The Marathon wiki

{{Title|UESC ''Marathon''}}
{{Indicator}}
{{Quote|Applying for the expedition was my uncle's idea. He wanted to be able to see the sun. Breathe clean air. Eat plants we grew ourselves. I just wanted a change! Anything was better than burning bodies.|[[Soren Gleison]]}}
{{Ship infobox
|image=[[File:The_2023_Marathon.jpg|350px]]
|caption=The ''Marathon''{{'}}s redesign from the 2023 ''Marathon'' trailer
|manufacturer=
|shipyard=In Mars orbit
|class=
|role=Colony ship
|length=over 11 kilometers
|width=
|height=
|mass=
|power=
|engine=Bussard ramjet
|ftl drive=
|complement=24,000 crew, 3 AI
|launched=2472
|commissioned=2405
|decommissioned=2787
|destroyed=2794
|participated battles=Battle of Tau Ceti
|commanders=[[Leela]]
|affiliation=[[Unified Earth Space Council|UESC]]
|firstappearance=''[[Marathon (1994)|Marathon]]'' (1994)
}}
The '''''UESC Marathon''''' was a colony ship, built by the [[Unified Earth Space Council]] using Deimos as its frame.<ref name="CouchTerm2">[https://marathon.bungie.org/story/counterattack.html#M1.04.2.1| ''Marathon'' (1994), '''Couch Fishing''', Terminal 2]</ref> Politically controversial at the time of its construction, the ''Marathon'' would take over 60 years to complete. Officially, the vessel was sent to the [[Tau Ceti|Tau Ceti system]] in the hopes of establishing a colony.

The ship was launched in 2472 and arrived in the Tau Ceti system in 2773.<ref name="Lostpacket">[https://marathon.bungie.org/story/bungie.html ''Marathon'': the Lost Network Packets]</ref> It carried over twenty-four thousand colonists, eleven AIs, and – unofficially – ten [[Battleroid]]s.

The ''Marathon'' was attacked in 2794 by the [[Pfhor]] ship ''[[Boomer|Sfiera]]'', but successfully overcame the attack. A further attack by Pfhor reinforcements meant that the ship was later lost along with the [[Tau Ceti]] colony.

== Early history ==
[[File:Marathon Construction.png|thumb|right|300px|The ''Marathon'' under construction at [[Earth]].]]
=== Development ===
The Martian government sold Deimos to the UESC in 2395 at the height of its power, and the vessel's preconstruction phase began in 2405. However, as the [[CRIST]] orbitals began to break down, the Mars colony began to implode economically. Rampant starvation and poverty struck the planet.<ref name="CouchTerm2"/>

Despite this, construction continued without issue as the planet below continued to fall on harder times. Martian citizens began to see the ''Marathon'' as a symbol of oppression by the UESC, and they called for the ship to be made into a [[CRIST]] – but the concept was never seriously considered by the UESC.

A large majority of the [[UESC Marathon]]'s sytems were powered by CyberAcme.

The ship's main AI was [[Leela]], who was accompanied by [[Durandal]] and [[Tycho]]. Durandal was in charge of the ship's autonomous functions, such as doors, life support, and kitchens. Tycho controlled the science and engineering network.<ref>[https://marathon.bungie.org/story/arrival.html#M1.01.3.1 ''Marathon'' (1994), '''Bigger Guns Nearby''', Terminal 3]</ref>

The exact details of the ''Marathon''{{'}}s status are unknown during the Third Martian War and the [[MIDA]] coup. MIDA never made a serious effort to weaponize the ship, which would eventually come to be known, historically, as one of their greatest missed opportunities.<ref name="RoseTerm2">[https://marathon.bungie.org/story/counterattack.html#M1.05.2.1 ''Marathon'' (1994), '''The Rose''', Terminal 2]</ref>

There were no other incidents with the ''Marathon''{{'}}s construction until the ship was launched in 2472.<ref name="Lostpacket"/>

