History Main / SpacePeople

Recently, with knowledge of the ill effects of extended periods in space, Spacers are increasingly portrayed as [[HumanSubspecies a genetically engineered subspecies]] that does not experience muscular and skeletal degeneration from zero-gravity, is immune to radiation, has [[HandyFeet prehensile toes]], and so on. In softer settings, however, they may still be portrayed as normal humans who happen to live in space, perhaps thanks to ArtificialGravity. Even if they may be {{Transhuman}}, their main reason for living in space is usually cultural: they consider it their own place. Even if they visit planets occasionally, they do not feel particularly attached to them, and may even consider them unpleasant.

* ''Literature/{{Boojumverse}}'': Christian cultists, Arkhamers and gillies are mentioned, though not explained in detail. They're the subject of prejudice and distrust, and they're implied to have been driven off Earth as a result of religious or government persecution, taking on roles that enable them to be useful and therefore tolerated. Christians have [[BioAugmentation modified their bodies]] to be capable of working in space -- in "Mongoose", Izrael passes one in a corridor who has replaced her arms with four sucker-tipped tentacles. [[Franchise/CthulhuMythos Arkhamers]] are all {{Mad Scientist}}s -- the [[PetMonstrosity Cheshires]] they breed are used to hunt extra-dimensional predators. "Gillies" are FishPeople; good for extreme environments but subject to FantasticRacism.

In most SpaceOpera settings [[CasualInterstellarTravel space travel is commonplace and routine]], but in some settings there are people who spend almost their entire lives in space. These people were born and raised on a starship or space station and can't imagine living on a planet or natural satellite. Often they act as [[IntrepidMerchant traders]], with an [[TheClan extended family]] owning and operating a ship.

* ''Manga/TwoThousandOneNights'' has an entire generation of people born in space, known as Tachyonians, who have better reaction time and intellect. [[spoiler:In fact, 5000 of them decided to leave on a {{Generation Ship|s}} to explore the galaxy in contrast to human civilization's retreating away from the frontier]].
* ''Anime/GargantiaOnTheVerdurousPlanet'': The Galactic Alliance of Humanity ''wants'' to find a planet to live on, but none are habitable; thus everyone lives in ships, with a space station called Avalon serving as the capital and some SpaceNomads who are not yet under the government's control. However, most of the series is set on Earth, [[EarthThatWas which the protagonist accidentally rediscovers]] [[FirstEpisodeTwist in the first episode]].

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* ''Fanfic/RocketshipVoyager'': The ship's [[TheNavigator astrogator]], Annika Hansen, is one of the Spaceborn. She was born on a multi-year deep-space mission to Pluto by her Norwegian explorer parents, and her body is [[{{Cyborg}} extensively modified by artificial prosthetics]] so she can work in outer space without the clumsy space armor used by other astronauts. However she requires an atomic-powered exoskeleton under Earth-like gravity, connected to surgically-implanted waldo nodes.

* ''Film/{{Serenity}}'': Kaylee refers to their ship as their home. They don't really seem to have another.
** Mal really ''doesn't'' anymore. His homeworld was Shadow, a Independent stronghold, which suffered such intense OrbitalBombardment from the Alliance during the Unification War, the entire planet was left a "[[ApocalypseHow black rock]]" afterwards.
** Similarly, Zoe was born on a ship, not dirtside. She literally has no homeworld.

* ''Literature/AllTomorrows'': The Starborn, who went into deep space to escape the [[ScaryDogmaticAliens Qu]], heavily adapted themselves for their new home, developing extremely spindly limbs and digits for movement in zero-G, as well as pressurized guts and circulatory systems (which allowed them to develop a form of jet propulsion in the bargain). Their Asteromorph descendants took this to even greater lengths.

* ''Literature/ArrivalsFromTheDark'': The Lo'ona Aeo are a race of SpaceElves who have voluntarily left their homeworld and colonies to live aboard large artificial orbital habitats called "astroids" (sic.). Some of those worlds (namely, those in the border regions) are given to their Defenders as part of the payment for their services. The core worlds are kept as preserves and museums. Being extremely xenophobic (but also a race of {{Technical Pacifist}}s), they never directly interact with members of other races, preferring to deal with them through their genetically-engineered ServantRace called Servs. Each Lo'ona Aeo clan typically has its own astroid, the climate of which can be adjusted to any preference. PopulationControl is in place to prevent inbreeding and to keep "undesirable" genetic lines from propagating.

