of the UPF was the first to fall victim to changes. We grew up in era where we were told that the world wouldn’t last past the millennium if it somehow survived Reagan’s itchy trigger button finger. It was inconceivable that mankind could ever form a unified collective when we didn’t see unity on a global, national, state, or even city stage. And so the benevolent Kingdom of Clarion morphed into just one of many nation states vying to dominate and influence other nations. The alien races followed suit creating a world with political intrigue spanned not just nations but across a galaxy of races that barely tolerated each other but were forced to live too close for comfort.

It also bothered some of us deeply that all the alien races had technology too similar. The races even if closely packed together a mere handful of light-years apart would still advance at different rates. The Sathar being the oldest race should sweep in with weapons of near magical proportions dominating and destroying the younger species with the same ease as the US Army in the American wild west.

In this environment the Sathar weren’t exactly required. Who needs bug eyed monsters when the likes of Roy Batty and Carter Burke are out to do you in? The Sathar took a back seat to the petty squabbling of four races out to ensure theirs got the largest slice of pie in the universe. Considering also that there was an entire frontier to explore the need for a big bad on a universal scale dwindled to the point that our gaming group simply pushed them entirely out of the picture. Our universe was radically different from the one presented in the pages of the official rulebooks. And as the changes kept coming we continued ignoring them further.

And so as an attempt to compile a worldbook of my own I present our vision of what Star Frontier had been. A dark dangerous myopic place. A place where humanity had split into two camps, the forces of monarchy and democracy waging a bitter ideological war that stretched to the stars. Where crooks and hoodlums ran the frontier towns looking to stuff their pockets more than find out what lay out there only waiting to be discovered. And where alien races grudgingly tolerated humans only because of their ability to make wars sting. Where conspiracy abounded as the powers that be struggled in ways unfathomable to the player pawns. This was our universe, a group of misfits standing on the edge of a dark frontier...


History
The alternate history of the universe

The current state of affairs in Dark Frontiers is vastly different from the cheerful situation presented in the original Star Frontiers. The four races have not unified against the Sathar who in this universe do not exist. Instead they squabble not only with each other but with members of their own species. Humanity is a collection of nation states that have split into two major factions. The Vrusks and Vazarians are no better, their worlds are also split by competing hives, nations and clans. The races have carefully begun staking out their colony worlds and guard them jealously. To understand how this universe was shaped one need understand the history of the human race.
A Brief History of Dark Frontiers (click links for a deeper overview)
-1500 pf Ancient Age Pre-history dating back before writing. Loraina (now Port Loren) is founded and becomes a center of commerce in the ancient world. Late in this age The House Clarion of the White Light is founded.
0 wl Middle Age The year zero marks the founding of the Kingdom of Clarion. This period covers the medieval, discovery, and exploration ages. Clarion expands greatly during this era becoming a dominant world power by the Industrial Age.
1200 wl Industrial Age Impressed with a steam engine demonstration House Clarion modernizes all of its industries leading to a financial and industrial explosion.
1274 wl Modern Age Clarion and long standing enemy nation XXX go to war dragging 70% of the world’s nations into the conflict. Although Clarion would be victorious the ally nation Freyon falls to revolutionaries preaching the radical idea of democracy. A long standing Cold War style conflict shapes the world as monarchy and democry face off against each other.
1350 wl Frontier Age The Vrusk appear suddenly in the Home system with an armada of warships. After several Human-Vrusk wars Humans emerge victorious, reverse engineer faster than light drives, and expand out into the universe. Yazarians and Dralasites are discovered soon after and exploited for resources.
1472 wl The Present  

pf - Abbreviation for Pre-Foundation. Years prior to the foundation of the Kingdom of Clarion are counted backwards from the year 0.

wl - Abbreviation for The Kingdom of House Clarion of the White Light, or simply White Light. The foundation of the Kingdom of Clarion is base of the human dating system.

