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-The term "'''humanoid'''" refers to any being whose body structure resembles that of a [[Terran|human]]. In this sense, the term describes non-human hominids and indeed most primates, as well as mythological creatures and artificial organisms (robots), especially in the context of science fiction and fantasy fiction. An android or gynoid is a humanoid robot, although the words are, in principle, synonymous.
+The term "'''humanoid'''" refers to any being whose body structure resembles that of a [[Terran|human]]. In this sense, the term describes sentient bipedal lifeforms in possession of two arms, two legs, hands, feet, one thorax, a neck, and a head. They are generally mammalian and originate from Class M planets. Among the many humanoid species known throughout the [[Milky Way Galaxy]] are [[Andorian]]s, [[Bolian]]s, [[Bajoran]]s, [[Klingon]]s, Humans, and the [[Vulcan]]s. An android or gynoid is a humanoid robot, although the words are, in principle, synonymous.
-Usually, a fictional humanoid species has the same basic body outline as a human, being bipedal, but differs in details such as coloring, ear form, presence of hair, average height and weight, size of nose, form of skin, "extras" such as horns, plates, claws, tails or multiple appendages, limb structure (such as having digitigrade legs) and taxonomic lineage (being descended from reptiles, fish, rodents, marsupials, or a phylum not evolved on Earth, perhaps, instead of primates). Reptilian humanoids are a common concept.
+Despite the vast distances separating their homeworlds, many humanoid species have been found to share a remarkable commonality in form and genetic coding. These similarities were believed to be evidence of a common ancestry, an ancient humanoid species, who lived in our galaxy's distant past some four billion years ago.
-Most of the aliens in television and movies are humanoid, since it is easier for a fictional character to be a disguised human actor. However, there are various methods for presenting non-humanoid characters, for example computer graphics, creative costuming, and puppetry.
+To preserve their heritage, this species apparently seeded the primordial oceans of many potentially hospitable planets with encoded [[DNA]] fragments. The genetic information incorporated into the earliest lifeforms on those planets and through pre-programmed mutations caused by a genetic template, directed evolution toward a physical development similar to their own. Because of this controlled mutation mechanism, most habitable planets in the galaxy evolved with many physically similar species (e.g. fish, trees, dogs, insects), and on many of those worlds with at least one sentient species with a humanoid configuration (bilaterally symmetrical, upright posture, two arms, two legs, brain located in head).
-Some people find it unlikely to have a universe populated by unrelated creatures that all look human, while others (including some biologists) believe that a species would naturally drift towards bipedalism when achieving sapience as we know it. Occasionally, shows present a reason for this to be the case. For example, the episode "The Chase" of Star Trek: The Next Generation explained the humanoid denizens of the Star Trek universe by advancing the story of a primordial humanoid civilization, the Progenitors, that seeded the galaxy with genetically-engineered cells that guide evolution toward humanoid life . In most cases, however, the reason for the similarity is not explained, and it is regarded simply as a dramatic convention.
+Anatomically, a significant percentage of those lifeforms are outwardly indistinguishable from humans, right down to such physiognomic minutiae as the same racial variants, hair patterns, fingernails and cartilaginous foldings of the nose and ears. The reason they are so astonishingly similar to the human race is because the "human form" represents the basic way that evolution most likely takes for the dominant mammalian race on an average Class M planet under the influence of the genetic codes and the other humanoid races (e.g. Klingons, Cardassians, Vulcans) developed under very specific and usually unique environmental conditions.
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