Trill

			Intelligent Lifeform Index

Trill
Four Letter Code	TRLL
Federation Status	Member
Planet of Origin	Trill
Encountered	Sometime in the 21st century contact was established with the Vulcans
T/E Rating	T0/E0
Current Tech Level	N+
List of Named Trills
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"The future holds the promise of new beginnings and better memories."

a Trill saying.

The Trill are a humanoid species native to the planet Trill. A small percentage of the Trill population co-exists with a sentient symbiotic organism known as a symbiont inside their bodies.

The resulting joined Trill have personalities which are a synthesis of the two beings including the memories, and to some extent the personalities, of the previous hosts of the symbiont. This way, the joined being gains all the skills and occupations of the previous hosts. As late as 2367, the fact that some Trill exist as a joined symbiotic species was widely unknown, even to Federation scientists.

Home System

• Quadrant: Alpha Quadrant
• Location: Kalandra Sector
• Proper Name: Trill system
• Star: It is a binary star system with one G-class star and one K-class star.
• Distance from Star: its orbit is approximately 181,761,413 million km (1.215 AU)
• Companions: 6 planets in the system including Trill
• Moons: it has 1 moon.

Home World

See also: Trill (planet)

History

Age of Spring

The first years of Trill development are referred to as Oras aru'Zentu'il ("Age of Spring" or "Spring Age"). Records prior to this period are very rare. It was during this period that the first contact between Trill humanoids and Symbionts occurred. While these first meetings were peaceful, due to the differences between the two species they experienced things differently. The first few joinings were accompanied by hallucinations that hosts misinterpreted as ghosts or spirits.

Early History

As the humanoid Trill began to migrate out from the Mak'ala region thousands of years ago, it became impractical for many to make the journey to Mak'ala to request to be joined. As a result many of the Trill that made the journey to be joined were traveling merchants and traders. Due to the distance from Mak'ala it became common to transfer the Symbiont into someone close to the host when the host died.

Creation of the Symbiosis Commission

The Trill started keeping records of joinings in the 12th century. By this time many cultures and governments had developed so there were no global regulations over who received the Symbionts. Nepotism was rampant and it became increasingly common for new hosts to reassociate with the partners of the old host, much to the detriment of Trill society. In the 13th century, representatives from each government on Trill met to decide what to do. The result of these talks was the formation of the Symbiosis Commission to regulate the joining process and new laws were put into place regarding joining such as the law banning reassociation.

Space Age

Trill's first contact with alien life was in the early 21st century, when a Vulcan ship landed, proposing friendship and cultural information exchange. Trill society was deeply divided by this development, with many fearing the outsiders represented a threat to the symbionts. The ruling council eventually allowed for limited contact with Vulcans, but no other alien races. This first contact also led to increased security around and secrecy regarding the symbionts.

In 2038, two years before the arrival of the Vulcans, the Trill Science Ministry successfully tested the first warp drive. There were initial concerns about the safety of warp travel for joined Trill but the arrival of the Vulcans and the decision to conceal the symbionts caused progress to slow to a crawl. It wasn't until 2046 that it was deemed safe for joined Trill to travel at warp speeds.

Circa 2075, Trill was visited by the L'Dira. Trill's refusal to deal with the unknown race led to an attack on the planet, killing over fifty. This tragic error in understanding convinced the ruling council to increase their knowledge of the galaxy.

In the 22nd century, Lela Dax became the first woman to be appointed to the Trill ruling council which until that point had consisted solely of joined men.

It is not known when Trill and humans first made contact but Travis Mayweather mentions having visited Trillius Prime, while still a member of his fathers freighter crew. Emony Dax is known to have visited Earth in the mid 23rd Century, where she was apparently close to Leonard McCoy. By the 2240s, they could be encountered on Earth.

Trill could be found visiting Vulcan early-23rd century. Sometime prior to 2245 Tobin Dax once met the famous Cardassian poet Iloja of Prim while the latter was exiled on Vulcan.

By 2257, it wasn't unusual to see a Trill on Qo'noS.

Trill joined the United Federation of Planets shortly before the 2260s, before that the planet's military was the Trill Private Service. Madza Bral, a Trill politician, was elected Federation President not long afterwards.

2367

Despite the relatively unusual nature of being a joined species, that aspect of their culture wasn't widely unknown until 2367, when the Odan symbiont had to be given a new host during the middle of tense negotiations on Peliar Zel. Such a public example of the dual nature of the Trill brought to the forefront what had previously been a very private matter to Trill for several millennia.