What do you think?
Comments:

Shadow Shack's picture
Shadow Shack
March 25, 2012 - 6:54am
As one who hosts a darker Frontier campaign myself --- my game has an upstart dictator that takes over, forcing the last shreds of the UPF into hiding...and the Malthar returns to usurp the new order as an ally to the UPF loyalists --- I like it.

I just have to wonder if he rewrote the planetary descriptions, seeing as how in canon there are numerous mixed population worlds...each one would be  amajor ground-zeero in such a setting. The other issue I see would be players would all be forced into using one of the core four races, unless they actually enjoyed betrayal and killing each other etc.
I'm not overly fond of Zeb's Guide...nor do I have any qualms stating why. Tongue out

My SF website

Deryn_Rys's picture
Deryn_Rys
March 25, 2012 - 7:49am
Boy, and I was told my version of the SF timeline was a bit dark. While I agree that people can make the SF into whever they desire, I think that the game should never become all gloom and doom, or eventually players will tire of playing in that kind of situation. A situation where there is little or no cooperation from the four races might make for an interesting start of a campaign I would eventually have the four races become allies (begrudgingly at first) perhaps in order to survive against the Sathar menace but that's because to me the inherent cooperation of the four allied races, and the UPF are two things that make Star Frontiers what it is

During the late 80's and early 90's we as a society were going through a period of disillusinment about many things in our society, and our entertainments likewise reflected our collective feelings, but games like Star Frontiers with it's high adventure, and hopeful future serve as a kind of salve against the depression most of us were feeling from the negativity of our day to day existance. This is why I have always had a soft spot for this game in my heart.
"Hey guys I wonder what this does"-Famous last words
"Hey guys, I think it's friendly." -Famous last words
"You go on ahead, I'll catch up." -Famous last words
"Did you here that?" -Famous last words

Malcadon's picture
Malcadon
March 25, 2012 - 10:07am
Looks interesting. I cant wait to see more of this.

rattraveller's picture
rattraveller
March 25, 2012 - 10:10am
[/quote] During the late 80's and early 90's we as a society were going through a period of disillusinment about many things in our society, and our entertainments likewise reflected our collective feelings, [/quote]

So President Reagan restarting the economy, the Berlin Wall falling down and the end of the Soviet Empire, the victory of Desert Storm and the One and Only Superpower era, the Stock Market breaking 10,000 is your idea of "dark times" and "disillusionment"? So what constitutes good times?
Sounds like a great job but where did you say we had to go?

Malcadon's picture
Malcadon
March 25, 2012 - 8:06pm
rattraveller wrote:
So President Reagan restarting the economy, the Berlin Wall falling down and the end of the Soviet Empire, the victory of Desert Storm and the One and Only Superpower era, the Stock Market breaking 10,000 is your idea of "dark times" and "disillusionment"? So what constitutes good times?

Wait, didn't Reagan crashed the economy with his policies after the economic high of the late '70s, inflated the deficit three-fold, kicked the doomsday forward with the Star Wars Program and arms build-up, hired (then fired) a dangerous and incompetent hack to run the EPA, let loose the mentally-ill on the streets, and introduced crack-cocaine to the street with secret deals with South American drug lords and a group who would later hit us on 9-11?

I remember much of it, growing-up in what could be called "the urinal of trickle-down economics."

AZ_GAMER's picture
AZ_GAMER
March 25, 2012 - 10:51pm

Reagan was Awesome! True no one is perfect but he is a saint compared to B.O.


Malcadon's picture
Malcadon
March 26, 2012 - 1:02am
Reagan was OK. He helped knocked-down the iron curtain, but beyond that he failed at everything else.

Obama is doing fine considering what he inherited, and I doubt Reagan could deal with this mess any more efficiently. There is a lot that is said about Obama, but much of it is really stupid: ranting demagogy and baseless conspiracy theories. Hell, the issue that his political opponents have with him - namely mandated healthcare - was their idea to begin with! His real problem in that he could benefit from a sturdy spine, and the policies he initiates could be more inline with his progressive rhetoric.