=== Conspiracy ===
After the failed MIDA coup, its sympathizers and saboteurs infiltrated the project.<ref>[https://marathon.bungie.org/story/rebellion.html ''Marathon'' (1994), '''Ingue Ferroque''', Terminal 3]</ref> The scale of the conspiracy is unclear, but over the course of the ''Marathon''{{'}}s construction they smuggled weapons aboard in the hopes of beginning a new rebellion far from the UESC.<ref>[https://marathon.bungie.org/story/counterattack.html#M1.09.2.2 ''Marathon'' (1994), '''Blaspheme Quarantine''', Terminal 2: 2nd message]</ref> So far, Dr [[Bernhard Strauss]] is the only known member of MIDA among the ''Marathon''{{'}}s command staff.<ref>[https://www.ishtar-collective.net/entries/mida-mini-tool ''Destiny 2'', MIDA Mini-Tool Lore Entry]</ref>

=== Colonization ===
After its arrival in Tau Ceti, the ''Marathon'' would complete the development of the [[Tau Ceti IV]] colony in 2787.

The exact details of the colonization effort are unknown. Beyond harassment by the local Chockisens, nothing suggests efforts were particularly gruesome.<ref name="manual">[https://marathon.bungie.org/story/_files/Marathon_Manual.pdf ''Marathon'' (1994), Marathon Manual, page 6]</ref>

One of the settlements may be called New Cascadia.

== Battle of Tau Ceti ==
[[File:M1 ChapterHeader Arrival.gif|thumb|right|250px|The Security Officer is blasted out of the ''Marathon'' in an escape pod during the attack.]]
=== Initial successes ===
On July 25, 2794, the ''Marathon'' came under attack by elements of the [[Pfhor|Pfhor Empire]] after Durandal made contact with a Pfhor ship.

In the initial attack, the Pfhor scoutship [[Boomer|Sfiera]] dropped out of FTL above the colony and deployed forces to seize the colony and the ''Marathon'' itself. Tycho was taken offline by [[S'pht]] compilers, and Leela came under relentless cyber attacks. All personnel were ordered to arm themselves and fight for their lives.

The [[Security Officer]], who boarded the ''Marathon'' while under fire from a Pfhor fighter, came under Leela's command, and together they resisted the Pfhor invasion by solidifying defenses, saving civilians and sending a distress signal back to Earth. However, by Leela's own estimation, the message would take 92 years to reach Sol.

Leela was unable to defend herself from the cyber attacks by the S'pht and fell out of contact. The Security Officer was then kidnapped by Durandal himself. He revealed that he was the one who lured the Aliens to the colony as reprisal for humanity's transgressions against him – specifically, the torturous experiments conducted by Bernhard Strauss on him. However, Durandal had not allied himself with the Pfhor; he planned to hijack their FTL capable ship to explore the universe before its eventual end.<ref name="Tychorant"/>

In his communications with the aliens, he'd grown sympathetic with one of their client races, the S'pht, and had resolved to help free them from Pfhor captivity. The Security Officer managed to destroy the [[Pfhor cyborg|Pfhor control system]] holding the S'pht in line, and the newly freed slaves aided the humans in repelling the Pfhor. With the S'pht no longer attacking the ''Marathon''{{'}}s systems, Leela came back online. She quickly regained control of the situation and sent the Security Officer to secure the last few holdouts of Pfhor aboard the ship.

On the colony below, the nine battleroids who'd been living among the populace managed to repel the Pfhor onslaught with minimal damage to the colony itself. The surviving Pfhor surrendered to any human they came across, even the unarmed ones.

In the chaos, Durandal seized the Pfhor scoutship for himself. Before leaving with his new S'pht allies, he teleported the Security Officer and an unknown number of colonists into stasis chambers for later usage.

[[File:UESCMarathon OrbitalBombardment.png|thumb|right|300px|Colonists witness the ''Marathon'' come under attack from the second wave.]]
=== Orbital armageddon ===
The Pfhor managed to drop a distress beacon before being completely overtaken by the humans. Reinforcements soon arrived, and the colony was unable to repel the much larger battlegroup.

