Human offshoots

**Human offshoots**, also referred to as **Near-Humans**, are a classification of organism, referring specifically to groups of lifeforms that have derived from the human race.

Throughout intergalactic history, humanity has been subject to numerous experiments by other, more advanced races, from gene-splicing to simple exposure to the environments of alien planets. As a result, the vast majority of sapient species in the universe are descended or otherwise sourced from humans in one way or another. It is estimated that 97% of all sapient species have some amount of human genes in their genome (most specifically ones that are linked to physiology and brain development). However, to be considered an Offshoot, a race needs to either be descended from a human population, or be the result of a genetic experiment in which over 99.5% of the DNA is contributed from humanity.

Offshoots are often incorrectly called humanoids, a term that refers to simply having a similar bauplan to humans, and does not necessarily indicate common biological ancestry.

In Skyriver, the term **near-human** is most common, but has fallen out of use in the scientific community as its terminology has been mostly ascribed for political reasons rather than genetic accuracy, and has been accused as perpetuating humanocentrism.

## History

Races such as Celestials, Precursors, Engineers, and a number of others have routinely "seeded" the universe with life taken from Prime Worlds, celestial bodies where life has evolved. However, as a number of the seeder races were capable of traversing time itself, a number were placed on worlds in time periods long before humanity itself evolved on Earth.

In the wake of the Convergence, most scientists have recognized this to be the origin of most species. However, many individuals reject the research conducted, often out of xenophobia, insisting that the resemblance between sapients is solely superficial and not the result of shared lineage. The counter-argument of convergent evolution is often brought up, despite that, statistically speaking, the chances of completely unrelated species showing resemblance on the level shown by humanoid sapients is infinitesimally small.

## List of Near-Human types

Only species that are highly populous or have had a large influence on (inter)galactic society are listed. For a complete list, see list of human offshoots.

### Human subspecies

Races that, in a biological sense, are still to be considered to be human races, in that they are fully able to interbreed, but choose to distance themselves from humanity due to cultural or historical reasons. In most cases, they are distant enough to be considered different subspecies than *Homo sapiens sapiens*. A large number of the races native to Skyriver are the result of the Rakata Mother Machine.

#### **Milky Way**

* Kryptonian (*Homo sapiens kryptoniensis*) (functionally extinct)
* Tamaranians (*Homo sapiens tamaranensis*)
* Thanagarians (*Homo sapiens thanagarensis*)

#### **Skyriver**

* Arkanian (*Homo sapiens arkaniensis*)
* Chiss/Ferroans/Pantoran/Wroonian (*Homo sapiens caerulus*)
* Echani/Thyrsians (*Homo sapiens eshanensis*)
* Miraluka (*Homo sapiens miraluka*)
* Mirialan (*Homo sapiens mirialensis*)
* Sephi (*Homo sapiens astrodryadalis*)
* Sith (*Homo sapiens korribanensis*) (extinct)
* Taung (*Homo sapiens notronensis*) (extinct)
* Togruta (*Homo sapiens shiliensis*)
* Twi'lek (*Homo sapiens rylothensis*)
* Ubese (*Homo sapiens ubaensis*)
* Zabrak (*Homo sapiens iridoniensis*)
* Zeltron (*Homo sapiens zeltrosensis*)

#### **Andromeda**

* Skrulls (*Homo sapiens skrullosensis*)
* Xandarian (*Homo sapiens xandariensis*)

#### **Other**

* Asgardian (*Homo sapiens norddeus*)
* Kree (*Homo sapiens halaensis*)
* Nagai (*Homo sapiens nagiensis*)
* Tof (*Homo sapiens tofensis*)

#### **Fully cultural split**

Races that are fully *Homo sapiens sapiens*, but consider themselves separate species for cultural reasons.

* Hapans
* Kiffar
* Lorrdians
* Nebulans

### Descendants

Species that originated from human populations, but have diverged enough to be separate species.

* Anzati (*Homo anzatensis*)
* Ghorfa (*Homo kumumgah tusken*)
* Jawa (*Homo kumumgah jawa*)
* Koorivar (*Homo koorivaensis*)
* Rattataki (*Homo rattatakensis*)
* Umbaran (*Homo umbaraensis*)
* Yuuzhan Vong (*Homo yuuzhantarensis*)

### Chimeras

Genera that are fully the result of experiments, such as gene-splicing, which created chimeric lifeforms. In Skyriver, many are the results of experiments conducted by the Sith and Arkanians. While hundreds of species are suspected to be chimeras, only confirmed ones are listed here.

* Lylatians (*Lylatosapiens*)
* Mobians (*Mobosapiens*)
* Half-Bothans (*Bothanthropus farfalla*)