User:FruitLoop/Sandbox/Andorian
< User:FruitLoop | Sandbox
| |
| Andorian | |
| Survey Data | |
| Star System: |
Andorian System |
| Region: | |
| Quadrant: | |
| Classification: |
Class-P |
| First Contact: |
1950s, unknown Vulcan ship |
| Political Information | |
| Affiliation: |
Federation Member |
| Capital: |
Laibok, Andoria |
| Political System: |
Republic |
| Population: |
20.5 Billion |
| Biological Information | |
| Type: |
Humanoid |
| Atmosphere type: |
Oxygen-Nitrogen |
| Development Stage: |
Warp capable |
| Character: |
Militaristic |
| Number of Eyes: |
2 |
| Empathic species: |
No |
| Telepathic species: |
No |
| [ Source ] | |
The Andorians are an important member of the United Federation of Planets and are one of the founding members. They are known for their blue skin, white or silver hair, and for their "Andorian anger", which is possibly one of the most famous emotions along with Deltan love and Klingon rage. The Andorians are a cousin race to the Aenar and hail from the icy world of Andoria. Many Andorians choose to make service to Starfleet or the Federation their life's goal.
Contents
History
Originating from an icy moon, Andorians were in contact with a race in the distant past known as Aenar (pronounced EE-nar). Sometime before the 2100s, they lost contact. The first ice cutter to circumnavigate the Andorian homeworld was called Kumari, a name that would be carried on to future Andorian vessels.
Contact with Vulcan came during the early 20th century. According to the Vulcans, their First Contact with Andorians "seemed promising," "despite their heightened emotions." However, the Vulcan soon came to see them as duplicitous, wishing to only honor "agreements that didn't conflict with their interests." A border dispute, dating back to the 1950s and lasting two hundred years, began between the two powers, due to their neighboring home systems and the Vulcans' suspicion towards the territorial and militaristic nature of the Andorians. The Andorians felt that the only thing that kept Vulcan from invading Andoria was "the threat of massive retaliation." In the 2050s, the Andorians terraformed a class D planetoid which they named Weytahn, lying at a strategic position on the frontier between the Andorian and the Vulcan systems. When Andoria refused to allow the Vulcan High Command to inspect the colony in order to search for possible threats in the form of military installations, the Vulcans forcibly evacuated the planetoid. In 2097, a treaty was signed, in which the Vulcans officially claimed Weytahn, which they named Paan Mokar, and a surveillance satellite was placed in orbit of the planetoid in order to enforce the accord.
Around 2104, the Andorians discovered the Aenar, a subspecies long considered a myth in Andorian society, living in underground habitats in the Northern Wastes of Andoria. Since then, they have maintained diplomatic contact with the Andorian government.
Some time before 2154, Andoria was also in conflict with Tellar, and the Tellarites had to drive Andorians back out of their territory by force. In order to guarantee the safe "observation" of their "aggressive" Andorian neighbor, the Vulcan High Command maintained a highly sophisticated surveillance station beneath the monastery of P'Jem, close to Andoria. Using the disguise of an ancient Vulcan monastery, the facility was able to spy on the Andorian population while staying unnoticed. In 2151, Shran, a commander in the Andorian Imperial Guard, unveiled the secret of P'Jem with the help of the crew of the United Earth starship Enterprise NX-01, thereby starting Human-Andorian relations and dealing a crippling blow to Vulcan prestige. After the Andorians destroyed the monastery later that year, however, the High Command began blaming Starfleet and Subcommander T'Pol, who was serving aboard Enterprise, for the loss of P'Jem, which would not only result in T'Pol's mother being expelled from the Vulcan Science Academy but also in an impairment of the Human-Vulcan relations. Another hot spot in the cold war between Vulcan and Andoria was Coridan, a class M planet rich in dilithium ore. In the 2150s, Coridan suffered from a civil war, in which rebels, backed by the Andorian Imperial Guard, tried to overthrow the chancellor and her corrupt government, who was in turn supported by the Vulcan High Command, since Vulcan tried to maintain its trade partnership with Coridan, a lucrative source for dilithium.
