Planetary Classifications

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Uninhabitable Worlds

Uninhabitable planets are, as the name suggests, inhospitable to most organic life. Whether this is because of atmospheric conditions, lack of water, extreme temperature variation, or any number of other factors, these planets can not be lived upon without specialized equipment.

Uninhabitable planets make up the vast majority of worlds in the Orion Arm.

Barren Worlds

The single most common class of world in the Orion Arm, barren worlds are simply balls of lifeless rock. Lacking any atmosphere, biomes, liquid water, or any true distinguishing feature beyond the pock-marks of many thousands of asteroid impacts, barren worlds universally lack complex life.

Barren worlds are common targets for industrial expansion, especially within the Trans-Solar Federation, which heavily restricts pollution on habitable worlds.

Molten Worlds

Planets of scorching magma flows, unstable plate tectonics, and extreme heat, molten worlds are universally unfit for most organic life.

Even so, molten worlds are known to hold incredible amounts of mineral wealth, and as such are desired by the more daring and wealthy mining conglomerates of the Orion Arm.

Glass Worlds

Planets which have struck with uncountable amounts of nuclear weaponry and orbital bombardment, Glass Worlds take their name from the silicates which form from the incredible heat of the planet’s atomic demise. Lethally radioactive, utterly barren, and devoid of any complex life, Glass Worlds are unfit for most permanent settlement.

Habitable Worlds

Far rarer than uninhabitable planets, Habitable worlds can reliably sustain a biosphere and complex organic life. This does not mean life is sustained easily, but the logistical ease of settling a world where the air can be breathed nearly always outweighs any potential risks.

Arid Worlds

Arid Worlds are planets of vast, untamed savannah and shrubland. Unlike Desert Worlds, Arid Worlds can reliably sustain plant life, usually near the poles, around uncommon oases, and after seasonal rains.

Arid worlds are

Desert Worlds

An extreme variant of the above Arid World, Desert Worlds are scorching-hot expanses of sand and rock, broken by exceptionally rare oases and lakes. Most xenolife is restricted to the polar regions, as the equator is usually far too hot and dry to reliably sustain life.

Tundra Worlds

Tundra Worlds are planets colder than Earth standard, yet not so much to be considered an Arctic World. Tundra worlds usually sustain a belt of greenery around the equator, with vegetation becoming less common as one ventures towards the poles. Fauna on Tundra Worlds are similarly dispersed, with rich biodiversity found near the equator's more tolerable temperatures.

Arctic Worlds

Arctic worlds are an extreme variant of the aforementioned Tundra World. Arctic worlds still possess a breathable atmosphere, but plant life and surface liquid water are uncommon, restricted entirely to thin bands along the equator. The vast majority of xenolife on these worlds are found in these bands, and deep beneath the surface ice near hydrothermal vents. Temperatures on these worlds rarely exceed freezing, even on the equator.

Oceanic Worlds

Oceanic worlds are planets entirely covered by vast seas, broken intermittently by island chains, archipelagos, atolls, and rare large landmasses. Oceanic worlds feature exceptional biodiversity in plant and animal life, both on the islands and beneath the waves. Temperatures can vary, with particularly differing Oceanic worlds receiving a temperature prefix such as “warm” or “icy”.

Continental Worlds

Habitable worlds with several distinct continents and biomes, Continental Worlds can be considered a sister class to Terran Worlds. Terran Worlds are simply considered "perfect" in regards to human habitation, while Continental Worlds miss the mark in some regard, usually relating to gravity, hazardous weather phenomena, or a dangerous biosphere. Continental Worlds are sometimes referred to as "Terran Eccentrics" by surveyors and cartographers.

Despite the guaranteed difficulties, Continental Worlds remain in-demand for colonization, as the breathable atmosphere, abundance of liquid water, and functional biosphere more than outweigh any potential dangers, while the sheer rarity of Terran worlds means that most interstellar states can't afford to be picky.

Terran Worlds

Worlds mimicking Earth, Terran worlds are fully suitable for human (and most other organic) life, with adequate sunlight, tolerable temperatures at all latitudes, and a nitrogen-oxygen atmosphere. These planets contain incredible biodiversity in all areas, and have an abundance of liquid water in rivers, lakes, and oceans.

Terran Worlds are the holy grail for frontier surveyors, as every known faction in the Sector will pay incredible sums to claim such a verdant paradise. Terran worlds are usually used as administrative centers and capitols, as defacing such a planet with heavy industry and mining would be unthinkably foolish given their rarity and the presence of far more common uninhabitable planets.