The U.M.N., short for Unus Mundus Network (Latin for "One World Network"), is a mysterious informational virtual network developed by Vector Industries that spans the entire universe and its 500,000 planetary systems. Due to being a large decentralized network system, anyone from one of the Galaxy Federation's 500,000 planetary systems can instantaneously connect and talk to another in less than a second.
The symbol of the U.M.N. is a snake biting its own tail, also known as the Ouroboros, a symbol also used for Urobolus in Xenogears. The U.M.N.'s mascot is Bunnie, a cute bunny rabbit.
Mysteries[]
Despite being used throughout the Galaxy Federation, information on where the U.M.N. originated, or how it works, is limited. In Xenosaga: A Missing Year, it is explained that despite its widespread usage, no official data on the development or nature of the U.M.N. is recorded, and any details are kept solely by Vector.
The U.M.N. secretly uses the Collective Unconscious of humanity as a network infrastructure, which had existed long before transfer columns and other U.M.N.-related technologies were developed. Joachim Mizrahi calls the U.M.N. a "collective subconscious".
Due to U.M.N. using the Collective Unconscious as the basis for its network, this means other phenomenon that exist in the Lower Domain, such as Gnosis, occur in higher numbers within the U.M.N. and Encephalon.
Administration[]
“ | Thanks to the U.M.N. and the Federation. They've managed to reduce the people to a mass of spineless weaklings.
|
” |
The U.M.N. Control Center is located on Second Miltia. This includes all facilities associated with the U.M.N. including the U.M.N. Transportation Gate management facility.
The U.M.N. is under the jurisdiction of the U.M.N. Management Agency, meaning the U.M.N. Management Agency virtually controls all information within the Galaxy Federation, making it a very influential agency within the central government. The agency relies on Vector Industries to provide 98% of its facilities and resources.
The Zohar-powered superweapon, Proto Ω, used the U.M.N. as a weapon. Using a U.M.N. Phase Transfer Cannon, Proto Ω could strike virtually any target in civilized space and completely obliterate it.
Certain points on the U.M.N. represented by actual points in space are known as Column Areas. These are specially designated areas of space normally marked by beacons where ships can gate in and gate out of hyperspace. A vessel must first interact with the U.M.N. in the Column Area, transmit a flight plan and a usage fee to the U.M.N. Transportation Gate management facility then receive clearance to gate into hyperspace. The space between recognized Column Areas is small on a galactic scale, but with the increasing number of Gnosis attacks on ships out in deep space the sometimes day-long layovers where ships have to travel in normal space between Column Areas can prove fatal. Such a fate befell the Federation cruiser Woglinde and her escort fleet from the 171st Marine Division. So far, there's only one known craft in the Xenosaga universe that is capable of by-passing all known U.M.N. checkpoints and entering hyperspace without interacting with the U.M.N. That craft is the E.S. Dinah created by Vector industries for the KOS-MOS Project.
Grimoire Verum and Gnosis Terrorism[]
Grimoire Verum, a scientist who worked for Vector on Lost Jerusalem and deciphered some of Lemegeton, existed for centuries in the U.M.N. after his physical body died.
A year prior to the events of Episode III, Shion Uzuki and the anti-U.M.N. organization known as Scientia discovered that Grimoire was behind a recent wave of organized Gnosis attacks on human cities, which came to be known as "Gnosis Terrorism", and they put a stop to him. Grimoire had been using the U.M.N. to conduct these attacks in an attempt to find his daughter, Nephilim Verum.
Building a new U.M.N.[]
At the end of Episode III, all of the U.M.N. transfer columns disappear, restricting mankind to conventional means of travel. MOMO Mizrahi and the organization Scientia plan to develop a new non-U.M.N. network that would span the galaxy.
Etymology[]
Latin for "one world", the term unus mundus was used by psychiatrist Carl Jung to describe an underlying, unifed reality by which all things are derived from.