Leela and Tycho were seized by the Pfhor, and the colony was glassed from orbit. The only known survivors were the colonists in stasis aboard Durandal's ship.<ref>[https://marathon.bungie.org/story/final2.html ''Marathon 2: Durandal'', '''the Final Screen''']</ref>

== Aftermath ==
[[File:Marathon IncomingMessage.png|thumb|right|250px|Earth receives a distress signal from the ''Marathon''.]]
Contact with the colony was confirmed lost in 2795, and the UESC commissioned [[Project Goliath]] in [[2888]] to reestablish contact with the colony.<ref>''Marathon'' (2026), Opening Cinematic</ref>

== Staff ==
Initially, the ''Marathon''{{'}}s crew included:<ref name="manual2">[https://marathon.bungie.org/story/_files/Marathon_Manual.pdf ''Marathon'' (1994), Marathon Manual, page 15]</ref><ref>[https://marathon.bungie.org/story/_files/UESC_docu_PROGO_memo_AI_RampStrat_Strauss.pdf ''Marathon'' (2025), ARG Document, AI rampancy memo]</ref>
* 50 senior staff,
* 1150 officers,
* 24,000 civilians,

<small>This does not include [[BOB]]s, personnel born on board while the Marathon was in transit</small>.

3 shipboard AIs:
*[[Tycho]],
*[[Leela]],
*[[Durandal]],

8 colony AIs:
*[[Arthur]],
*[[Ba_0423419v4.89]],
*[[Da_1907420v4.86]],
*[[Ga_2815420v4.81]],
*[[Icarus]],
*[[Jo_0309421v4.69]],
*[[Li_1817421v4.65]],
*[[Na_0602422v4.61]],

And unofficially:
* 10 Mjolnir [[Battleroid]]s.<ref name="Tychorant">[https://marathon.bungie.org/story/pfhor.html#M1.20.2.1 ''Marathon'' (1994), '''Beware of Low Flying Defense Drones''', Terminal 2]</ref>

== Systems ==
*Front Long-Range Radar & Scanning System
*Colony Fabricators
*Waste Recycling & Purification
*Colonist hybernation & Active habitats
*Moon Harvesting systems
*4 Sublight Engines<ref>[https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1111053029395939329/1111494510715867206/tom-hicks-macrofunctionsbungieship.jpg ''Marathon'' (2025), Leaked internal Marathon design]</ref>
*Bussard Ramjet<ref>[https://marathon.bungie.org/story/durandal.html#M1.13.2.1 ''Marathon'' (1994), '''Colony Ship For Sale, Cheap''', Terminal 2]</ref>

== Gallery ==
<gallery>
The 2023 Marathon (Alternate).jpg|An alternate look at the Marathon from the 2023 announcement trailer.
UESCMarathon_Orbit_02.png|The Marathon as it appears in the reveal cinematic short. Note that it slightly differs from how it was shown in the original 2023 announcement.
UESC MARATHON IN ORBIT.png|Another angle of the colony ship, showing the UESC logo on the side.
UESCMarathon_Under_Attack.png|The Marathon experiences damage during the 2794 attack.
UESCMarathon_Damaged.png|The Marathon after being attacked.
File:Marathon SchematicCloseup.jpg|A closeup digital render of the ''Marathon''.
File:Durandal Message.png|The message received from the ''Marathon''.
File:TauCetiIV Marathon.png|A partially destroyed ''Marathon'' over [[Tau Ceti IV]].
File:Cinematic 11 4K.webp|The damaged ''Marathon'' over Tau Ceti IV.
File:Marathon Launch Cinematic Selects 02.jpg|The ''Marathon'' seen from the surface of Tau Ceti IV.
File:ProjectMarathon Title.png|The Project Marathon title.
File:Marathon HumanCryo.png|A row of humans aboard the ''Marathon'' in cryo storage.
File:Cryo HU MAN.png
</gallery>

=== Classic Trilogy ===
<gallery>
File:UESCMarathon.png|The UESC ''Marathon'' as it appeared in the original trilogy.
marathon_login_logoff.gif|The UESC Marathon's login image.
</gallery>

==List of appearances==
{{Stub|section=yes}}
*''[[Marathon (1994)]]'' {{1st}}
*''[[Marathon 2: Durandal]]''
*''[[Marathon (2026)]]''

== Notes ==
*Dates in the original game were officially retconned by Bungie in the "[[Lost Network Packets]]" document. Any dates given are based on that article.

== References ==
<references/>

{{Ships}}
[[Category:Ships]]
[[Category:Trilogy locations]]