Mirror Universe

In the mirror universe, it was unclear which side (if any) the Trill government took in the conflict between the Klingon-Cardassian Alliance and the Terran Rebellion. A number of individual Trill were part of the Rebellion, while others would attempt to remain non-aligned.

Government

In the 21st century, Trill was governed by a ruling council, composed solely of joined Trills, and primarily males. The council was lead by a head councilor, addressed as "Mr. Speaker". The council met in the council chambers, at the time one of the oldest and largest spaces in the capital city, adorned with acelon desks and capped by an opaque dome. As early as the mid-21st century, debate raged over abandoning the historic chamber for more modern building.

By the 24th century, Trill government was run by a President and a Senate, both housed in the Trill Senate Tower, in the city of Leran Manev. That government nearly collapsed when a terrorist attack killed or seriously wounded thousands of symbionts, including that of the president, Lirisse Maz. The Maz symbiont was successfully unjoined through use of an experimental drug, and Lirisse Durghan was able to maintain her position. (Source: DS9 - Worlds of DS9 novel: Trill: Unjoined)

The Chief of Staff of the Trill government serves as a non-executive or ceremonial President, the only mandate the Chief of Staff has is serving as a national unifying figure and is often the one to conduct negotiations with other powers, be they Federation members or not. The Chief of Staff is referred to as Excellency.

The Education Ministry is a department of the Trill government that oversees public schools. It is run by the Education Minister.

Trill Senate Tower

The Trill Senate Tower is the seat of government for Trill, housing the chambers of the Trill Senate and the office of the President of Trill.

Trill Diplomatic Corps

The Trill Diplomatic Corps was a Trill diplomatic body.

In 2075, a member of the Diplomatic Corps met with several Vulcans, including T'Pau, who wanted to speak to Lela Dax after the L'Dira attacked Trill. Seljin Gandres was an Ambassador in the Diplomatic Corps. He spent several years dealing with the Pakleds on behalf of the organization.

In 2376, the Trill Diplomatic Corps was involved in Bajor's admittance to the United Federation of Planets. Using his connections, Hiziki Gard was assigned to be Ambassador Gandres' aide by the Corps.

Description

Waeyna Rajel

Most Trill are distinguished by two rows of spots going down each side of their body, from forehead to toe. Their skin color can vary. While the most seen combination is that of spots being darker than the skin shade, there is a known mutation in which some Trill's spots are lighter than the skin.

Physiology

One of the main Neurotransmitters in the Trill brain is Isoboromine. One Trill peculiarity is that they are known for having cold hands.

Benzocyatizine was a medication used to treat low isoboromine levels in Trill.

Joined Trill are extremely allergic to insect bites; the biochemical connections between the host and symbiont can not tolerate the reaction caused by the insect's venom.

With joined Trill consumption of synthehol could, in some cases, cause visions of prior hosts.

Joining

See also: Trill/Joining
The few Trill that are given a symbiont are typically joined in their early to mid-twenties. The physical process of being joined is irreversible. Once joined, the host and symbiont are dependent on each other after 93 hours. If the symbiont is removed from the host, symbiont and host will die within hours, even if they are otherwise healthy, unless they are reimplanted with another host or symbiont.

The brain of a joined Trill has two cerebral nuclei and two different brain wave patterns. Julian Bashir compared them with two linked computers, which both work for the same task, in 2369.

Common belief in Trill society holds that only one in one thousand Trill make acceptable hosts. In fact, this figure is vastly understated, and nearly half of the Trill population is capable of being joined. The myth is perpetuated very carefully, though, in order to avoid the widespread chaos which would arise if the information were made public, since the symbionts would become, essentially, objects to be fought over, as people fought to gain the few prized symbionts.

Psychology

Jadzia Dax joked that Trill don't look for romance the way Humans do. They consider it quite a nuisance and view it as a weakness of the young. Although a Trill host may have romantic feelings on occasion, it is the symbiont's wish to live on a higher plane and to try to rise above those sorts of temptations.

Religion

While it may not be considered a true religion all Trill and the Symbionts have a basic belief that one should care for their own body and health as well as that of the people around them. That to strive to better oneself is the best way to be true to one self.

Trill cultures have had multiple belief systems across time and cultures of the planet. Some Trill still give praise to the ancient gods.

In Vilari, a place near the pole with several volcanoes, Trill worshiped a group of fire gods. When the religion began to die out a group of the religion’s followers created a commune beneath a volcano called The Ring. Many of their descendants still live there. There were rumors that worshipers of the Fire Gods made Trill sacrifices by throwing them into a volcano.

