Let's map the factions onto fictional/irl examples

[zarus]

I'll do it by faction/government.

Gaian/Democratic: Ponyville
Gaian/Police State: Logan's Run
Gaiain/Fundamentalist: Stranger in a Strange Land

Hive/Police State: 1984
Hive/Fundamentalist: Brave New World
University/Police State: Alphaville
University/Democratic: The Alliance from Firefly.

Morgan/Police State: Shadowrun
Morgan/Democratic: Mainstream Comic Book Land
Morgan/Fundamentalist: Atlas Shrugged

Spartan/Democratic: Battlestar Galactica
Spartan/Police State: The Starship Troopers Book
Spartan/Fundamentalist: Full Metal Jacket

Believer/Democratic: The Republican Party
Believer/Police State: Most of the Middle East
Believer/Fundamentalist: The Human Empire from Warhammer 40k

Peacekeeper/Democratic: The Federation of Planets
Peacekeeper/Fundamentalist: The Democratic Party

 

[magic9mushroom]

Usurpers/Police State: The Krolp (from Vilcabamba).

Caretakers/Fundamentalist: Space Whales.

 

[Fugitive Sisyphus]

Morgan/Planned/Wealth/Eudaimonic - if possible: Brave New World
Spartans/Fundamentalist/Green/Survival: Freemen(Dune)

 

[magic9mushroom]

Morgan/Planned/Wealth/Eudaimonic - if possible: Brave New World
Spartans/Fundamentalist/Green/Survival: Freemen(Dune)

Wouldn't Brave New World be Thought Control, not Eudaimonic? Eudaimonic is the UFP model of a paradise where exertion is voluntary and people can do what they want, whereas Thought Control is "everyone's rendered docile and loyal by drugs". There's no particular reason people would dislike being in a Thought Control society - after all, if you're engineering people to do what you want, the easiest way is to make them like it.

Wouldn't Yang also be a better fit? Yang's the sort to engage in such massive social engineering, while it goes against Morgan's entire ethos to interfere in things - he believes in the invisible hand.

Speaking of Thought Control, I believe that Deirdre/Democratic/Green/Power/Thought Control would accurately describe the world of Uglies.

 

[zarus]

University/Democratic/Green/Knowledge/Eudaimonic = Venus Project

 

[BodyGripper]

I hope it's not inappropriate for me to post in a thread this old, but I figured if it's still on the front page it's fair game.

Good ideas (at least the ones I'm familiar with), but this one threw me off:

Morgan/Fundamentalist: Atlas Shrugged

Is that referring to the protagonists or antagonists?

The antagonists would definitely use a planned economy, which is not possible for Morgan if I recall correctly.

However, the protagonists are pretty anti-religion, so Fundamentalist seems a bit inappropriate, unless Fundamentalist doesn't have to mean religious fundamentalism. I've just always assumed it does.

 

[zarus]

You can be ideologically fanatical without being Christian. The Atlas Shrugged protagonists turned middle class work ethic into a religion.

The University is too logical and detail-oriented to say things like "Life is sacred" the way the Peacekeepers would or "Power is life!" like the Spartans. At least that's what I imagine their dogmas to be like.

 

[BodyGripper]

I think I see where you're coming from, but I don't think that's the sort of Fundamentalism implied in the game. Maybe just because I can't unassociate it from Miriam?
The biggest problem I see is that Fundamentalist severely hinders your research, while Galt's Gulch was full of scientists and engineers. I'd say a better fit is Frontier, since they did not really have an official government.

Overall, I'd say:
Morgan/Frontier/Free Market/Wealth/None

 

[Jingo7]

Morgan is free market fundamentalism. Neo-liberal economics (ie. the last 30 years or so). Which is why Morgan is by far the creepiest of all leaders for me.