The DARK Lore Hidden in 6 Character Backstories | No Man's Sky History, Laylaps, Atlas

#NoMansSky #NMS #Kanaju
No Man’s Sky lore is some of the darkest of the genre. From the ATLAS, creator of the universe to the Abyss, corrupter of it, these are 6 tragic character backstories. Not to mention the story of Laylaps, Telamon, -null-, and more! In this video their dark history of the No Man's Sky universe is revealed and the lore compiled and explained. That should scratch your NMS lore itch!
Links:
5 Creepiest Fates in NMS: • 5 Creepiest Fates in N...
On this Episode:
00:00:00 - Intro
00:01:22 - #6 The Atlas
00:03:21 - #5 The Abyss
00:06:42 - #4 Laylaps Drone Companion
00:09:27 - #3 Telamon
00:15:58 - #2 Travellers
00:18:16 - #1 null
00:23:51 - Outro
Sources:
wiki.gamedetectives.net/index...
nomanssky.fandom.com/wiki/Lore
• mercury part1of3
Deep Space Travel Network: www.deep-space-travel-network...
Kanaju on Twitter: / kanaju4
Subscribe and ring the notification bell if you like:
/ @kanaju
Music: Void Glider by Shane Ivers - www.silvermansound.com

[@stuff4035]

Creator of the atlas: needs the atlas to be successful so his sacrifices are not in vein Sean: needs no man’s sky to be successful so selling his house was not in vein

[@DynoSkrimisher]

I wouldn't be surprised if the Creator of the Atlas is Sean, that would be very cool.

[@FrozenPantiezzz]

​@@DynoSkrimishermakes sense with the whole game being in a simulation

[@Simeeow]

No man’s sky is the atlas on earth. The atlas in no man’s sky is just a representation of itself.

[@X862go]

Lol agreed

[@disguisedpuppy]

@@DynoSkrimisher better than that Sean is the creator of creator of the atlas!

[@professorhazard]

The great thing about the No Man's Sky experience is that it can't exist separately from the harried story of the game's creation. Sean Murray was imperfect in his attempt to create the game, but through iterations and iterations, through months of withdrawn isolation, the game kept getting better and better - a more cohesive, more complete universe. And despite the fact that it was supposed to have infinite possibilities, all the worlds are basically just 20 different things mashed together again and again. No matter what the Atlas plans, there are always only three races. Sean has had his fifteen minutes of fame, but there is still one more minute left for him to try to get things right: a sixteenth minute of fame, to prove that he had what it took to live up to his promises of what No Man's Sky could be.

[@Kanaju]

Thanks for your support, friend! And well said. When my friend and I play together, we're always joking about Sean and Hello Games when encountering bugs or speculating. I don't really do that with other games, but with NMS its development is as much a part of the experience as the game. Fascinating perspective! Thanks for sharing!

[@nigelnightmare4160]

It seems to me to be a big middle finger to SONY for over hyping the game and pushing for the release date when Sean knew it wasn't ready and wouldn't be any time soon. I like that he believed in his own creation so much that he's spent over 6yrs improving it FREE of charge, when most if not all others charge for each and every little update/addition to their games. Even putting required items behind "paywalls" or charging FULL game price for a so called remake that only improves graphics at best and ruins/breaks the game more often than not (the last of us pt1 (twice)) and now plans for Horizon zero dawn's remake that's evidently going to 'try' to add multi-player to it, (way to go SONY)!!!

[@dylanhal]

Good grief. What more do you want?! For a 15gb game with absolutely zero monetization outside of the initial purchase price I think it's pretty fecking stacked with content. And that's putting it lightly.

[@Levi3412]

beautifully written

[@LargeFather69]

Been around since launch day, this hits hard. Sean ended up creating a beautiful universe, one of my most favorite games of all time

[@liviekumori]

This game had no deal having a backstory this good

[@FrozenPantiezzz]

Such a trip when this game's story is not just the game's story. It is a story of real life. Literally. Everything in this game's story is real. The atlas is basically the code our computers use, we are the travellers, Everything in the game is a simulation, and the game No Man's Sky itself IS the Atlas. Ima be up all night thinking about this

[@peterskylocker9347]

It sounds like the world of glass is like deleted files on a hard drive. It’s my understanding that those files aren’t gone; they’re just sort of forgotten or marked as available space until they’re overwritten with new files. If the Atlas is a computer, it makes sense.

