The Ascended Caste is the hereditary elite bloc produced by GeneSys clinics, longevity stacks, selective reproduction contracts, and the social conviction that wealth should purchase not only comfort but superior descendants.
By the time of Sol Dominion, the Caste is no longer just a clientele. It is a ruling anthropology: the belief that some lines are meant to govern because they have been optimized to do so. Most late-Sol egalitarian movements define themselves partly against that claim.