Fans of Westwood's Command and Conquer can finally play the game with a modern twist thanks to Petroglyph Games' Command and Conquer Remastered Collection. RTS and strategy enthusiasts interested in the origins of one of the most critically-acclaimed RTS franchises to ever grace gaming can finally go back and play the first C&C game that spawned an unforgettable franchise.
The whole C&C series revolves around the Global Defense Initiative and the Brotherhood of Nod. Throughout the series, these two factions fight for control over Tiberium, an alien substance that started to spread around the world. Moreover, alongside Tiberium are mutations, a mysterious messiah figure, and hints of an alien race. So, what just happens in the C&C timeline?
10 Humble Beginnings, Except Tiberium
In the C&C timeline, World War I still begins after Gavrilo Princip assassinates Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo. However, in the C&C timeline, Princip belongs to the Black Hand, a spec-ops team of the Brotherhood of Nod.
Additionally, Nod leader Kane appears to be the same Biblical Cain, as his origins remain a mystery. In fact, Cain's origins seem largely tied to Nod's, as reports of the Brotherhood's existence date as early as 1800 BC.
Meanwhile, a mysterious meteor hits Earth in 1995 and marks the spread of Tiberium. It's around this time that the Brotherhood makes its move to utilize and weaponize Tiberium shortly after its impact.
9 Prelude To War
Thanks to Nod's knowledge of Tiberium, the organization began amassing forces from a media, military, and political standpoint.
In response, the United Nations formally signed the United Nations Global Defense Initiative, which officially created the GDI. The organization's primary goal, under the directives of the UN, is to combat the Brotherhood's forces as the latter tried to gain power in unstable nations.
The first C&C game Tiberian Dawn (included in the Remastered Collection) chronicles the First Tiberium War. Unlike other RTS titles, both Nod and GDI campaigns in Tiberian Dawn are canonical, with the GDI campaign beginning after the Nod's.
8 First Tiberium War (Tiberian Dawn)
The war begins shortly after GDI's initiation of intervention on Nod movement in various parts of the globe. The Brotherhood responds in kind, with their efforts towards colonizing Africa detailed in the Nod campaign.
Much of Africa's neutral nations soon align with the Brotherhood. However, GDI soon finds the advantage in the war thanks to the completion of its iconic Ion Cannon. Unfortunately, Nod finds a way to hack the Ion Cannon's controls.
Nod eventually secures Africa. In this victory, Kane decides he'll make a Temple of Nod in South Africa.
7 The Fight For Europe
In order to further stave off GDI influence in Europe, the Brotherhood framed the GDI for a village massacre. This Bialystok Scandal forced the UN to withdraw funding on the GDI. However, this funding discontinuation turned out to be a ruse, as the UN secretly backed the GDI. The Scandal eventually comes to an end with the GDI offensive across Eastern Europe.
And when the GDI rescued one of its agents, the organization was eventually led to Kane's whereabouts in the Temple of Nod in Bosnia. The GDI ends the First Tiberium War in victory as an Ion Cannon blast was directed to the Temple, which had Kane inside.
6 Goodbye Kane? (Tiberian Sun)
Despite GDI's victory in the first war, the lack of Kane's body "immortalized" him in the eyes of Nod. As such, the Brotherhood still conducted skirmishes 30 years after the end of the war. However, GDI managed to counter Nod's moves courtesy of a puppet leader. Unfortunately, Anton Slavik overthrows this puppet leader and Kane reveals himself to be alive at the same time.
Afterward, Kane began a renewed offensive against GDI and provoked General James Solomon in the satellite GDSS Philadelphia. These events started the Second Tiberium War.
5 Second Tiberium War
GDI forces led by Michael McNeil managed to secure an alien warship crash-landed by a Nod general, albeit failing to get any relevant information. However, McNeil met Umagon, a Forgotten mutant, who promised Forgotten support to the GDI if they rescue their leader Tratos. The Forgotten are a faction composed of Tiberium-affected humans with mutations.
