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Intelligent Races

The table below documents a subset of important intelligent Races in Known Space, including some extinct species. 

Adornan Fontan* Kraz Tadla
Alimeen Founders Lagrush Tazin^
Awoken◊† Fundin^ Latra Teechiri†(*)
Bandar^ Gatebuilders M'kkiae Than^
Bardican Gulkan Mormargrs^ Timbor
Balloonites Goblin Races Natani^ Tooldu
B'dr'rak Hewannas^ Octopods Turgil^
Birds^ Hitzarchi Orm^ Tze't*
Brennar^ Heedan Pasduchi Ugati
Broital^ Heshar‡(*) Poltergeist Un'aa'graum*
Canis Sapiens Hruli Quanna Urdunnu
Cargomen Hubas* Quadrons Vandar
Chaagra Humans Risen Vedi
Chlor Alpha Huron Races Romne's Martian Gods Vuldur
Chlor Beta Hurushin Rootjalik Warmongers
Comans Iceworms Saa^ Xam
Cubics^ Jembo Salvaatiki Xorn^
Dantum* Kith'turi Serlian Yerkin^
Darmuras Khabadera(*) Shiners^ Yerman
Dragons Khaddahl^ Shingtahar^ Yumbaral
Eenikiti* Khald'aron Starflowers Zhretra*◊
Fak^ Khinnerri^ Stygians^ Zreem
Falzi Khruzi Swarm !Tak
Feerzi Khzraut^ Szri'ta'zhan(*)  

Legend

Ecology

* Grand Federation Primary Race Oxygen/Water
(*) Formerly a Grand Federation Primary Race Methane/Water
Other Grand Federation Member Races Sub-Jovian
^ League of Independent Races Member Jovian
Machine Race Cold Nitrogen
Retired or Withdrawn Race Chlorine
Extinct Race Other

Classifications

The Grand Federation of the fifth millennium comprised over 800 technological Races and the Empire of Humanity discovered or contacted over 1,200 species classified by the Ministry of Science as "intelligent" Races, though less than fifty of these were actual members of the Empire.  The two governments had evolved similar classification systems and processes for relations with sentient species.

Grand Federation of Races

The Grand Federation classifies member Races as Primary, Secondary or Tertiary. 

The seven Primary Races are the leading members of the Grand Federation and form the Primary Council on Focus.  They maintain sole responsibility for foreign policy and have major authority on economic and settlement issues.  The Primary Race are generally powerful, older, widely dispersed Races and act as patrons of the Secondary and Tertiary Races.  The seven Primary Races, in order of precedence are the Un'aa'graum, Eenikiti, Dantum, Tze't, Hubas, Fontan and Zhretra.  In practice, the Grand Federation classification system has subtler distinctions, and only the Un'aa'graum, Eenikiti and Dantum comprise the upper tier Primary Races.

The sixty Secondary Races represent starfaring species that are widespread within the Grand Federation.  The Secondary Races each have three Primary Races as patrons, but are generally responsible for their own internal affairs.  Many Secondary Races have advanced from Tertiary status after millennia of progress.  Two former Primary Races, the Szri'ta'zhan and Khabadera, were once Primary Races, but have decreased in influence over the millennia.  Three tiers based on a Race's age, patronage and vitality differentiate the Secondary Races, with a dozen considered upper tier, mostly original Grand Federation members and a few powerful newcomers.  A couple of dozen Races of higher status belong to middle tier; the B'dr'rak, Kith'turi and Salvaatiki held such status before their Imperial absorption.  The remaining Secondary Races are lower tier, either rising from the Tertiary ranks or declining in influence.  Federation Humans, whether of transplant or Imperial expatriate origin are an important middle tier Secondary Race under Un'aa'graum, Dantum and Tze't patronage.

The remaining seven hundred plus Tertiary Races are Grand Federation members of lesser influence.  Any intelligent species achieving  Fusion Age technology is technically eligible for Grand Federation membership, though the Primary Council reviews and authorizes all contact missions and offers of membership.  Tertiary Races have access to all Grand Federation technology and usually receive permission to colonize suitable locations near their homeworld.  Each Tertiary Race has one Primary and three Secondary patrons.  A Primary patron may petition the Primary Council at any time to request elevation of a Tertiary Race to Secondary status.  Tertiary Race status also has subtle distinctions, but patronage rather than age or achievement is the primary determinant of ranking.

