Andorian
From Memory Alpha, the free Star Trek reference.
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| Shran, an Andorian male (2151) | |
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| Shras, an Andorian male (2268) | |
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| A female Andorian (2270s) | |
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| Lal, featured as a young Andorian female (2366) |
The Andorians were a humanoid species from the moon Andoria, capital world of the Andorian Empire, and were one of the founding members of the United Federation of Planets.
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[edit] Physiology
Most Andorians had a distinctive blue skin and white or silver-colored hair. A subspecies of Andorians called the Aenar had white skin; unlike the blue Andorians, the Aenar were blind and telepathic. Andorians and Aenar were genetically compatible and could produce offspring. (ENT: "These Are the Voyages...")
Andorians had a higher metabolism than Humans. (ENT: "United") Andorians were very susceptible to high temperatures: an Andorian could lose 10% of its body weight in as little as two days in climates approaching the boiling point of water. A peculiarity of their metabolism left them exceptionally vulnerable to the effects of phase pistol fire, which could be fatal even with only a minor hit. (ENT: "The Aenar")
Because of the unusual physiology of the Andorians, intravenous injection was impossible; instead a doctor must opt for inter-muscular injection. (TOS: "Whom Gods Destroy")
- It is a possibility that Andorian females are generally taller than Andorian males, as observed in appearances by Tarah and Talas next to their male counterparts.
[edit] Antennae
Andorians had two antennae on their heads that they used for balance. An Andorian was partially disabled and unable to fight immediately following the loss of an antenna, but was able to compensate within a day or so. The antenna itself could take up to nine months to regrow on its own, although the regeneration could be completed in around half that time with electrical stimulation and cranial massage therapy. The loss of an antenna was a humiliating experience for an Andorian. (ENT: "United")
Shran, reflecting on the stub of his antennae, demonstrated that the antennae were moved by voluntary muscles but could be controlled independent of one another. (ENT: "United")
Antenna movement apparently expressed feelings as well. An Andorian would sometimes point their antennae at a potential mate to signify attraction. (DS9: "The Sound of Her Voice")
Andorians had at least four anatomical variations regarding the placement of their antennae. Some, such as Shran and others encountered in the 22nd century, had antennae sprouting from the frontal bone of their skull. (ENT: "The Andorian Incident") Shras and his delegation had antennae which sprouted from their parietal bone. (TOS: "Journey to Babel") Other Andorians had antennae that were thinner (Star Trek: The Motion Picture), while still others had much longer ones(TNG: "Captain's Holiday", "The Offspring").
- These variations are depicted in the sidebar along the right.
[edit] Blood
Andorians bled blue. Talas' blood presented with translucent, non-viscous qualities, dark blue in color. Shran's abrasions were similarly dark blue. Their tongues and gums were at times dark blue, and at times pink. (ENT: "United")
Andorians had increased perfusion in cold environments. Shran, upon breathing the freezing cold air of his native Andoria, averred: "Really gets the blood running!" (ENT: "The Aenar")
Dr. Phlox once asserted, "Andorian metabolism is higher than Humans'. Keep moving, you'll exhaust him." (ENT: "United")
[edit] Society
Andorians were a militaristic warrior race. This was underscored by the fact their weapons had no stun setting. Service in the Andorian Imperial Guard was considered honorable, and military ranks had a great influence on social reputations. Andorians never fought without reason and deplored dishonesty, but they were capable of duplicity. Andorians considered their race to be deeply emotional and passionate, even violent; they weren't known for their charity and had few sympathies, but they placed a high value on family. (TOS: "Journey to Babel"; TAS: "Yesteryear")
- See: Andorian history
[edit] Culture and Tradition
A crucial part of Andorian tradition was the so called ushaan, a code of honor demanding a duel to the death in which the combatants fought against each other with an ice miner's tool, the ushaan-tor. An enormous body of rules and regulations existed around this code of honor, summing up to 12,000 amendments. The Ushaan could be demanded by someone as a means of personal vengeance, e.g. to avenge a personal loss. However, there existed a right of substitution, allowing each combatant to put up a replacement for themselves. Furthermore, each married combatant could postpone a duel indefinitely, if there were no children to continue his claim. Additionally, the fight might be called off, if one combatant disabled the other so he could not continue the duel. (ENT: "United")
If a member of the Andorian Imperial Guard died far from home, his or her companions carried a part of the body back to the ice of Andoria. (ENT: "United")
Andorian weddings were known to usually require groups of four people. Andorian females seemed to have an equal position in Andorian society, being at least as capable as soldiers as their male counterparts. (ENT: "Proving Ground"; TNG: "Data's Day")
Andorians also seemed to have an artistic side, as Yanas Tigan, mother of Ezri Dax, imported hand-painted Andorian tiles for her Solarium in 2375. The Andorian Academy was considered by many to be the best art school in the Federation. (DS9: "Prodigal Daughter")
[edit] Mirror universe
In the mirror universe, the Andorians were among the species subjugated by the Terran Empire. Some Andorians were part of the rebellion against the Empire.
