The Original Warframes Theory (Lore)

[Genitive]

Just now, arch111 said:

This is confusing. The "rhino" had Void powers. The only ones we know of who had them was the Tenno at this time.

I am suggesting that it was a clone because of that fact.

What you suggest, is that the Orokin created Infested humans or something,  and somehow gave them voidpowers?

Please elaborate. 

What makes you think the monster had void powers? Just because he can use Rhino-like abilities doesn't mean it is powered by the void. Remember that the infestetion was created as a weapon; no wonder the infested subjects had certain abilities.

[BornWithTeeth]

9 hours ago, DrBorris said:

Okay, so you believe that the Orokin designed the Warframes from scratch effectively. Sure, the Tenno fell into their hands, but after the Rhino Prime incident the Orokin are responsible for all of the void channeling attributes of the specific Warframes, correct? This seems, admittedly, like the most straight forward option out there. It is much simpler than there being a whole other "race" of Warframes. The descriptions by Ballas does not, IMO conflict. I agree that the modern Warframes are a semi-trial and error by the Orokin, probably involving a more primordial stage when it was Tenno controlling blobs rather than perty warframes, but where we differ is that I would say that the void harnessing super power part comes from some original source rather than the masterful innovation of the Orokin.

 

There remain some very significant issues with your theory though.

 

I have read your Wall O'Text, and while it's interesting, its main problem is that it invents the concept of these ancient not-Tenno whole cloth, out of nowhere.

 

Now, the suggestion that these primordial not-Tenno were the first Warframes, and that they operated autonomously without the Tenno, and that this is why the Mirage and Limbo entities appeared to truly die, that clears up the one point of contradiction there. (That point being: how did the destruction of the Warframes kill the Operators?)

 

However, it leaves more problems behind it, and is needlessly complex. Are you familiar with the original formulation of Occam's Razor? It is not just "All other things being equal, the simplest explanation is most likely." Occam's Razor cautions against the proliferation of factors. It says "How many additional factors do you have to account for/assume are in play in order for theory x to be true? How many additional factors for theory y to be true? The theory which requires fewer unproven/unsupported assertions is the more likely."

 

Assertion: Primordial Warframes explain the deaths of Mirage and Limbo.

 

True. However, so does this: In the time of the War, the Orokin kept strict control of Tenno, limiting their ability to break free of the Dream, meaning that the permanent destruction of a Warframe would mean a catatonic Operator, an Operator who would need to be memory-wiped, hard-rebooted and brainwashed all over again, or remain in a braindead vegetative state forever.

 

The latter explanation requires fewer unsupported assertions.

 

 

Assertion: The Orokin couldn't have just produced Warframes out of nowhere, it makes more sense if they were based on a prior generation of Void-powered super soldiers.

 

I can't agree with this assertion. The Orokin terraformed half the solar system, made the Sentients, engineered the Grineer, built the Solar Rails. Orokin science was badass.

 

In addition to this, we have real, hard evidence that the powers which went into Warframes did not necessarily have to be sourced from some earlier kind of Warframe. 

Trinity has squad healing and damage reduction. The Orokin made Lorists, augmented humans who could dish out area healing to font line soldiers.

Ember produces fire blasts. The Infested have Caustic Eximus units.

Volt.......Shock Eximus units.

Frost....while the Grineer and Corpus can make Arctic Eximus units.

Saryn, designed by Ballas to kill the Infested on Earth......the Infestation breeds Venomous Eximus units.

 

 

 

 

Basically....... the theory of Primordial not-quite-Tenno, wearing first generation Warframes, explains a couple of things. However, the things which it explains have simpler explanations, explanations which don't require us to assume the existence of an entire caste of warriors for whom there is no evidence. 

 

"That which can be asserted without evidence can be dismissed without evidence."

 

 

[arch111]

1 hour ago, Genitive said:

What makes you think the monster had void powers? Just because he can use Rhino-like abilities doesn't mean it is powered by the void. Remember that the infestetion was created as a weapon; no wonder the infested subjects had certain abilities.

We do not know this. 

The tc assimilates,  it adapts. It gains voidpowers by assimilating for example a Lorist Healer.

But that was the plague,  after the fall most likely .

[Blakrana]

12 hours ago, DrBorris said:

I would love to hear another origin story for the Warframe designs

Going on what we have available at present, the following seems plausible:

1. The Orokin are working on a number of projects because of their wide ranging scientific and technological prowess. One of their current projects is encountering some issues as the constructs are tested for various factors.
2. Davis, through some means or other, has some knowledge of the work done by Margulis; somewhere along he formulates a hypothesis that leads to the events in the Rhino Prime Codex
3. Ballas becomes informed of these matters; "It's about the rejects we consigned to Lua...They're calling it Transference"
4. The prior 'Creature' project is repurposed to factor in the Tenno and Transference as a new vector of study. This as per any scientific and inventive exercise leads to research and development with these elements in mind, likely going through a number of iterations as the study progresses.
5. At some point, the 'Creature+Transference' Project results in a stable, servicable design that could be considered fit for use. In theory, that could be Excalibur. Perhaps it is here that the term 'Warframe' is coined. (Though the Excalibur codex seems written long after the fact; it's talking of it in reference to the Sentient which seems a late development in the project life cycle)
6. At some point, Ballas becomes involved in Warframe designs/application.
7. Eventually, the Warframe project becomes considered the Empire's last shot of surviving the Sentient war. Success, despite Ballas' reticence of such use, at least initially. (Could be put before or after prior point)

We may not know every detail as yet, but we certainly know enough so far to infer reasonably using only the material we have so far.

What really is standing out for me now is that, should we take Vauban Prime's trailer as Ballas discussing countermeasures against the Orokin era smugglers (Mara Detron) like he discussed Saryn as a counter to Infested, it seems to imply that Warframes weren't a 'last minute' thing for the Old War. They were in possible use and deployment for some time before hand...maybe as some kind of 'off the books' tool for problem matters. Maybe that's where the societal stories of Tenno as some kind of monster originate; those stray survivors of these things destroying stuff. And of course, the Karyst being described as an assassination tool...doesn't seem so straightforward with Sentient fighters, but quite so when your target is human, no?

Cue the Sentient War, and we get our 'Tenno denier' testimony in the Mag Prime Codex where the Tenno are pointed at the Sentient instead.

End of the day, there's a lot we still don't know...but it does make for something to consider going forward.

In short: Warframes were likely developed through simple iterative processes when the 'Creature' project was expanded to include the Tenno via Transference, designs likely following as understanding of the system's capabilities broadened through Research and Development. Warframes may also have originally been intended as specialised units to deal with problems facing the Orokin in general, rather than directly and necessarily designed to combat Sentients exclusively, which is seemingly supported by the Saryn and Vauban trailers which imply particular roles in mind for their application.

Essentially, the Warframe project was the evolution of a prior project once it was exposed to a particular environmental factor. It's not like the word isn't plastered all over the place when it comes to Tenno related matters...

Either way, apologies for going on, as ever.