From a standard classification system that categorizes civilizations based on the spread of their influence. This system is traditionally used by Helic cultures and is passed onto many others. It provides a clear "snapshot" of a civilization's evolutionary level.
Type A[]
Intergalactic society[]
A Type A civilization has reached the technological level of being able to use most of the energy produced in their galaxy or multiple galaxies. At this point in their evolution, most would have ventured out to explore the wonders of new galaxies and to possibly colonize these other galaxies.
Fate of a type A society[]
You will notice that there are only two items in this list. That is because, Type A societies have transcended far beyond anything we could truly understand. All of the things that we would hold dear- life, property, civil liberties, etc., would probably have little or no meaning to them. At that level, their access to technology is so advanced, we could not even begin to understand them.
Some Type A societies may evolve to the point that they have no need for the technology they have created; having abandoned it for their new existence. New species may find some of this technology and over time learn to adapt it to their own uses.
Most Type A civilizations may simply have died out, leaving behind myths and legends, but very little technology or records.
There is one underlying principle involved with Type A Societies. Very few, if any, societies will ever reach this level of existence.
Type A civilizations of Basilicus Prime[]
At this point, there is only one known Type A civilization, the Tetnik. Some believe that the Antheons have reached this level, but further anthropological research is needed. The Latinian Star Imperia is headed towards becoming a Type A civilization.
The Omegians from the Gamtor Galaxy in the Bisilicus Prime Cluster is a species that has reached Type A status.
Note[]
Great care must be taken when this type of civilization is going to be created. This group has access to larger amounts of energy and technology- making them a dangerous creation. Not only can this creation become extremely hard to manage in detail, but it also has a high chance of contradicting itself. Also, civilizations that are far below this level of existence would have no chance of ever conquering or defending against this type of civilization.
To quote Winchell D. Chung, Jr. at http://www.projectrho.com/rocket/rocket3aa.html:
"not because the Type III [type A] hates lower races, but because the lower races are so far beneath their notice that they cannot be bothered to keep track of them. Do you ever think about the ants you run over in your automobile?"
Type B[]
Interstellar society[]
A Type B civilization has reached the technological stage of being able to use most of the energy produced in their star system and may be able to use energy produced in multiple others. At this point in their evolution, they have ventured out, to explore new star systems and colonize them.
Fate of a type B society[]
Type B societies are more sensitive to conflicts within their societies. As the society grows, pressure from several different systems can have adverse effects on the society in general. Their society can span several star systems and dozens of light-years. Some of the examples below can have such an impact on the society, even to the point of driving it back to an earlier Type civilization or out right destroying the civilization.
War[]
War within a given star system or with different star systems, can drain the resources and support for a given governing body. Large amounts of resources have to be moved into the star system in question, which can lead to a logistics nightmare. Not to mention, the people in that system will most likely have the support of the entire system, leaving the invading party few, if any, safe havens to call on if needed.
Rebellions[]
As the civilization grows, some if its people may became disillusioned and want to go their own way. This can be from a single planet in one of the star systems to a whole star system. If this planet or star system is vital to the society, having it secede from the society could have detrimental effects on the entire civilization.
Bureaucracy[]
With expansion comes bureaucracy, there is nothing that can be done to stop it. But the main problem with bureaucracy is, it has the tendency to become too large and very inefficient, and that is in just one star system. Expand that across several star systems and you can see just how close a Type B Society is to collapse at any given moment.
These are just a couple of examples of what can happen to a Type B Society.
Type B civilizations of Basilicus Prime[]
Type C[]
Interplanetary society[]
A Type C civilization has reached the technological stage of being able to use most of the energy products in their star system. At this point in their evolution, they have not developed the technological proficiency to explore new star systems, but have the ability to travel between planets in their own system.
Fate of a type C society[]
Type C societies are sensitive to conflicts within their societies, but not as much as Type B Societies. Type C societies are just starting out, and conflict on their home world and one or two outer worlds, most likely, will not have as great an effect on them. But, as the society grows, pressure from these different planets can start to have effects on the society. Some of the examples below can have such an impact on the society, even to the point of driving it back to an earlier Type civilization or out right destroying the civilization.
War[]
War within a given star system can drain the resources and support for a given governing body. Depending on how fast starships travel, wars between different planets can become long, drawn out conflicts.
Rebellions[]
As the civilization grows, some if its people may became disillusioned and want to go their own way. This will usually start on a single planet in the star system that was colonized. Over several generations, the inhabitants of this planet will start to view themselves less as a colony and more as a society of the planet they live on. This can lead to them no longer having the same philosophy as those on other planets in the system. If this planet is vital to the interests of the core society, having it secede could have detrimental effects on the entire civilization.
