Musings: Andorians, Triexians, Bajorans. Random thoughts.

So, I thought I'd share a few of my musings to see what you all think. As I may have mentioned before, in my sad and meaninglessly lame obsession with Trek, I'm compiling my very own personal encyclopedia incorporating the 21st century Trek lit continuity (okay, continuities). I wanted to try a few thoughts out on my fellows here to see what they think of my interpretations.

First:

The Andorians. As viewed under the modern Trek lit Heather Jarman-derived model, we not only have four sexes and four genders but we learn some interesting trivia about those sexes and genders- including the traditional ceremonial clothing and spiritual “virtue” of each (as well as their Guardian).
One thing that is quickly clear is that Andorians view things differently from humans. For example, the gender who receive the traditional virtue of “strength” are the zhen. That’s interesting, as it suggests the Andorian view of strength differs from most human ideas- at least those we’re familiar with. Whereas humans traditionally saw strength as a traditionally male virtue associated with the male role of provider/protector, and segregated it from the nurturer, child-raising role of the female, the Andorians equate strength with the child-bearing and child-rearing sex. Presumably, enduring childbirth in the dangerous conditions of frozen Andoria, caring for offspring and installing in the children the basic lessons needed to further the fortunes of the clan required, in Andorian terms, strength. Indeed, if we consider what we see of Andorian family life in Trek lit, I think we might make a case that traditional Andorian society is “matriarchal”, in the literal sense of mothers being the head of the family and the model for political authority. Don’t children take the zhen’s family name most of the time? Thirishar ch’Thane, after all. And Thriss shared her name with her zhavey, if I remember rightly. Also, as a happy serendipity, Pava Ek’Noor Aqabaa becoming sh’Aqabaa where her mother is Undeieela zh’Noor offers an explanation for her unusual name- ek’Noor is in there because she didn’t take her zhavey’s surname and needs it in there in another fashion? If we consider characters like Charivretha zh’Thane and Sessathantis zh’Cheen, they suggest that even now the matron of the clan- the leading zhen- is at least unofficially the most powerful political presence. Was the great Empress Thalisar the Last a zhen?

Anyway, as well as a virtue or value the genders also get traditional clothing- for the two “female” genders a variety of dress, where chans wear “warrior’s attire”, and the thaan wear chain-mail. So, I was thinking; Andorian civilization developed as partly subterranean around hot-springs (both Jarman’s DS9 Andorians and Enterprise Andorians established this prior to the two approaches’ reconciliation in later novels), the clan keep a warren of tunnels. The chans, according to Thelin in “The Chimes at Midnight” are the sex traditionally least involved in child-rearing- and if they wear warrior’s attire we can assume they were the hunter-gatherer/war-makers who operated outside the keep, so this makes sense. Their value is “wisdom”- the wisdom of the hunter-tracker, learning to read the signs of the natural world as he moved through it, outside the safety of the caves and the keep? After all, his gender’s Guardian is the Star Guardian, and the Tale of the Breaking insists he uses the stars as his guide. Then, the other default “male” sex, the thaans, were closer to home and so more involved in family life, and formed a defensive perimeter perhaps (hence the chain-mail?). Their value is “passion”- the passion of standing their ground and fighting in direct defence of their family within the keep? I guess maybe thaans also performed close-to-home labour professions. Their Guardian is Fire- the fire of passionate defence AND of the forge?

Maybe some of this type of labour was performed by shens too (as Andorian “females” are as tall or taller than “males” and we don’t know how physical power works for them they may have had “females” in those roles too). Either way, as we go further in, we have the shens, who I guess maintain the home and keep the supplies running between the “males” on the edge and the zhen and young deep inside. This makes sense- their Guardian is the Water Guardian, their virtue Blood. They are the flowing life-blood between the zhen/children and the males, the currents connecting it all. Then, deep in the centre of the keep, are the nurseries and schools, and the zhens caring for the young- with the zhens also having political authority and, perhaps, the leadership role, because it is their strength that allows them to succeed in the child-birthing nurturing role. That’s not to say there’s a hierarchy of moving inward- there’s no evidence that any of the sexes were considered “inferior” in any sense, only that zhens were associated possibly with leadership, their mothering associated with strength. The zhen, of course, have the Earth Guardian, strong protector -- as they, who embody strength, are buried in the earth, at the heart of the subterranean keep?

