Lexicon

This page is to be used as a reference for some of the technical terms encountered in the themes that make up SRT MUSH. Stub definitions for terms that don't need a ton of space should go here. If you end up creating a page for something, just make sure to replace the stub text with a link. Follow the formats and away you go.

Humans
Ordinary, unmodified humans make up the majority of the 30-billion population of the Earth Sphere - though not necessarily the majority of player characters. It is important to note that the traditional concept of race based on skin color is less important in the world of SRT; colonization and interbreeding has brought humanity closer to a single, unified genetic pool than any other time since the dawn of civilization. Much more important are concepts based around place of birth - Earthborn and Spacenoid are used both as descriptive and pejorative terms by their respective communities.

What defines other races at SRT is the degree to which individuals with unique evolved abilities have begun to gather together into identifiable groups. For the most part, these "races" are derived from a human base. They are still considered Homo sapiens and can interbreed without difficulty, these inherited characteristics may lead to true differentiation of species in the future, particularly if groups such as Newtypes begin breeding together exclusively.

Cyborgs
Medical technology in the New Colony Age has developed to the point where even severe trauma can be survived provided treatment is begun immediately. Regenerative techniques based on cloning organs or stem cell treatments also allow for rapid healing, but their expense is prohibitive for the majority of the population. As a result, implants of one kind or another are still fairly common.

Strictly speaking, any human with a cybernetic implant is considered a cyborg, whether they have a simple prosthesis or more sophisticated replacements. In some rare cases, entire human bodies have been constructed out of cybernetic technology. So long as some element of the human remains, however, these individuals are not true androids.

Newtypes
First observed among space-dwelling humans, Newtypes have been theorized to be the result of evolutionary adaptation to life in a truly three-dimensional space. Specific abilities vary from Newtype to Newtype, but almost all possess high degrees of mental and spatial awareness, to the degree that they are almost impossible to disorient and are capable of simultaneously tracking multiple objects, including themselves, in a moving frame of reference. These abilities make Newtypes almost uniquely suited to space-based combat.

More powerful Newtypes can also display sensitivity to thoughts directed at them by others, particularly hostile intent, allowing for preemptive reaction to threats. This sensitivity particularly extends to the thoughts of others of their kind, resulting in a sort of passive detection system known colloquially as a "Newtype Flash."

While the incidence of Newtype abilities is higher among Spacenoid populations, Earthborn individuals such as Amuro Ray number among the most powerful yet observed. The relation of these abilities to other observed telepathic phenomena has not been adequately studied, and remains in the realm of open speculation.

Cyber-Newtypes
Anyone who ever doubted the utility of Newtype abilities in space-based combat fell silent following the exploits of Amuro Ray and Char Aznable in the One Year War. Since then, concerted efforts have been made by several agencies to create their own weapons of war, using artificial means to either expand the capabilities of minor Newtypes or bestow them upon ordinary humans; the surviving subjects of these procedures are generally called Cyber-Newtypes. Thus far, the procedures used to develop artificial Newtype abilities have been flawed, and even the few success stories that exist are somewhat notorious for varying degrees of mental instability.

Coordinators
Coordinators are humans who have undergone extensive genetic modification prior to birth. The majority are found in the PLANT colonies, where they have built a largely independent civilization based on successive generations of genetically modified offspring. Some, however, are designed for specific purposes by military or scientific organizations imbued with a need of specialized talents and a surplus of patience; the winner of the 13th Gundam Fight, Latooni Subota, is an example of a Coordinator created outside the PLANTs.

While no two Coordinators are created alike, as a rule genetic engineering techniques are used to select for beneficial characteristics in the embryonic state, resulting in the production of individuals who are generally stronger, faster, more intelligent and more resistant to injury and disease. In some cases, later-generation Coordinators have also begun displaying a decreased interest in sexual reproduction. While this has yet to cause a problem in the PLANTs, where most procreation is done under artificial conditions, the matter has attracted the attention of several of their biologists.

Some Coordinators have also begun to display an enhanced fight-or-flight reaction known as the SEED factor in response to situations of extreme trauma or stress. The SEED factor is a state of heightened awareness and information processing speed characterized by an extreme contraction of the pupil and dilation of the iris. The precise cause of this phenomenon has not yet been identified, and speculation exists that the SEED factor could somehow physically damage the Coordinator's brain, similar to the way in which computer components can be destroyed by overclocking.

Innovades
I've never seen Gundam 00, you're on your own here.

Zentradi
The Zentradi are a race of giants believed to have been created by a precursor race known as the Protoculture in order to serve as warriors that would police the entirety of their galaxy-spanning empire. To further this goal, the Protoculture segregated the entire race by gender, creating the female race known as Meltrandi, and forbidding interaction between the two that might lead to love, art, culture and other such distractions. Procreation was by necessity also forbidden, and the production of new Zentradi was accomplished entirely by cloning and recombining successful lines. The end result was a race of battle-hardened giants whose short lives were consumed from beginning to end with war. And so they continued for thousands of years, even after the Protoculture's empire was shattered.

This changed following their mass invasion of the Earth Sphere. Much of the Zentradi fleet was destroyed by humanity, particularly following the defection of the cohort led by Britai Kridanik, who saw the Earth Sphere's culture and rapid progress as a cure for his race's stagnation. Since the conclusion of the conflict, most of the remaining Zentradi have joined the EFA under Britai's command, and Zentradi and Meltrandi are intermingling for the first time in eons. Recent experimentation has also indicated that Zentradi and Meltrandi are genetically equivalent to Homo sapiens, which has served to further the connection.

It should also be noted that through the use of a device called a micronization tube, Zentradi and Meltrandi are capable of assuming a human-sized form, typically used when interacting with smaller races or for repairs in confines smaller than their average forty-foot frame can support. The exact process is unknown but is universally safe and reversible, though certain individuals have demonstrated an unwillingness to undergo it at all.