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.

Metallic Worlds

The sister class to Barren Worlds, Metallic Worlds are similarly lifeless and lacking atmosphere. Where they differ, however, is in composition. As the name implies, Metallic Worlds feature far more minerals and metal ores within their crusts than most other worlds of comparable size. They are quite a bit rarer than the standard Barren World, however.

Metallic Worlds are highly sought after by mining corporations and prospectors, as the wealth of minerals and comparable ease of access makes profitable mining ventures remarkably simple, relatively speaking.

Toxic Worlds

Venus-adjacent planets of toxic atmospheres, acid rain, and incredible heat, Toxic Worlds are commonly seen as snapshots of hell, and are utterly incapable of sustaining complex life.

Naturally, no sane individuals would ever attempt to colonize, or even land upon a Toxic World. Even the few corporations brave enough to attempt development will quickly find that the costs of maintaining structures and employees on such a nightmarish planet will always outweigh the potential profits.

Gas Giants

Worlds formed primarily of hydrogen and helium, Gas Giants are colossal planets entirely composed of raging storms and clouds of various substances. Without any solid ground to speak of, Gas Giants are physically impossible to colonize in the traditional manner, instead requiring floating arcologies above the cloud layer.

Naturally, Gas Giants are quite difficult to colonize, requiring a bevy of specialized materials and equipment to construct the floating stations within the planet. Despite this, some wealthy corporations and governments are still willing to attempt it, as the high concentrations of exotic gasses within such worlds can be quite profitable to extract.

Glass Worlds

Formed in the aftermath of truly apocalyptic scales of orbital bombardment, Glass Worlds are known as such due to the formation of glass-like silicates created by the hellish inferno of a planet's demise. Lethally radioactive, utterly barren, and devoid of any complex life, Glass Worlds are unfit for most permanent settlement.

Today, only one known planet holds the dubious honor of Glass World: Aurum, the ancestral home of the Kidan.

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 considered adequate for colonization by most Sector nations, though this depends on the species and preferences at hand. Spacer Unathi and Nianae in particular prefer Arid Worlds for colonization, as they mirror the homeworlds of the two species.

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.

Desert Worlds are not the first choice for any Sector power, being relegated to a D on the Darlington-Smith Habitability Index, and generally being seen as planets only the desperate would attempt to seriously colonize.

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.