What do you think? Does this (of course highly over-simplified) model make sense as an explanation of Andorian gender norms, at least prior to the age of space travel and technology's role in making such strict divides pointless?

 

Second:

The Triexians, and the punny name. I know many people roll their eyes at the name, but I was thinking it might be justified as a translation of their actual race-name. I mean, humans have four limbs like all other mammals (even if whales have fused two of ‘em together), but we’re almost unique in actually walking on only two. Perhaps most “major” animals on Triex have six limbs, but Triexians are somewhat unique in walking on only three? So they actually call themselves “Three Legs” or something? And humans translate whatever it is they’re called as “Triexians”. Okay, by that logic the planet shouldn’t be called Triex, but, hey, if Denobulans come from Denobula, Vulcans from Vulcan, Andorians from Andor, etc, then Triexians must come from Triex or Triexia, right? Log planet “Xx!k’!ksskx” as “Triex”, crewman. It’s easier to pronounce anyway. Typical humans, eh? Or maybe it's that I'm English...

I mean, we all assume the “ian” business is obviously human translation, I take it? I believe “Voyager” established, for example, that in old Talaxian the word for “Talaxian” is Talax-ilzay. The planet in that case is Talax, the people there “people of Talax” I assume (and as all proper nouns in Talaxian have the “X” sound, I’m guessing the name “Talax” was originally a personification, perhaps a god, like Gaia or Terra?). So the people of Talax, or Talax-ilzay, are now translated by Neelix, who lives among humans, out of Old Tongue into Talaxian?

 

Ah! That's a really good idea, Therin. Thanks. I didn't know the Edos/Triangulum connection. I'll take note of that.

 

Now, Bajorans. Taking what we hear both on TV and in the novels, I noticed a lot of patterns in Bajoran language. They seemed to have a language which, having forgotten the technical linguistic term, I proudly refer to as the small-words-small-concepts-larger-concepts-come-from-small-words-glued-together approach. The idea of base ideograms in the written language seems to fit, I guess. So here it is, my Bajoran dictionary.

I already posted this once in DS9, but as much is drawn from the novels I thought I'd see if anyone had any comments or suggestions.

A Prefix signifying "the", as in "The one true" or "the prime", the model example.

Aclim An era of history

Alva A yellow fruit. "va" is "source", and is found in the names of other foods like Veklava and Kava.

Amojan "The Evil One" (A-"The" Mo-"One", Jan-"Evil")

Amoran "The Banishment" (A-"The", Moran-"Banishment", to become "one", cut off from others)

Ara/Arra "Place", usually more spiritual or figurative than literal, although "the land and the people are one" as the Bajorans say, so physical and spiritual location are linked

Ashalla Capital city of Bajor. ("A"-The, prime example, "Shalla"-Social gathering of religious significance, itself from "Shal"-gather and "La"-Spiritual/community centre)

Ashla "Giant"

Asnor A fish

Avaru "Truth-seekers", a religious term from "A-The", "Va"-Source, and "Ru"-seeking truth, understood as an implied goal. E.g. Ohalavaru are seekers of truth affiliated with the teachings of Ohalu.

B' As a prefix, denotes something sacred or holy

B'hala The City of Light, the sacred city, ("B'"-Sacred/holy, "Ha"- light, "la"-spiritual or social community centre)

B'hava'el Bajor's sun. "Source and bringer of holy light" ("B'"-Sacred/holy, "Ha"- light, "Va"-source, "el"-of, in the sense of bringing, bringer of)

B'Lavael A mountain where a holy man/woman was inspired to found a city ("B'"-Sacred/holy, "la"- community centre, "Va"-source, "el"-of, in the sense of bringing, bringer of, here, inspiration for)

B'tanay "Awakening", in a religious sense, sacred vision or revelation

Bajora The people, corruption of "B'Ja'arra"- Holy Social position (e.g. "People of God") (B'-holy, "Ja"-social, "arra"-position. Once a theocratic nation, now a species name

Balik(am) "Go away", "get lost"

Bantaca Traditional spire marking co-ordinates

Bateret A plant

Batos A domesticated animal

Belaklavion A musical instrument

Bena "Joy"

Boryhas Spirits of the dead yet to depart for the Celestial Temple

Buru "Bu"-Life, "Ru"-Seeking Truth, so "life spent in search of truth" as part of a religious existence, common word in prayers

Cela A plant, leaves used in tea

D' As a prefix, signifies position, belonging, ownership

D'Jarra The old caste system. "Belonging to a social position", "D'"-belonging, "Ja"-social, "arra"-position.