Mythology

They have a complex and unusual set of early tales that detail the tentative first steps and early history of the two species and their development of the current joining process. What makes these tales so unusual is the divergent nature of the two species and how they both viewed it from their own perspective.

Trill have a rich mythology of ghosts, spirits, gods, and other mythical creatures. Some of these can be dated back to the “Age of Spring” when early Trill hosts mistook hallucinations for ghosts or spirits. One of these tales involves an ancient town that became convinced that their city was haunted.

In modern times, Trill generally approach such topics with a great deal of skepticism. Nothing on Trill has ever been proven to be of purely supernatural origin.

Society

As Trill society grew, their governments adopted a system influenced by the symbionts. The symbiont populations grew much more slowly than the Trill humanoid populations, so many Trills competed to have the right qualifications to be selected as a host. This general competitiveness showed through academic achievement and philosophical development—the symbionts made it clear that they would reject violent individuals who tried to become hosts by force. As a result, all Trill civilization stressed a high level of education and ethical personal responsibility.

By the time they met the Federation, the Trill already had a unified world government, a meritocracy run through systems of examinations and scientific appointments. Trills valued their independence and their position as a neutral party. Over the exchange of several decades, it became clear that the Federation stood for the same high values that Trill society encouraged—and that the members of the Federation had embraced those values, due to long years of struggle and learning, having worked hard to establish what came naturally to Trill culture. Eventually, the Trill applied for and received Federation membership in one of the fastest turnaround times from application to completion.

The Trill have a civilization marked by a decided lack of conflict. The combination of environment taking off population pressures, crossed with the stabilizing influence of the peaceful symbionts, helped to make the Trill into intellectuals instead of warriors. Their war was not to subdue other cultures for resources, but rather to tame the environment.

By the 22nd century, Trills had largely tamed their world, and engaged in rudimentary space travel and contacts with other cultures through subspace radio. By the 23rd century, Trill warp engines were on par with most Starfleet designs; Trill travelers became a common sight throughout the Alpha Quadrant, although their symbionts remained secret and the Trill had little desire to colonize or conquer other worlds.

In contrast to the greater revelation of their nature, the Trill are not a secretive species. To them, the joined nature of their culture is normal and not something they would think to comment on without prompting. Indeed, joined Trill can be seen as particularly genial and many have served the Federation as distinguished ambassadors, including Odan and Dax.

Laws

Trill law forbids reassociation between subsequent hosts of joined persons, whose symbionts were romantically involved in their previous hosts, as the main purpose of the transfer of symbionts is to experience new things in life. Trill who are found guilty of reassociation are expelled from Trill society, meaning that their symbionts die with their current host.

Culture

The Trill mathematical system is noted for containing ethical modes.

Language

The Trill written language is composed of rounded-triangles with squiggly lines in them. The Trill language had different second person singular pronouns based on whether or not an individual was joined.

Music

• Trill Bell Music - Trill bell music is a type of musical style which uses bell-like instruments.

Instruments

Aside from Trill Bells other instruments from the planet include the following:

• Trill Flute
• Trill piano

Hoobishan Baths

The Hoobishan Baths (also known as the Baths of Trill) are a popular public bathing location in Leran Manev on Trill. They are also a popular holoprogram for holodecks and holosuites.Odo once described the Baths as being like a monastery, when compared to Risa.

Drink

Trill produces a variety of alcoholic beverages. As a whole they tend to have either a higher alcohol content or are sweeter than their Terran analogues due to a higher sugar content found in Trill grain and fruits.

See Also: Beer Wine And Spirit Lover's Guide to Trill

Food

Deroe fish - could be served seared with caramelized puree of lida fruit.

Drinaer - Lamb dish with a spicy cream sauce and pasta. Traditionally made with a Ploriz Pasta, made out of a special grain that is nearly impossible to get off of Trillius Prime due to the Trill being protective of it. When made off world the grain can be substituted for a different kind.

Grakizh yellow-leaf salad - a type of salad.

Ramh’al altwi - toasted oats, redberries, and billol slices in yogurt. A popular breakfast in the Ayai'leh-hirh region of Trill.

Rose Capaya - fruit similar to a raspberry but sweeter. Can grow to the size of a fist.

Sports

The Trill have a ball game that is similar to softball but with some crazy rules.

Trill Basketball Association is a basketball league on Trill and includes teams such as the Mak'ala Mavericks.

Galeo-Manada is a form of wrestling popular on Trill with tournaments being held on the planet.

