Species Classification

James White

Book 0.90 of Sector General

Language: English

Published: Mar 31, 2011

Description:

Several well-loved props run through the series. The most famous is the species classification system (originally a homage to E.E. "Doc" Smith's less thought-out version in Children of the Lens) which sums up aliens' shape and biology in a few terse letters. Earth-humans are DBDG and "similar" warm-blooded oxygen-breathers have similar codes, with teddy-bear Orligians also being DBDG while caterpillar-shaped Kelgians are DBLF. Weirder creatures include chlorine-breathing PVSJs and psi-talented V-codes. One buried joke concerns the unfortunate Gogleskan species, classification FOKT, who are unable to prevent themselves from forming mindlessly destructive mobs. 

James White's Sector General stories used a unique four letter classification system that helped describe the species quickly and effectivly, as one would require when the hospitol is a multi species enviroment.

Gary Louie was working on a James White concordance. As part of that he completed a classification system, for the sector general series which covers all characters up to Final Diagnosis.

This article appeared in the White Papers. Unfortunatly Gary Louie passed away, before the concordance was completed.