[@4Dionna4]

WHOA!!!. I TOTALLY NEED A 3 HOUR LONG VERSION OF THIS VIDEO SO IT CAN DELVE DEEEEEP INTO ALL OF THIS LORE. So fascinating.

[@jacksunstone8771]

YES, PLEASE!

[@pauline_f328]

Saaame

[@X862go]

💯

[@allangarddegriss6798]

I hope that happens soon

[@superswager414]

Fr

[@matthewgumabon7498]

This is wild! It’s kind of a shame that such amazing storytelling is reduced to background lore in a game like this. No Man’s Sky has always been referred to as arcadey, shallow, repetitive and all that, and while that may just be the surface gameplay, if you really take the time to explore and dig into the story, it’s shockingly thought provoking and complex. No Man’s Sky was worth every penny to me.

[@osc__dac_992]

MY GOD LORE ABOUT THE ATLAS ABYSS LAYLAPS TELAMON AND NULL ALL IN ONE VIDEO??????? KANAJU YOU ARE DOING GODS WORK. the lore of nms has so much to it, it is unbelievable why no one ever seems to bat an eye to it. and i've got some stuff to share not mentioned in the video: i think there's a correlation between laylaps and null, after all, laylaps was said to be the first sentinel that was cut open (for glyphs), and null was the first traveller, who happens to have killed a sentinel for... glyphs as well. if this is true, then the traveller of the logs that first mentioned laylaps could be null themself. that traveller referred to the deed of cutting the sentinel open a 'sin', and null has used the same word 'sin' at one point in the artemis path, though they never specified what they did. null was possibly talking about cutting laylaps open. another thing, about telamon, the abyss/first convergence and the sentinels: they are all sub-protocols of the atlas each performing specific functions for the atlas. telamon: a sub-protocol for performing diagnostics of the atlas, interpreting events within the simulations to determine what's (physically) happening to the atlas. sentinels: like you said, an archival protocol, sorting atlas's data abyss/1st convergence: this one required some thinking. most likely a protocol for collecting data! in korvax planetary archives this can be found: *Atlas imperative: Discover. Harvest. Know. Korvax will do the same.* think about it, the korvax(convergence) are heavily preoccupied with knowledge (data). considering they and the sentinels both have something to do with data, it's no wonder they have such good relations with each other. the atlas itself is also largely preoccupied with data, originally making discoveries about reality for its creator through simulations. this strokes with the idea that the abyss is an older version of the atlas, both working with data/knowledge. in a nutshell, the atlas contains an older version of itself, the abyss, as a sub-protocol. the three all used to be formless, eventually they've all been given form in the simulations, likely around the time when atlas's hardware became damaged. as you've said in the video, atlas did this possibly as a measure of self-preservation, to shed some weight off its damaged hardware. this could be the reason for them all to develop sentience, since they're essentially given free rein in a way, no longer directly doing something in function of the atlas. and of course, the hardware damage likely also contributed to it. god i love the lore of nms

[@FrozenPantiezzz]

Very good!

[@nolopada]

This video is absolute quality. The satisfaction of all these years of lore being weaved together with such craftsmanship. Hats off to you Chris this video is my new favorite!

[@Kanaju]

Thanks, friend! I'm glad to hear you liked it. Every time I dive into the lore of this game I have no idea where I'll end up. lol

[@ianbrowning7437]

Your lore vids are why i am here. Keep up the great work!

[@BertthecatDevourerofDeities]

What they said . Agreed.😀

[@great_hedgehog8199]

Wait, is your nickname Polo Nada with the first letters swapped?

[@nolopada]

@@great_hedgehog8199 This precisely lol! I came up with the name before I ever started making content

[@CodingCorvus]

16:11 atlas: yo can i scan your whole concious mind real quick before you leave creator: why atlas: creator: thats all you had to say, im in.

