History Main / SlaveRace

* Creator/LarryNiven's ''Literature/KnownSpace'' setting has several slave species. Far back in galactic history the Thrintun used their psychic powers to enslave many species. They are simply known as Slavers. One of the slave races, the Tnuctipun, fought back with biological weapons: the war killed off any species with a notochord, galaxy wide. Later the warlike Kzin are thought to have been raised from a primitive state by the Jotoki only to enslave their employers once they had the means. The Kzin went on to enslave the demonform Kdatlyno.

* ''TabletopGame/{{GURPS}}'': In the "Madness Dossier" supplement, ''humanity'' is the slave race -- or rather was, in an alternate history which has been negated. The slavers naturally want to restore what they see as being the "true" reality. The heroes have to use the slavers' own control technologies to keep us safely in ignorance.

*** It should be noted that, whilst the above paragraph is a good description of the way the text has been used to justify racism, [[WordOfDante very little of it is in the actual text]]. None of this says that the descendants of Ham were African, for instance. The ancient Jews actually believed they were the ''Canaanites'' (since it's Ham's son Canaan who receives the curse). Canaanites weren't black, but Middle Eastern (probably not much different from the ancient Jews-it's probable they even had a common origin).

** {{Creator/Aristotle}} argued some of the "barbarian" races neighboring Greece were really "natural" slaves, and should be treated as such, in a way [[OlderThanFeudalism remarkably similar]] to later "scientific racist" justifications.

** Some Nazis even invoked the above example; Heinrich Himmler once said that the Russian people would be the Helots to Germany's Spartans.
** In the short-term, Hitler and Himmler wanted something like a FeudalFuture in the former Russia (all of these "plans" were basically paper exercises/flights of fancy by the latter's staff that never came anywhere close to implementation). While most would be enslaved for now and be phased out later, some [[SocialDarwinist "worthy"]] elements would actually be accepted as part of the new Spartan/noble elite and ultimately survive. As quite a few of the SS generals were themselves of Slavic origins (e.g., General von dem Bach-'''Zelewski'''), a purely "racial" view of citizenship would not have been acceptable.

** This incidentally derives from the fact that Slavs were among the last people to convert to Christianity in the Northern Europe and while Christianity doesn't tolerate enslaving fellow believers, pagans -- and even followers of competing denominations -- have been fair game for most of the history.

* Subverted with most modern forms of slavery. Nowadays, slavers [[EqualOpportunityEvil don't give a crap about the ethnicity]] of their victims as long as they can [[MoneyDearBoy make money]] with them. Most of them outright '''share''' their nationality, which [[OlderThanTheyThink is nothing new at all]]. Having slaves of a different race is the more unusual thing historically, because historically most slaves were war captives and generally you went to war with your neighbor who looked like you (like the Greeks above).

* People of Sub-Saharan African descent were widely used as slaves everywhere from the Americas to India to various colonies within Africa, with the greatest sources of new slaves being the Atlantic slave trade (primarily run by the Portuguese, British, and Spanish) and the Arab slave trade. Native Americans were also used as slaves in the Americas, mostly in South America and Central America (cases happened in North America and the Caribbean too, but by and large there just weren't that many of them and what few there were, were independent or spread out). Problem was, the Native American slave populations kept dying because of European diseases. So their owners solved this by importing African slaves to America instead.

If the slave race has StockSuperPowers of some sort, this crosses over with SuperHumanTrafficking. If they're given high tech weapons to fight with, it's LowCultureHighTech (or if a low tech race enslaves a [[ProudScholarRaceGuy Proud Scholar Race]] for their tech). Their descendants would often be SonsOfSlaves after the SlaveLiberation.

* The French play ZooOuLAssassinPhilanthrope uses it as a central point. A new species of primate called tropis is discovered in New Guinea, who are intelligent enough to be put to work by an industrialist as slave labor, since he argues that they're just animals. The main character artificially inseminates a female tropi and kills the child once it's born. When he stands trial, his argument is that the tropi are sentient and he committed murder. The entire trial quickly revolves around what exactly makes a human human. [[spoiler:In the end, the tropi are declared to not be apes, but he doesn't face prison because it's pointed out that he can't be retroactively guilty of a crime.]]

* In ''Manga/Cyborg009'', the underground humanoids known as the Pu'Awak have been conquered forced into slavery by their rivals the Zattan, which have them as [[EatTheDog living food supplies]]. The Black Ghost group comes in and offers help, but soon they prove themselves to be just as bad as the Zattan, and force the Pu'Awak and ''specially'' their five princesses to be a part of their plans. But when one of the princesses is abandoned by Black Ghost, they decide to rebel...

** In Pre-Crisis continuity, Krypton was conquered by the [[AlienInvasion Vrangs]], who enslaved the Kryptonian race until a general revolt led by Superman and ComicBook/{{Supergirl}}'s ancestor Hatu-El succeeded in kicking the Vrangs out of Krypton. The Vrang revolt was eventually retconned back in the Post-Crisis and [[ComicBook/SupergirlRebirth Post-Flashpoint]] continuities.

