Spacers are the group of modified humans descended first wave of colonists that left Earth. The term Spacer is very general and is primarily used by the people of Earth in a derogatory manner. Spacers prefer to refer to themselves by their planet of origin; that is, Auroran, Solarian, etc.
Each planet has a different culture; in some cases, the cultures are radically different. There are only a few traits that Spacers share in common. First, they have decidedly more advanced technology than available on Earth. Second, they use robots to an incredible extent, due to the low population on their worlds. Third, their lifespans are much longer than those of Earthpeople or Settlers. Fourth, Spacers have exceedingly weak immune systems, since there are no pathogens on their planets.
The known Spacer planets (or at least the most commonly referred to) are:
Relationship with Earth and Settlers
Spacers generally view Earthpeople and Settlers with contempt as diseased, short-lived barbarians. Earthpeople and Settlers, in turn, generally regard Spacers as arrogant oppressors, and Settlers also see Spacers as being weak and doomed to decay due to their reliance on robots.
Due to their weak immune systems, Spacers generally wear nose filters and gloves when it becomes necessary to interact with Earthpeople or Settlers, who are in turn required to submit to body sterilization before entering Spacer territory.
In the time of the Galactic Empire the epithet "Son of a Spacer" is used in reference to them.