Species-nations

Species-nations were civilisations descended from humanity that dominated the universe from around 300 AHE onwards, meaning they were just starting to exist in Frontier stories and had been established for over a thousand years by BHH. In a process accelerated by genetic engineering, there were an array of different species in this era descended from humans, and whilst adults from two species could still have healthy children together, those children would be wholly one species or the other and would have to grow up on that species' planet.

How they came about

Further information: Species-nations section of the timeline

As humanity spread out between different planets, small genetic variations emerged between the populations on each planet as people were more likely to have children with others on their own planet, and these were amplified by genetic engineering (scientifically, this would be called 'accelerated parapatric speciation'). As the populations on different planets became more distinct, they labelled themselves "species" (scientifically, they were actually subspecies). Two people from different human "species" could still have healthy children together.

Politically, humanity started out exploring the stars as the Great Human Commonwealth. At the margins of human expansion — known as the celestial frontier — groups of people with similar political or philosophical views established "planned utopias" on their own planets that were still part of the Commonwealth. In the year 0 After-Human Era, the Commonwealth broke up for political reasons and warring politicians carved it up into so-called "celestial empires". However, these divisions seemed arbitrary, and the planned utopias rejected the authority of the celestial empires. Instead, they merged the political concept of the planned utopia with the genetic idea of the "species", calling themselves "species-nations". The species-nations edited their DNA to add heritable genetic markers that identified the children of parents from two different species as wholly one or the other.

Eventually, most smaller species-nations joined the Central Galactic Congress (CGC), electing representatives to a central congress and losing political autonomy. Children and teenagers from CGC species grew up on their own planets, learning a job appropriate to their species, and then went forth to ply that trade as adults, e.g. the Häftiägen were celebrities and comedians for other species. Some — such as the Evon, the Helltunans, Olympa, the Breatnais and the Tawnylea — continued to have their own planets and governments away from the CGC.

Notable species-nations

There were supposed to have been hundreds (or at least tens) of species-nations, though only about fifteen were actually mentioned in the narrative.

In the BHH canon after July 2017:

• Evon
• Helltunans
• Olympans
• Breatnais
• Tawnylea
• Kelreck
• Häftiägen
• Rasunians
• Water Evon

Only in the Acteriendian BHH roleplays:

• Astranci

Only in the Oburron and Jenner paracosm:

• Dylon
• Unlon
• Telephonion
• Slantach
• Irish-Cornish