Kethera Shuresh

Kethera was introduced in Exco then became the major villain of the first two years of Backwater Planet. After Resios attacked a planet, she was imprisoned and tortured for his crimes. Jirin bribed a guard to help her escape, and later she attempted a coup de tat on the Panthosian throne to install Jirin as emperor. When the coup failed, she asked Thyra to kill her so she wouldn't be captured and tortured by Thalis.

Folori Panthosa

Folori was Jirin's oldest sister and the first heir to the throne, also Resios' wife. She was assassinated by the Panthosian senate for not being aggressive enough a potential leader.

Regeia Panthosa

Regeia was Jirin's older sister, and was heir to the throne after Folori died. She was assassinated by Kethera at the beginning of Backwater Planet in order to frame Thalis and make Jirin next in line to the throne.

Thalis Panthosa

Thalis is Jirin's older brother and the current Panthosian Emperor. After he was imprisoned because he was framed for killing Regeia, Jirin helped him escape. When he learned of Kethera's coup he led an army to retake the Emperor. He married Liale Tyrine, a cerullian general he was in love with, under an agreement that he would use Panthosian women to produce heirs.

Thalis doesn't want to be barbaric but accepts under counsel form his inner circle that it is sometimes necessary to maintain control. He doesn't want to enslave Raya and the sether, but he wants to keep her on a long leash so he can use her to subdue the threat of the sethers breeding.

Kansi

Kansi is a cerullian and chancellor of the Panthosian Emperor. He is Thalis's closest confident, as he was to Emperor Cashra. He is strictly utilitarian to the letter of the law and the preservation of the power of the throne. He finds Jirin annoying and pathetic.

Liale Tyrine

Liale is a Cerullean, the Empress of the Panthosian Empire, former general under Thalis during his war against Kethera, and War Minister on the high council. She was having a secret affair with Thalis, and then married him when he became Emperor because it made them happy despite the scandal.

Cashra Panthosa

Cashra was the Emperor at the beginning of Backwater Planet, and Jirin's father. He was assassinated by Valryn, who at the time had been surgically enslaved by Kethera.

Doctor Frank

Doctor Frank was the head of the alien course in Exco. He disappeared early, then reappeared as Abdiscus, an alien who had been assigned to find Resios, who they thought might be hiding on Earth. He was killed by Kethera for knowing Resios was dead.

RZ Ralian

RZ is a goolan who was captain of the ship stranded on Earth at the beginning of Exco. He escaped and later came back to get Drakon.

Crassius

Crassius is a goolan who was second in command of the ship stranded on Earth at the beginning of Exco. He was demoted after trying to kill some of their prisoners, then betrayed RZ to make a deal with Resios to get enough fuel to leave. He ended up escaping the ship with Resios. He killed Resios, then Kethera killed him when he tried to collect the bounty.

Toby Taylor

Toby was Mary's ex-boyfriend and Greg's roommate in Exco. He was a football star who was emotionally abusive. Mary broke up with him after she got into a car accident, nearly killing somebody, and he acted annoyed that she wanted to change. Later he was drafted into the NFL and married a supermodel.

Katrina

Katrina was Mary's childhood best friend and roommate in Exco. They had a falling out when Katrina tried to sabotage Mary's attempts to change, then reconciled. Now she is a single mother.

Gabe

Gabe started out as a main character in Exco but left the main cast quickly. He is goth, and has very wealthy parents. He married Lucia Venom the day he met her, and they started a minimalist metal band together.

Duke

Duke joined the cast of Exco about a year in. He had a crush on Carrie and was best friends with Lisa. He lived in the same apartment building as the main cast. He learned about aliens when they met Thyra, and was with Carrie when the rest of the main cast fled Earth. Later he married Stephanie because it was easy.

Lisa

Lisa was a friend of Ruby who Ruby cheated on Carrie with. Later Carrie and Lisa reconciled and they became girlfriends. This relationship was happy for a while, but after Carrie was accused of her friends' murders, Carrie threw her out when Lisa, though supportive in private, refused to be seen with a famous murderer to protect her career.