* ''Literature/CitizenOfTheGalaxy'': The Free Traders live in nomadic clans whose homes are their starships. They are noted for being [[FantasticRacism somewhat disdainful of planet-dwellers]], whom they sometimes refer to as "fraki"[[note]]"A fraki is a small, shapeless, semi-saurian scavenger of Alpha Centauri Prime III...It is ugly, almost mindless, and has disgusting habits...[Fraki as an insult] means a groundhog, an earthcrawler, a dirt dweller, one who never goes into space, not of our tribe, not human, a goy, an auslander, a savage, beneath contempt"[[/note]].

* ''Literature/TheExpanse'': The Belters. Given that it is a much harder sci-fi than the rest, they are {{Lightworlder}}s even with bone-growth increasing medicine.
* ''Literature/FormicWars'': Clans of AsteroidMiners competing with corporate ships. Many of them have lived in microgravity so long they couldn't stand on Earth or even Mars. Luckily, Victor arrives to Luna (i.e. the Moon), where gravity is even lower than on Mars. He does spend a considerable amount of time prior to his trip exercising his leg muscles, but he is then forced to spend several months in a tiny cockpit without much chance to move around.
* ''Literature/GreatShip'': The Remoras reside on the exterior hull of the [[PlanetSpaceship Great Ship]], and are [[HumanSubspecies descended from a human]] Captain who was ReassignedToAntarctica on the hull to repair damage from meteorite impacts. Their bodies have been twisted by the hard radiation impacting it, but rather than cure it they [[BioAugmentation actively cultivate the mutations and cherish them]], while their {{Transhuman}} HealingFactor keeps them alive. Remoras are born in {{Uterine Replicator}}s that become the spacesuit that they live their entire lives in; to ask a Remora to take off their suit is the most offensive thing one can say, and [[ClingyCostume probably outright impossible without a fusion torch]].

* ''Literature/LucifersStar'': People who live predominately in Space are called "Spacers." They are implied to live generationally on ships and have a FreeLoveFuture attitude to sex [[{{Polygamy}} as well as relationships often becoming group based]]. They're also people who tend to get cheap but effective genetic enhancements to permanently make zero-g space travel better for their bones.
* ''Literature/ManAfterManAnAnthropologyOfTheFuture'': The Vacuumorphs are exoskeletal humans designed to be living space probes, with all of their vulnerable parts sealed up so they can survive the natural elements of outer space without the need of a ship. It's never mentioned that anyone from Earth retrieves them. In other words, the Vacuumorphs are cursed to stay in high orbit without any way of directly seeing or communicating with the outside universe (except through their surgically-attached planetary surveying equipment) and are (presumably) forced to consume nothing but their own recycled natural waste until finally accidentally falling towards and burning up in a random planet's atmosphere. They cannot even travel through space -- it's stated that they are high-orbit spaceship engineers only. Their bodies cannot operate or even survive in gravity at all -- and that includes the artificial gravity of an accelerating spaceship. [[WoobieSpecies They're stuck in near-Earth space]].
* ''Literature/TheNightsDawnTrilogy'': The Edenists reside in [[SapientShip sapient]] [[OrganicTechnology bitek]] space stations orbiting gas giants, which harvest gases and refine it into fusion reactor fuel. The Adamists, which makes up most of the human population and lacks the Edenists' [[HumansArePsychicInTheFuture Affinity Gene]], often build outposts on asteroids and other smaller objects, and live there. Cosmoniks are the logical conclusion of Adamist space people; their bodies have atrophied from microgravity to the point where they [[CyborgHelmsman are more robotic than flesh]]; many cosmoniks are so augmented that they can survive for days -- or effectively indefinitely -- in vacuum with nothing more than an oxygen bottle.
* ''Literature/ThePolity'': The first book ''Gridlinked'' introduces some of these living on a space station. With it being a PostCyberPunk series where every human has BioAugmentation and at least limited cybernetics, this group have much more fragile bodies than normal humans, living their whole lives in zero gravity. It's noted that a normal human simply bumping into them would risk breaking their bones, so they are very careful around them.

* ''Literature/RevelationSpaceSeries'': Many of the [[{{Transhuman}} Ultranauts]] have never set foot on anything that isn't man-made. They're a loose and decentralized faction of humanity that are part this trope, and part LoveableRogue [[AntiHero antiheroes]] (or, sometimes outright [[AntiVillain antivillains]] or villains). Though small in their total population, Ultranauts are a very disparate group of people, ranging from normal humans to cyborgs, and from wanderers or traders to the equivalent of {{space pirate}}s.