Bureaucracy[]
With expansion comes bureaucracy, there is nothing that can be done to stop it. But the main problem with bureaucracy is it has the tendency to become too large and very inefficient. Now bureaucracy in a Type C Society is not as complex as in a Type A/B, due to the governing bodies being in the same system, not stretched across dozens of light-years. But there will still be the problem of one planet wanting things their way and feeling pressured when other planets demand things their way.
These are just a couple of examples of what can happen to a Type C Society.
Type C civilizations of Basilicus Prime[]
Type D[]
Terrestrial society[]
Type D civilizations have reached the technological stage of being able to use some or most of the energy products on their home planet. They have moved from their regional areas and colonized or conquered most of the planet, creating large nations. At this point in their evolution, they have not developed the technological proficiency to explore their own star system.
Fate of a type D society[]
Type D societies, depending on what technological stage they are at, can have relatively peaceful times, followed by periods of regional conflicts and/or world conflicts. Type D societies will resemble anything from ancient civilizations to those found in the present day. Type D societies are unique in that there will be several that have come and gone on a single planet. Some will have just vanished, leaving only traces of their existence. Other civilizations will be conquerors, or the conquered. These internal and external conflicts are what shape a beginning world and make it unique.
War[]
War in a nation or several nations, can drain the resources and support for a given governing body.
Rebellions[]
As the civilization grows, some if its people may became disillusioned and want to go their own way. This can manifest itself as civil wars or a mass exudes of people from one nation to another.
Bureaucracy[]
With expansion comes bureaucracy, there is nothing that can be done to stop it. But the main problem with bureaucracy in this type of society is not so much how large it is, but the different national governments that there can be, internal and external. Regions will slowly morph into nations and different nations will not always see things the same way. As nations become larger, their need for more resources and land will grow, this will inevitably lead to conflicts.
These are just a couple of examples of what can happen to a Type D Society.
Type D civilizations of Basilicus Prime[]
Type E[]
Continental/regional/national society[]
A Type E civilization has reached the technological stage of being able to use a small amount of the energy products on their home planet. They live in regional areas and most of the planet is still waiting to be explored. At this point in their evolution, they have not developed the technological proficiency or the ability to exploit large quantities of resources to explore their home world.
Fate of a type E society[]
Type E societies are at the bottom of the societal tree. They will be in a constant state of flux. As most of them will have very limited use of tools and technology, just gathering enough food to eat will greatly affect the society. Armed conflict can become a daily occurrence because of this. Type E societies will resemble anything from about 15,000 B.C. to ancient society. Type E societies are like Type D societies in that there will be several that have come and gone on a single planet. But unlike Type D societies, most will just vanish; only a small number of them will leave any traces of their existence.
War[]
Wars will usually be between two regions, as resources will be limited and fighting on more than one front will most likely be impractical. Wars can also be dangerous for both sides. They use up stored resources and manpower. This depletion can lead to not having enough people to work fields, gather food, or craft items needed by the society, leading to its own starvation.
Rebellions[]
As the civilization grows, some if its people may became disillusioned and want to go their own way. This can manifest itself as civil wars or a mass exudes of people from one region to another.
Bureaucracy[]
With expansion comes bureaucracy, there is nothing that can be done to stop it. But bureaucracy in this type of society will be almost nonexistent. Warlords and Monarchical types of governments will surface. The strong ruling the weak. This will happen, because the main emphasis will be on the collection of food and creating shelter. The only reason bureaucracy forms in this society is to keep people from other regions from taking that food and shelter from them (now you see how bureaucracies and governments start.)
These are just a couple of examples of what can happen to a Type E Society.
Type E civilizations of Basilicus Prime[]
Note[]
Try not to create a monoculture world. The worlds were everyone has the same hairstyle, fashion style, taste in food, one governing body and one belief system. The only society that might attain this level would be a Type A societies and they will most likely have subcultures within their societies. Most worlds will have dozens, if not hundreds of different cultures and subcultures. If everyone dressed, ate and believed in exactly the same thing, it would be a rather boring world. By varying the societies now, you will be one step ahead.
I know some will say that this makes it harder to create a world. Not really. When was the last time anyone watched a movie/TV show or read a book where there was not a single conflict in its world, never. How much entertainment would you get from a utopian society that has no problems? You might as well be watching paint dry, because it's about the same thing. So get out there and bring that society to the brink of death and pull it back just in time, to do it all over again.