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As with "terrestrial", everything on Earth is arguably Terran, that is it is just as legitimate to say "of terran origin" as "of terrestrial origin".

Some, such as Hugo De Garis, make the distinction that those who want to leave Earth or destroy it may be of terrestrial origin but are not in fact Terran. He defines a Terran in political opposition to a Cosmist—the latter being those who wish to build artificial intelligence beyond human capabilities and leave Earth.

That distinction seems to be derived from earlier usage of terran by many science fiction authors as a synonym for earthling or human or terrestrial—most notably in the context of alien encounters with humans. It is particularly useful in contexts—such as most popular science fiction television shows—where there are humans or near-humans from other planets, necessitating a term for inhabitants Earth that is more specific than human. This usage is probably related to the term Martians for natives of Mars

Sometimes Terran and earthling are used for joke impact, when aliens cannot tell humans from other highly active-and-possibly cognitive terran entities, for example dogs, great apes, whales, and occasionally automobileAn automobile usually called a car (an old word for carriage) or a truck is a wheeled vehicle that carries its own engine. Older terms include horseless carriage and motor car with "motor" referring to what is now usually called the engine. The act of opes. For example, in Star Trek IV - The Voyage Home , an alien ship seeking whales to talk to is causing tremendous harm to Earth, as whales are long extinct and its increases in volume go unheard; on previous visits, the aliens apparently recognized whales, and not humans, as the species worth engaging in conversation. A similar theme was expressed in Visit to a Small Planet , when aliens who visited Earth were convinced it was ruled by cars, with human parasites in them.

The term Terran has specific applications in some science fiction stories. For example:

• The TerransThe Terran are a race found in the StarCraft universe — a fictional universe where computer games and books are set. They are a fictional race based on humans with psionic abilities. Main plotline attributes Basically the same as humans of the 21st centur are humans with psionicParapsychology is the study of mental phenomena, whether actual or purported, that are not currently explainable within the framework of mainstream, conventional science. Types of parapsychology The phenomena in question fall into two broad groups. Extra- abilities in the computer gameA computer game is any sort of game that is played using a computer. General Although often associated, computer games are not necessarily video games although all but the earliest video games (such as Pong, which used dedicated analogue circuitry) are co Starcraft.
• The Terran ConfederationThe Terran Confederation is the primary human government in the Wing Commander science fiction series. The Terran Confederation is an alliance of systems and regional governments which provide unified protection and economic growth. The Confederation was is the human government in the Wing CommanderWing Commander (rank) is a rank in the Royal Air Force, equivalent to a Lieutenant Colonel in most Armies, Air Forces, the Royal Marines and the United States Marine Corps. Wing Commander (computer game) is a popular video game from the early to mid 1990s series.
• The Terran FederationThe Terran Federation is a fictional government from the novel Starship Troopers''. It is not to be confused with the United Citizen Federation from the 1997 film of the same name. is a human government in Robert Heinlein's Starship Troopers.

In modern science fiction, Terran is more common than earthling, since the latter term carries a diminutive connotation. Occasionaly a completely different term will be introduced: for example, in the Stargate universe, humans from Earth are the Tauri (a term which does contain some of the same sounds as Terran).