Shadow Shack's picture
Shadow Shack
March 26, 2012 - 1:32am
The ultimate problem with this current administration is they took this road to hell and kept travelling down it without changing course. Travelling is an understatement, they cut the brake lines and jammed the accelerator pedal. I just have to wonder if the next President will be permitted to fall back on the same mamby pamby "I inherited it" excuse. Frankly I'm tired of the excuses and finger pointing, we truly do need some change and the past three years simply hasn't offered any.
I'm not overly fond of Zeb's Guide...nor do I have any qualms stating why. Tongue out

My SF website

jedion357's picture
jedion357
March 26, 2012 - 5:15am
Malcadon wrote:
Reagan was OK. He helped knocked-down the iron curtain, but beyond that he failed at everything else.

.... and I doubt Reagan could deal with this mess any more efficiently.


Perhaps Reagan was a one trick pony with his belief that communism was a great evil and it was his mission to take it down, However, that overlooks the fact that he was called, "The Great Communicator" and if Reagan was alive now and President I think he would bring this asset to bear, that he would size up the situation, focus on a solution that seems best to him and then communicate his vision to the American people and get everyone moving in the same direction on it. Whether Congress wanted to go along or not, they would have to because Reagan was so good at reaching the man in the street with his vision.

So we can piss about trinkle down ecomonics and what Reagan actually accomplished; the simple fact is that he had a powerful ability that he wielded expertly and if you play the what if game you have to concede that to him because that one ability in any situation is going to succeed at something. So yeah Reagan would beat the hell out of what we got now no matter what sort of a situation he was handed.

Please, making excuses for Obama along the lines of, "Well, the situation he got stuck with.... and if he hadn't been stuck with that...." sorry but that strikes me as whining and too bad for Obama, he asked for the job so suck it up and get it done or step aside. Sorry to say this and rant but listening to, "Well, Obama would be a good president except for the F%$#ed up situation he inherited" Sounds like "Well I would have been a track star if the other team's members hadn't been so fast," Or "Well my business wouldn't have failed if there hadn't been competition" If you have to make excuses just to say he's great, just in an impossible situation then anyone could be president as long as everything goes right- but everything doesn't go right because "stuff" happens. If he needs everything to go right to shine then he's the wrong man for the job. The sad fact is that he's done plenty and what he's done hasn't helped because the decisions behind those actions are based on sociological ideology.

So I'll give you that he's in a sucky situation but I also got to call this one the way I see it: he pretty sucky himself as well. And what was that with the Nobel Peace Prize? He hadn't done anything yet and they give him that prize? Why? for doing nothing? Or for being the first black President? So now we hand out prizes for the color of your skin? He's a gold star because you're black. No wonder everyone is making excuses for him. "Leave the poor black president alone, he got stuck with a sucky situation, its not his fault." Give me a break.

Final note: many other Presidents were handed sucky situations and if nothing else rose to the challenge and shined in the darkness- no one has to makes excuses for them, if fact historians practically gush over how they were the "right man for the job at the right time." No Excuses. I'm thinking Obama needs to be a "one and done" like Jimmy Carter.
I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers!

Anonymous's picture
w00t (not verified)
March 26, 2012 - 7:11am
The shroud of the dark side has fallen on sf.us
Survive it, we will. 

Shadow Shack's picture
Shadow Shack
March 26, 2012 - 1:47pm
jedion357 wrote:
Final note: many other Presidents were handed sucky situations 

Kind of like the one who came in after...

Quote:
and if nothing else rose to the challenge and shined in the darkness- no one has to makes excuses for them, if fact historians practically gush over how they were the "right man for the job at the right time." No Excuses. I'm thinking Obama needs to be a "one and done" like Jimmy Carter.