In 2152, a new open conflict arose on Weytahn, which was reclaimed by the Andorian Empire after being deserted for nearly sixty years. With the conflict about to escalate, Shran, who was leading the Andorian invasion forces on the planetoid, requested Captain Jonathan Archer of the Enterprise as a trustworthy mediator in order to negotiate a cease fire, which was finally accomplished and both sides resumed their negotiations.
Upon hearing of the Xindi attack on Earth in 2153, the Imperial Guard sent the Kumari under Cmdr. Shran into the Delphic Expanse to locate the Enterprise. When it was discovered that Enterprise was tracking a Xindi prototype weapon, the Guard wished to procure the technology to aid in their conflict with the Vulcans. In justifying their actions, they declared that, "with a weapon of this magnitude at our disposal, they wouldn't dare attack us." However, the prototype was destroyed, forcing the Andorians to go home empty-handed. Before, however, Shran secretly relayed all technical and tactical sensor readings his ship had taken from the weapon to Enterprise; this information would prove to be of enormous use in preventing a second Xindi attack on Earth. Three months later, Shran and the Kumari openly sided with Earth, following the trail of the Xindi superweapon. The Kumari engaged a Xindi warship, providing a critical diversion to allow Enterprise and her crew to destroy the weapon.
Unknown to the Andorians at the time, the Vulcans had intercepted the data and telemetry that had been sent to Andoria on the prototype. Footage of the Xindi's test of the prototype was later manipulated and used by Administrator V'Las in convincing the Vulcan High Command that the Andorians were planning to use the prototype to augment their fleet and to create a weapon of mass destruction to use against Vulcan. In 2154, V'Las, who actually stood under the influence of a Romulan operative, ordered a preemptive strike invasion of Andoria and lured the bulk of the Andorian fleet near Paan Mokar/Weytahn by creating false warp signatures in its vicinity, while the Vulcans secretly amassed a fleet of twelve Vulcan cruisers near Regulus, a star outside the range of Andorian listening posts. Despite Enterprise and Vulcan Ambassador Soval warning Commander Shran of the incursion, the Andorians were only able to gather six warships at the outskirts of the Andorian system to face the Vulcan fleet, with Enterprise joining them in hopes of preventing war. After the two fleets clashed and the Battle of Andoria commenced, Vulcan Minister Kuvak urged V'Las to halt the attack, as even though they were currently winning the battle, they had completely lost the element of surprise and were now facing heavy casualties for both sides in a protracted conflict. Soon after he went on to protest that none of the Andorian vessels were outfitted with the Xindi weaponry that V'Las had used as justification for the preemptive strike, Kuvak managed to stun V'Las and immediately ordered the fleet to withdraw, ending the battle.
After the Vulcan Reformation, the Vulcan High Command was dissolved and the new government entered into a less hostile stance with Andoria, ending years of cold war and military tension. Never again did the Vulcans stoop to such a level as using the P'Jem monastery to hide a sensor array for spying on Andoria.
In November 2154, Andorian diplomats planned to meet a Tellarite delegation led by Ambassador Gral on the planetoid Babel. The purpose of the conference was to resolve a long standing trade dispute between both factions. Although the original agenda covered only trade regulations for the sector, the diplomatic situation of the Andorians should change decisively. By late 2154, the Romulan Star Empire had become aware of the threat posed by a closer partnership between Andoria, Earth, and its neighbors. The Star Empire's attempts to destabilize the region led to the Babel Crisis, during which a secret mission by the Romulans involved the use of two Romulan drone-ships. With these ships (able to camouflage themselves as various other vessels), the Star Empire tried to spread distrust and hostility among local powers around Andoria, Earth, Tellar, and Vulcan. By destroying the Andorian vessel Kumari under the guise of a Tellarite cruiser, thereby causing the cancellation of the Babel conference and nearly escalating an old conflict between the two races, the Romulans nearly succeeded with their plans. However, Captain Archer of the Enterprise was able to settle the dispute and allied the Andorians, Humans, Vulcans, and Tellarites to find and destroy the drone-ships, thereby altering the result of this Romulan mission to the exact opposite of what it was intended to achieve.
