Faster than light travel
The ability to travel faster than the speed of light.
Developing FTL travel is crucial for all but the longest-lived species to interact with the wider universe, or even other planets within their home star system. Although some species have been given the technology by other races, rather than developing it natively (notably the Kree, who were gifted the technology by the Skrull, and the Zehoberei, who purchased the technology from the Sisterhood of the Badoon), developing the technology is considered so important a marker of technological developement that pre-FTL is commonly used as a short-hand for races considered 'primitive'.
Some alien species are capable of natural FTL travel, most famously Starwhales. The Brood have never developed technological FTL travel, and instead use Starwhales for transport.
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