Dal'Rok Demon spirit

Dara "Home", corruption of "D'Arra", literally "belonging-place", D'-belonging, "Arra"-place.

De-ram "Opening Up", the process where by collective religious passion is focused upon a designated prayer leader to help them access the Prophets more easily. Used as part of prayers. "De"-Up, "Ram"- to open.

Duran "Remembrance"

Duranja Lamp lit for a dead friend, from "Duran"- remembrance, and "Ja"- social.

El "Of, bringing"

Elipagh One who brings a spiritual message, a holy messanger, a proxy, the Emissary.

Esani A flowering plant

Eyisa An era of Bajoran history

Foraiga A delicacy

Ha "Light"

Ha'Dara "Home of Light", name of planet settled by Hirogen-built holograms, named by Iden, a Bajoran hologram.From "Ha"-light, and "Dara"-Home, corruption of "D'Arra", literally "belonging-place", D'-belonging, "Arra"-place.

Hara A feline animal. Seems to be "light-time". Hmmm, are they active at dawn?

Hasperat Mmmmm...Hasperat....spicy burrito....

Ih "Assigning, locating"

Ih'tanu Traditional coming-of-age ritual for 14-year old girls

Ih'valla A D'jarra, the artist caste. From "Ih"-assigning, "Va"-source, "La"-spiritual community centre, "assignment to the source of our community spirit" (In keeping with this caste being a high one)

Iktashu Prophecy, possibly a specific kind.

Imutta (Ih'mutta) A D'jarra, the undetaker caste.

Indurane "Ancient" Note the root "Duran"-"remembrance".

Ja "Social", as in signifying a connection between other concepts in a compund word and everyday society/people interacting.

Jal "Social freedom", an expansion of Ja, a prominent and respected social position arrived at through living in a holy manner.

Jalbador The Red Wormhole, worshipped as home of the gods by the One True Way cult.

Jalkaree The Blue wormhole, home of the Prophets. Notice "Jal"-social freedom and holy living, and "ka"-good.

Jan A different, darker kind of social freedom- "Evil". A willful moral outcast from society exhibits Jan.

Ka "Goodness"

Kai "Goodness", with an intensifier "i". Leader of the faith.

Kava A tree producing edible nuts, a staple of the Bajoran diet. "Source of Goodness", from "Ka"-goodness, and "va"-source.

Ke A personification of something, an avatar of an ideal made physical. Also a family name in some regions.

Kejal "Freedom", a name, from "Ke"-personification, "jal"-social freedom, holy freedom".

Kejelious An era of Bajoran history

Kheet'agh An extreme insult

Koss "To be", modified to "Kosst" as a title of dark religious significance, now used as a curse word by most Bajorans due to association with Kosst Amojan, The Evil One (To Be The Evil One, a self-satisfied label of extreme Jan).

Koss'moran "To be banished", to exist in a state of having been banished, also a holy text detailing the imprisonment of the pah-wraiths.

Kulloth An polar herd animal

La Signifying a spiritual/community centre, often used in the sense of a city or town.

Lita Bajoran currency, also a name, "Leeta".

Makapa A bread

Makara A medicinal herb used by pregnant women

Mandala A personal religious shrine found in most homes, centre of the family community.

Mapa A bread

Mo The number one

Moba A fruit

Morala The one faith, from "Mo"-one, "Ra"-a sense of time, and "la"-community, spiritual centre. Time will show the Bajoran mainstream to be the one true faith. "Morala" is used in some older prayers from the more rigid and authoritarian cults.

Moran Banishment, becoming "one", cut off from others.

