Prisoner of war

A  (POW, PoW, PW, P/W, WP, PsW, enemy prisoner of war (EPW) or "missing-captured") is an individual, whether combatant or non-combatant, who is held in custody by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict.

Belligerents hold prisoners of war in custody for a range of legitimate and illegitimate reasons, such as isolating them from enemy combatants still in the field (releasing and repatriating them in an orderly manner after hostilities), demonstrating military victory, punishing them, prosecuting them for war crimes, exploiting them for their labor, recruiting or even conscripting them as their own combatants, collecting military and political intelligence from them, or indoctrinating them in new political or religious beliefs.

Within the United Stars Military, the surrender of enemy combatants is encouraged unless specifically prohibited by the rules of engagement specified by the United Stars Assembly.

In times of declared conflict between the Union and a society supporting Privateers, those that surrender or are captured  may be treated as prisoners of war. When there is not a declared conflict between the two, privateers are treated as pirates.