Goshen is a steamy, jungle-laden Earthlike world originally colonized by settlers from the theocratic core world Deseret, known for its Mormon cultural dominance. With its dense equatorial jungles and humid, tropical climate, Goshen proved difficult to terraform or tame, fostering an insular and often extreme offshoot of its parent society.
The planet became notorious for the rise of a radical polygamist sect that imposed forced plural marriage, a sharp divergence from mainstream Deseret and Compact norms. Initially seen as a domestic issue within Deseret, the movement’s violent expansion and abuse of human rights ultimately escalated into the Polygamy Wars—a conflict that drew in the Compact when local enforcement collapsed.
Among the rebels was Tyler Wat, a disillusioned fighter who later surrendered to Compact forces during the war’s final battle. He, along with fellow rebels like Riley and Boone, was sentenced to hard labor rather than a Section 11 execution. By the events of the Amargosa Trilogy, Wat had long since served his time and allied himself with the human resistance, mentoring figures like Eric Yuwono in guerrilla operations.
After the war, Deseret reclaimed direct control of Goshen, establishing it as a protectorate to prevent future uprisings. However, much of the colony remains in ruin, and many in the Compact view Goshen as a write-off—a failed world marked by ecological difficulty, social extremism, and deep ideological scars. Its name is still invoked in debates over planetary governance and cultural containment.
Appearances: Second Wave, Suicide Run, Davra's Endeavour