Race designation is a Terran construction which categorizes the allied races into High and Simple for anthropological reasons. When race designation became the standard in 2098, the TCLU, the ACLU's successor, decried the measure, saying that it would bring back racism, segregation, and essentially tear the alliance apart. But President Nelson assured that the decision to have the race designations would do nothing of the sort.
Criteria
The criteria for each category are as follows:
High Races
- Must be technologically advanced
- Language must be complex, and have a written component (this disqualifies the Kuti on both levels)
- Civilization is essential; barbarities must be largely eradicated, including but not limited to
- Cannibalism
- Human sacrifice
- Theocratic oppression (while theocratic, the Xarisans don't oppress their people, qualifying them as a high race)
- Needlessly violent tendencies (a point of contention among scholars and politicians, as this would virtually eliminate any race but the Edenic Races, none of whom want anything to do with sinful races)
High races include:
- Humans
- Hra'vakh
- Xarisans
- Valishans
- Eregosians (Classified as hostile, but the Xarisans insist they are a High race as well)
- Due to their involvement in Terran politics, the Kuti gained an "honorary" status as a High race in 2132, but they refuse to Westernize or become technologically advanced. Technically speaking, they are still a simple race.
Simple Races
Any races not qualified as High Races are designated Simple Races. They include:
- Dracons
- Kuti
- Chellor
- Perkans (A sapient cetacean race from Sirius V, the only thing disqualifying them is that their language is unintelligible and unwritten. Because they are one of the most intelligent and advanced races in the galaxy, this designation leads to much controversy.)