In 2155, an Andorian male crewmember, possibly a conscript, was serving at the helm aboard the ISS Avenger (ENT: "In a Mirror, Darkly, Part II")
- Presumably, the Andorians were one of the many races conquered by the Terran Empire.
[edit] Cultural products
[edit] Food and Beverages
- Andorian ale
- Andorian fast food
- Andorian tuber root
- Andorian redbat
- Andorian boiler
- Andorian cabbage soup
[edit] People
[edit] Appendices
[edit] Appearances
[edit] References
[edit] Background
Since Andorians were first seen in "Journey to Babel", their appearance has considerably changed due to budgetary reasons and improved make-up techniques. An example of make-up evolution begins in "Journey to Babel", where Ambassador Shras had his antennae at the back of his head, to cover their obvious joins to the white wig.
The first change to Andorian makeup can be seen in Star Trek: The Motion Picture, where the Andorians were given forehead ridges and had thin spindly antennae coming from the top of the forehead.
In Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, improved makeup technologies permitted one of the two Andorians to be shown as balding. The bases of these antennae appeared to join seamlessly to the actor's skin.
TNG Season 3 had two brief Andorian appearances, one of whom was a possible appearance for Lal. These Andorians had more greenish blue skin, large bulbous heads and tall spindly antennae, again attached to the wig.
Finally, on Star Trek: Enterprise, Andorian's antennae were not only attached to the actor's forehead, but they were also movable. By this time, the antennae reverted back towards the thicker and segmented appearance of the first Andorians from the original Star Trek series.
Denise and Michael Okuda offer an in-universe explanation for the differences in appearance throughout the years. In their text commentary of the DVD presentation of TAS: "Yesteryear", they write, "It may be that Andorians have different ethnic groups, with different skin colors just like humans. After all, in ENT: "The Aenar", we saw that some Andorians have white skin." This is also in line with the fact that Vulcans and Bajorans have also been seen with differing skin pigmentation, making ethnic diversity more than just a human trait.
Make-up screen tests were made for the image of an Andorian God in Star Trek V: The Final Frontier. However, the image, like many ideas for the movie, would not manifest itself in the final cut of the movie.
[edit] Apocrypha
In the non-canonical novels published by Pocket Books, Andorians are depicted as having four sexes: zhen, shen, chan, and thaan. The reproductive functions and appearances of zhens and shens are roughly equivalent to those performed by females in dual gendered species, while chans and thaans are roughly equivalent to males in their biological function and appearance, though shens and chans are often perceived as being apparently Androgynous to dual-gendered species. The quadri-gendered paradigm, in the post-finale novels of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, is depicted as being responsible for the Andorian species having great difficulty maintaining replacement level population growth and facing extinction. The names of Andorians in the novels often consist of two names in the Andorian language, Andorii – a personal name that is often quite long and shortened to something more akin to canonically-established Andorian names, and a clan name that is preceded by a prefix indicating sex. "TharinJar ch'Thas," thus, is a chan from the Thas clan who is commonly known as "Jar," for instance. While this information is non-canon, it is supported by a comment by Data in TNG: "Data's Day" that "Andorian marriages require four people unless...".
Roleplaying author S. John Ross wrote an Andorian source book for the Last Unicorn Games edition of the Star Trek Roleplaying Game titled Among the Clans - The Andorians. Though non-canonical, it expands the background of the Andorians in an interesting way. Some details such as the name Ushaan for the Andorian ritual duel were adopted by the writers of Star Trek: Enterprise.
[edit] External links
- A Rogues' Gallery of Andorians – exhaustive list of Andorian appearances compiled by Ian McLean
