Type 14 Societies

A Type-14 civilization spans multiple neighbouring galaxies, and may be actively interfering in the development of lower-tier societies, either to avoid competition or to "guide" them as servants.

While the rest of his people moved beyond the galaxy, Lorien remained behind to guide the Vorlons and Shadows when the time came for their own journey. (Babylon 5, 1993)

Technology is now leveling the playing field, making it more difficult for the government to maintain control over private citizens. In the absence of a strong centralized leadership (enforced via military might or social doctrine), this society may fracture into stagnation, with various bureaucratic and social bodies taking the place of self-contained nation-states. Social order will become a matter of tradition rather than actual leadership (thanks to the cultural mores established as a Type-13 society); the government still exists, but it doesn't actually do any governing.

Societies of this size seem to approach a population bottleneck, in which the birth rate drops to almost zero while lifespans extend indefinitely. At this level, an entire civilization may consist of only a handful of individuals (or the civilization is so spread out that they rarely see more than one or two of each other). Members of this type of society may also be approaching "Ascension," a transition away from physical life into a "higher" state of existence.

The multiple paths that hive fleets use to enter the galaxy suggest that the Tyranids have already consumed several neighbouring galaxies before converging on this one. (Warhammer 40,000, 1987)

Footprint: Multiple galaxies (local group).

Sustainable Population: Ten quadrillions.

Government: Representative parliament. Synodic or Synaptic hive mind.

Bureaucracy: Divided into distinct sub-societies, usually more immediately influential than the overarching government.

Language: Technological translation is standard; all citizens essentially speak the same language.

Literacy: Universal.

Network: Universally accessible and instantaneous within galaxies. Government may have its own separate network for official communication, with a simpler network for civilian use. Possibly, the government-use network may be the only network (with all members of the species serving in the government to some extent).

While the Taelon Synod serves as their species' government, the Commonality unites all Taelons in a hive mind that spans at least two galaxies. (Earth: Final Conflict, 1997)

Religion: Self-referential; more concerned with personal ethics than an external deity. Any god-like beings are recognized as beings from a higher-tier civilization (as opposed to anything "supernatural"). Mythology may be dismissed as primitive superstition, and spirituality as a "mechanical" process.

Science: Practical time-travel methods are being developed. Biological augmentation is universal (and may go unremarked, described as "evolution"). Creation of synthetic life is incidental (these beings may be considered fully alive, but still lesser than their creators). Devices such as teleporters, holographic generators, energy weapons, ansibles, and life-support suits may now be wearable or even implanted. Spatial engineering is commonplace, with structures built into planetary cores and planets shifted in and out of subspace. Exodimensional engineering is being developed, allowing the creation of tesseracts and mass-shifting technologies, including size-changing mecha and equipment.

Medicine: Technology allows for functional immortality (either through physical maintenance, regeneration, or re-embodiment). Members of this society will almost never die of natural causes. Reproduction may be completely industrial, with all children reproduced in vitro as new populations are needed.

Education: Universal and standardized, likely relying on implanted engram databases.

Ancient knowledge repositories were capable of downloading entire databases into a subject's brain. (Stargate SG-1, 1997)

Energy: Zero-point extraction and wireless transmission mean that infinite energy reserves are universally available.

Industry: Universal nano-scale replication. Physical fabricators replaced by portable pre-programmed nanite colonies. Large-scale industry can now by controlled by individual craftsmen (with an entire self-made factory world at their personal disposal).

Military: Essentially a sub-civilization with a distinct society. Star-destroying weapons are readily available, as are bio-weapons genetically targeted to specific populations.

Economy: Fully post-scarcity; all material resources are readily available.

Food: Bioaugmentation means that some citizens may no longer need to eat at all, while others may be incapable of eating non-synthesized foods. Other life-forms may be capable of eating anything, relying on internal nanite colonies to break down any matter into usable fuel.

Travel: Personal long-range teleporters are commonplace, as are wormholes for interstellar travel. Short-range travel may be via built-in teleporters, or neural transfer between avatars.

A system of tesseract-based portals connects the artificial worlds of the Seefra system; a relic of its vanished Vedran creators. (Andromeda, 2000)

 Spaceflight: Gradually being replaced by teleportation or wormhole travel. Starships are mainly rescue vessels, siege platforms, or mobile habitats, though they may still be necessary for intergalactic journeys. Even single-pilot craft will have advanced FTL capabilities.

Alien contact: Unlikely. These societies tend to be reclusive; the problems that they face can rarely be dealt with by more primitive societies, so they have little reason to seek out interaction. More likely they will be found first by their artifacts and cast-off technology. If encountered directly, their response will range from polite indifference to a warning to leave the area immediately. Lower-tier civilizations may worship this society as gods.

The Ancients made use of automated factory-ships to seed distant galaxies with stargates, though their own civilization collapsed before they could make use of them. (Stargate Universe, 2009)

Examples (reality):
Examples (fiction): Gems, Asgard, Alterans/Lanteans, Taelons, Kelvans, Vedran Empire/Systems Commonwealth, Magog, Tyranids, First Born, Machine Empire, United Alliance of Evil, Caeliar (accidentally).