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The Uplift Universe is a fictional universe created by science fiction writer David Brin. A central feature in this universe is the process of biological uplift. His books which take place in this universe are: * ''Sundiver'' (1980) * ''Startide Rising'' (1983): Nebula Award winner, 1983;〔(【引用サイトリンク】 1983 Award Winners & Nominees )〕 Hugo and Locus Awards winner, 1984〔(【引用サイトリンク】 1984 Award Winners & Nominees )〕 * ''The Uplift War'' (1987): Nebula Nominee, 1987;〔(【引用サイトリンク】 1987 Award Winners & Nominees )〕 Hugo and Locus Awards winner, 1988〔(【引用サイトリンク】 1988 Award Winners & Nominees )〕 * The Uplift Trilogy (sometimes called the Uplift Storm trilogy): * * ''Brightness Reef'' (1995): Hugo and Locus Awards nominee, 1996〔(【引用サイトリンク】 1996 Award Winners & Nominees )〕 * * ''Infinity's Shore'' (1996) * * ''Heaven's Reach'' (1998) There is also a short story "(Aficionado )" (originally titled "Life in the Extreme"), published in 1998, which serves as a prequel to the series as a whole (it also serves as a part of Existence, an unrelated work by Brin), and a novella ''(Temptation )'' published in 1999 in ''Far Horizons'', which follows on from Heaven's Reach. Brin also wrote ''Contacting Aliens: An Illustrated Guide To David Brin's Uplift Universe'' which is a guidebook about the background of the series. At least one more Uplift book is planned by the author, as Brin has stated that Temptation "will be a core element of the next Uplift novel... and answers several unresolved riddles left over from Heaven's Reach." 〔(【引用サイトリンク】THE UPLIFT NOVELS )〕 ''GURPS Uplift'' is a sourcebook for a science fiction themed role-playing game based on the Uplift Universe. It includes a few stories that happen in Jijo after the end of Heaven's Reach. == Setting == In the Uplift universe an intergalactic civilization called the Five Galaxies, comprising a multitude of sentient races, has existed for billions of years. This civilization is perpetuated by the act of ''Uplift'', in which a "patron" species genetically modifies a Pre-sapient "client" species until it is sapient. The client species is typically indentured to its patron species for 100,000 years. A patron species gains considerable status, and patrons and clients often unite into powerful clans. Patron status can be lost due to extermination, or gross crimes against the galactic civilization. It is generally accepted in this universe that the process of Uplift was initiated at least one billion years ago by a species known only as the Progenitors. Humanity is therefore an anomaly – a species with no apparent patron race. Whether humanity truly evolved independently, or whether it was criminally abandoned by an unknown patron early in its uplift, is a topic of fierce debate. Most of humanity believes itself to be a ''wolfling'' species that emerged into sapiency solely through natural evolution, without genetic manipulation by a patron species. This belief is considered heresy and ridiculous by most of the galactic civilization and has made most of the galactic powers enemies of EarthClan. The fact that Humanity had already uplifted two species (chimpanzees and bottlenose dolphins) when it encountered the galactic civilization gave Humanity patron status, which is one of the few lucky turns it has had in its difficult position as pariah in the galactic civilization. This saved humanity from the likely fate of becoming client to another race through forced adoption or being exterminated for the environmental damage done to the Earth and its native species. Humanity and its clients are collectively known as EarthClan. Humanity in the Uplift universe is not a dominant nor a technologically advanced species – it is centuries, even millennia, behind the great galactic powers and has several enemies capable of exterminating mankind. The civilization of the Five Galaxies has several ''Institutes'' which are bureaucracies that specify how species deal with each other and the uplift process. One of the most significant of these is the ''Library Institute'', which is the repository of all knowledge. Humanity prides itself on using the Library as little as possible. For instance, instead of drawing upon the highly refined starship designs available in the Library, humanity tends to develop its own (generally vastly inferior) vessels. Humans generally feel that this is a way to exercise their own independence and creativity, and it occasionally allows them to find solutions to problems which surprise more powerful races. The ''Institute of Migration'' determines what planets can be colonized and under what environmental restrictions, primarily to ensure that suitable races can still evolve for later Uplift. The Institute also ensures the separation of the hydrogen-breathing and oxygen-breathing orders of sentient life. Other intergalactic institutes regulate the uplift of sentient species, navigation, warfare, etc. Bureaucrats are recruited from all races but are expected to put the interests of their bureau before that of their race and maintain strict neutrality; however, this does not always happen. The civilization of the Five Galaxies is made up of oxygen-breathing species. This oxygen-breathing civilization is aware of, but by tradition rarely interacts with, the other orders of sapient life, which include hydrogen-breathing, transcendent, mechanical, memetic, and quantum. There is also a designation for Hypothetical orders of life which could also exist. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア(Wikipedia)』 ■ウィキペディアで「Uplift Universe」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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