Explanation of the terminology of Cowboy Bebop

Cowboy | Bounty Hunter

There are about 300,000 bounty hunters (commonly known as cowboys) throughout the solar system. Submit a written application to ISSP, and you will be issued a license after a simple review. After obtaining the bounty hunter's license, you have the right to arrest the bounty leader, and some illegal activities are allowed during the search. The intensification of crime is the reason why ISSP set up the "bounty boss system". It has now evolved into a very large bounty hunter organization, with many people cooperating with each other and few bounty hunters acting alone.

Wanted! | Bounty Boss

Bounty bosses are generally the top targets of bounty hunters. Typically, it is the ISSP that pays for the arrest of these bounty leaders. But there are also people who pay rewards on behalf of the government. In the latter case, you are usually spending a lot of money to find someone.

The Information | Bounty Leader Information

Bounty leader information is managed by ISSP and is usually disclosed by computer networks or TV programs. The "BIG SHOT" that Spike often watches is a program produced by a private television station (but its ratings are extremely low). This is a bounty leader intelligence program broadcast by the public and approved by the government gazette.

Criminal | Criminal

In a world where the gap between rich and poor is sharp and the rule of law is extremely poor, there are many criminals, and their types are also very different: they get into crime in order to survive. A person with an aura, a person who falls into darkness for the sake of grabbing a lot of money, a person who is involved in a huge criminal organization, a person who takes illegal activities as a daily routine...

Criminal Organization | Criminal Organization

Mafia and violent gangs exist in the dark side of society. Organizations that simply focus on smuggling, organizations that sell drugs, and mafia companies that are no different from ordinary companies on the surface. The scale and nature of different organizations vary greatly. Generally speaking, it can be divided into three forces: Chinese, Arab, and European (Sicilian, Corsican), and they weaken each other.

Drag | Eye Drops

Drugs that are often secretly traded among the underworld. It was originally used by workers in the "phase difference space" to eliminate "jet lag dementia". It can eliminate paralysis and abnormalities caused by time perception, and has the effect of improving dynamic vision. People who have had the drug sprayed in their eyes will experience a sensation of time slowing down. Like other drugs, long-term or large amounts of use can cause harm to the body. Eye drops can be divided into "yellow eye" and "purple eye" types according to their colors, and the highest variety is "blood eye" from "red eye".

ISSP | Inter Solar System Police

The initials are ISSP. It is equivalent to the current United Nations, a police organization established to combat the intensification of transnational crimes. Established together with the bounty boss system. There are also secret agencies within ISSP that conduct illegal activities/research.

History | History

History of the world In 2022 AD, an explosion occurred in the phase difference space gate developed above the earth. Since then, people on the earth have immigrated to other planets in the solar system with the help of the two major technologies of "Phase Difference Space Gate" and "Terristrial Forming". A new country was established, the era changed from the Western calendar to the cosmic calendar, and each planet and satellite began to develop its own culture and economy. At the same time, the gap between rich and poor also began to widen, and the number of criminals began to increase. The world of BEBOP starts from the starting point of everything - 50 years later in 2022, that is, in the chaotic stage of 2071.

Race&Culture | Race·Culture

In the past 50 years, there are differences in the ratio of races that have immigrated from the earth to various planets, and the culture has also changed (fusion) with the time on the earth. Different cultures form new cultures). In comparison, Chinese people with a strong sense of fellow countrymen have built Chinatowns in various places, and they have also formed a hotbed of Chinese underworld. After the United States of America in the Earth Age was destroyed by the "Gate" accident, American culture still remained. The official languages ??of the world are English and Chinese.

Currency | Currency

The currency of the entire solar system is unified, and both electronic currency and cash are circulated in units of "five dragons". 1 five dragons is equivalent to 1 yen. Because economic conditions are unstable, currency values ??are constantly changing.

Phase Difference Space | Phase Difference Space

The "brightness and destruction cosmology" of the world we live in is believed to "brighten and burn" in a cycle of 1/48 seconds. We ourselves are constantly "disappearing" because of the cycle, and at the moment of disappearance, we appear in another different-dimensional space called "phase difference space". The size of this space is 1/240 of the usual space. Therefore, if you were able to move within this space, you would only need to travel 1/240 of the actual distance to reach your destination. From normal space, it looks like it is sailing at 240 times the speed.

If you look at the ordinary space outside in the "phase difference space", you can see a strip of light.

The Gate | Phase difference space gate

The transfer device between normal space and phase difference space is called phase difference space gate. Through it, the travel time between planets can be greatly shortened, making it possible for humans to fly freely within the solar system (about 13 to 24 hours from the Earth to Mars). The gate is managed and maintained by the gate public group, and access requires payment of usage fees.

A Crisis | Door Accident

Fifty years ago, a door accident caused a devastating blow to the earth and the moon. Moreover, craters covering about 1/3 of the surface area were formed on the North American continent, and fragments of the destroyed moon fell down like meteorites. More than half of the population died, and the remaining humans hid in underground cities or fled the earth. However, the pollution continued to deepen, and most humans had no choice but to leave the earth. As a result, this accident became the root cause of the formation of the BEBOP world. Unstable technology is a double-edged sword for humans. The truth of this accident remained unknown until 2071.