I'm not overly fond of Zeb's Guide...nor do I have any qualms stating why. Tongue out

My SF website

AZ_GAMER's picture
AZ_GAMER
March 26, 2012 - 8:34pm

(Sorry it didnt quote Malcadon's statement)

That's actually not acurate. I watched the televised anouncement where he claimed, or should i say boasted, about "his" health care plan that everyone should accept on its merrits alone. My opinion on him as a president is that he has not done anything worth the token nobel prize he was awarded. But that is an opinion, what I can say without hestitation, with known certainty and authority, is that "his" public option health care plan will only serve to punish those hard working americans that don't make quite enough to afford their company sponsored health care plan and are quite not poor enough to qualify for public assistance. I choose not to have insurance because I can't afford a premium of 350 a month and frankly its just cheaper to pay urgent care when I need health care then a premium that does nothing for me when I am healthy. It is completely unconstitutional to force an american citizen to purchase or participate in a government health care plan product. If "his" plan, and those are his words. were free to everyone and without penalty to those who choose not to take it, I may have had a different opinion. I have read the bill, and fine or tax (however you want to politely phrase it) those who for-go any coverage is exactly what it intends to do. The absolutely most imperative measure of our time is to see that this monstrosity of legistation, that no one was allowed to vote on and was back door shoved down our collective throats, is repealled as quickly as possible. For the fact that this promised transparrent, and that is his very words, healthcare plan which passed through a legitslative back door with no transparency and was rammed down our throats without a vote by the people it effects is the height of arrogance and the number one reason his presidency doesnt amount to a hill of Sathar defication in my book. A sturdy spine will only straighten his stature but never his character.

History has proved improved prosperity under Reagens watch, what will history prove under Obama's watch the sheer numbers and facts are already speaking for themselves. Democrat, Republican, or libertarian..I dont care who gets ellected and which party prevails, all I care is that this monster is removed from office. 


rattraveller's picture
rattraveller
March 26, 2012 - 8:20pm
Thanks for telling me that, now I can stop paying Medicare. Wait I can't? Well at least I don't have pay the government for a retirement plan. So glad the government let's me take care of my own social security.
Sounds like a great job but where did you say we had to go?

AZ_GAMER's picture
AZ_GAMER
March 26, 2012 - 8:32pm
well said jedion

AZ_GAMER's picture
AZ_GAMER
March 26, 2012 - 8:37pm
I think the idea of incorporating more of the dystopian society of blade runner and Aliens is a good idea. Though there is room enough in the frontier for both the sterlile prosperous benevolent society of Trek and the grundy visceral dystopia of blade runner. Both have their place and use in the Star Frontiers setting.

jedion357's picture
jedion357
March 27, 2012 - 5:16am
AZ_GAMER wrote:
I think the idea of incorporating more of the dystopian society of blade runner and Aliens is a good idea. Though there is room enough in the frontier for both the sterlile prosperous benevolent society of Trek and the grundy visceral dystopia of blade runner. Both have their place and use in the Star Frontiers setting.
I would of course concede to you the the possibility of doing a trek like thing with the Frontier, but for myself the mere presence of Mega corps automatically makes an association with Blade Runner grit. Not as bad as shadowrun, but somewhere in the middle between Trek and Shadowrun. Total grit I find unappealing and the older I get the more I find Trek a little juvenile in its outlook (though I loved the last movie with kirk getting his face bashed in throughout the whole movie- seemed like that movie introduce just enough grit to flavor Trek for me).
I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers!

jedion357's picture
jedion357
March 27, 2012 - 5:54am
AZ_GAMER wrote:
well said jedion


Actually I appreciated your analysis on the health care bill but since I live in MA I've already gone through the stages of ranting and reached the stage of resignation by the time Obama was ramming the national health care bill through. Seeing as how I could see the writing on the wall I simply went out and bought some vaseline, figuring that if I was going to get screwed like that I might as well lubricate myself but somehow that didn't make Obama's health care initiative any more pallatable or take the roughness out of the screwing either. I whole heartily agree with you about the next election though.

By the way yesterday if you put www.communist.com in your browser it redirected you to the Obama biden re-election website but today it doesn't. I had a good laugh yesterday when I saw that but somehow today I feel a chill like you get when you feel that someone is watching you.
I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers!

rattraveller's picture
rattraveller
March 27, 2012 - 5:48am
One part of dystopian future seems to be a government out of control. (V for Vendetta, Hunger Games, 1984, etc...) So just how much total control does a government have to have to be considered dysfunctional?

