While attempting to unlock FTL travel to assist colony ships, we discover the ability to open portals to the past, and observe “time frames”, simulated snapshots we may interact with. It is read-only, except we learn there are “gods”, apparently humans able to manipulate energy in a way that appears as magic. And what’s more, they can “sense” and “see” visitors from the future, and realize no one is using the abundant energy in the future, so several decide to hibernate rather than struggle with other “gods”, and then begin waking up in the “present”.
If that weren’t bad enough, the “gods” also have FTL abilities, and given coordinates, some of them “walk” to the candidate planets to await capital ships that have been traveling for hundreds of years, to receive them as new followers on their world.