With the averted escalation of the Babel crisis, Andoria, Earth and many other worlds realized the value of their joint work and were growing close to founding a Coalition of Planets in 2155. Although this was initially opposed by a xenophobic isolationist group called Terra Prime, Archer was able to make a passionate speech to all members, saying that, as explorers, they should explore the galaxy together. The new Coalition of Planets became welded together in 2156, when the conflict with the Romulan Star Empire escalated into the Earth-Romulan War. A humiliating defeat of the Romulans by an alliance of Andorian, Vulcan, Earth, and Tellarite forces at the Battle of Cheron in 2160 effectively ended the war and led to the establishment of the Romulan Neutral Zone between the two power
blocs.
By 2164, Commander Shran was promoted to the rank of general and appointed Jonathan Archer as an honorary member of the Andorian Imperial Guard. Five years later, in 2169, Archer then became Federation ambassador to Andoria.
As a key member of the Federation, Andorian Ambassador Shras represented Andoria at the Babel Conference in 2268, at which the planet supported the admission of Coridan as a new member of the Federation. Even by the 24th Century however, there were some Andorians who did not follow the majority in welcoming the Federation, and a number have become marked as fugitives by both the Federation and the Andorian local government after making raids and thefts against Federation and even Starfleet assets.
During the Dominion War, many Starfleet tacticians feared that Andoria was a potential high-value target for invasion after the fall of Betazed in 2374, and many felt that were such an attack to happen, the loss of a Founding World would cause irreparable harm to the morale of Federation citizens.
First Contact with Vulcans
First contact between Andorians and Vulcans was disastrous. Andorians did not trust the cold and ‘unfeeling’ Vulcans while the Vulcans did not like the speed with which the Andorians shifted in their moods. This caused great friction between the two races, then distrust and from distrust to dislike and then hatred to the point where the two peoples were almost at war.
Government
Laws are drawn up by a Parliament-type body elected from among the people, called the Parliament Andoria. This body consists of 3 representatives from each province to give the people a voice. Drafts must pass with a 2/3 majority to become law, and all drafts must be drawn up by a lawyer.
Physiology
The Andorians have two genders, male and female and also have an exoskeleton on their limbs and torsos. In the case of the females, it does not extend around their abdomens in order to allow for fetal growth. They are easily identified by their white or silver hair, light blue skin, and antennae. Their tongues and mouths vary from steel blue to pink and their eyes can be brown, blue, grey, or even violet.
The antennae are used for multiple purposes. First is balance. The second is visual. Andorians are colorblind, but they see far more of the visual spectrum than most humanoids. Third, is auditory to help pick up sounds outside the hearing range of most species. When an Andorian is paying attention to something, it is quite normal that the Andorian will have their head tilted down and towards the object of their focus. If an antenna was cut off—a humiliating experience—they became disabled in the short term but could adjust within 24 hours. Antennae take up to nine months to regrow, though electrical stimulation and cranial massage therapy could cut regeneration time in half.
Andorians, with a higher metabolic rate than Terrans, are especially vulnerable to phase pulse infection; even minor phase injuries can prove fatal. Andorians also prefer the cold although they have demonstrated a tolerance for a wide range of climates.
Andorian blood is a dark blue, and so a bruise appears as a dark blue patch on the skin. Since Andorian physiology makes intravenous injection impossible, physicians administer medication through intramuscular injection instead.
Andorian Diseases include Andorian shingles.
