Seeing this and living to tell about it would make anyone a believer.
The New Paris New Passover is hailed as God-Emperor Vin Dane's first miracle.
During the Caal Invasion of 2264, the Caal wiped out the entire population of every planet in their path between Chapman's Folly and the Earth Federation's capitol Avalon. New Paris, the next-to-last stop before Avalon itself, was abandoned and left defenseless as the Earth Fleet assembled for a final stand at Avalon.
Fear and panic swept the inhabitants of New Paris. In desperation, the planetary Governor, Pierre Villars, issued an executive order demanding all citizens to fast and pray to God for salvation and deliverance from the approaching Caal fleet. He even went so far as to strip himself naked and flog himself with a barbed cat-o-nine-tails on the steps of the Orange Catholic Cathedral in the capital city, pledging the souls of himself and his entire world to repentance and good works if only God would save them from the Caal.
Incredibly, the Caal armada passed through the New Paris system on the way to Avalon without landing a single soldier or firing a shot, leaving the 2.5 billion people there unharmed. When Vin Dane, with the help of the Horadrim and the Orb, managed to defeat and destroy the Caal at the Battle of Avalon (a feat thought impossible), many citizens hailed him as the Savior they had prayed for, with the New Paris New Passover being his first miracle.
A spontaneous Cult of the Emperor arose practically overnight, with Governor Villars as one of its most fanatical high priests. From Savior, it was a short jump to Messiah, and then Vin Dane was declared a Living God.
Curiously, the Caal fleet passed over Wilke's Star as well, but no one really made a big deal out of it.
Behind the Scenes[]
The Caal bypassing Wilke's Star and New Paris was a minor plot point mentioned briefly by Marcus Johnston in his novella Prayer for the Technocrats that chronicled the Caal Invasion. Player/writer Martin Hohner expanded on this trivial detail and turned it into the New Passover during Season 9, and the idea caught on among the other players and writers, and quickly became incorporated into the mythology of the Imperial Cult.