[@SeraphArmaros]

I was aware of most of this information, what with my hundreds of hours in the game and all, but seeing it compiled into this nice format where the connections between stories is made especially clear is really nice to see.

[@kevinleach2584]

Amusing to me is that i hundreds of hours of game play, and I DIDN'T know this lore. I'm sure there's a way to discover this, but i wouldn't even know where to begin. Your information, how it is assembled, and then narrated absolutely amazed me. Love it. Very well done, and you deserve huge kudos!!

[@Psychol-Snooper]

Laylaps was a dog from Greek mythology that never failed to capture it's prey. (I think it was used to try capture a stag or boar that could never be caught.)

[@Psychol-Snooper]

Telamon was a Greek hero. Father of Ajax. Friend of Hercules. I think he was at the siege of Troy too.

[@danielwalker1589]

Wait really? That’s fascinating! Are there any other references to greek mythology in NMS?

[@Psychol-Snooper]

@@danielwalker1589 Yes! I think more than not. Artemis, Ares, Helios, Selene, and Apollo are pretty major deities. Mercury is the Roman version of the Greek god Hermes. Ariadne, Cronus, Hesperus, Hyperion, Perses, Selene, Tethys are Titans, lesser gods or in the case of Ariadne... well that's a long story. Let's just say human become godless. Polo, Nada and Null are the exceptions. "Polos" in Greek is the axis point of the hypothetical "celestial sphere." It's sort of everything that surrounds the observer. You know... you. Nada and Null both seem to mean roughly "nothing." None of these names seem to have anything to do with the characters in the game... ASIDE from Polo(s) seeming etymological root. It might be that we simply don't know their backstory. I mean is Laylaps the hunting dog that always captures the Traveler? That might be a stretch. Is Laylaps a faithful dog? Whose dog? *Gemini is the Roman (I think) constellation of the twins who are Greek figures Castor and Pollux. Twins with different fathers, because mythology.

[@danielwalker1589]

Thank you for the detailed response!

[@Psychol-Snooper]

@@danielwalker1589 My pleasure. Too bad I couldn't come up with anything more interesting regarding why they were named that way. There MUST be more to it.

[@anditippie5923]

You are the reason why am so fascinated by the lore. I started playing in 2018, but I’ve been watching it since 2016 when my kids started playing. I picked it up, read some of the lore, but had no clue how deep it was. I think I sort of assumed that there was no way anybody could make that much lore In such a complicated game. Fast forward to back when you had 400 followers. I started following you and watching every single video I could. And that’s when it blew my mind! Thank you! This was phenomenal. (And the music was insanely good! I’m off to check it out!)

[@Kanaju]

Thanks, Andi! I started making videos to share my passion for game details with others. To know you've found your own passion for NMS lore through my videos means a lot to me. Thanks for sharing and thank you for your support!

[@palehorse1511]

I gotta say, Chris, this one was fantastic and featured such an enjoyable leap in your editing. S Class effort mod equipped in a supercharged slot!

[@Kanaju]

Thank you so much! I gave this video extra time for editing and I'm glad it shows. Thanks for watching!

[@andytidnits]

Kanaju, your NMS content is the most creative, Interesting, and thought provoking in all of NMS.

[@Kanaju]

That means a lot. Thank you!

[@felixsheep]

Everytime i watch lore videos of no man’s sky: Big knowledge, me big brain.

[@danielwalker1589]

Excellent video Kanaju. One of your best. Thank you for putting in all the time and effort to research this. And great work with the audio and visuals! Also, I loved the references to Sean Murray. I’d love to see a video that explores the similarities between him and the Atlas. And who knows? Maybe Sean will see it and tweet about it!

[@Kanaju]

Thanks, friend! And interesting idea. I'm hoping to do more lore videos. A video exploring parallels to Sean and co. does sound like a fun time.

[@lemakomehappy349]

I was not expecting all the stuff that went down in the Telamon part, I had no idea it truly went that deep. It’s just insane.

[@Sontus718]

I really enjoy this - it extends reasons why to continue the game. You are very good at telling stories so I hope you will do more.