Intelligent species not eligible for membership in the Grand Federation of Races are generally considered protected and are quarantined from contact with interstellar civilization until they achieve the technology and temperament for contact, though the enforcement of this isolation has varied over time.  The Federation may also quarantine Races that choose to remain isolated or to withdraw from the interstellar society, the Founders being the most well known of these species.

Empire of Humanity

The Empire classified intelligent species as Major, Minor or Protected.

The official definitions of a Major Race was one that had achieved interstellar travel, whether sub-light or superluminal.  The Emperor also retained legal authority to categorize a Race as Major regardless of achievement.  In practice, incorporated Secondary and Tertiary Grand Federation Races were automatically granted Major status and Minor Races that had reached one thousand years of Imperial membership received Major status.  By the end of the Empire, thirty-one Races, including Humans, had Major status.

The definition of a Minor Race evolved over time.  Early in the Empire's history, primitive Races, such as the Comans, Quadrons and Stygians, originally contacted during the Confederation Era, were admitted into the Empire as Minor Races.  By the reign of Empress Katrina the criteria for Minor Race status and official contact was established to be crewed space travel capability and a united governmental structure.  Obviously, this definition still allowed for some interpretation, and the Ministries of State and Science often argued over whether a single orbital capsule and a limited planetary council (as in Terra of 1961CE) was sufficient or whether a permanent space presence and a global government (not fully achieved until 2052CE on Terra) was necessary.  Normally, an achievement somewhere in between these extremes was considered sufficient for a formal diplomatic contact mission and an offer of Minors Race membership in the Empire.  At the Empire's end, sixteen Races held Minor Race status, not including the eight Minors who had later achieved Major status.

Protected Races were considered quarantined by the Empire.  These included all twelve hundred discovered Races that were too primitive for Minor status but qualified as "sentient" under Ministry of Science guidelines; over eleven hundred of these were non-technological or pre-metal cultures.  The Protected Races category also included Races that did not desire contact with or membership in the Empire.  Some of these, such Tazin and Serlian, were interstellar Races desiring cultural isolation and others, such as the Warmongers and Vedi were overtly hostile Fusion Age Races quarantined for reasons of public safety.

Other States

The other major Known Space cultures of the Imperial Era, the Khald'aron Republic and the Dragon Sphere, were essentially mono-racial, considering the many non-interstellar sentient species within their realms as the equivalent of Protected Races. 

During the Chaotic Era, the Khald'aron have continued to maintain a mono-racial culture with benign protection of less developed Races, while the Dragon Nations and Prides and the Rootjalik Empire openly subjugate and exploit Humans and other intelligent Races within their borders.  Other Racial states, including the B'dr'rak Confederation and the Yerman Union generally oppress or discriminate against minor Races, while the Kith'turi-Salvaatiki Union of Worlds and the Swarm Republic provide full quarantine of protected systems and ensure the rights of minority starfaring populations.

The League of Independent Races has incorporated twenty-three former Major and Minor Imperial Races and considers each to be an equal partner in interstellar endeavors.  The League maintains a protective quarantine over regressed former Imperial Races and over many formerly protected Races, subject to limitations in patrol resources.

The policies of the many Chaotic Era Human-dominated states towards minority Races varies.  The Federation of Orion, Zhantlas Union, Ertan Directorate and Alimeen Confederacy provide full citizenship benefits to its citizens regardless of Race and offers effective protection for less developed Races.  The Bengali Dominions and Star Kingdoms Confederation provide protection but generally not full citizenship to minority Races, but the governments do not tolerate official discrimination or exploitation of primitive Races.  Within the Mendam Codominium, only Humans and Khruzi have full citizenship rights and the rights of other Races to residency and economic access are limited.  The Terran Khalifate enforces a strict segregation of Races and quarantines all alien worlds, enforcing a reservation system.  Other minor Human state vary in policy between the extremes of the major states, but open exploitation of primitive Races is rare.

 

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