The sheer weight of carefully researched technical detail lent verisimilitude to a fictional universe which was a vivid projection of the author's political and emotional beliefs.

This was a typically evocative notion, applying his theme of interconnectedness to his own fictional universe, but had little more specificity.

The series covers several different genres from platforming to puzzle, though they are all set in the same fictional universe.

The ranks are arranged according to the fictional universe that they belong to and, where available, a current military equivalent.

The characters and settings of the films are further explored in other media set in the same fictional universe, including animation, comics, and video games.