Is the Family of One on Hentz dystopian?

Since there is a rebellious group against the monarchy on Clarion (Gollywog) so are they considered dystopian.

Yes I understand I may be using the word dystopian wrong but go with it.
Sounds like a great job but where did you say we had to go?

AZ_GAMER's picture
AZ_GAMER
March 27, 2012 - 4:19pm

I use to play the Fasa Star Trek in my last year of High School and my game group did have mega corps present in the setting and I seem to remember reading something about them in a Fasa supplement for the game. That federation outpost in the last movie was pretty gritty, I think they were aiming for a lot more gritty in the last movie. But its kind of like Port Loren, A large clean (relatively clean), mega city with lots of interaction and interstellar travel. In trek series enterprise their were corporations running cargo and conducitng mining enterprises that were outside the government. In fact one such industry actually ended up high jacking a major near object deflector array in order to put forward their political agenda. Private news and media organizations are represented. I think, that because the story revovles so heavily around star fleet that we don't get a good look at the federations infa-structure and under belly. While its true that in the Trek universe money is obsolete in the federation but the exchange of goods and services still occur and that would mean companies and coorporations. While they have stated that they have elimated currancy they never said that they elimated all forms of exchange. Outside the federation the crew of enterprise often had to trade and barter goods and technology for things they needed. So while the basic needs of food, shelter, and essentials are provided by replicator technolgy and poverty / currency no longer exist there still would be an economy. Jean Luc Piccard described it in first contact when he said "the economics of the 24th century are somewhat different from your time" (paraphrased)


jedion357's picture
jedion357
March 27, 2012 - 8:13pm
Perception is everything; I just percieve Trek that way and of course Kirk was the original Boy Scout, you know the type, the one that would sneak out of summer camp at night to circumnavigate the lake to visit the Girl Scout camp on the other side.

BTW- I loved the fact that Kirk doesn't get with the object of his desire in the new movie but give Abrams a thumbs up for featuring the green chick.
I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers!

Inigo Montoya's picture
Inigo Montoya
March 28, 2012 - 7:24am
I love a grittier SF. I never much cared for Star Trek because of it sanitary feel. That, and there was no economy. My suspension of disbelief can only handle so much. Smile

rattraveller's picture
rattraveller
March 28, 2012 - 9:51am
Star Trek was kinda weird in that they said there was no economy but obviously sometimes there was. Take the three miners Harry Mudd was trying to hook his women up with. Kirk couldn't just take the crystals from them he brought them up to organize a trade. Bartering is a form of economy ya'know.

Also there were the many many planets where the locals had to be paid for things like drinks in a bar. Did they just replicate local currency or wouldn't that be counterfeiting?

When DS9 started one of the Commander's first jobs was to get all the merchants to stay and rebuild. If they lived in a moneyless society that would not have been a problem since the Federation would just do it. The point taken is that they didn't so encouragement was required.

I could go on but this was always one of the flaws in the show that caused problems for true believers. 
Sounds like a great job but where did you say we had to go?

Inigo Montoya's picture
Inigo Montoya
March 28, 2012 - 1:03pm
Yes, I tried to ignore all the contradictions that trade and business created with their socialist Utopia. What I did appreciate about Star Trek was that practically no species got along with each other all the time. That's what I'd like to see a little more of in SF. But it doesn't have to be monumental. We have squabbles with our closest allies. People in the South are still pissed at the Yankee's and their war of northern aggression. I do not think that the makers of SF pictured their setting to be one big Barny the Dancing Dinosaur show. The Core 4 can get along and work together, yet still have episodes of hostility (violent or non-violent). After all, it is a big galaxy. Their are so many worlds in SF that I would suspect that their is not a single racial identity with any species. Not every species will identify with its kindred from across the galaxy before it identifies with its peers from its home world, corporation, ships crew, etc. Humans from one system may despise humans from another particular system and rather spend their time confined in spacer comedian bar during dralasite open mic night rather than associate with those hicks from X world. Imagine how many small shooting wars could erupt over the dumbest things in the far flung corners of the universe.

jedion357's picture
jedion357
March 28, 2012 - 3:57pm
Some observations:

1. saying that there is no currency or money is not the same thing as no economy- inconsistencies in Trek invaraiably stem from writers brought in who did not understand Rodenberry's vision or just didn't know what to write so show case a wierd society with no money so they showed defeacto economy.
Still that doesn't make Rodenberry's socialist dream/philosophy any more pallatable.