Navarch Title invented for Li Nalas

Nerak A flower

Pagh The immortal soul, life-energy, spirit. Some possess more or stronger pagh than others. "Pah" is corrupted pagh.

Pagh'tem'fa B'tanay: "Awakening of the Sacred Vision", repressed memories return to the fore in this religiously significant event.

Pagh'tem'far A sacred vision

Paghvaram "Soul Key", from "pagh"-soul, "va"-source, and "ram"-to open. "Varam"-source of open, is "key".

Pah-wran From the dark texts, a celebration of corrupted life-energy.

Paluku Large furry spider-like animal native to the moons of Bajor.

Pate Basic unit of measurement, used in Tessipate, Kerripate, etc.

Pavrak Insulting word

Peldor "Gratitude". Peldor Joi is a greeting used in the Gratitude Festival.

Pooncheen A fruit


Porli A bird

Prusin A plant, some are allergic to it.

Pylchyk A domesticated animal

Ra Time, as an active force in one's spiritual life (there is an Orb of Time, lest we forget).

Ram "To open". Note "ra", as time is actively invoked here.

Ran Signifies aftermath, end result of a process, outcome. E.g, used as a root in "duran"-remembrance, or "moran"-banished. Again, note "ra".

Ranjen An honorific title for monks involved in works of spiritual importance. "Anticipates aftermath", as in, working towards a satisfaction upon completion of spiritual goals

Ratamba A stew

Remla A bird

Ru "Seeking truth"

Sean "swamp"

Shalla Social gathering of spiritual importance, from "shal"-gather, and "la"-community spiritual centre.

Shafa A gambling game

Shodi A drink

Shusha Medicinal herb

Takeo Medicinal herb

Te'nari A D'Jarra

Temonis A stone, pink

Tessijen A unit of measurement, note "jen" is essentially "anticipate", a measure of distance from a goal or destination, perhaps?

Tumika An era of history

Va "source"

Vedek Senior clergy member

Veklava A food

Yavar "Tears"

Yavar ha "Tears of Light", AKA Tears of the Prophets, the sacred orbs (older label)

 

Brilliant insights on the Andorians, Nasat, which fit wonderfully with some fanfic ideas I've been playing with. I'll be subscribing to this thread for later consultation.

ETA: Wow on the Bajoran language stuff too. You're a very clever person.

 

Thanks!

 

Thanks for the link! And thanks for the added Andorian response (you were of course first in mind when I wanted input on my Andorian musings!)

 

All interesting stuff.

 

Regarding the Andorians, what's really needed there is a flowchart showing how gamete transfer mechanically works. Or pornographic doodles, whatever.

 

One Bajoran-related thing I've noticed is that a lot of ancient languages throughout the Alpha Quadrant seem to have writing systems that look suspiciously like Ancient Bajoran (probably due to Enterprise's art department cutting corners).

We know from Sisko's experiment with that old solar-sail vessel that Bajorans were early star-farers --it's possible that they may even have been part of a thriving pre-Federation interstellar trading network (like the Phoenicians before the rise of Rome). There might be echoes of Bajoran/Orallian/Hebitian culture scattered across the entire quadrant (making a great excuse for Picard to spend a shore leave visiting Sisko on Bajor. . .).

 

Interesting! Sort of like, as Memory Alpha notes, alien scripts as diverse as Lokirrim and Zibalian are based on Iconian; which makes sense in-universe as well as in corner-cutting reality (pleasingly for my project here) .

I do remember the second book in the Q-Continuum trilogy- the bits set in the Tkon Empire- mentioning "Bajoran honey", so goods from Bajor were apparently making their way through the trade networks then (though the "Bajora" in those days were still a theocratic state rather than the entire race, at least if we go by the DS9 relaunch, as I am). And of course this does track with comments by Picard that Bajorans- or the race now identified as "Bajoran" - spread their culture to other worlds and became known for art, architecture, etc, long before humans were technologically advanced.

Thanks for the input. I'll go over the scripts I have and look for possible, er, "Bajoran influence" (the more I discuss my project the more geekish it sounds ).

