Origin Jumpworks

Origin Jumpworks GmbH is a spaceship and engine manufacturer of high quality and luxury products. Their headquarters is based in Terra.

History
If it is possible for a company to merge class and sophistication with the sheer risk of spaceflight and the cold-blooded nature of interstellar dogfighting, ORIGIN Jumpworks GmbH comes the closest. The company’s extensive array of high-end spacecraft is known for their sleek and sophisticated lines. Similarly, they have cultivated an exclusive customer base from the rich and the powerful. As ORIGIN’s perfectly-manicured salesmen eagerly point out, selecting an ORIGIN design doesn’t just mean buying a ship … it means choosing a lifestyle. ORIGIN was incorporated during the so-called Glowing Age, the financial boom of the mid-28th century that followed the antimatter rush. For their first decade, the company produced high quality fusion engines used by the UEE military and mounted on the ostentatious Roberts Space Industries and Aegis Dynamics star yachts available to the public (at least, the well-heeled public) at the time. With the need for personal spacecraft growing exponentially, ORIGIN moved to compete with the companies they initially supplied.

Within ten years, the company was producing a top-five selling midscale composite transport and within fifty their well-paying customer base was neck and neck with RSI for gross profits in the manufactured spacecraft field. ORIGIN premiered their initial 200 and 300 lines of personal ships in 2899 and has held a strong second in that market ever since.

Founded on the banks of the Rhine in Cologne, Germany, ORIGIN had strong ties to Earth for the first two centuries of their existence, originally going so far as to insist that every component for their elite 600 line be manufactured in-Sol. In recent years, these ties have been severed completely.

Declaring Terra the new cultural capital of the UEE, President Jennifer Friskers made the then-unpopular decision to relocate to Terra. In a largely unexpected executive order, she moved corporate headquarters and the primary design team to the settlement of New Austin in 2913. Since that time, manufacturing has become nearly completely outsourced, with only an engine testing facility remaining on Earth’s moon. Government scrutiny of the company since the move has also flourished, with tax issues quadrupling following the decision to leave Earth.

New Austin has since become an “ORIGIN town,” with the company holding fast as the key employer (Omega Foods, the corporate entity responsible for the Crab-O chain, is a distant second). The system has become a mecca for ORIGIN enthusiasts, with wealthy buyers traveling across the galaxy to purchase their ships straight from the factory floor. A stunning company showcase in the center of the city highlights M50s, 300s and 890 JUMPs in a series of life-sized action dioramas costing millions to set up and display, and ORIGIN has sponsored naming rights for local stadiums, high schools and streets. Tourists leaving New Austin without a 300 Series shotglass or keychain is nearly unheard of!

300 Series
The current workhorse of the company’s lineup (if any ORIGIN craft can be so described) is the ORIGIN 300 Series, a “luxury class” dogfighter. It is to the credit of the company that such a description is not inherently a contradiction in terms: the bare silver metal and the smooth, aerodynamic lines of the 300i base design perfectly evoke both a flowing work of technical art and mankind’s most perfect killing machine. Every element of the 300 Series feels designed, from the recessed missile mounts to the flowing metal gun attachments … and, of course, it was: thousands of hours went into the development of every individual element of their spacecraft. (The company is known to pay millions in bonuses to employees who can figure out how to remove a single bolt attachment from their designs.)

ORIGIN currently manufactures three standard 300 Series models, plus a variety of specialized limited-run variants. The base 300i luxury touring model has remained largely unchanged since the ship’s inception, other than incorporating improved technology and control surfaces. Though the sales copy advertises that the advanced models fit any lifestyle, observers can easily ascribe specific tasks to them: the 315p, featuring long-range options and improved scanners, is the exploration model and the 325a, with heavier weapons and armor, is built for combat. The 300 lineup changes on a nearly yearly basis, with other roles including interdiction, outranging, stealth and blockade running having appeared in the past. The only standard is the customer: ORIGIN makes a clear point not to associate their craft with piracy. The company spends billions on anti-piracy efforts and has been known to refuse sale to known pirates attempting to purchase their craft in person on Terra. Erstwhile rogues should not fear, though, as the secondary market for 300 Series spacecraft is robust. Nevertheless, the effort has largely paid off: the 300 is known as a law-abiding bounty hunter ship at its roughest and never a smuggler or an aggressor.

The notable “fourth” 300 Series model, not produced in large quantity but arguably the best known beyond the base, is the 350r, the so-called “lightspeeder .” The 350r is the dedicated racer model of the line, used as a base by professional racing teams around the galaxy. 350r s have a storied history, with more Carrington wins than any other spacecraft. From multi-system endurance races to cross-star speed runs, the twin-engined 350r is a common site along the racing lanes. It is also rumored that the UEE military’s elite black watch divisions make use of a squadron of 350r s for covert operations requiring extreme speed; reports of stealth-grey racer-class ships without broadcast transponders operating along the Vanduul border can not be independently substantiated.

M50
The Origin M50 is often referred to as a power plant with a cockpit attached. Introduced in 2920, the M50 represented another leap forward in engine technology that gave the 350r a run for its money. Despite well (if not overly) publicized teething difficulties in the prototype and Y-series test ships, the current M50 lineup is a solid spacecraft design that promises exceptional speed, and has proven it time and time again with multiple Murray Cup wins.

In the late 2930’s, the UEE Advocacy purchased a bulk of these racers to convert into interdiction ships. These custom models became notorious among outlaw packs, several of whom had open bounties available for anyone who would risk the wrath of the Advocacy by destroying one.

890 Jump
With an elegant, sleek exterior that belies its spacious interior, the 890 Jump is a true engineering marvel; crafted to impress from every angle by combining a unique, innovative design with the finest materials and the most advanced technology. The result is a vessel that is in a class all of its own, a masterpiece worthy of the name ORIGIN.

Naming
Origin Jumpworks GmbH was one of Star Citizen’s first ship companies and CIG named it for several reasons. Working in reverse order, the GmbH is present because CIG wanted the company to seem German (or at least to imply that its terrestrial beginnings were German). GmbH stands for Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung, the German version of the term “Limited Liability Company” (LLC). This was a small tribute to the dedicated German fans who helped keep Chris Roberts’ space sim legacy alive for so many years. Next, CIG wanted to get across that Origin was dedicated specifically to luxury spacecraft rather than just any kind of rocket, so they created the new word Jumpworks; a play on the “Motor Works” in BMW, one of the car companies that inspired Origin’s output. Finally, Origin itself followed in the footsteps of Anvil as a nod to one of Chris Roberts’ previous companies, Origin Systems, Inc..