Andorian physical characteristics

[Methos]

just curious... i know the Andorian's have an exoskeleton on their body as part of their evolution, but do we have any information about their physical aptitude?

Strength and stamina sort of thing...

i'm guessing the exoskeleton would give a moderate boost to stamina and help in fight situations as a sort of 'armour', but is there any indication in the books or shows about their strength level?

M

 

[F. King Daniel]

The exoskeleton idea is from the old "Worlds of the Federation" book, isn't it? Which also said they come from a desert world? Later Trek canon ignored it. When we saw Shran's GF wearing very little in the fourth season of Enterprise, we saw their exterior anatomy is the same as humans. And when we visited Andoria, it was a ball of ice.

Also of note, Enterprise ignored Vulcan super strength and endurence, repeatedly shown during TOS.

 

[Methos]

right thanks...

i haven't watched Enterprise in ages, i just remembered them having exoskeletons from somewhere... states they do on Memory Beta, so it's probably a book thing...

http://memory-beta.wikia.com/wiki/Andorian

Kinda like the idea personally, but i can see why they didn't put it in the show

M

 

[7thsealord]

The old 'Starfleet Medical Reference Manual' shows Andorians as having some exoskeleton. Possibly, that is the original source of what you recall.

 

[Methos]

maybe...

could just be one of their 'sexes' has an exoskeleton, while the other three don't...

As for the vulcan stuff, i don't like the idea of ENT ignoring their different physical characteristics... would be like ignoring their mental characteristics or green blood...

M

 

[Forbin]

I was always pissed that Enterprise ignored Andorian anatomy from the fan-tech days. Yeah, yeah, I know they had no obligation to. But after 35 years of exoskeletons and knowing the antennae were what they used for ears, and of course their homeworld being called Andor, not Andoria , it was just more reasons to be annoyed at Enterprise.

 

[Timo]

And when we visited Andoria, it was a ball of ice.

Which, for all practical purposes, definitely is a desert.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[The Wormhole]

I'm just pissed Andorian Ice Powers have never been canonized.

 

[T'Girl]

And when we visited Andoria, it was a ball of ice.

Which, for all practical purposes, definitely is a desert.

Antarctica is considered a desert because it is so dry, almost no air moisture, almost no rain fall except along the coast.

So, strickly speaking Andoria could easily be a desert.

Andorians don't seem to experience feelings of hot or cold, I wonder if they maintain a constant internal temperature. Or if their body just match the ambient temperature of where ever they are, in Enterprise they don't appear to be wearing anything like a "cold suit."

 

[captcalhoun]

Shran revelled in the cold of Andoria, claiming the cold bred strength, not heat like the Vulcans claim.

 

[Therin of Andor]

I was always pissed that Enterprise ignored Andorian anatomy from the fan-tech days. Yeah, yeah, I know they had no obligation to. But after 35 years of exoskeletons and knowing the antennae were what they used for ears, and of course their homeworld being called Andor, not Andoria , it was just more reasons to be annoyed at Enterprise.

Hey, don't blame ENT!

You obviously weren't looking closely enough during ST:TMP:


Female Andorian ambassador by Therin of Andor, on Flickr


The other female Andorian ambassador by Therin of Andor, on Flickr

Or ST IV:


MOV Igrilan Kor by Therin of Andor, on Flickr

The exoskeleton idea is from the old "Worlds of the Federation" book, isn't it?

No, it comes from "Starfleet Medical Reference Manual" by Eileen Palestine.


Physiology by Therin of Andor, on Flickr

The manual tried to do something a bit unusual with the Andorians of TOS, to make them more alien. No external ears (overruled canonically by the females in ST:TMP, then one of the males in ST IV) and the entwining external bone/cartilage on the arms stopped at the elbow, matching up perfectly with the bare forearm we saw on the Andorian in "Whom Gods Destroy".

Very few other ST products have used the exoskeleton idea.


Sharav by Therin of Andor, on Flickr
[The Dragons of Berengaria: Part Two by Brian Franczak, a b/w comic appearing in Enterprise Incidents #8, 1980.]

Can't think of any licensed ones. An Andorian listserv I used to belong to have several prolific members who really hated the exoskeleton idea, and would say that any humanoid creature with an exoskeleton would be too heavy to move.

The first licensed tie-in to show that a bare torso had no exoskeleton was the post-TMP Marvel comic, in which some missing Andorian colonists had been transformed... into garden gnomes!


Troll revealed! by Therin of Andor, on Flickr

Which also said they come from a desert world? Later Trek canon ignored it.

Yeah, IIRC, "Worlds of the Federation" postulated hot desert. The various role-playing game manuals, however, went the other "blue skin = cold person" route - and ENT's writers went with inspiration from the icy cover art on the Last Unicorn RPG supplemental manual, "The Andorians: Among the Clans":


Among the Clans by Therin of Andor, on Flickr

 

[Forbin]

Therin, yeah, I was pissed at the movie Andorians too at the time. I guess I blocked them out. I just thought it showed a tragic lack of imagination to include human ears AND the antennae.

 

[Methos]

thanks for that Therin... seriously...

i do really like the idea of the Andorian's having an exoskeleton, makes them very different from normal humanoids and quite unique

thanks for all the info

M

 

[F. King Daniel]

Therin, yeah, I was pissed at the movie Andorians too at the time. I guess I blocked them out. I just thought it showed a tragic lack of imagination to include human ears AND the antennae.

I'm not sure where it's from (I'd guess either "Worlds of the Federation" or novels. I'm sure Therin knows!), but I really liked the idea that the antennae are sense organs which, among other things, are how Andorians see colour.

 

[7thsealord]

Therin, yeah, I was pissed at the movie Andorians too at the time. I guess I blocked them out. I just thought it showed a tragic lack of imagination to include human ears AND the antennae.

I'm not sure where it's from (I'd guess either "Worlds of the Federation" or novels. I'm sure Therin knows!), but I really liked the idea that the antennae are sense organs which, among other things, are how Andorians see colour.

Mentioned in the Medical Reference Manual - apparently, Andorians have, by virtue of their antennae, quadroscopic vision. There is also a handy first aid guide there for when an Andorian's antenna is dislocated (very uncomfortable).

 

[Therin of Andor]

I'm not sure where it's from (I'd guess either "Worlds of the Federation" or novels. I'm sure Therin knows!), but I really liked the idea that the antennae are sense organs which, among other things, are how Andorians see colour.

"Starfleet Medical Reference Manual" again.

And, canonically, the antennae do work as sense organs. The Aenar are all blind, remember, but none of them walked into walls.

Also: The proximity of hominids can produce a "pins-and-needles" sensation in the Andorian antennae. [Deep Space Nine: Section 31: Abyss (Pocket, 2001) by David Weddle and Jeffrey Lang.]

A speculative discussion of the evolution of Andorian antennae can be found in Life Signs: The Biology of Star Trek (HarperCollins, 1998) by Susan and Robert Jenkins.