Strandcasting

Strandcasting is the process of manipulating genetic material into a manufactured life form. It is commonly associated and compared with cloning though such comparisons are inaccurate. Cloning is the artificial replication of an already existing life form’s DNA into a fully functional copy of that life form with occasional tweaks to correct genetic corruption. Strandcasting is the creation of new life forms from scratch and is evidenced by the produced life form having no superfluous genetic markers or “garbage DNA”.
A life form made by strandcasting is known as a Strand Cast.

Utility

Strandcasting is mostly used In the manufacturer of biological weapons or for custom exotic pets. A typical misuse of strandcasting is the production of artificial sentient races

Social Impact

Strandcasting is generally looked down upon by the general public as it is most typically used as a manufacturing method for gen-engineered monsters used in proxy wars and pirate raids. Many sentient races have an acted laws that forbid the strandcasting of sentient species but this is not always enforcible outside of the territories of civilized races.

Access & Availability

Strandcasting is less common in the galaxy than cloning or genetic modification as it has less practical use than those products. Cloned organs are used in surgery as transplants, while genetic conditions such as near-sightedness, down syndrome, and sickle cell anemia have been all but eliminated thanks to gene therapy. Standcasting by comparison has little to offer wider society other than manufactured war beasts or misfit species that can ruin a planet’s ecosystem.

Complexity

Basic strand casting is capable of limited use in a Tech Level 4 polity, with more advanced manipulation requiring more sophisticated tech.

Discovery

The concept of strand casting has emerged repeatedly throughout the galaxy as progressing sentient species discover genetics and the ability to manipulate genes. For humans, the knowledge of strand casting was discovered roughly around the time of the Harkalic War. Government funding for research was distinctly military in nature as the government was contemplating the use of expendable, purpose-built organics to provide the weight of numbers to push the Harkalic back. This endeavour was never implemented on any scale beyond laboratory testing as the war was brought to a swift end thanks to the flanking maneuver launched from the Gate by the humans.