A temperate fringe world, Shiloh was initially ignored by settlers because of its metal-poor geological makeup: they wanted to focus on planets that could sustain industry and a space-faring commerce. It wasn’t until the richer core worlds had already been mapped out, colonized, and established that Shiloh began to draw colonists.
What the planet lacked in heavy metals and precious ores, it made up for in vast, open land and a climate that never veered into uninhabitable extremes. This attracted a unique combination of wealthy landowners, agriculturalists, and younger families looking to escape the increasingly hectic urban lifestyle that was predominant on most of the core worlds. Large swathes of the fertile river basin territory were quickly taken by those individuals and organizations with the money and power to grab them, leaving the remaining settlers scrabbling for the best patches of what remained – for the most part, tracts of dry land covered with rocky, alkaline turf. Even with the advances in agricultural technology and genetically adapted crops, it took long hours of grueling work to wring a profit from the poor soil, especially for those who lacked resources and heavy machinery. Many small family farms ended up breaking themselves on the harsh land and moving back to the core worlds with whatever possessions they had left. The few hardy settlers who were able to subsist in these times were united in their struggles, and a uniquely rural culture promoting strength, tenacity, and independence was born.
Shiloh soon became known as an idyllic corner of the fringe worlds. Without any significant resources, technological assets, or human population, the planet escaped much of the war, invasion, and strife that had so dominated the rest of the sector. The Confederacy relied heavily on Shiloh’s agricultural output during the wars, and there were hard times when the government was painfully slow in remunerating the overtaxed farmers. These conditions were eased somewhat by the Farm Aid program, but they created lingering resentment among the settlers.
Another item of possible historic note is that Shiloh is the home planet of the one-time war hero, outlaw, Confederate marshal, and rebel Jim Raynor. Modern philosophers have debated whether the relatively inauspicious nature of this world had an impact on Raynor’s moral and political leanings and if the simmering unrest among the individualistic folk who raised him made him predisposed to a life in conflict with the Dominion’s rule. The planet Shiloh is under noticeably increased surveillance by government military forces. This has only heightened the agitation of the colonists: it is unclear whether the Dominion is trying to flush out potential seditionists like Raynor or presenting a show of force to discourage any imitators. Regardless, it is not a situation that will remain stable for long.
