Overlander

Overlanders are slightly mutated, de-evolved descendants of humans on Mobius. They were a by-product of the Xorda's Gene Bombs, which led to the mutation of the planet's inhabitants. They tend to be aggressive in nature and have strong feelings of xenophobia towards their Mobian counterparts.

Xorda Attack
''Main Article: Xorda Attack on Earth

Prior to becoming Mobius, the planet Earth's dominant species was the homo sapiens (a.k.a. humans). During Earth's 21st century, the scientist Ivan Kintobor provoked the alien species known as the Xorda by capturing their emissary and dissecting it. As a result, the Xorda bombarded the planet with Gene Bombs, which were supposed to wipe out the human race and maintain the rest of the planet's environment as it was at the time. However, the Gene Bombs instead de-evolved some of the human population, creating Overlanders. (StH: #125, #148)

Early History and Development
Some time after the Xorda attack, the Overlanders were still a barbaric species. The Mobian Alexander attempted to integrate them into his all-species society of Mobotropolis, but their aggressive tendencies made it too dangerous. (StH: #71)

Unlike their Mobian counterparts, who wished to preserve the environment and therefore remained locked in the medieval age for centuries, the Overlanders hit the industrial age and later the atomic age, developing their capital city of Megapolis in the North-Western hemisphere. (StH: #65)

War with the Mobians

 * See: Great War

Between 3220 and 3225, the Overlanders and Mobians fought the Great War. While the Overlanders were initially defeating their medieval Mobian foes with relative ease, the tides turned when the Overlander scientist Julian Kintobor joined the Mobians and provided them with tactical information, battle strategies and technology. The Great War ultimately and abruptly ended after a sword duel between King Max and the Overlander's leader - the Overlord. An agreement was made by each side that they would surrender should they lose. When King Max defeated the Overlord, he honoured his word; surrendering. (StH: #72, #73, #74, #76, #78)

Trek Through the Stars
Filled with shame and guilt over their unexplainable loss to the Mobians, most of the Overlanders from Megapolis, led by Julian's brother Colin Kintobor, created two space ships and fled the planet in search of their own (this ultimately saved them, as Dr. Robotnik sent legions of SWATbots to conquer the city after he seized power in Mobotropolis). After nearly eleven years of searching, they were unable to locate a hospitable world, and were forced to return to Mobius when their supplies ran low. (StH: #72, #94)

Some Overlanders remained on Mobius however, residing in Mega Central, remaining unaware that Julian Kintobor was the evil Dr. Robotnik. (SSS: #6)

Betrayal and Move
Upon returning to Mobius, the Overlanders found themselves welcomed to the city of Robotropolis by Dr. Eggman - an alternative dimension's version of the now-dead Julian Kintobor (aka Dr. Robotnik). Unbeknownst to them, Robotropolis was filled with deadly radioactive poisoning, which Eggman was immune to due to his robotic body. Eggman planned to keep the Overlanders ignorant of this until they were forced to undergo roboticization in order to become cured. However, the citizens of Knothole became aware of the deadly radiation, and warned the Overlanders, which decided to leave the city before it was too late. (StH: #93, #100, #105)

Shortly after this, the Mobians relocated the surviving Overlanders to the human city of Station Square, as the physical and cultural differences would make it impossible to share Knothole with them. Since then, the Overlanders were cured of their radiation poisoning. (StH: #106, #107, #110)

Culture
Overlanders are most commonly confused as humans due to their physical similarities, however the two species have many differences, both physically and mentally. Unlike humans, who are generally friendly and accepting of Mobians, Overlanders generally hold grudges - and in some cases feelings of outright racism - towards Mobians. This is partially due to the Great War, though the Overlanders' distrust and dislike of the Mobians far pre-dates the war. (StH: #72, #92)

Overlanders, particularly those in government or military jobs (including the sciences) frequently fashion an all-gray body suit. Overlander troops were typically seen wearing this attire during the Great War. Julian Kintobor was wearing one during his escape through the Badlands, and Colin Kintobor continued to wear one throughout and long after the Great War. (StH: #50, #65, #92)

Overlanders do not share in Mobian's consideration for the environment. While the Kingdom of Acorn deliberatly remained in a pre-industrial state to preserve the planet's environment and nature, the Overlanders pursued the use of fossil fuels, resulting in massive pollution in their cities. (StH: #65)

Unlike their human counterparts, Overlanders only have four fingers, while humans have five. (StH: #80)

Peaceful Overlanders
While the majority of Overlanders are aggresive in nature and show a strong racism against Mobians, there have been a number of Overlanders who are genuinely nice and wish to live peacefully with Mobians. Examples of good Overlanders include Nate Morgan, an old friend of the Acorn Family and a scientist who invented the Power Rings. Hope Kintobor can also be considered a nice Overlander, as she is the only Overlander who lived in the Kingdom of Knothole, wanting to stay there after seeing how nice the Mobians are. However, due to the antagonistic relationships between Mobians and Overlanders, good Overlanders have been faced with prejudice and anti-Overlander racism from Mobians.

Background information
Due to a common artistic error, Overlanders are sometimes portrayed with five fingers instead of four.