* In ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsTheCloneWars'', the Zygerrians actually plan to make Togrutas these, and the Nightbrothers are already enslaved to the Nightsisters.

** Christianity too has its own doctrine justifying slavery. It has fallen somewhat out of favor in modern times, but the seldom-read part of Genesis just after Noah's Ark came to rest is the key to the theology. According to the Bible, the three sons of Noah and their families - the only humans still alive after the Flood - had a falling-out. Two of the sons were judged by the LORD to be unworthy and to have fallen from grace. They exiled themselves as far as they could, and we are told they became the first fathers of the African and Asian peoples. Meanwhile the oldest son, considered righteous in the eyes of the LORD, was the first father of the white-skinned peoples. He was told that as a reward for faithful service, the children of his lesser brothers would be given into his hands as servants and bondsmen (read: "slaves"). This doctrine - by the way, as impeccable as anything else derived from the Bible even though the morality stinks - was used to justify slavery down the ages and to give divine sanction to the right of white people to own slaves and rule. The last official vestiges of this died in the late 1990's when UsefulNotes/TheApartheidEra ended in South Africa and the Dutch Reformed Church denounced racism. It must be noted, though, that in the verses itself the color of their descendants is not mentioned. This later interpretation was added when Europeans encountered Asians and Africans (it's unlikely the ancient Jews knew about the former).

* One of the greatest examples is ''[[HappinessInSlavery Homo Servus]]'' from Creator/SMStirling's [[Literature/TheDraka Draka]] tetralogy. The ''Servus'' have been genetically engineered to derive orgasmic pleasure from subservience to their masters ''[[SuperiorSpecies Homo Drakensis]]'', and are incapable of functioning independently . Both species were once normal humans, but, unluckily for the rest of humanity, the Draka were NietzscheWannabe badasses who practiced TheSpartanWay and had a penchant for [[EvilutionaryBiologist Evilutionary Biology]]. An interesting aspect is that the ''servus'' are actually smarter than the Draka; the latter genetically engineered themselves into their ideal of the Master Race and it is strongly implied that in the process, they destroyed their own creativity and flexibility.

* In ''{{Manga/Gangsta}}'' the children of soldiers who took the combat enhancing drug Celebrer and as a result were born with increased physical abilities but [[YourDaysAreNumbered drastically reduced lifespans]], and were thus dubbed Twilights. They are tagged from birth and until only a few years before the story began it was completely legal to own them, and even after literal slavery being outlawed Twilights are still treated as sub human with SuperHumanTrafficking still being a huge business.

* The Helots, slaves/serfs of the Spartans, who outnumbered the Spartan citizenry by so much that the Spartans had a tradition of hunting them down and killing them. This wasn't considered murder; one of the duties of the ephors (Spartan magistrates) was to declare war on the Helots every year so that Spartan citizens could legally kill them (the fact that they were surrounded and vastly outnumbered by slaves who had every reason to hate them is believed by some to account for the Spartans' extreme militaristic badassery). The people from Sparta certainly considered themselves to be a breed apart, to the point that, in order to be a Spartan soldier, you had to be able to trace your origins back several generations of pure-blooded Spartans. This... did not work out so well for them, as being so incredibly exclusive in who can be a "soldier" tends to result in running out of trained soldiers. Not all wars are fought in very narrow mountain passes where numbers don't matter.

** Sparta's "extreme" way of life has often been exaggerated by historians (ancient and modern alike). In reality, the Spartiates (the citizens/nobles -- ''everyone'' in Sparta was a "Spartan", including the Helots) were probably a lot more like medieval knights than anything else: A relatively small, educated elite of professional soldiers ruling over an enserfed peasantry in exchange for military protection (although fighting on foot rather than horseback). It's notable that Spartan Helots had more in the way of rights than the chattel slaves of [[DemocracyIsFlawed democratic Athens]]. Also, distinguished Helots could be promoted to full Spartiate citizens, though admittedly this wasn't too common. In any case, Helot revolts were fairly common, and this seriously endangered Spartan society. They would often do this while most soldiers were off fighting a war, as you'd imagine. It meant the soldiers would have to run home and put it down before the Helots could take over.

* After slavery of African-descended people was abolised, European empires promptly turned to India as a source of labourers, who were known as "coolies". Coolies weren't officially slaves, but they still worked under slave conditions anyway. These Indians were sent to work in European colonies located in the Caribbean, East and South Africa, Fiji, and Southeast Asia. As a result, a large Indian diaspora exists in these regions.

* After slavery of African-descended people was abolished in the Caribbean, European empires promptly turned to India as a source of labourers, who were known as "coolies". Coolies weren't officially slaves, but they still worked under slave conditions anyway. These Indians were sent to work in European colonies located in the Caribbean, East and South Africa, Fiji, and Southeast Asia. As a result, a large Indian diaspora exists in these regions.

