Terminology
Table of Content:
In the world of Stellima there are many concepts not native to Earth and its inhabitants. Here you’ll find a compilation of what you need to know to navigate the universe! As categories are added, the table of contents will be updated.
Origin terminology
Stellima is home to a variety of people of different species and star nations living together and moving from one planet to another, as has happened in every people since people formed species and later their nations. A wide array of terminology has sprung up to refer to different types of people depending on how the planet they call home relates to their species’ home planet, the dominant species of their current home, and their original star nation. These terms can overlap, and a person might fit under multiple definitions, as many of these definitions only cover one of these relationships. Understanding the full complexity of the terminology requires a deep understanding of the interstellar culture, but the main terms to refer to people will be defined below.
Homer
All species have one native world that their kind comes from, a world that birthed them into existence through the natural forces of evolution. This world is often called “Homeworld” or “Home,” and to most species and their members, it holds special value and significance. Some species who have lost their original Homeworld to the sands of time have taken up a new world as their Home, even if it didn’t house their distant ancestors.
An individual who is born and raised on their Homeworld is thus referred to as a “Homer.”
Exome
As species reached out into the stars and spread with discrete-capable ships, they established colonies and conquered other worlds. People soon came to call these foreign worlds beyond their Homeworld their home where they raised children and future generations who never sat foot on their world of origin but lived out their entire lives on this new world, regardless of whether this new world is in their species’ original star nation or whether they belong to the dominant species.
An individual who is born and grows up on any world beyond their kind’s Homeworld is called an “Exome.”
Immigrant
People moving from world to world created a class of those who live not only away from their Homeworld but also from their world of birth, regardless of whether that birthplace was their Homeworld. Those who move to a new world to start their lives there have a lot in common with each other whether they remain within the same star nation or whether they belong to the dominant species, and an umbrella term covers everyone in this category.
An individual who moves from one world to another, regardless of star nation or dominant species, is known as an “Immigrant.”
Xemogrant
Since the dawn of history, people have moved from one nation to another within the confines of their planet. Once travel to the stars became possible and different star nations were founded, people likewise began moving from one star nation to another to start new lives with their families, or find families in the new star nation. With the correlation of dominant species and star nation, moving to a different star nation generally also meant moving to a world where their species wasn’t dominant.
An individual in the first generation of immigrants who moves to a world with a different dominant species in a new star nation is known as a “Xemogrant.”
Exovit
Many individuals chose to remain within their star nation, enjoying the benefits and rights provided by their star nation, but still sought out new homes. Since different species tend to be concentrated within a single star nation, this generally meant moving to a world with the same dominant species.
An individual in the first generation of immigrants who moves within the same star nation is known as an “Exovit.”
Exorizzen
For those people who move to or live in a star nation besides the one where their species’s Homeworld is, they are not easily able to fit into the local culture and often become a source of tension in a star nation. Their distinct species makes true assimilation a near impossibility. These can be first generation immigrants of any type or their descendents, and it covers anyone who lives outside of the star nation where their species’s Homeworld is.
An individual of a species whose Homeworld is not part of the star nation that they reside in is known as an “Exorizzen.”