* ''Literature/TheThreeMinuteUniverse'' features a race of SpaceNomads called Sackers that live almost their entire lives in space. The only stop on planets to [[UterineReplicator grow new Sackers in vats]]; once the newborns are old enough to survive space travel, they're beamed up to their ship and live out the rest of their days there.

** Elli Quinn, who was born on a space station, regards actual planets as dirty and uninviting.

* ''Series/StargateAtlantis'' has the Travelers, who fled the Wraith in a fleet of starships centuries ago and now wander the stars, keeping one step ahead from the Wraith. They did try to start a colony on a planet late in the series though, but unfortunately [[spoiler:due to the [[ForgottenSuperweapon Attero device]] being reactivated, their Stargate ended up [[YankTheDogsChain going critical]] and also destroying their largest ship]].

* ''Series/StarTrekPicard'': Deanna speaks wistfully about her late son Thad, who was born on a starship and became fascinated with the idea of homeworlds. He created elaborate imaginary worlds in his journals and [[ConLang constructed languages]] for each of them.

** ''GURPS Bio-Tech'' also has a Spacer parahuman template. One of the recurring characters in the vignettes is a Spacer called Zeke Morrigan, captain of the Free Trader ''Anterides''.

* ''VideoGame/UFOAftershock'': You start on a giant space station called Laputa (no, not [[Anime/CastleInTheSky that one]]) that orbits the Earth. Its inhabitants have been living on the station long enough to even forget where they came from.

* ''Webcomic/RunawayToTheStars'': Spacers are a major human cultural bloc based around Jupiter and its moons and orbital habitats. There's also a clade of [[HumanSubspecies GMH]] Spacers designed for low-gravity environments and engineered with hand-feet, prehensile tails, [[{{Hermaphrodite}} unisex]] reproductive systems, and hirsutism (don't call them monkeys though).

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* ''Literature/ChakonaSpace'': While the most well known race of near-perfect, genetically engineered hermaphrodite centaurs prefer terrestrial environments, there are also Starwalker Stellar foxtaurs that are designed to withstand microgravity and survive vacuum for about an hour.

->''The crews of the starships are funny that way''\\
''When they're not on a deck they do not like things quiet''\\
''They'll turn first a glass then a whole tavern over''\\
''Get thrown in the lockup, confined to the field,''\\
''And then, in a rush of filled forms and paid prices,''\\
''They exit, all quickly, with nothing to say''

Compare GenerationShip, where multiple generations are born and live out their entire lives on board a slow-moving ship headed for a distant planet.

* ''Manga/TwoThousandOneNights'' has an entire generation of people born in space, known as Tachyonians, who have better reaction time and intellect. [[spoiler:In fact, 5000 of them decided to leave on a GenerationShip to explore the galaxy in contrast to human civilization's retreating away from the frontier]].

* ''WebOriginal/OrionsArm'': A number of clades exist that were adapted for lives spent in deep space. The exact degree of modification varies, ranging from people simply adapted for life in 0-g to ones meant to live in hard vacuum.

* ''TabletopGame/BluePlanet'': Developed in 2102 to help Luna and Mars manage their populations and exploit the asteroid belt, spacers are genetically redesigned to have metabolism boosts, double-jointed legs, and prehensile feet with opposable grip. Most stay in orbit, but those that come "downside" often excel in Long John mining; they have a lot of transferable experience with claustrophobic habitats, pressurized work suits, and airless hostile environments.

[[caption-width-right:300:[[Music/DavidBowie Earth below us, drifting, falling, floating weightless...]]]]

%%* ''Literature/CrestOfTheStars'': The Abh, who are a [[TranshumansInSpace genetically-modified race of humans]] initially created to serve humanity but who went on to found their own empire.%%How are they examples?

* ''LightNovel/CrestOfTheStars'': The Abh are a genetically engineered race, with key modifications being a third eye to better navigate in three dimensions and the ability to withstand high acceleration and microgravity.

* ''Literature/CrestOfTheStars'': The Abh, who are a [[TranshumansInSpace genetically-modified race of humans]] initially created to serve humanity but who went on to found their own empire.
* ''Anime/GargantiaOnTheVerdurousPlanet:'' The Galactic Alliance of Humanity ''wants'' to find a planet to live on, but none are habitable; thus everyone lives in ships, with a space station called Avalon serving as the capital and some SpaceNomads who are not yet under the government's control. However, most of the series is set on Earth, [[EarthThatWas which the protagonist accidentally rediscovers]] [[FirstEpisodeTwist in the first episode]].
* Scott from the "New Generation" portion of ''Anime/{{Robotech}}'' has never been on a planet until he reached adulthood and is surprised when he experiences rain for the first time.

