That’s to be expected if the Exile’s hyperspace tech is based on the core. I don’t see hole.
And that is where logic reigns and makes sure we who follow the path of science see the hole for what it is.
The cores have the exact same signature because they are exactly the same. If they are exactly the same, the core is not a unique piece of ancient tech.
The problem wouldn’t have arisen had the original writers been kept on the project, even in an advisory fashion.
Another failure of HW2 brought on by Sierra/Vivendi interference.
The cores have the exact same signature because they are exactly the same.
Did not realize we had a Hyperdrive specialist here 
Jokes aside, you interpret hyperdirves having the same signature as being the exact same core rather than another interpretation of them being built/designed the same.
Think well made Chinese knock offs. Many times they are indistinguishable from the original.
Now this is all from memory but the Bentusi found the first core right, they then gave hyperdrive tech to the other races via trade. The ancient Hiigarans discovered the 2nd core. Since they now had an actual progenitor forged core they most likely based their hyperdrive tech off of it rather than the bentusi supplied tech. From what I can gather the three cores are different (there’s a lot of little things to support this) so this would make any hyperdrive tech/cores derived from the hiigaran core different in signature to bentusi for example.
What isn’t made clear is why the progenitor cores are special apart from that they unlock sajuuk. Why would having a core allow an empire to dominate another or for the Vayger to rise up and kick the Hiigarans in the teeth? Maybe it allows giant fleets to hyperspace much farther than normal, or cheaper/less energy is used or faster. It is made clear at least that the cores are special in some way or allows somethings apart from just the sajuuk thing.
I guess end of the day there isn’t enough information to say one way or the other so one can either make up lore to support the retcon or make up lore to refute the retcon. This does not make the retcon bad. However at that point it becomes fanfiction and no longer lore (the lore you make up, not the retcon).
That’s more my point, yes. As far as it sounded, they are not unique at all and can be relatively easily replicated to produce the exact same signature, which presumably means the exact same capabilities. As far as I’ve been concerned, the core isn’t special other than it being of a certain design that was common to the Hiigarans enough to be used on all their exile ships, including the one that went into the Kadesh nebula as well as the one that crashed onto Kharak.
Perhaps the worst part of this that just occurred to me… if this core really was that special, why did the Taiidan allow the exiled Hiigarans to leave with it? Surely the Emperor (or at least his predecessor of the time) would have taken it for himself, if there was such a special artifact among them.
EDIT: Especially considering they were reportedly barred from developing hyperspace technology again, according to the Taiidan crew interrogated, the technology of such a nature they were allowed to take with them would have been closely monitored and controlled by the Taiidan and anyone else involved in throwing them out, such as the Bentusi.
A revised manual like the original thick book ones would have been nice with release as a pdf along with the game. Strange that they didnt do that. It had some great backstory and art in them too.
Ok so two things here, one I said it isn’t made clear why they are special, not IF they are special. The 3 cores are special, that is established, not WHY they are special. The fact is they are special.
The second is that the Bentusi made it clear that the core was smuggled by the exiles to Kharak. The how isn’t discussed as that isn’t important, only the fact that it was smuggled.
So apart form the retcon the rest does not conflict with HW1 lore. That’s the whole point of a retcon. The less stuff that needs to be retconned the better the retcon.
Ultimately though you either accept the retcon or look for/conjecture/make up anything that will conflict with the lore in the sequel. Believe it or not this is not unique to HW. In fact this is not even a Greedo shot first. This is most likely as old or older than the Bible. Think new vs old testament. Yea, people have died over this stuff
Iirc, basically the thing with the three cores was that they were apparently the only “Longjump” cores in the galaxy; basically allowing them to jump much farther distances than any of the more commonly available mass-produced “short-jumps” cores employed by other races including the taiidan.
In fact, supposedly the reason why the Exiles were banished in the first place is that during a hotly contested border dispute with the taiidan, the original Hiigarans used their newly discovered longjump core to literally jump past the taiidan defensive lines to literally go and nuke the Taiidan homeworld(supposedly).
However, this whole longjump thing was really added only with HW2’s share of the lore, it was never mentioned in HW1 that the Exiles’ hyperdrive core was any better than any other race’s in the universe… or that this was something -only- the mothership carried(especially since even frigates could jump on their own without support in HW1)
This said, there’s something to be said when at least two of the writers crew from HW1 weren’t around anymore when Homeworld 2 was developed.
Which kind of sadden me because one of the two missing writer was actually the person who came out with the word “Kiith”: http://arinndembo.com/homeworld-remastered/ (and who also happen to be part of the crew who worked on Homeworld:Cataclysm. Barking Dog might have gone under, but they’re still around as Kerberos Productions)
(but this said, gosh. Thanks and so much kudos to Gearbox for listing them under their real name this time around in HW1:R’s credits!)