Canine
Canine describes mammals of the Canidae family of animals. This includes dogs, wolves, foxes, jackals and coyotes. It may also include some supernatural creatures like werewolves or even mutant and/or extraterrestrial animals such as saberwolves. Some canines have even developed enhanced intelligence and may even be able to communicate with more advanced life forms either through telepathy or through physical vocalization.
(See Also: Canine)
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Captain
Captain is the name most often given in English-speaking navies to the rank corresponding to command of the largest ships. The equivalent rank in many navies is Ship-of-the-Line Captain. The command of a ship is most often given to the naval rank equivalent to a commissioned officer between commander and commodore or rear admiral. In military armies, a Captain is an officer rank historically corresponding to command of a company of soldiers. The rank is also used by some air forces and marine forces. Examples include: Captain Dallas; Captain Kirk; Captain Needa; Captain Picard; Captain Scarlet.
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Centurion
Centurion is a title usually attributed to an active officer of a military unit in service to a greater power, be it a nation, a planet or a terrestrial or interstellar empire. On Earth, a centurion was a professional officer of the Roman army after the Marian reforms of 107 BC. Most centurions commanded 60 to 80 men despite the commonly assumed 100, but senior centurions commanded cohorts, or took senior staff roles in their legion. In the continuity of the Star Trek film and television franchise, members of of the Romulan Star Empire are often referred to by the title centurion. These are non-commissioned officers who generally answer to a subcommander. On the original 1978 TV series Battlestar Galactica, the robot warriors of the Cylon empire were referred to as Cylon Centurions.
(See Also: Centurion)
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Cephalopod
A cephalopod is any member of the mollusc class Cephalopoda, characterized by bilateral body symmetry, a prominent head, and a modification of the mollusk foot, a muscular hydrostat, into the form of arms or tentacles. Cephalopods exist both on Earth and on alien worlds. Terrestrial examples of cephalopods include the octopus or squid. An alien example of a cephalopod would be the dianoga, or "trash compactor monster" from Star Wars fame. Another type of cephalopod from the series are scum-squids, as referenced in Star Wars, Volume 3 by Marvel Comics.
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Chief Petty Officer
Chief Petty Officer, or C.P.O., is a non-commissioned officer or equivalent in many naval services, coast guards and space exploration agencies. In the United States Navy and Coast Guard, Chief Petty Officer is the seventh enlisted rank just above Petty Officer First Class and below Senior Chief Petty Officer, and is a senior non-commissioned officer. In the Royal Navy, the rank of Chief Petty Officer comes above that of Petty Officer and below that of Warrant Officer Class 2. It is the equivalent of Colour Sergeant in the Royal Marines, Staff Sergeant in the Army, and Flight Sergeant in the Royal Air Force.
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Chordata
Chordata refers to the phylum used in the scientific classification of animals. Chordates are animals which are either vertebrates or one of several closely related invertebrates. They are united by having, for at least some period of their life cycle, a notochord, a hollow dorsal nerve cord, pharyngeal slits, an endostyle, and a post-anal tail.
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Clan
A clan is a group of people united by actual or perceived kinship and descent. Even if lineage details are unknown, clan members may be organized around a founding member or apical ancestor. The kinship-based bonds may be symbolical, whereby the clan shares a "stipulated" common ancestor that is a symbol of the clan's unity. When this "ancestor" is non-human, it is referred to as a totem, which is frequently an animal. Clans can be most easily described as tribes or sub-groups of tribes.
(See Also: Clan)
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Clergy
Clergy is an all-inclusive phrase which refers to any officially recongized authoritative figure within a religious institution. Such individuals are scholars of their chosen religion and are practiced in all rites and practices thereof. They are often looked upon by members of a congregation as their spiritual leader.
(See Also: Clergy)
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Clone
A clone is a biological duplicate of a living organism down to the genetic level. The cultivated organism is developed using macromolecular DNA that originates from the source. The science and study of clone structure is called cloning. The clone organism may be something as small as a strand of DNA, an organ, a limb and up to and including entire life forms such as people and animals. In many cases, clones are genetically modified so that they age at an accelerated rate. In other examples, clones may be created by mixing genetic material from what would otherwise be considered incompatible sources. Clones are a popular storytelling convention in science fiction and have been used in nearly all aspects of the medium. In the 1961 BBC television series A for Andromeda, a supercomputer created a clone of a lab researcher named Christine and aged her to adulthood whereupon she adopted the name Andromeda. In the Star Wars mythos, clones play a major part of the prequel trilogy which is often referred to as the "Clone Wars". In the 1997 sci-fi/horror film Alien Resurrection, genetic material preserved from the late human Ellen Ripley was combined with that of an alien Xenomorph to create a humanoid with an alien's agility and predatory instincts.