* ''Fanfic/RocketshipVoyager''. The ship's [[TheNavigator astrogator]], Annika Hansen, is one of the Spaceborn. She was born on a multi-year deep-space mission to Pluto by her Norwegian explorer parents, and her body is [[{{Cyborg}} extensively modified by artificial prosthetics]] so she can work in Outer Space without the clumsy space armor used by other astronauts. However she requires an atomic-powered exoskeleton under Earth-like gravity, connected to surgically-implanted waldo nodes.

* In ''WesternAnimation/TitanAE'' the entire human race ends up as this. Some people, such as Cale, live as second class citizens on space stations and (presumably) planets, but the Drifter colonies adhere closely to this trope and even lash ships together for more living space.

* ''Film/BattleBeyondTheStars''. Gelt says he doesn't have a homeworld -- he was born in space, which is appropriate for a [[SpaceIsCold cold-blooded killer]], but also reflects his need to live on a planet [[ThePerilsOfBeingTheBest where no one is going to shoot him in revenge for his past deeds]].

* ''Literature/ArrivalsFromTheDark'': The Lo'ona Aeo are a race of SpaceElves who have voluntarily left their homeworld and colonies to live aboard large artificial orbital habitats called "astroids" (not a typo). Some of those worlds (namely, those in the border regions) are given to their Defenders as part of the payment for their services. The core worlds are kept as preserves and museums. Being extremely xenophobic (but also a race of {{Technical Pacifist}}s), they never directly interact with members of other races, preferring to deal with them through their genetically-engineered ServantRace called Servs. Each Lo'ona Aeo clan typically has its own astroid, the climate of which can be adjusted to any preference. PopulationControl is in place to prevent inbreeding and to keep "undesirable" genetic lines from propagating.
* ''Literature/{{Boojumverse}}'': Christian cultists, Arkhamers and gillies are mentioned, though not explained in detail. They're the subject of prejudice and distrust, and they're implied to have been driven off Earth as a result of religious or government persecution, taking on roles that enable them to be useful and therefore tolerated. Christians have [[BioAugmentation modified their bodies]] to be capable of working in space -- in "Mongoose", Izrael passes one in a corridor who has replaced her arms with four sucker-tipped tentacles. [[Franchise/CthulhuMythos Arkhamers]] are all {{Mad Scientist}}s -- the [[PetMonstrosity Cheshires]] they breed are used to hunt extra-dimensional predators. 'Gillies' are FishPeople; good for extreme environments but subject to FantasticRacism.

* The Star Trek novel ''Literature/TheThreeMinuteUniverse'' features a race of SpaceNomads called [[BrownNoteBeing Sackers]] that live almost their entire lives in space. The only stop on planets to [[UterineReplicator grow new Sackers in vats]] and once the newborns are old enough to survive space travel they're beamed up to their ship and live out the rest of their days there.

* An argument can be made for Scotty from ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'' fitting this. He may not have been born in space, but Scotty is never more at home than when he's aboard a starship, and preferably the Enterprise. He's been known to turn down Shore Leave to read technical manuals. And in an episode of ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'', he is gifted a shuttlecraft by the crew of the Enterprise-D, supposedly to let him get to a colony where he'd been planning on retiring, but he hinted he might use it to meander about space a bit for his own amusement.
* On ''Series/StarTrekVoyager'', Naomi Wildman is a HalfHumanHybrid born while ''Voyager'' was trapped in the Delta Quadrant. As she grows up, she feels different from the others on the ship who have fond memories of the Alpha Quadrant and long to return home. This brings her closer to Seven Of Nine, who also has no memories of "home".
* On ''Series/StarTrekPicard'', Deanna speaks wistfully about her late son Thad, who was born on a starship and became fascinated with the idea of homeworlds. He created elaborate imaginary worlds in his journals and [[ConLang constructed languages]] for each of them.

** Most of Clan Sea Fox reside in "arcships" converted from warships and mercantile jumpships. Especially following their forced migration to the Inner Sphere.

* ''TabletopGame/EclipsePhase'': The majority of transhumanity lives in space habitats [[AfterTheEnd following the Fall]] (though there are significant populations on Mars, Venus, and the moons of Jupiter and Saturn). In addition one faction, the Scum, live on converted colony ships.