 

Either Memory Alpha or Memory Beta (or possibly mainstream Wikipedia, who can keep them straight?) claims within the same paragraph that while all four gametes are required for fertilization, the zhen does not contribute any genetic meterial to the zygote, but instead merely acts a mobile incubator. I commented in the "discussion" pane that it can't be both, so which is it? I never received an answer.

So from what I can tell, with apologies to the sensitive, the process goes as follows:
a) thaan ****s shen
b) chan ****s shen
c) shen ****s zhen.

But I want to see some hardcore thaan-on-chan action, dammit!

 

Ah, ah, ah, two alone cannot be Whole. Only four can be Whole.

Although I'm sure recreational naughtiness goes on reasonably often...

 

Indeed.

I thought I had it figured right that the present conception (ha ha) of Andorians was as a basically eusocial species, with the zhens doing the extremely hard work of childbearing without passing on genetic information. Which is really hard to buy, because of the rareness--and maladaptiveness--of eusociality, without either high degrees of relatedness for the assisting non-procreating party (as in many hymenopterans), or a temporal element in which the assisting, non-procreating party eventually can phase into a procreative stage (naked mole rats).

As far as I can tell, zhens are neither related to the gamete donors--although they probably should be. Why would there be an incest taboo, if inbreeding depression is foreclosed by the simple expedient of all zhens being sterile (WAD)? Surely, too, it would be easier to procure the important child-incubators from within the nest than seeking out others. It would nautrally be preferable to have as many as you could get, but you'd start at home.

But, in any event, there would be strong selective pressures to eliminate the zhen sex, long before bipedal sapients appeared, for the same reason that no mammal species is truly eusocial, with only two examples of near-eusociality, and for the same reason that there is no species of any order that I know of wherein the gamete donors totally parasitize on the childbearer, and she herself fails to contribute its genetic material to the child.

Of course, according to Paradigm, the Andorians are apparently ancient astronauts. Who happened to bring along a crypto-angiosperm flowering plant. And nothing else. So yeah. Also of course, Paradigm does mention that the Andorians are dying out, but it's hard to believe it's been a successful adaptation until recently.

Anyway, a concept already pushing it with a species requiring tetrasexual breeding doesn't need extra help to be implausible. All that said, I could probably come up with an explanation. Pawning off childbearing on the non-contributing zhen is an enormous success for the other three sexes (it's not a bug, it's a feature ). If the sex-determination system is sufficiently convoluted, zhens could be produced through a mechanism that doesn't require them to pass on their information (the information being carried forward by one or all of the other three sexes). It still runs into the problem that any child of yours who is sterile remains a total evolutionary liability to you. But since the other three sexes aren't reproductively limited, this may not completely foreclose the possibility.

All right, so it's more like a train than a DP. For some reason I always pictured a DP.

 

I seem to have remembered it otherwise, that all four are genetic doners, but I can't find evidence either way (big books, some of 'em). I was sure all four sexes contributed genetic material- the thaans and chans fertilize the shens, who have produced the "egg", and then the shens transfer it to the zhens for the next stage, where I assumed the addition of the zhen's genetic material takes place internally (she self-fertilizes, as it were), and this completes the genome and the process of full development begins. Perhaps she can store the material from the other three for some time, until conditions are optimum, before self-fertilizing and setting it in motion? If Andoria is in the grips of an ice age, and conditions are overall quite harsh, I suppose that would make sense? Wait until it's milder before you actually produce a child, but make sure you have the genetic material now because if it's so harsh at least one member of your quad might not make it...

Maybe this is why I'm so quick to assume zhens do contribute genes! If they don't, any ideas, seeing as Andorians aren't social hive insects or mole rats?

EDIT: Hmmm, Therin's post above, and the old speculations he dug up, might be useful here.

Or maybe the Andorians are some sort of odd experiment by alien biologists, an elder race doing some meddling? They tested the idea on a flower first, then decided to see if a viable civilization of sapients could be made using this highly troubling system. It worked...for a time, but such a system couldn't sustain itself, soon it was falling apart and now we have the Andorian genetic crisis? Sort of like the Voyager-relaunch idea of the Klingons and the Curse of the Gods, I know...

Okay, I know you're talking about the naked mole rats as one, but I must admit my ignorance- what's the second? Or are there two species of naked mole rat?