(See Also: Films with clones; Programs with clones; Books with clones)
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Colonel
Colonel is a military rank of a commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every country in the world as well as interplanetary organizations. It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures. A colonel is typically in charge of a regiment in the army.
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Comet
A comet is an icy small Solar System body that, when close enough to the Sun, displays a visible coma (a thin, fuzzy, temporary atmosphere), and sometimes also a tail. These phenomena are both due to the effects of solar radiation and the solar wind upon the nucleus of the comet. Comet nuclei are themselves loose collections of ice, dust, and small rocky particles, ranging from a few hundred meters to tens of kilometers across. Comets have been observed since ancient times and have historically been considered bad omens.
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Commander
Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in terrestrial and/or interplanetary police and law enforcement. Examples include: Commander Kane; Commander Skywalker.
(See Also: Lieutenant Commander; Sub-Commander)
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Commodore
Commodore is a military rank used in many navies for officers whose position exceeds that of a navy captain, but is less than that of a rear admiral. In the Star Trek mythos, a Commodore is a flag officer level rank as denoted by the broad gold sleeve band. Their duties appear to be particular to a specific officer's career path rather than to rank. Some Commodores serve in the field as task group leaders or ship commanders. Others are base commanders or administrative officers. The title was eventually replaced with the rank of Rear-Admiral. Examples include: Commodore Matthew Decker.
(See Also: Admiral)
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Computer
A computer is a machine that manipulates data according to a set of instructions. Although mechanical examples of computers have existed through much of recorded human history, the first electronic computers were developed in the mid-20th century (1940–1945). These were the size of a large room, consuming as much power as several hundred modern personal computers.
(See Also: Supercomputer)
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Computer hacking
Computer hacking is a process by which operators, or Hackers circumvent a computer system's security measures for personal, and often times, criminal use. This primarily concerns unauthorized remote computer break-ins via a communication networks such as the Internet, but also includes those who debug or fix security problems.
Conduit
A conduit is a piping system for the routing of material or energy. They are generally made of a flexible material and contain protective insulation in keeping with the manner of the material required to run through it. Space vessels and the engineering systems of various facilities often use power conduits to route electrical wiring for the transference of energy.
Conduit is also the code name of a DC Comics supervillain, whose real name is Kenny Braverman. He was a foe of Superman and fought up against the Man of Steel in several major storylines in the mid 1990s.
(See Also: Conduit)
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Corporal
Corporal is a rank in use in some form by most militaries and also by some police forces or other uniformed organizations. In most army forces, a Corporal is above a Private, but below a Sergeant. Known Corporals: Dwayne Hicks
(See Also: Corporal)
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Crewman
A crewman is an individual who works in service to some branch of the military and operates on a naval vessel be it a seafaring ship or a starship. A crewman is the lowest held rank of anyone serving aboard a spacecraft. The term is actually gender neutral and may be applied to both male and female crew members.
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Cryogenic suspension
Cryogenic suspension is a process where cells or whole tissues are preserved by cooling to low sub-zero temperatures. At these low temperatures, any biological activity, including the biochemical reactions that would lead to cell death, is effectively stopped. However, when cryoprotectant solutions are not used, the cells being preserved are often damaged due to freezing during the approach to low temperatures or warming to room temperature. Cryogenic suspension is often used in various science fiction media to allow human passengers the ability to survive long voyages through outer space. Examples of cryogenic suspension has been found in films such as Planet of the Apes and Aliens as well as television programs like Star Trek and Cleopatra 2525.
(See Also: Suspended animation; Cryogenic suspension in media)
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Cyborg
Cyborg is a shortened variation of the term cybernetic organism. A cyborg is an amalgamation of living, biological matter infused with technological enhancements. Most often, the technological enhancements substitute for an organ or body part that had been either lost or removed. The enhancements may be something small and unoticeable such as an implant or nanotechnology, but may also include replacements for larger affected areas including limbs, torso, spine, etc. Cyborgs are extremely popular in science fiction stories and have been featured in hundreds of films, novels, comic books and television programs. One of the more popularly known examples of a cyborg is the T-800 cyborg from the Terminator franchise. In television, cyborgs played a major role in programs such as Star Trek: The Next Generation and Battlestar Galactica. In Star Trek, a race known as the Borg was introduced and proved to be a threat to the Enterprise crew on several occasions. The Borg were also the central antagonists in the film Star Trek: First Contact. In the 2003 revamped Battlestar Galactica series, the protagonists find themselves waging a constant struggle against the forces of the Cylons. Although the Cylons are always presented as robots, their physical composition mimics human physiology so closely that they can easily pass for human even under intense scrutiny.
(See Also: Android; Robot; Cyborg; Known cyborgs)
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