The GDI managed to rescue Tratos and capture Vega. Unfortunately, the GDI only got cryptic hints on the origin of the ship as Kane launched a nuclear attack on their location. Moreover, McNeil had to divert his attention from the GDI offensive on Europe when the Brotherhood captured Umagon.
McNeil proceeded to go to the Brotherhood's base in Cairo, where he discovers Kane's plan of launching ICBMs to finish Philadelphia. The Second Tiberian War ended when McNeil destroyed the pyramid and Kane with it.
4 The Firestorm Crisis (Firestorm)
Shortly after the Second Tiberium War, the Brotherhood begins to fracture after the death of Kane. Moreover, both Nod and GDI start to hunt down the Tacitus, an alien knowledge matrix that contains information on Tiberium. GDI eventually obtains the Tacitus amid Nod's usage of a reactivated CABAL, an advanced AI combat advisor.
Tensions arise when Nod assassinates the Forgotten's Tratos, as he's the only one capable of deciphering the Tacitus. As such, GDI makes a move to capture CABAL. Moreover, unfortunately for Nod, CABAL begins disobeying its creators. CABAL now wants the Tacitus for itself. It's only after GDI and Nod combine its forces that CABAL is destroyed.
Unfortunately for the two forces, the Firestorm Crisis ends with a cryogenic Kane absorbing what's left of CABAL.
3 Third Tiberium War (Tiberium Wars)
Kane resurfaces and starts to reform a fractured Nod with LEGION, his new AI. He capitalized on GDI leniency by starting to convert much of the world's regions still in conflict into members of the Brotherhood. And as GDI started to dismantle its defensive systems, Nod became an invisible global superpower. When GDI discovered a hidden Nod base, the Brotherhood already launched its offensive.
Kane manipulated events to install an incompetent GDI leader, which culminated in the destruction of Philadelphia. With much of GDI leadership gone, Kane resurfaces once more and begins a full-scale invasion.
After protecting the Pentagon, GDI began retaliating against Nod forces around the world. They also proceeded to attack the new Temple Prime, constructed atop the original temple destroyed in the first war, which also housed liquid Tiberium. The Ion Cannon attack to the base showered Europe with a massive Tiberium fallout, and the arrival of another threat.
2 Enter The Scrin
An alien race called the Scrin makes its entrance after Temple Prime's destruction. Traveler-59, one of their alien groups, started mind-controlling the Nod populace. Meanwhile, GDI forces tried repelling Scrin miners. It was revealed that the Scrin brought Tiberium to Earth. After a few skirmishes, Nod and GDI once again join forces to repel the alien threat.
Moreover, the focus on repelling the Scrin threat gave the aliens time to form their real objective: Thresholds that can transfer Tiberium into Scrin processing centers. These Thresholds seem to be Kane's objective. It's also revealed that the Scrin are led by Foremen, akin to military commanders, and they wanted to investigate the liquid Tiberium explosion. Thanks to GDI and Nod intervention, the Foreman assigned to Earth was forced to evacuate, and they destroyed the only-built Threshold.
1 Ascension (Tiberian Twilight)
Kane, still alive, managed to link the Tacitus back with LEGION, which received a warning that the Scrin will invade Earth. With Tiberium presence reaching critical levels, Kane and GDI form an alliance and construct the Tiberium Control Network that can control Tiberium on Earth.
Unfortunately, tensions escalate into a Fourth Tiberium War. Nod separatists, who were convinced Kane turned traitor, rallied around their leader Gideon. Meanwhile, GDI's Col. Louise James believes Kane plans on bringing back Scrin with the TCN. In the end, it's revealed both Gideon and James conspired to stop Kane's plans. Unfortunately, Kane succeeds.
Regardless of the player route, Kane eventually manages to use the TCN to activate a Scrin Tower. Kane and his forces enter a portal located there to achieve "Ascension," and it seems to have eliminated Tiberium from the planet.
And whether this marks the end of Scrin presence, or of Kane's, no one knows.