It all began with 75 words every sci-fi fan should know, which gave way to another 25, then 30 more, and finally 40 more after that. We won’t stop until we’ve got a complete science-fiction glossary, so here are the next 50 words every sci-fi fan should know. (Yes, FPS and RPG fanboys, there are lots of gaming terms mixed in here. As the first generation born into a world with ubiquitous video games grows into adult authors, the twin lexicons of sci-fi and gaming are overlapping, intertwining, and cross-breeding with much artifice and aplomb. See Gibson, William and Stross, Charles.)

  1. alien space bats (n.)
  2. alt. (n.)
  3. astrodynamics (n.)
  4. blobject (n.)
  5. buckyjunk (n.)
  6. celestial mechanics (n.)
  7. chatfrag (v.)
  8. Counter-Earth (n.)
  9. counterfactual history (n.)
  10. crit (v.)
  11. crossover (n.)
  12. dungeon crawl (n.)
  13. ectoplasm (n.)
  14. exocortex (n.)
  15. exoskeleton (n.)
  16. fan-fic (n.)
  17. GM (v.)
  18. godmode (v.)
  19. Grognard (n.)
  20. hack & slash (adj.)
  21. hit points (n.)
  22. Hohmann transfer (n.)
  23. instagib (adj.)
  24. Interplanetary Transport Network (n.)
  25. Jonbar hinge (n.)
  26. Lagrange point (n.)
  27. low energy transfer (n.)
  28. Mars cycler (n.)
  29. mecha (n.)
  30. metagaming (n.)
  31. metaverse (n.)
  32. min-max (v.)
  33. munchkin (n.)
  34. nootropics (n.)
  35. NPC (n.)
  36. Oberth effect (n.)
  37. orrery (n.)
  38. paratime (n.)
  39. ragdoll physics (n.)
  40. respawn (v.) 
  41. Roche limit (n.)
  42. saving throw (n.)
  43. sidewise (adj.)
  44. slipstream (adj.)
  45. spawn camping (n.)
  46. telefrag (v.)
  47. toon (n.)
  48. Turkey City lexicon (n.)
  49. Wexelblat disaster (n.)
  50. xenocide (n.)

Think we’ve missed some? Let us know.

Confident of your geek-pertise?
Test your command of useless knowledge by signing up for TechRepublic’s Geek Trivia newsletter, delivered every Wednesday, to find out how much of a geek you really are. Automatically sign up today!