Editing Andromeda (TV series) (section)

==''Andromeda'' universe==
===Slipstream===
[[Space travel in science fiction|Slipstream]] is the primary mode of travel for ships in the ''Andromeda'' universe, and the only known method of traveling faster than the [[speed of light]]. The Vedran discovery of the slipstream was instrumental in the formation of their interstellar empire, which became the precursor of the Systems Commonwealth.

Slipstream cannot be navigated by AIs (they only have a 50% chance of choosing the correct path). Only organic pilots can "sense" a way to their destination (they have a 99% chance of choosing the correct path), and although AIs are fitted on all large ships, they always require an organic pilot for interstellar travel. It is implied that the process of choosing a path is what makes it the correct one.

A function of slipstream is that apparent objective velocities are extremely variable, as it enables travel across millions of light years seemingly as swiftly as traveling between neighboring stars only tens of light years apart. Further, slipstream is a non-linear method of travel; the fastest or safest way to slipstream between two points, though they might be in the same galaxy, may involve slipstreaming to another galaxy entirely. The more frequently used routes are often easier, faster and more predictable. Locations relatively nearby in ordinary space may be difficult or impossible to access via slipstream.

===Systems Commonwealth===
The Systems Commonwealth was a huge utopian civilization, spanning three major galaxies of the [[Local Group]]. It was founded by the Vedrans, the first race to discover slipstream, who initially used it to conquer the Andromeda Galaxy. After a long and bitter war of attrition with the major powers of the [[Triangulum Galaxy]], the Vedran Empire was reorganized as the democratic Systems Commonwealth. The Commonwealth served as a peaceful intergalactic government for almost 10,000 years until the Nietzschean revolt.

===Major star systems===
* Hephaestus, a system with a significant Nietzschean population, devastated by a rogue [[black hole]] in the pilot episode and the place of Dylan's frozen imprisonment in time for 300 years. 
* Mobius, a barren world with underground cities. Mobius was ruled by ruthless dictators for many centuries but joined the New Commonwealth when its leader, the "Great Compass" Venetri, resigned.
* San-Ska-Re, a Than homeworld and a major power in post-Fall Known Worlds. Did not actually appear on screen.
* Seefra, a mysterious artificial system of nine planets and two suns where Dylan and his crew were transported after the Battle of Arkology. 
* Tarazed, a world with significant human and loyalist Nietzschean populations; it survived the Long Night largely unscathed. It became the first capital of the New Commonwealth. Birthplace of Telemachus Rhade. Tarazed was described in the series as being located in another galaxy and therefore is not intended to be equivalent to a non-fictional star of the same name.
* Tarn-Vedra, the capital of the Old Systems Commonwealth and Vedran homeworld. All slipstream routes to Tarn-Vedra vanished soon after the Nietzschean rebellion, contributing to the ensuing chaos. Dylan was born on Tarn-Vedra. One of his motivations for restoring the Commonwealth is the search for his own lost home.
* [[Earth]] was ravaged by the Nietzschean occupation and Magog assaults during the Long Night. Harper was born and acquired his notable survival skills there.
* Arkology, a huge [[space station]] with a pacifist population.

===Major races===
* Avatars of the Suns, humanoid forms of [[star]]s with great powers. They are immortal and can travel through time and space, affecting events and people as they wish.
* [[Human]]s make up about 70% of the Known Worlds population. Subspecies with minor genetic enhancements (like the Inari) are common.
* Kalderans, a xenophobic reptilian race that once rivaled the Vedrans. 
* Magog, a race of savage semi-intelligent alien killers, feared throughout the Known Worlds. The Magog have to kill and eat fresh meat to sustain themselves and to lay eggs in sentient beings to procreate.
* Nietzscheans, a group of superior humans who believed in self-improvement via [[genetic engineering]] and intense competition. They left Earth thousands of years ago and evolved into a separate subspecies (''Homo sapiens invictus'') that colonized many worlds throughout the galaxies. Nietzscheans are responsible for the Fall of the Systems Commonwealth; however, they failed to replace it with the Nietzschean Empire due to constant betrayals and conflicts between different Nietzschean Prides.
* Nightsiders, rat-like humanoids with poor vision, but highly developed hearing. Their reproductive cycle is very damaging to the environment, as their early larval stage is an aquatic creature that eats anything it comes across.
* Paradine, a highly evolved form of the Vedrans, who look like ordinary humans. The Paradine apparently had a special role in dealing with the Avatars of the Suns and the Route of Ages, but they are all but extinct now. 
* Perseids, a highly intelligent race of alien scientists and bureaucrats.
* Pyrian, a grotesque, tentacled orb like species who are one of the most powerful enemies of the Commonwealth.
* Than-Thre-Kull (Than), a tough and highly intelligent and civilized [[Insectoids in science fiction|insectoid]] race divided into various function-specific castes.
* Vedrans, the first intelligent race to discover the slipstream that connects the entire universe. The Vedrans went on to conquer the Known Worlds, building the Vedran Empire. The Empire was plagued by internal conflicts and eventually was peacefully transformed into the Systems Commonwealth.

===Other races===
* Bokor, dangerous parasites that possess other species in order to survive, spreading through physical contact. Inside their shells, the Bokor are practically invulnerable to any type of weapon, ranging to energy, melee or bullets. However, they are vulnerable to electricity. Their existence in the Known Worlds is abhorred by the Than, who attack any vessel carrying them. For normal humanoids, it takes a while for the Bokor to destroy their neural functions and take over.
* Ogami, a race of brutish pirates and mercenaries.

===Organizations===
* Collectors, The Commonwealth's keepers of secret history. 
* Genites, a high-tech, numerous and well-organized intergalactic group whose aim is to rid the universe of genetically engineered beings, especially the Nietzschean Prides, who brought about the downfall of humanity.
* High Guard, the main military force of the Systems Commonwealth.
* Tech Police, the brutish anti-tech enforcement on Seefra-1.
* Templar, a group of men and women who sought to restore order after the Fall. They were founded by High Guard Admiral Constanza Stark.