Society
Andorians are known for the Andorian anger and it is well deserved. An Andorian in a rage can fight 2 trained Klingon warriors and still stand a chance at winning. Some cases even 3 Klingons. However, Andorians are also known for their art. Some of the best artists in the Federation are Andorian and the Andorian Academy of Art is widely accepted as one of the best art schools in the Federation. Andorians are not a peaceful race, preferring to live life to the fullest. A lot of Andorians are also pranksters, loving to make jokes and have fun. War is only part of life and there must be a balance. Andorians deplore dishonesty but nevertheless are capable of duplicity. Andorian women have always been thought of as being capable of anything an Andorian male can do.
Clans
Clans are a large part of Andorian culture and are even valued above loyalty to the Federation, only superceded in importance by one's individual family, and their god, Uzaveh. On Andoria the clans, or kethni in Andorii (keth singular), keep records of all happenings in their clans through a keth'thras, or clan record keeper, including marriages, births, deaths, ushaan, or anything else of note. Over 600 years of Andorian history can be found in the kethni archives in Laibok where the clans store all their histories as well as in their own clan keeps.
Family
Ushaan
The word ushaan literally means private or intimate fight. This fight is left over from the resolution of the Clan Wars as a means to avoid fights over food and resources. It evolved into a ritual fight between two people who have a dispute over anything from lovers to the loss of a child to a matter of honor.
Andorians do not wish to insult each other and so every insult against an Andorian or those s/he is associated with may be challenged with a duel. In fact, in Andorian society, it is expected as to let it stand is paramount to admitting its truth. Nearly half of all ushaan are due to slights against honor due to this and are called personal vendettas, though some come into the ushaan from the legal system. In those from the legal system, the challenger's legal representative is the combatant to fight the offended party personally. The ushaan may also be used as a political tool in such cases though it is quite tricky a weapon to wield.
Battle continues until blood strikes the floor, upon which has been laid linen as a matter of tradition to make it more visible. The linens are unnecessary as the difference in temperature makes the blood bounce upon touching the floor. Once a combatant has wounded his opponent deeply enough for this to happen, the duel is considered over, though the opponents may continue fighting to the death if necessary. If possible, the ushaan is fought with the chaka or ritual blades reserved for this type of combat. If not, the duel is fought with the hrisal, a short back-curved sword used in twos. A study of the chaka and hrisal is done throughout the Andorians' lives, even from childhood to help ensure survival of the ushaan. The order of blows is important as well, offering the first blow to the offended or insulted party and following with one from the other combatant. Thus, the ushaan is not so much about fighting in the usual sense but as in precision and ritual and therefore much of the children's training is of no real use.
Arts
The Andorians are at heart an often-violent passionate people, and this has spilled over into their art. Their paintings, sculpture, music and theater has become passionate, almost violent, and portrayed epic battles or lovers locked in an embrace. Their novels and plays are quite violent and ardent, often with epic wars or romances, even following the lives of historic persons throughout their lives.
Religion
Andorians believe in a deity called Uzaveh the Infinite.
Language
The Andorian language, called Andorii, is quite difficult to learn without a universal translator. The written language consists of curved horizontal lines and circles on a vertical line. There once was a second language, Ghalev, that was much harder for outsiders to learn though it used to be the language of the Andorian Empire. Upon the founding of the Federation, the Andorian people saw the need for outsiders to learn their language and so abandoned the official use of Ghalev, though linguists still learn it to keep it from dying.
Food
- Andorian Ale
- Andorian tuber root
- Andorian redbat
- Andorian boiler
- Andorian cabbage soup
Science and Technology
Warp Capable, part of the Federation and Starfleet. Andorians are some of the best terraformers and warriors in the Federation. Andorian silk and Andorian jewelry are highly prized, among other areas of art such as paintings and sculpted chests called Andorian chests.
Military
In the past, before the Federation, the Andorian Imperial Guard was a force to be reckoned with. Now, Andorians are part of Starfleet and their planetary police, called Guardsmen, are among the best in the Federation. Andorian women are very common in the Guardsmen and in Starfleet. In the days of the Andorian Imperial Guard, women made up 40% of the personnel and were thought of as being just as capable as the men, and it continues today in the Andorian Defense Force.
Miscellaneous Information
Chocolate is poison to Andorians.