[@re_4merchant]

I hope they eventually have major side missions where you see the abyss and world of glass

[@Splitboltxful]

I’ve always wanted more lore youtube content, thanks for providing!

[@DarKVampireFury]

It would be amazing if you make like a lore series, like from the start of the game or even before we playedbthe game. I/we dont care if its long and it doesnt have to be that well edited, just your voice and maybe a few keywords on the screen is enough. Atleast for me and others. Also if you dont want to make it its also fine, dont wanna pressure ya, kinda sadge though.

[@BstonJoker5]

Amazing video!!!! Thank you. Such a great way to learn the lore.

[@Larotian]

This is so awesome. Thank you!

[@SkeletonRD]

Nice great one kanaju

[@rasferrastfarian739]

Brilliant presentation! Thank you for your work.

[@gunna2cool]

Love these vids... the exosuit origin was especially fascinating.

[@mattwinget]

Awesome video. It filled in a lot of gaps for me. Thank you.

[@nigelnightmare4160]

Thank you, I had figured out some and had an inkling of other parts but this is the first time I've heard it put together. Been playing since launch in 2016.

[@MonikaCinnyRoll]

Amazing video! Really fills in those missing puzzle pieces!

[@BeyondtheAgesStudios]

Thanks for doing this, I was considering doing it myself, but am super happy to see someone else did, cause as you said it's a ton of work. Cheers!

[@boogieofbnt3192]

One of the best videos! Bravo!

[@damianmasq5134]

These videos are great, and I NEED to hear your awesome voice explain all the things to me, cause I love NMS but I don’t know nearly as much as I’d like. I really really hope you one day do a long form video that deep dives into different lores in the game. Seriously, I would listen or a five hour long video of yours about NMS lore if you made one!

[@BorgWolf359]

I love this! Epically done! I love NMS & have done both paths! I still love exploring & seeing everything! I want NMS to deepen their own story! Great vid, keep up the great work!

[@Vegetables578]

Incredible Lore video. I played the game before but had no knowledge about the abyss, or the drone character!

[@anthonyfoote3178]

Thanks for breaking this down. I wouldn't have put all this together and I had no idea it was that deep.

[@BMW-sd6nn]

Bro. This was incredible. The best No mans sky lore video I've seen. This just made the game even better for me.

[@jacksunstone8771]

Man, thank you for that. Awesome job! Some interesting overlaps with "The Matrix" and "Ready Player". 😎👍

[@dailyatom8678]

I listen to this while i work, please do a longer version if possible good sir. Your talented

[@brunojacome1758]

The best most comprehensive no man's sky lore video 👌🏼💯

[@techreader]

I watched because I've long felt there was unexplored horror in the depths of No Man's Sky. Practically gave up searching, and found your video accidentally. My God, you are the Voice of the Prophet, doing the Atlas' work for those with the wit to hear. When you said click like, I heard, and I clicked. When you said subscribe, I could not help but hear and obey. If you wrote a full-length trilogy explaining NMS, I would buy one set for myself, and more sets for my very best of friends.

[@chonky2129]

this is such an amazing video holy hell

[@Thebb123]

Great video! I love these lord videos! Subbed!

[@harrisbornstein4955]

What a great video Kanaju! Thanks for going all the way back to the AR game and WARE, I remember those days fondly! Awesome explanation deep dive on all these backstories. MORE PLEASE!

[@jb111082]

I vividly remember watching a feed for hours only to see someone feed a hamster!

[@LoganWolf]

great work. much appreciated :)

[@Kanaju]

And I appreciate the comment! Thanks for watching.

[@3oxisprimus848]

This video just RE-Rekindled my passion for NMS...I subbed faster than light

[@darkturtle9996]

I just got a psvr2 so I got back into this game after not playing since 2019 or so and wanted to look up a bit of the lore after doing the main story. I had absolutely no idea it was this deep. I have a friend I play this with that gets really into the lore of games and we spend a ton of time looking around for all of the lore and trying to figure all of it out so I'm looking forward to trying to find all the lore in this game too.

[@emerybeals1626]

love your videos man hope this hits the algorithm big time

[@Kanaju]

Thanks! I hope so too. I appreciate the comment!