* After slavery of African-descended people was abolished in the Caribbean, European empires promptly turned to India as a source of labourers, who were known as "coolies". Coolies weren't officially slaves, but they still worked under slave conditions anyway. These Indians were sent to work in the Caribbean, East and South Africa, Fiji, and Malaysia. As a result, a large Indian diaspora exists in these regions.

* ''''Fanfic/TheKeysStandAlone'': The Svenjaya on the flying island of Tipaan. A cross between felines and elves, the entire tribe became indentured to the owners of the island for an unspecified crime they committed thirty years ago. By the time of the events in the book, they have ten years to go on their debt before they're freed. However, because they have shorter lifespans than humans, several generations have now grown up in what is essentially slavery. Whereas the majority are, if not content with their lot, at least resigned to it, a resistance has sprung up with the intention of forcing the Tipaanese to renegotiate the terms of their contract. The four win the undying gratitude of the Svenjaya for helping them do this.

* The parshmen of ''Literature/TheStormlightArchive'' are an interesting variant on this. The parshmen used to be Parshendi, a race of HumanoidAliens with the ability to assume different forms depending on the task at hand (warform is strong and grows an armor-like carapace, nimbleform is careful and dexterous, mateform is fertile, etc). For some unclear reason, the vast majority of the Parshendi have been reduced to a near-mindless "absence of form". In this state, the Parshendi, now known as parshmen, exist only to follow orders, and if left alone will simply stand around waiting for orders until they die. [[spoiler:When the Parshendi lost the last war, the Knights Radiant attempted to sever their ability to take on forms of power. This resulted in them becoming so docile and useful that the humans couldn't resist enslaving them, so by the time the next war rolled around they had completely infiltrated human society once their god decided to turn them into soldiers again]].

* While the angels of Literature/TheQuran are never outright called a slave race, they are functionally the same because they lack free will and hence have no ability to rebel against Allah. Some {{works}} [[SadlyMythtaken act like this is also in]] Literature/TheBible, which ignores that the bible mentions rebel angels.

** The human ancestors of the githyanki and githzerai were enslaved by [[{{Cthulhumanoid}} mindflayers]] for millenia and subjected to [[BodyHorror horrific experiments]], but they TurnedAgainstTheirMasters.
*** In general, the mind flayers have a penchant for turning most every other race they come across into this. According to various supplements published over the years, duergar/gray dwarves, kuo-toa, and grimlocks (among others) all got their start as distinct races from the mind flayers getting a hold of them in one way or another. A few of them managed to escape like the gith, but seldom without being altered in some capacity.
** In the ''TabletopGame/{{Greyhawk}}'' setting, the [[http://www.canonfire.com/wiki/index.php?title=Derro derro]] are the descendants of human/dwarf hybrids who were bred as a slave race of miners by a {{Magocracy}}. After the empire fell, they fled underground and descended into barbarism.
** In the Fourth Edition, dwarves were once a Slave Race of giants, and while most fought their way to freedom, some did not do so without cost. A faction of them felt that the dwarven gods abandoned them, and thus turned to worshipping devils, becoming the degenerate race of duergar. Some fire giant slaves didn't escape at all, becoming the azer as a result.
** In the ''TabletopGame/{{Eberron}}'' campaign setting, the Warforged are a race of sentient constructs built specifically to act as slaves, usually for military use. They are well known for being incredibly focused in their duties and loving to work. Even after their freedom as a race was granted with the signing of the Treaty of Thronehold, many Warforged are said to still prefer serving Masters as opposed to exploring their new-found independence.
** In the ''TabletopGame/DarkSun'' setting, there are muls. Not truly a race unto themselves, they are incredibly strong [[HalfHumanHybrid sterile hybrids]] of dwarves and humans that are bred, usually for slave labor. Not all are slaves, however; they are available as a Player Character race.
* In the ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering'' storyline, during the ''Tempest'' expansion/StoryArc, the evincar Volrath employs moggs -- goblins who are larger, more brutish, and less intelligent -- as a slave race.
** One of the [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=131006 cards]] in ''Planar Chaos'' discusses an alternate timeline, in which Mirri befalls Selenia's curse, eventually ascends to the position of evincar, and exterminates the moggs in favor of the [[RubberForeheadAliens the Kor]].
** The Neurok were slaves (or at least a subordinate race) to the Vedalken, at least [[TurnedAgainstTheirMasters until they took over Lumengrid]].

** Some particularly aggressive human societies view halflings as inferior beings and take advantage of their good nature and general lack of aggressiveness to enslave them.

** ''ComicBook/WonderWoman1942'': Solo of Neptunia's plan is to make the entire human race slaves to the natives of Neptune. To prevent their trying to revolt or escape he was going to make earth unfit for living and alter its orbit of the sun.

*** In general, the mind flayers have a penchant for turning most every other race they come across into this. According to various supplements published over the years, duergar/gray dwarves, kuo-toa, and grimlocks (among others) all got their start as distinct races from the mind flayers getting a hold of them in one way or another.