Football is also played on Trill. One team is the Vrans City Feather Cats.

Customs

Festival of Life

The Festival of Life originated on Trill and can now be found on other Federation worlds as well such as the Trill district of Polar City on Rigel IV. It celebrates the joy of existence and life experiences. The festival is considered to be similar to Mardi Gras of Earth or the Bajoran Gratitude Festival. There is music, food, and dancing.

Throughout the month long celebration, participants are encouraged to wear elaborate costumes. These costumes traditionally take inspiration from Trill history and mythology, however, in modern times it is not unusual to see a wider variety of costumes from artistic interpretations of various wildlife to pop singers. At the end of the festival these costumes are judged by the crowds in the Parade of Costumes. Onlookers judge the quality of the costumes and cheer for those they deem to have won best in show. Some celebrations of the festival have even begun crowning formal winners in various themed categories, although this is not based in Trill tradition.

Technology

The Trill are a technologically advanced species and the Trill Science Ministry is a leading center of learning and experimentation.

Two major factors contributed to the rise of Trill technology: the memories of symbionts, and easy access to ores and heavy metals. The symbionts could communicate with the Trill through Joining, although the ways and means of the first Joining remain shrouded in secrecy by the Trill Symbiosis Commission.

Symbionts passed from host to host but retained their memories and friendships, and kept Trill society centered on a long-term view. Geologically, the planet Trill's heavy tectonic activity led to the formation of quake caverns and eroded tunnels, through which the Trill could easily gain access to deposits of iron, aluminum, and other useful metals. The combination of the two factors led to the rapid rise of technology

Trill Science Ministry

The Trill Science Ministry is an educational institute and one of the premiere institutes of science in the Federation, on par with the Vulcan Science Academy. Located on the Trill home world, the Ministry was a leader in the field of spatial and subspace anomalies in the 2370s, in particular the study of wormholes.

Notable scientists at the Ministry included Lenara Kahn, Hanor Pren, and Bejal Otner, all of whom visited Deep Space 9 in 2372 to conduct experiments in the creation of artificial wormholes.

In 2373, the Science Ministry discovered a method of collapsing the Alpha Quadrant terminus of the Bajoran wormhole without harming the Prophets. Upon learning of the large Dominion invasion fleet heading for the wormhole, Captain Benjamin Sisko ordered the plan to be executed, but it was thwarted by a Changeling posing as Julian Bashir.

Military

Trill Private Service

Trill Private Service was the space born military of the planet Trill until the planet joined the United Federation of Planets, when the organization was merged into Starfleet.

The Clif and the Rajel symbiont served in the Private Service until the merger.

Trill Defense Ministry

The Trill Defense Ministry is a body present within the Trill government which are charged with the protection of the Trill home world and its people.

Starfleet Intelligence Files

Just for your Knowledge

A link between the Trill symbionts and the alien parasites seen in TNG: "Conspiracy" is suggested in the non-canon DS9 short story "Sins of the Mother" (in the anthology The Lives of Dax) and the novel Unity. This was expanded upon in Worlds of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Volume 2. The neural parasite was first seen as it traveled in a comet passing close to the Trill homeworld. Audrid Dax and her husband, Jayvin Vod, went to the comet with a Federation team to examine it when Trill scanners showed a being similar to a symbiont in the comet. However, as the Federation was unaware of the Trill's symbiotic relationships yet, it was kept in secrecy. Upon coming into contact with the chamber of the parasite, it bonded with Jayvin, as well as the Vod symbiont, ultimately causing both of their deaths.

The inconsistencies between TNG and DS9 Trill were dealt with in the novels by suggesting that ridged Trill and Trill who could not be transported were subgroups of Trill society; both were mentioned or shown during the scenes on Trill, and the inability of some Trill to be transported was a plot point. In the DS9 Relaunch novels dealing with Trill, the ability or inability to be transported is shown as simply a difference between various Trill ethnicities.

The comics took a far different course, such as the Star Trek: Divided We Fall mini-series, where the fact is completely ignored. In fact, both Odan hosts are shown, without facial ridges but with spots. All Trill in the series are shown with the spots instead, no reasoning given.

In another novel, Forged in Fire, the ridged Trill are said to result from a strain of the Augment virus that managed to infect a Trill colony through visiting Klingon traders. However, the Trill seemed not to be interested in working on methods of restoring the original Trill look, with this "sub-group" having recently (at the time the novel was set) being re-accepted back into Trill society. This division among the groups possibly explains why Odan was so different from other Trill encountered in the series.

References

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