Is it that Trek Rubs us the wrong way because we ourselves are political animals and out sociology is just diametric to Rodenberry's?

Funny there is a long history of social engineers writing about their beliefs and philosophy under the guise of science fiction to make it more acceptable. - Time Machine stands out as a classic

2. I Hear Inigo's comment on species not getting along and agree with it to a point but I'd like to point out that we have a plethora of anti bug sentiment by humans (something that seems to have not really be reciprocated). Also there is the Yazirian civil war project which could be a good source of conflict though its typically Yaz on Yaz. Dramune Wars could be explored for some more conflict.
There is a cult that is sort of the KKK of the Frontier but against the Rim species.

Dragon #109 wrote:

The Firsters
Classification: criminal organization
Intelligence Source: Dragon #109 "Patriots, Terrorists, and Spies" by Kim Eastland

This group is a quasi political/terrorist faction that believes all of the Rim races should be sent back to the Rim. Their slogans are such clichés as "The Frontier for the Founders" and "Kick a Rimmer Today." At first this organization was not taken seriously by most inhabitants of the Frontier and became the butt of many a joke, but recent militant activities aimed at members of the Rim races and their businesses have sobered the public to the reality of violent racial prejudice. The Alliance for the Rights of the People is the greatest opponent of the Firster movement.

No Firster headquarters is known to exist, as its operations are completely covert. While none of the leaders are known, a rallying figure is known to be a dead vrusk named G'rch B'on. B'on was a member of the Firsters when they were still a tiny cult. He attacked an ifshnit couple one night, but died in the assault. The coroner's findings indicated B'on tripped over his own feet and broke his neck in the fall. The Firsters insist that witnesses (other Firsters, incidentally) saw the ifshnit pick a fight, killing B'on. B'on is now a martyr for the Firster cause and a rallying symbol for anyone who dislikes beings from the Rim.
I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers!

Shadow Shack's picture
Shadow Shack
March 28, 2012 - 5:23pm
Look no further than the last page of the AD Expanded rules for racial reactions for an idea of racial heating in the Frontier. Humans have a mild disdain for the bugs just as much as Yazirians do toward the blobs (to cite the common derogatory terms that would be used in Frontier society)...those two being the most notable behind the Sathar relations.

Whereas the vrusk only have a minor disdain back at the humans and no preference/tolerance toward the other three, and the dralasites holding nothing against the humans or yazirians while showing preference toward the vrusk. The mammals could just as easily team up against the non-mammals Wink
I'm not overly fond of Zeb's Guide...nor do I have any qualms stating why. Tongue out

My SF website

Karxan's picture
Karxan
March 28, 2012 - 6:10pm
If you look at SFAD6 you will see a huge conflcit between human and vrusk. It is prety clear there that there is conflict between the two species at the planet there. I got the impression that the UPF though was not filled with that conflict so much. But that would make for a good adventure. Species rivalries in the UPF.

rattraveller's picture
rattraveller
March 28, 2012 - 9:47pm
If the 4 core species did get along extra well we would have more planets with mixed populations. The Firster probably didn't get along with each other too well until the Rimmers showed up.

There was a scene in the TV series Alien Nation where a group of humans were protesting letting Alien children into public schools. The MC confronts them by threatening to shoot the Alien kids. At one point he confronts an African American man old enough to remember segregation and shames him into ending the protest.

After all everyone hates the new guy.
Sounds like a great job but where did you say we had to go?