** ''TabletopGame/TranshumanSpace'' has the libertarian Duncanites, who invented a parahuman template for life in microgravity. As well as a number of groups that live around the Lagrange points in oftentimes poorly maintained habitats.

** Spaceship-centric supplements such as ''TabletopGame/BattlefleetGothic'' or ''TabletopGame/RogueTrader'' explain that "voidborn" are common in the Imperium, due to the massive crews of Imperial vessels and the centuries, if not millennia, they spend in service. This results in bloodlines that have served aboard a specific ship for generations, as well as the occasional feral tribe forming on seldom-used or forgotten decks, the inbred, cannibalistic descendants of people who got lost or even built the ship. For that reason, most Imperial ships nerve-gas all compartments every century or so.

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* ''Literature/CitizenOfTheGalaxy'': The Free Traders live in nomadic clans whose homes are their starships. They are noted for being [[FantasticRacism somewhat disdainful of planet-dwellers]], whom they sometimes refer to as "fraki".

** With ''Federations'', the "Void Dwellers" empire origin starts you off with three habitats orbiting planets in your home system, because your home planet was destroyed in some ancient catastrophe. Your species will have a unique trait that lets it get the most out of such habitats' infrastructure, at the cost of a massive habitability penalty when it comes to settling on planets

[[caption-width-right:300:[[Music/DavidBowie Earth below us, drifting, falling, floating weightless]]...]]

Recently, with knowledge of the ill effects of extended periods in space, Spacers are increasingly portrayed as [[HumanSubspecies a genetically engineered subspecies]] that does not experience muscular and skeletal degeneration from zero-gravity, is immune to radiation, has [[HandyFeet prehensile toes]], and so on. [[MohsScaleOfScienceFictionHardness In softer settings]], however, they may still be portrayed as normal humans who happen to live in space, perhaps thanks to ArtificialGravity. Even if they may be {{Transhuman}}, their main reason for living in space is usually cultural: they consider it their own place. Even if they visit planets occasionally, they do not feel particularly attached to them, and may even consider them unpleasant.

* ''TabletopGame/BluePlanet'': Spacer 'genies' are genetically redesigned to have metabolism boosts, double-jointed legs, and prehensile feet with opposable grip.

* ''TabletopGame/{{GURPS}}'': ''TabletopGame/TranshumanSpace'' has the libertarian Duncanites, who invented a parahuman template for life in microgravity. As well as a number of groups that live around the Lagrange points in oftentimes poorly maintained habitats.

* ''Webcomic/{{Freefall}}'': Winston Thurmad has spacer genes ([[DesignerBabies Gene mods]] mostly consisting of anti-atrophy measures and an inability to grow hair) and his parents live in an asteroid, but he himself hasn't been in space since the colony ship from home.

* ''Literature/CrestOfTheStars'': the Abh, who are a [[TranshumansInSpace genetically-modified race of humans]] initially created to serve humanity but who went on to found their own empire.
* ''Anime/GargantiaOnTheVerdurousPlanet:'' the Galactic Alliance of Humanity ''wants'' to find a planet to live on, but none if habitable; thus everyone lives in ships, with a space station called Avalon serving as the capital and some SpaceNomads who are not yet under the government's control. However, most of the series is set on Earth, [[EarthThatWas which the protagonist accidentally rediscovers]] [[FirstEpisodeTwist in the first episode]].

* ''Film/BattleBeyondTheStars''. Gelt says he doesn't have a homeworld -- he was born in space, which is appropriate for a [[SpaceIsCold cold-blooded killer]], but also reflects his need to live on a planet [[ThePerilsOfBeingTheBest where no-one is going to shoot him in revenge for his past deeds]].

* ''Literature/{{Boojumverse}}'': Christian cultists, Arkhamers and gillies are mentioned, though not explained in detail. They're the subject of prejudice and distrust, and they're implied to have been driven off Earth as a result of religious or government persecution, taking on roles that enable them to be useful and therefore tolerated. Christians have modified their bodies to be capable of working in space -- in "Mongoose", Izrael passes one in a corridor who has replaced her arms with four sucker-tipped tentacles. [[Franchise/CthulhuMythos Arkhamers]] are all {{Mad Scientist}}s -- the [[PetMonstrosity Cheshires]] they breed are used to hunt extra-dimensional predators. 'Gillies' are FishPeople; good for extreme environments but subject to FantasticRacism.