[@cmdrdyatlov]

Only person ever ive seen make more than one lore vid from nms

[@Scott_Diverscott]

Very well done⚡️

[@lonelyPorterCH]

Didn't know there was so much lore, very interesting :D

[@ateafan]

thank you so much for putting this together. im often more of a lore junky than actual gamer and learning all of this immerses me so much in a game like NMS. Unlike elden ring, my lack of skill does not prevent me from learning things about this world on my own. but this video is well made, concise and bring across the story in a very well thought out way❤

[@Kanaju]

Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment! I'm glad you enjoyed it. 🙏

[@ateafan]

@@Kanaju really excited to have found your channel! im looking through your older videos now and super happy to find so much more data to absorb! *nomnom*

[@carbonrobot]

These are my favorite kind of videos 🎉

[@Kanaju]

Thanks! Glad to hear it!

[@stuff4035]

Damn, we need a part 2, I need the precious loreeeee!

[@andyb1653]

I've been playing since October of 2022 and have been trying to make heads or tails of the backstory that entire time with little success. It all makes sense now, thanks for this.

[@WingManFang1]

This video is legit dope fire! I am one of the few playing in VR and can stay in longer than most. It’s almost Ironic that I play in VR where everyone else “just has to have 3rd person.” 😑 😣 But beyond that the irony is as a VR player I’m almost like the beta tester victims that got trapped in the suits. Would only make sense to feel more connected to the game.

[@yardie6954]

weird place to flex your new vr headset but ok, cool

[@eternaldarkness3139]

Happy New Year Kanaju, Absolutely fantastic video. Hol'up !! Are you saying my Gek isn't real?? Just a "Simulation??!!" Nah... you must be mistaken.

[@ParGellen]

OMG Dude! Where the heck did you find all this info?!? I've played the game like crazy since it came out and had no idea about any of this!

[@gagerivera2289]

This needs more attention

[@Big_Oosc]

Only 2 mins in and I know it’s boutta be a slappin video

[@Kanaju]

I admit, I saw this comment when you first posted it and it made me smile. Thanks! I hoped it lived up to expectations!

[@Big_Oosc]

It definitely did. I only recently found your channel but you’ve already become my favourite nms KZbinr!

[@thedrewtube]

This is the best.

[@NeillSmith]

This one's delightful. Have you given any thought to making videos out of the topics that you describe in this video as requiring more time to dive into? I would love to watch them if you did !

[@buddahbaker82]

Thanks!

[@gabyyyyyyyyy]

i dindt know most of this lore since the logs are kind of confusing/told boringly in my opinion. another great video from this channel

[@preston4473]

I just got no man's sky on vr and this video adds so much context

[@Axolotl_astronaut_robots]

I really enjoyed this video. Unfortunately I have a very imperfect memory especially when I don't read it all out at my own pace. Do you think you could create a websie using something like Google sites to contain all the lore here, and the parts that would take way to long?

[@Artyom64824]

Thanks for sharing to truth of No Man's Sky the objective perspective.

[@maxmikus5959]

He's finally thx man

[@ekointothefuture6743]

I clicked on this video and then you said it's all spoilers so I'm not going to watch it at all. I'm going to find these stories out myself and maybe one day I'll come back to this video to see if I missed anything hehe. I will certainly leave a like tho cuz you rock sir.

[@willowleahy6491]

Please I need more lore vidssssss🎉🎉🎉 I need more on the exosuit and everything please

[@zekayman]

I'm glad this game's lore is finally getting proper attention!

[@duffinthemuffin5792]

I found this video by searching for a backstory on laylaps as I saw their name pop up twice in both quests, damn that's tragic being killed and corrupted

[@meridian6042]

fascinating

[@wektis]

This is all fantastic, where can we read or discover more?

[@jacksunstone8771]

I'm gonna be in SA For a couple weeks in mid Feb. Would love to buy ya lunch.

