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Don't get ripped off by unscrupulous intergalactic exchange bureaus! Consult our guide to alien money, including exchange rates with the U.S. dollar. Click through for a listing of currencies from Dune, Red Dwarf, Star Wars, Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica and others.
Gold-pressed Latinum, the currency used by the Ferengi (and sometimes other races) in TNG-era Star Trek. It's a super-valuable liquid encased within (possibly) worthless gold bars.
Exchange rate: According to this site, you can buy 2,000 tons of Kohlanese barley for 189 bars of Latinum. Assuming Kohlanese barley is similar to the Earth kind, that would make one bar of Latinum worth about $1587. Or somewhat more, if you factor in shipping and handling. We're not even going to try and figure out an exchange rate for other Trek currencies like quatloos or Federation credits.
Cubits, the money used on Caprica and the other planets in the Twelve Colonies in Battlestar Galactica, both new and old versions. It's just coins in the old version, but there's paper money as well as coins in the reinvention.
Exchange rate: Pretty much worthless, now that the Cylons have trashed everything. That's Starbuck tearing up a 1,000 cubit note in the picture above.
Solari, the currency used in the Dune universe. Of course, Spice represents the true wealth, and the value of Solari is pretty much measured in how much Spice it can buy.
Exchange rate: This site claims one solari is worth roughly one pound sterling, or U.S. $1.95.
Dollarpounds, the currency used in the distant future of Red Dwarf.
Exchange rate: I'm guessing about $0.30 to the dollarpound. Olaf Petersen is able to buy a fancy house for just 2,000 dollarpounds — super cheap, because it's in a dome that hasn't yet received an atmosphere. Also, 1,000 dollarpounds is regarded as a stupendous amount to pay for George S. Patton's sputum.
Galactic Standard Credits, the money used by the Republic and the Imperial regime in Star Wars. It's a remarkably stable currency, having expeirenced no inflation whatsoever over a 4,000 year period. Eat your heart out, Allen Greenspan!
Exchange rate: I'm guessing about $0.50 to the GSC. Luke Skywalker got just 2,000 credits for his worn-out land speeder, which is also what Han Solo charged for passage to Alderaan. A hyperspace-capable starship costs a bit more than 10,000 GSCs.
Whuffie, the reputation capital in Cory Doctorow's Down And Out In The Magic Kingdom. Not, strictly speaking, a monetary currency, but you can pretty much turn it into goods and services.
Exchange rate: Hard to define, really. But the real-world Penguicon is using Whuffie as a unit of exchange. You can get a T-shirt for three Whuffies, which would probably mean three Whuffies are worth $5 to $10. Penguicon is probably not quite "paying" its volunteers minimum wage, since it pays one Whuffie per hour.
Send an email to Charlie Jane Anders, the author of this post, at charliejane@io9.com.
Original material is licensed under a Creative Commons License permitting non-commercial sharing with attribution.
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