Genetic modification

[Gizmoh]

So I was wondering the other day about genetic modification in the Sotsverse, and how we can modify our colonists for better colonization, and I wondered.
What's the extent of the modifications? Do they constitute a different species compared to baseline humanity, for example? Has it happened somewhere? Where there heated debates on what it meant to be human? Do Loa dream of cybernetic sheeps?

[Erinys]

Being "Human" is pretty much a matter of having mostly ape DNA and being a good citizen of Sol Force and the Human empire. Pay your taxes, go to school and/or work, don't get uppity with military or civilian servants of the empire, you're pretty much golden.

There are real aliens in the universe, many living in Human-controlled environments...so there's not much reason to pick on a guy who has a cybernetic arm or is adapted for higher or lower gravity or a slightly different gas mix, when you could just pick a fight with someone who looks REALLY weird. That being said? There are still some Humans who think other Humans love aliens just a LITTLE too much. If you know what I mean. You can get beaten up for being married to a Tarka, too friendly with a Hiver, or too pro-Morrigi.

And psions always get a lot of hostility. No one likes a person who might know too much about what they're thinking.

--Arinn

[Ludovsky]

Being "Human" is pretty much a matter of having mostly ape DNA and being a good citizen of Sol Force and the Human empire. Pay your taxes, go to school and/or work, don't get uppity with military or civilian servants of the empire, you're pretty much golden.

There are real aliens in the universe, many living in Human-controlled environments...so there's not much reason to pick on a guy who has a cybernetic arm or is adapted for higher or lower gravity or a slightly different gas mix, when you could just pick a fight with someone who looks REALLY weird. That being said? There are still some Humans who think other Humans love aliens just a LITTLE too much. If you know what I mean. You can get beaten up for being married to a Tarka, too friendly with a Hiver, or too pro-Morrigi.

And psions always get a lot of hostility. No one likes a person who might know too much about what they're thinking.

--Arinn

". You can get beaten up for being married to a Tarka, too friendly with a Hiver, or too pro-Morrigi."

The married tarka part makes me wonder... I recall christianity had made a certain push as a religion amongst the Tarka, so what is the "christian" Tarkas' take on marriage?

[Erinys]

Christian Tarka communities tend to be sex-segregated and celibate, in the nun/monk mode. When Christian Tarkas do re-frame the family bonds outside of closed/gated communities which retreat from the rest of the world, it is generally to perform services: adopting groups of orphans or forming mission groups to spread the gospel, feed and shelter the homeless, etc..

--Arinn

[usermist2]

Also remember that human/Tarka relationships are very similar to Tarkan unchanged male / female relationships: no children can come of the union (unless SCIENCE!), so anything that happens is for fun only. Note that that might upset certain parts of society.

[Space Voyager]

Oh? I didn't know the change is necessary for male fertility...

[Erinys]

Most definitely.

--Arinn

[Genth]

Are there equivalents of 'Genejacks' from Alpha Centauri? I mean, I know there's replicants and that causes problems, but have there been replicants made with those... problems of being intelligent creatures removed? So big, strong humans engineered not to have the brain capability to rebel or question orders.