Medical | Medical Technology

It can be seen from Spike's prosthetic eyes, Jet's prosthetic hands, and Fei's cryo-sleep that BEBOP's world's medical technology is very high. Jeter's left wrist could have undergone regenerative surgery. Biotechnology has developed to a fairly advanced level.

Tools | Props·Daily necessities

There are not many daily necessities that have introduced new technologies. Most of them are things from our era that have been improved upon. The designs are based on real objects, adding more modernity and a stronger visual sense. There are many props with advanced functions and conspicuous features, which further create the atmosphere of the BEBOP world.

Weapons&Arms | Weapons·Weapons

Possession of weapons is prohibited. But in reality illegal high-powered weapons and military equipment circulate in the dark. The prototypes of the guns in BEBOP can be found in reality.

Planet | Planet

Jupiter and Saturn are uninhabitable. Observation bases were built on Mercury, Uranus and Neptune. Pluto's observation base is a prison, housing some dangerous exiled prisoners. Humans mainly live on Venus, Earth and Mars.

The population of Venus is about 500 million, of which 70% are from Arabia and Africa. The entire planet Venus is habitable. Oxygen-producing plants float in the air, creating a fantasy landscape. Spores produced by plants have a low risk of causing an eye disease called Venus disease. (The incidence rate in healthy people is less than 0.1%)

The population of the earth is about 200 million. Since the accident 50 years ago, fragments of the moon are still falling frequently, and most people live underground. Most of the cities in the crater were flooded, and the remaining underground cities were in poor economic conditions and gradually became desolate.

Of the approximately 300 million people on Mars, 50% are Chinese, and the rest are Asian and Russian. The culture of Europe, Hong Kong and other regions can be seen on the streets of the dome-shaped city built using meteorite craters. This is the most developed planet in the solar system.

Satellite&Asteroid Belt | Satellite·Asteroid Belt

Jupiter and Saturn themselves cannot be inhabited, but their satellites are another matter. Some 150 million people live on Jupiter's moons.

The asteroid belt between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter is home to 80 million people in Asia, Latin America and Europe. Free trade and tourism are the main industries there. Illegal trade in satellites and spacecraft is also rampant in its vicinity.

Io (Io): The entire planet is covered with endless desolate deserts similar to Texas in South America.

Ganymede (Ganymede): Since most of the surface is covered by sea water, humans have built a water city here. The BEBOP was once a whaling ship here. The most famous thing here is the "sea rats" raised in the sea.

Calisto (Calisto): The planet was abandoned due to long-term economic deterioration. There are many unemployed people and unfinished buildings, and the crime rate is high. It's a very cold planet because it snows all year round.

Titan (Titan): Population of about 30 million people. The conflict between the original inhabitants and the immigrants from other planets led to the outbreak of war. Like Callisto, the planet's economy also deteriorated due to the effects of the war.

Terristrial Forming | Terraforming

A technology that terraforms planets other than the Earth and makes them habitable for humans. The specific methods vary from planet to planet, but they basically use phase difference space gates to transport a large amount of materials and sunlight to create an environment similar to the Earth.

Nature | Nature

The landscapes of each planet and satellite will vary greatly depending on the planet's environment. Compared with the Earth Age, because the population density is not as high as before, there are more natural landscapes.

War | War

Fortunately, there was no large-scale war between different planets. But civil wars, as well as skirmishes and petty disputes between immigrants and original inhabitants, occurred frequently.

(The army in the BEBOP world depicted in the play still has military weapons)

SSW | Computer Network

Like our world, computer networks occupy a very important position. Different from the WWW (World Wide Web) used today, BEBOP uses a computer network called SSW (Solar System Web). After wearing virtual glasses, you can enter a highly visual virtual space. Countless websites appear in this virtual 3D space like store signs.

Spiritual Life | Spiritual World

Even in the future, there will still be many mysterious areas in people's hearts. Cosmic Feng Shui, computer network religion, and a prophet living on Mars. As the times change, the name of the profession also changes, but its mystery continues. While many ethnic groups are evolving, they still maintain a certain degree of national independence, which fully reflects the importance of spiritual tools.

Fashion | Fashion

From the limited number of people such as the protagonist, there are no traces of epoch-making inventions in future social clothing. On the contrary, you can see the appearance of clothing similar to our current style. The changes in materials and sewing methods are still unclear. Perhaps because there is such a long gap between 2071 and now, the retro trend has become popular.

Nonessential Items | Hobby items

You can see alcohol, tobacco, coffee and other hobby items in the works. The health effects were unclear at that time, but habits were not much different from today. The three protagonists Spike, Jet, and Fee are all addicted to cigarettes, but they like different brands.

Amusements | Entertainment

The casinos, billiards rooms, amusement parks, etc. that appear in the work are all relatively nostalgic entertainment facilities. Among them, the robots and giant stuffed animals that appear in three-dimensional images show the progress of technology, but the basic feeling of entertainment has hardly changed compared with modern times.