* ''Literature/LucifersStar'': People who live predominately in Space are called "Spacers." They are implied to live generationally on ships and have a FreeLoveFuture attitude to sex [[{{Polygamy}} as well as relationships often becoming group based.]] They're also people who tend to get cheap but effective genetic enhancements to permanently make zero-g space travel better for their bones.
* ''Literature/ManAfterManAnAnthropologyOfTheFuture'': The Vacuumorphs are exoskeletal humans designed to be living space probes, with all of their vulnerable parts sealed up so they can survive the natural elements of outer space without the need of a ship. It's never mentioned that anyone from Earth retrieves them. In other words, the Vacuumorphs are cursed to stay in high orbit without any way of directly seeing or communicating with the outside universe (except through their surgically-attached planetary surveying equipment) and are (presumably) forced to consume nothing but their own recycled natural waste until finally accidentally falling towards and burning up in a random planet's atmosphere. They cannot even travel through space -- it's stated that they are high-orbit spaceship engineers only. Their bodies cannot operate or even survive in gravity at all -- and that includes the artificial gravity of an accelerating spaceship. [[WoobieSpecies They're stuck in near-Earth space.]]

* ''Literature/ThePolity'': The first book ''Gridlinked'' introduces some of these living on a spacestation. With it being a PostCyberPunk series where every human has BioAugmentation and at least limited cybernetics, this group have much more fragile bodies than normal humans, living their whole lives in zero gravity. It's noted that a normal human simply bumping into them would risk breaking their bones, so they are very careful around them.

* ''Literature/RevelationSpaceSeries'': Many of the [[{{Transhuman}} Ultranauts]] have never set foot on anything that isn't man-made. They're a loose and decentralized faction of humanity that are part this trope, and part LoveableRogue {{antihero}}es (or, sometimes outright {{antivillain}}s or villains). Though small in their total population, Ultranauts are a very disparate group of people, ranging from normal humans to cyborgs, and from wanderers or traders to the equivalent of {{space pirate}}s.

* ''Series/StargateAtlantis'' has the Travelers, who fled the Wraith in a fleet of starships centuries ago and now wander the stars, keeping one step ahead from the Wraith. They did try to start a colony on a planet late in the series though, but unfortunately [[spoiler:due to the [[ForgottenSuperweapon Attero device]] being reactivated, their Stargate ended up [[KickTheDog going critical]] and also destroying their largest ship.]]

* On ''Series/StarTrekVoyager'', Naomi Wildman was a HalfHumanHybrid born while ''Voyager'' was trapped in the Delta Quadrant. As she grew up, she felt different from other on the ship who had fond memories of the Alpha Quadrant and longed to return home. This brought her closer to Seven Of Nine, who also had no memories of "home".
* On ''Series/StarTrekPicard'', Deanna spoke wistfully about her late son Thad, who was born on a starship and became fascinated with the idea of homeworlds. He created elaborate imaginary worlds in his journals and [[ConLang constructed languages]] for each of them.

* ''Literature/ChakonaSpace'': While the most well known race of near-perfect, genetically engineered hermaphrodite centaurs prefer terrestrial environments there are also Starwalker Stellar foxtaurs that are designed to withstand microgravity and survive vacuum for about an hour.

[[quoteright:300:[[Literature/AllTomorrows https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/spacers.jpg]]]]
[[caption-width-right:300:Earth below us, drifting, falling, floating weightless...]]

[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/spacers.jpg]]

* ''Literature/Rite of Passage''The protagonist was born and lives on a spaceship, and the spaceship dwellers have far more advanced technology than planet dwellers, who have agrarian societies and resent the much higher lifespans and standard of living aboard ships; space dwellers are appalled by planet dwellers being "free birthers" (not strictly limiting childbearing). Spaceship children refer to planet dwellers as "mudeaters"; planet children call spaceship dwellers "grabbies".

If a FantasyCounterpartCulture, they may be comparable to Romani or other nomadic Earth-cultures. They often makes excellent engineers and pilots. They usually won't have any government beyond clan elders.

** In the RPG settings produced by Fantasy Flight, when selecting your homeworld in many of the books you can choose to be voidborn. Voidborn are those humans who've lived their whole lives manning the massive ships that travel the grim dark space of the Warhammer 40k universe. They tend to be under developed and sickly looking due to a lack of sunlight and nutrition. Many have agoraphobia and difficulties socializing with people from outside their home ship. Some, in the depths of the ships have developed mutations though they are considered subhuman and hunted like rats.