Ruby

Ruby was Carrie's girlfriend at the beginning of Exco. She was an angry protestor who was intolerant of heterodoxy felt superior to Carrie. Carrie broke up with her because she slept with Lisa. After college she went to law school, became heterosexual and conservative.

Stephanie

Stephanie was Duke's roommate in college. She was neurotic and controlling. At the end of Exco she became involved in a cult. When Duke rescued her from the cult she pressured him into marrying her.

Stan Cross

Stan was Sid's roommate in Exco. He never went to classes, instead focusing on networking and connection building. Later when he got alien technology from Sid, he started a company and invented it, becoming a multimillionare. Came to an agreement with the main cast to give them all the free funding they wanted, so long as they brought him more alien technology.

Brader

Brader was a high ranking member of Lyosh's crew who was loyal, but more pragmatic than idealist, thinking sacrificing a few bystanders would save more innocent people in the long run. He was utilitarian, which is why he made a deal to protect Carrie in order to get Thyra on his team. Killed on Trakest by Ishix.

Hyanak

Hyanak was Lyosh's closest confidant. He was a telepath, but only Lyosh knew he was a telepath, so he was able to detect if somebody was a traitor, tell Lyosh, and let her take the credit. Killed by Numare for sensing he was there.

Shekelle

Shekelle is a kheelis, Jirin's ex-wife, and a former member of Lyosh's crew. She is of average height and intelligence for most races in the galaxy, but a freakishly tall and mentally handicapped kheelis, so she was forced to leave home in order to be considered normal. She married Jirin because he was the Prince and asked her to, but he was only using her to avoid marrying a noble. Later when Jirin ran away, she refused to go with him because she didn't want to sacrifice the lifestyle. But, when Kethera threw her out, she was abducted by sex slavers. Lyosh rescued her from being sold into slavery, and she became part of her crew. Later she was captured by the main group, who decided not to treat her like a prisoner due to Jirin's regret for using her.

Kardith

Kardith was Jirin's half brother by his mother's side and a high ranking soldier for Lyosh. When he was young his mother was killed stealing bread for him, and he later escaped with a grudge against Jirin and the Empire. He joined Lyosh's crew out of a desire to kill people he thought deserved it, and to get back at the Empire. Later, when Lyosh indicated she might not kill Raya, he attacked her and went to kill Raya himself, taking Sid as a hostage. He killed Sid, and Raya killed him directly after.

Numare

Numare is a sether who was surgically enslaved by Kethera, which was later reversed. He is strictly loyal to Ishix, and takes the most important assassination missions.

Valryn

Valryn is a sether who was surgically enslaved by Kethera, which was later reversed. She is loyal to Ishix and has spent the time since Ishix found her having sether babies.

Ethereal people

These unnamed spirits can be contacted by Charlotte by stepping into a large enough convenience field. They seem to have the ability to contract time and manipulate both matter and souls. They aged Charlotte to adulthood and gave her her parents memories, and they killed the possessing spirits who invaded the ship. Charlotte believes they are Rythaians.

Shria Vesha

Shria Vesha is a famous celebrity movie star and model who Jirin had a close friendship with as the prince, though he only saw her once a year. She is of a race which shows no outer signs of aging as they get older.

Kirik

Kirik is a cerullian who uses myrakien who are curious about bipedal races by charming them into trusting him then getting them to give him access to their precious artifacts, which he steals. He was responsible for Thyra's exile from Napharim. Last time he was seen, Lyosh stranded him on Napharim and informed the myrakien authorities who he was and what he'd been doing. If he was not quickly able to forge travel papers, he was most likely killed.

Rillya

Rillya is a myrakien and Thyra's sister. She was manipulated by Kirik into helping him steal a holy artifact. Thyra took the blame for her because she was pregnant and didn't want to see her child taken away. She now has four children, and is pregnant with a fifth. When Thyra told her what Carrie did for her, she became as fond for Carrie as Thyra.

Dr Sakir

Sakir is a likuran, and was a scientist who raised Raya and the other sethers. When his base of operations was attacked and most of the genetically manipulated sethers killed, he escaped with the best six shapeshifters, including Raya and Ishix. He tried to raise and condition Raya to know how to manipulate and kill people, intending to use them as a killer for hire. Later when he tried to reclaim and surgically enslave Raya, she killed him.

