The Weirdo Zone interacts with literally billions of different cultures both inside and outside the Weirdo Zone, and some way must exist of classifying the multitude of groups Weirdo Zone diplomats, merchants, civilians, and military personnel will have to deal with. The Culture and Technology Rating System (CTRS) implemented by the Exploratory Services analyzes both the general cultural level and the technological capability of the society in question. The CTRS is used to define legal sentience as well as determine what cultures are eligible for Weirdo Zone membership (as membership is determined by societarial advancement and not technological capability).
The CTRS is usually a short five-character code that goes along the pattern CR-number-letter[letter], such as CR-10-A. The first number indicates the level of advancement of that group's society, the letter indicates the culture's level of technological advancement, and the letter in brackets indicates the culture's level of advancement in power production. All species the Weirdo Zone discovers are assigned codes, even those that are obviously non-sentient, as a creature's level of sub-sentience determines their legal status in some Weirdo Zone societies.
CULTURE RATING SYSTEM |
|
Cultural Rating |
Description |
| 0 | No society / group culture whatsoever; individuals are little more than intricate biological machinery with minimal interaction with environment (most plants, diatoms) |
| 1 | Minimal to no group instinct; individuals act in simple stimulus-response patters with basic self-preservation instincts (protozoa) |
| 2 | Minimal to no group instinct; individuals have standard self-preservation instincts and operate individually (worms, reptiles, birds of prey, non-social insects and mammals) |
| 3 | Group instinct; individuals have standard self-preservation instincts and operate in large groups. The needs of the group override the needs of the individual. (ants, social insects, social mammals (prairie dogs)) |
| 4 | Slight group instinct; individuals have basic thought and problem-solving processes; may have simple language that communicates basic messages ("food," "danger"); may operate individually or in packs (dogs, cats, most mammals) |
| 5 the lower limit of sentience |
Slight group culture; a definite language system exists that can communicate specific messages ("the food is over there"); individuals have simple to complex mathematical and spatial-relationship reasoning skills; often work in groups but survival is not dependent on doing so; non-instinctual tools may be created and used (primates, dolphins) |
| 6 | Moderate group culture. Has a complex language system with definite syntax and a vocabulary that spans the group. Social organization often along bloodlines, like tribes. Capable of producing cultural artifacts. Often incapable or unwilling to communicate to other groups. Limited technical knowledge. (Neanderthals) |
| 7 | Complex group culture. Complex language system. Social organization is highly stratified, controlled by a ruler or ruling class. Produces much in the way of artifacts. Able (and possibly willing) to communicate to other groups, but often expresses superiority over outsiders. Conservative, ethnocentric views combined with fear of unknown or strange. Often willing to enslave other groups of same species. Amount of technical knowledge is irrelevant. (Most of human history, ranging from the tribes of Africa to the Roman, Mongol, and British Empires, Soviet Union; Thaurian Concordat) |
| 8 minimum requirement for Weirdo Zone membership |
Complex culture. Social organization attempts to bring all members into play (democratic), or at least does not oppress opposing viewpoints. Often ideological schisms still exist, but rectification and tolerance are attempted. Individual may be praised over the masses, self-centered ideology may range from the mundane to the extreme. Culture may thrive on controversy. (20th-century USA, European Union) |
| 9 | Complex culture. Democratic social organization with minimal schisms or controversy because of advancements in tolerance. Progressive in terms if social and scientific programs. Economy is money-based, leading to self-centeredness among individuals. Such egoism is tolerated, if not condoned. (North American - European Union Alliance) |
| 10 | Ultra-complex culture. Democratic social organization with egalitarian status. All are equal under the law and very close to equal in society. Socialistic or non-monistic economic system often found. Toleration of almost anything can range from mundane to very odd extremes. (Weirdo Zone) |
| 11 | Astoundingly complex culture with practically no damaging conflict yet still growing and evolving (i.e. not stagnant). Individuals remain individuals yet get along extremely well; a centralized hive "supervisor" mind is usually present. (RBC) |
| 12 | Any culture like 11 without a central agency to maintain utopian culture; i.e. members just act that way naturally. (Ephemerians) |
| #(S) | Culture is currently at indicated society level but signs of stagnation are present. |
The technology level of a species or society is also rated in order to determine various courses of action, such as what items to trade with this culture, what this culture can be expected to know, how much of a threat this culture could be, and so forth.
TECHNOLOGY RATING SYSTEM |
|
Technology Rating |
Description |
| A | Effective pandimensional transportation technology (not used for FTL travel) |
| B | Instantaneous Jump Drive capability |
| C | Faster-Than-Light Propulsion Technology |
| D | Constant-Acceleration Propulsion Technology |
| E | Advanced Space Age (space-based infrastructure) |
| G | Middle Space Age (exploratory/science stations, little space industry) |
| H | Early Space Age (landings on natural satellites) |
| I | Industrial Age (mass production) |
| J | Colonial Age (long-distance planetside travel, i.e. caravels) |
| K | Steel Age (metal or analogous material commonly used) |
| L | Iron Age (crude metal instruments) |
| M | Stone Age (implements of stone, wood, cloth, etc.) |
| X | No instrumentality |
| MODIFIERS (ENERGY SOURCE ADVANCEMENT) | |
| [Z] | Zero-Point Energy Age |
| [M] | Matter/Antimatter Age |
| [A] | Atomic Age (includes fission, fusion) |
| [H] | Hydrogen Age |
| [P] | Petrochemical Age |
| [C] | Coal / Simple Fossil Fuel Age |
| [W] | Wood Age |
| [X] | No energy production |
Examples of the CTRS in Action
Our Own Universe
Weirdo Zone: CR-10-A[Z]
Reaver Biological Collective: CR-11-B[M]
Thaurian Concordat: CR-7-B[M]
Ephemeral S/TS
1-Dimensionals: CR-4-X[X]
2-Dimensionals: CR-5-X[X]
3-Dimensionals: CR-6-X[X]
nth-Dimensionals: CR-12-X[X]
Battletech S/TS
All major factions: CR-7-BD[A]
Star Trek S/TS
United Federation of Planets: CR-10-C[M]
Klingon Empire: CR-7-C[M]
Romulan Empire: CR-7-C[M]
Star Wars S/TS
Galactic Empire: CR-7-C[A?]
Galactic Republic: CR-8-C[A?]