[@t00sa]

I like to think that the Traveller race and why they all look so different is an echo of what the Atlas had previously simulated before sticking to the three primary alien races. And what's even cooler is the fact that some players have access to the 256th galaxy which could've been where the Travellers lived, perhaps even as separate races

[@SaiScribbles]

I'm a launch player but I'm terrible at absorbing the lore, even though I love the mood and atmosphere of it. I was hoping to find a channel that analyzes it! Keep it up XD

[@lsswappedcessna]

remember the heridium pillars? pepperidge farm remembers.

[@SaiScribbles]

I still have the little poster of the old now outdated periodic table that came with preorders 🤣@@lsswappedcessna

[@eddiebryant2236]

Amazing video. insta-sub

[@loco_]

Happy New Year! 😃

[@rogeri.-.5878]

I like the mission of Laylap, kinda interesting how it became a "being", a happy one

[@letsgame9740]

Finally! I’ve been wondering what the point of the universe was.

[@WingManFang1]

I wonder if the Abyss has been leaking into the rest of the oceans across countless worlds in the game and that’s why the waters have turned from ocean blue to blood red on average.

[@qryvein]

telemon aka telematary monitor. so might be based on the human sub program that made the atlas first. like a process monitor tool with a similar functionality.

[@oldguy2280]

As someone with 100% completion of the game and around 5000 hours playing it, I knew most of the facts in this video, but didn't understand how they tied together. I always thought that you (your character) were the creator, recreated to try to comfort/save Atlas. May I ask where you found all of this data, because putting it together from the game is pretty damned impressive if that is what you did? As I said, I have played for many hours, got 100% completion, and never made these connections. And yeah, I know this video is ancient in the YT universe, but I seriously would like to know where or how you came up with the information in this video. Thanks!

[@Loreweavver]

Wait. I'm confused by something. Well, a lot of things but one thing specifically. The 16 we see mentioned over and over again are supposed to be references to the 16 minutes remaining but the first instance when you reach your ship at the start of the game says loop 16 initiated/recognized or something along those lines. I thought the traveler and the 16 being referred to were the loop 16 Emily that was stuck in the artificial simulation in the exosuit.

[@BRT-nz7bk]

my brainliteralky exploded ive played this game for over 50 hours nd know I realise how tragic and deep the lore is

[@eatmybullet935]

Hey. I'm new to nms and I love it. Too bad I had to skip the spoilers lol

[@TheVoidBeing]

The traveler one makes me wonder why I am naturally drawn to the comfort option every time I would interact with the atlas.

[@Peruvianyellowleggedcentipede]

Where did you get this footage from 1:12 ?

[@Griffo4]

So basically this video gave my character an insane existential crisis because he’s living in a simulation where even if he explored every planet, it would add up to nothing in the grand scheme of things? Cool!

[@alvinsrr]

"When you save and quit the game, they understand how insignificant they are"! 🤯 Damn...I will not close my game ever!!

[@Lordoftheapes79]

I know you're a late comer and weren't here for the ARG, but how great was that story? Experiencing the meta of it all was great at the time.

[@jaamoe_]

Where in the heck did you find the atlas foundation stuff and how is that a part of all this? I’m so lost right now.

[@wardogusmc]

My mind imploded…

[@SirevixGames]

6:25 - 8:20 that will be explained in another video, that will make the video too long, etc. I want that, I can't have enough, I would watch if you were to make a recap, 100% lore explained or something like 3h long video, I would watch that, No details skipped. maybe, make a pool, see if people would want to watch that. for example this video "The Story of Warcraft - Full Version 2.0 [Lore]", I really enjoy this type of content, but, everything I find about NMS are videos that skip some details. Heck, I would love an NMS animated series, Give me 5 seasons, 30 episodes each xD

[@mr.esinteressiertmichnicht6671]

I fell asleep to this masterpiece of a hypnosis

[@ChiseledDiamond]

So basically: every player who plays the game is another aspect of the atlas, another dream.

[@jaamoe_]

I wonder if before the Atlas gets taken by the black hole it found a way to copy itself by creating the Lighr No Fire universe.

[@victoriavelazquez9461]

You should write fan fiction!

[@theonlyn1k323]

Isnt Telamon is put into the hard frame minotaur in the quest ,,a Trace of Glass"?

[@RDgamer-711]

18:02 bro Jake from State Farm came to help