Dr Dwelling

An alien House. Primary care practitioner of the main cast.

Lusciva

Lusciva was a general for Kethera, who split from her due to her incompetence. She tried to turn Earth into her personal army by staging a false flag attack and coming to their rescue. Known for hating emotion and sentimentality, with a need for military conquest. Killed by Tom, after what was sort of a competition to kill each other but also a love affair.

Lana

A human living on Earth who likes goth men and goes to loud parties. Slept with Jirin before he started dating Mary.

Regent Obar

Regent Obar was the regent of a planet in the Panthosian Empire, famous for being a philanthropist. He was assassinated by Raya, which she only agreed to do because Sakir threatened to kill thousands of innocent people if she didn't kill that one.

Convenience Engine

A convenience engine uses convenience energy to allow people to travel greater than the speed of light, conveniently ignoring the laws of physics.

Convenience Energy

Convenience Energy is a type of energy which, in abundance, allows the laws of physics and probability to be broken. If there is an overload of convenience energy, reality will twist itself to have luck favor the good guys' survival and general preservation of the status quo.

Convenience Chip

A convenience chip is a small chip that goes in your ear, which makes it so you hear everybody as if they are speaking your language, and they hear you as if you are speaking theirs. It even makes mouths appear to creating the sounds of your own language.

CTD

A CTD, or Cell Transmission Dampener, causes vertebrates to be knocked unconscious for a short time, but causes goolans to explode. Looks kind of like a grey and blue hair dryer.

Stungun

A stungun works like the zat guns in Stargate. One shot knocks you unconscious, two shots kill you. They attach to the hands of goolan biosuits.

Biosuits

A biosuit is a transparent, porous outfit which allows goolans to take solid shape and appear to be the general shape of a vertebrate, and protects them from the contamination of dirt and dust that comes with living in a vertebrate environment.

Zi-6 Incapacitator

A Zi-6 Incapacitator is a nonlethal laser weapon which is red and has two crescent shapes, one above and one below the hand. It is now the chosen weapon of the main cast.

Quad Laser

A quad laser is a lethal, blue, four pronged laser weapon. A shot can burn straight through you at close range, or leave severe burns at longer range. Favored weapon of ground soldiers.

Goolans

Goolans are a liquid, aesexual race which dominates almost every galaxy except for the Milky Way. They communicate with electrical signals, but can learn to create sound waves to speak. Their vital organs are equally distributed throughout their body. They generally tend to have no interest in vertebrate affairs.

Goolan characters: Drakon, RZ, Crassius

Panthosians

Panthosians are a race so dark-skinned you can't make out their physical characteristics. They appear as a large shadow. They are the most powerful race in the Milky Way galaxy. They tend to be beaurocratic and interested in political power.

Panthosian characters: Thalis, Folori, Regeia, Cashra, Resios, Kethera, Jirin (Half)

Rentakken

Rentakken are a militaristic blue skinned, goat horned race. They are the most powerful race in the galaxy other than Panthosians and tend to take leadership roles in armies. They probably have the power to take over the galaxy for themselves, except that they 'Like their alien neighbors way more than each other'. Rentakken are known for being attracted to other species, and a Rentakken estate typically consists of a male and female Rentakken who have children together, and several alien lovers.

Rentakken characters: Lyosh, Brader.

Cerullian

Cerullian are the most populous race in the galaxy, known for having white skin and long red hair in strands, which is often tied up in fancy ways. Cerullian have sided with the victor in the last few major wars, and tend to hold administrative and academic positions.

Cerullian characters: Kansi, Tyrine, Kirik

Myrakien

Myrakien have human upper bodies and snake tails, and also have very sharp claws and teeth. They are generally xenophobic and have no interest in outside politics. Bipedals are only allowed on their planet in a small trade city, and nowhere else. Their cities contain modern technology, but build around forests and jungles such that from the top, all you see is tall trees. Any bipedal who commits a felony on myrakien soil receives the death penalty, and any myrakien who betrays other myrakien for bipedals is exiled. Myrakien identify by tribe and live in villages with their large extended families. Little is known about their religion.

