The four great families comprised a collection of familial groups who presided over the Land & Sky Corporation's board of directors. These families consisted of the Nan family, Xia family, Chen family, and the Ma family.
Initially, at the time of the Aakaash system's initial colonization, only a single great family existed, specifically the Ma family. The remaining three families subsequently ascended to positions of power from their original status as vassal families under the Ma family's rule.