Universal Union?

[A Big Fat CoW]

Where did this term originate from? It seems to have become the widely accepted term for the Combine among the HL2 community, but I've looked (and looked...) and I can't seem to find any in-game reference to that title. The closest I've gotten is this;

In order to be true to our nature, and our destiny, we must aspire to greater things. We have outgrown our cradle. It is futile to cry for mother's milk, when our true sustenance awaits us among the stars. And only the universal union that small minds call 'The Combine' can carry us there.

But given the context, the way Breen speaks rather poetically in the first place (and especially here, when he's speaking in metaphors), and the fact that I can't seem to find any other in-game mention of the term, leads me to believe that he was just saying "universal union" as a description and not a title.

I'd be happy to be proven wrong, of course; I'm genuinely curious to see if there's something that I'm missing or not. But try as I might, I can't find any other mention of it throughout both HL2 and Ep1.

Perhaps someone else has more light to shed on the issue?

 

[Atomic_Piggy]

Breen uses it as propoganda to make everyone think the Combine are friends (like all the other stuff he says) I believe..

 

[esplin]

I don't believe "Universal Union" is the Combine's official name, but the Combine actually call themselves the Combine.

In Nova Prospekt Dr. Breen is giving a speech to the "17th District of the Combine Overwatch" or something to that extent. I guess Dr. Breen is right, only small minds call the Universal Union the Combine.

Of course, the really strange thing is that almost all of the consoles have a screen on them that says "Combine Terminal Access".
I think the idea that the Combine did not have a name came very late in the development of Half-Life 2. So there are a lot of silly little plotholes scattered throughout the game.

 

[A Big Fat CoW]

I don't believe "Universal Union" is the Combine's official name, but the Combine actually call themselves the Combine.

In Nova Prospekt Dr. Breen is giving a speech to the "17th District of the Combine Overwatch" or something to that extent. I guess Dr. Breen is right, only small minds call the Universal Union the Combine.

Of course, the really strange thing is that almost all of the consoles have a screen on them that says "Combine Terminal Access".
I think the idea that the Combine did not have a name came very late in the development of Half-Life 2. So there are a lot of silly little plotholes scattered throughout the game.

That, or "Combine" is just the closest english approximation of their true title in whatever alien language they communicate in. Breen could be commenting that humans are still insignificant compared to other powers out there.

You're correct, though. Throughout the game, they're referred to most often as Combine or Combine Overwatch, depending. I thought that was their "official" title, but like I said, I see a lot of people referring to it as the Universal Union, and I can't find any in-game reference of that...

 

[ríomhaire]

The word 'Combine' has negative feelings associated with it in the same way the word 'Nazi' does. To counter this Breen uses friendly terms in his propaganda like 'Our Benifators' and 'the Universal Union'.

 

[A Big Fat CoW]

The word 'Combine' has negative feelings associated with it in the same way the word 'Nazi' does. To counter this Breen uses friendly terms in his propaganda like 'Our Benifators' and 'the Universal Union'.

When is one single other time that the phrase Universal Union is ever said in-game, though? I've found only a single instance, and even then, it's used as a description and not a name.

Apologies for being so exacting, but the times I've asked in the past, I've never been shown anything in-game to support this, and I'm just really intrigued to get to the bottom of it. I'm doing some write-ups on the combine for an RPG group that I'm with, and I'm trying to verify that my information is as accurate as possible, which means in-game confirmation.

If anyone has more information, I'd greatly appreciate it.

 

[Victor2]

Combine and The Universal Union are the same, Universal Union is just a poethic name for the Combine.

 

[imagod284]

Breen says "Only the Universal Union that small minds call the 'Combine'..."

 

[Avoidist]

I think the OP's point is that the term could bee seen as to be said to be a universal union rather than the Universal Union. I think that each could be equally valid, but I'm sure the term has been used outside the game itself as a pronoun at some point (could have been by 'informed' fans). The real check is whether or not capitalization is used in the subtitles, but then that is still the interpretation of the one who wrote them in.

 

[99.vikram]

I prefer the name, Universal Union because of the aliteration.