Cerullian characters: Thyra, Rillya

Likuran

Likuran are a race from a planet in the former Malkuisian Empire, which have brown skin, fur on their entire bodies except their faces, and fox ears.

Likuran characters: Dr Sakir

Malkuisian

Malkuisian are a light blue skinned race who once held an Empire that tried to rival the Panthosians. Twenty years ago they were defeated and conquered, and now their planets are under military rule by the Panthosians.

Malkuisian characters: Jilis

Sether

Sether are a red skinned race of shapeshifters who have been eugenically manipulated to be perfect assassins, with extraordinary strength and agility. Several centuries ago they were a peaceful agrarian race just beginning to develop the ability to change shape. The Malkuisian Empire found them, took a few thousand of them and nuked the rest of the planet, then began to evolve them and genetically engineer them. Now they have a narcotic payoff when they kill somebody, and can change shape into any other bipedal form up to four times larger or four times smaller, hold shape for about an hour then take a day to recharge. There is a substance called 'serum' which paralyzes them for a few hours and prevents the high they get from the impulse to kill. Only six of them survived the final attack against the Malkuisians, but since a couple dozen more have been bred.

Sether characters: Raya, Ishix, Sarix, Orisha, Valryn, Numare

Kheelis

Kheelis are a race of short, hyperintelligent, green skinned people.

Kheelis characters: Shekelle

Human

Humans are a race living on a planet called Earth, who though they are passionately interested in aliens and space flight, never had proof aliens existed until very recently, and thus were completely isolated from the rest of the galaxy. Their only contact with alien races has been a terrorist attack by Lusciva, so now they fear all aliens as terrorists. They vary in skin color from brown, to pink, to tan, to red and have either yellow, brown, red, or black hair. They tend to have similar height and build as cerullians, with slightly less intelligence. Their politics are driven by fear and strict moral judgment, and their politicians practice strictly amoral gamesmanship. They get most of their information from news networks that are more interested in entertainment than distributing truthful information. Due to their lack of exposure to alien races, their brains still mis-identify races with similar shape to humans as viable mates, leading them to be physically attracted to other species.

Human characters: Mary, Greg, Charlotte, Carrie, Sid, Tom, Duke, Lisa, Toby, Stan, Katrina, Lucia, Ruby, Lana

OIGA

OIGA, or the Obnoxious Incompetent Government Agency, is a United States organization on Earth who come in, take over the investigation, and pursue it in a very conspiratorial way, in the process of which they screw everything up and nearly get the Earth destroyed. They wear dark suits and sunglasses.

Members: Agent Dikedd

Vigilantes

This highly organized group of criminals, led by Lyosh, used the Avenger as their base ship before it was destroyed. Their guiding principle is to kill anybody who either kills people or is involved in slavery, and make an effort to prevent innocent casualties. They have massive information networks and steal technology from the Panthosian Empire, who they consider derelict in their duties to protect people.

Members: Lyosh, Brader, Kardith, Hyanak, Shekelle (Former)

The Human Lovers Club

An organization of non-humans who are fond of humans. They meet on the bridge during their help shifts and talk.

Members: Jirin, Raya

Trakest Guerillas

An army of rebels loyal to the Malkuisian Empire and wanted to capture Raya and use her to attack Panthos. They attempted to do so by threatening to kill her friends if she didn't work for them, but they were attacked by the Vigilantes during their attempt, and later wiped out by Ishix.

Malkuisian Empire

An Empire in the Milky Way galaxy which was smaller than the Panthosian Empire and planned to conquer it by raising an army of sethers to wipe out their leaders. Destroyed twenty years ago by the Panthosians.

Dignity Vampires

Creatures who feed off the dignity of celebrities. Posing as cameramen for tabloid publications, they hunt celebrities, and reduce them to being shameless, petty, jealous, slutty, hedonistic drug addicts. Earth is their primary feeding ground.

Goolan Supreme Ocean

The Goolan Supreme Ocean are the main ruling council of the goolan. They are not openly hostile to vertebrates, but are most interested in preventing threats to the goolan.