The Reds is a political party and a social movement worried about the reckless terraforming taking place before their eyes. They are the true environmentalists, and they want to keep the red planet red, if possible. They obviously don’t have much going for them in this game, but once in a while, they convince the Terraforming Committee to put the brakes on at least.
In the game, this is reflected in their ruling bonus, giving a TR to the corporations that has done the least to destroy the planet, and the ruling policy that taxes each terraforming with 3 MC.
These policies are of course very annoying for the corporations, but some have learned to live with them and profit from them. Pristar, short for ‘pristine star,’ also has a vision of keeping Mars largely red. Terraformed, yes, but with large parts in more or less pristine conditions for tourists and future generations to enjoy.
Yes, Pristar is a tourist-oriented corporation, methodically preserving parts of Mars and making money off it. For this, they can expect to be rewarded by the Reds whenever they have any say in the Terraforming Committee. The Reds will probably need a little help in order to make themselves heard in the Committee, but since they help the corporation often seen as weakest, not many will try to counteract them, especially if they’ve gotten some public support as well due to some global event.
Because of their aversion to the terraforming that the corporations are doing on Mars, the Reds are very skeptical of the corporations as a whole. This makes them the unofficial anti-corporation party, gaining support from dissidents as well as environmentalists and idealists. Or rebels, moralists, and backwards people, depending on how you see it.
But how can Pristar win when terraforming is such a big part of the game? You might ask. Terraforming will not mix with their ability, true, but many types of terraforming can be saved up. You don’t need to convert heat into a temperature raise this generation – do it later when you have more terraforming to do anyway. Same goes for plants and terraforming events. You can save up a few generations while you do your thing as Pristar, and then BAM! Convert heat 3 times, play Big asteroid and Towing a Comet, and finish off with a greenery conversion. And a Bribed Committee. Next generation you go back to being very conservative again.
Just make sure the Reds aren’t ruling when you make your move…