Melkotian

			Intelligent Lifeform Index

Melkotian
Four Letter Code	MLKO
Federation Status	Member
Planet of Origin	Melkot
Encountered	TOS: Spectre of the Gun
T/E Rating	T0/E0
Current Tech Level	T
List of Named Melkotians
Full ILI Gallery • Permitted Species Gallery

"You may be inferior but that does not mean you have no value to the universe."

a Melkotian greeting.

The Melkotians are a species of incredibly powerful beings who use telepathy and psych kinesis to communicate, move around and interact with the world around them. They appear to be merely a floating head with two bright eyes and while they are full members of the Federation they still remain a highly xenophobic species.

They are also known as the Melkots.

Home System

• Quadrant: Alpha
• Location: ??? Sector (coordinates A27-0002-1300??)
• Proper Name: Theta Kiokis system
• Star: It orbits a class M (Red) star
• Distance from Star: its orbit is approximately 39 million km
• Companions: It is the only planet in the system
• Moons: it has 3 tiny moons and a single large one

Home World

• Proper Name: Melkot
• Diameter: 14,??? km (10,001 miles)
• Gravity: 0.87 standard gravity with a density of 3.8
• Axial Tilt: 4.4%, with minimal seasonal changes
• Orbital Period: 349 days
• Rotational Period: 22.6 hours
• Classification: M
• Surface Water: 41%
• Atmosphere: 0.88% is a low standard pressure with 72% nitrogen, 26% oxygen, 2% trace chemicals
• Climate: Mainly a hot, semi-tropical world
• Terrain: Massive rocky mountain ranges with dense swamps and almost vertical hilly zones covered in dense jungle vegetation
• Population: Just over 1 billion

History

Based on the records provided to the Federation by the Melkotians they developed over a period of approximately 15,000 years. During this entire time they have no recorded instance of crime, social unrest or conflict.

However they did have unpleasant contact with other species that they were able to repulse thanks to their incredible mental powers. This resulted in their developing new types of technology that eventually evolved into the current system of warning buoys that completed surround their world.

The Federation made first contact with the Melkotians in 2268, when the USS Enterprise encountered one of their orbiting warning buoys. This meeting which started out badly eventually led to diplomatic discussions that resulted in them requesting admission to the Federation.

The Melkotians joined the Federation just before Betazed did but even as full members they still generally prefer seclusion and only allow a few individuals to visit their world at any one time.

The Melkotians entered one of their newly designed starships into the Great Starship Race. It was named the Specific and was commanded by Captain Im.

Government

Possibly one of the most unusual aspects of their society is the fact that they have a unified system of government to which every single member of their society is a member. Every single one of them has the same rights, voting power and ability to raise a new issue or debate old or current ones.

Description

Melkotians appear as large brains covered by vital organs with two very bright, circular eyes in the front and short tentacles hanging from the bottom. They seem to float above the ground without a body.

Physiology

As with most intelligent humanoid species they have a very complex system with specialized organs, and unique hormones, chemicals and enzymes. They are typical humanoids with most of the physical, mental and biological medical problems that seem to plague most humanoids.

They move and communicate with Psi abilities.

Psychology

A powerful non-humanoid race, they prefer to remain secluded as they are xenophobic and their homeworld is surrounded by a series of warning buoys. Before joining the Federation any and all intruders into their space were subjected to an elaborate telepathic execution involving illusion and the victims' own memory.

Psi Ability

They have a highly developed form of telepathy which they use to both communicate and to create realistic mental illusions that are so good they can not only fool just about everyone but also be used to kill.

They also possess a highly developed form of psych kinesis that allows them to levitate and move around. It also allows them to move objects and perform incredibly delicate and intricate tasks at a distance.

Religion

They have no known religious beliefs and based on the limited data that they have made available to the Federation it is doubtful if they ever did.

Mythology

They have no recorded data that could be considered to be mythological and based on the limited data that they have made available to the Federation it is doubtful if they ever did.

Society

They seem to have an ideal society with relatively no social problems, no crime and equality for all. Their communities are well laid out, simplistic in design but with adequate amenities and info structure for all. Recreational facilities take the form of galleries, museums or music auditoriums.

What some visitors find strange is the complete and total lack of any form of plant life growing anywhere within any of their communities. Outside of these communities is a wealth of unusual plant life but within every single square inch of ground is covered with a smooth, off white material.

Culture

They have an avid and all-consuming interest in all forms of artistic expression. Some experts believe that it was the opportunity to gain access to all of the various different types of artistic expression from so many different worlds and species that eventually convinced the Melkotians to request membership in the Federation in the first place.

Customs

Based on the limited data that they have made available to the Federation there is no recorded information to support the existence of any form or type of customs.

Technology

They are very intelligent and highly advanced with many technological devices and machines capable of doing things that still baffle most visitors. Thanks to their incredible mental powers those technological secrets that they have will remain theirs for a very long time as it is impossible to copy or steal any data from them.

Economy

They are almost completely self-sufficient and what little trade they do conduct is mostly for luxury goods, various forms of artistic expression or unusual technological devices that spark their curiosity.

Military

Their system of warning buoys added to their remarkable telepathic abilities meant that they never needed to develop any form of military.

Since joining the Federation none of them have ever joined Starfleet or the Marines.

Buoy

The Melkotian buoy was an orbital warning buoy placed by the Melkot, to warn others not to encroach on their territory in space. They caused their buoy to emit unstable M-rays at energy levels beyond the ability of the Enterprise's instruments to measure - apparently part of a destruct sequence, for seconds later, the buoy exploded.

Federation Intelligence Files

The Federation made first contact with the Melkotians in 2268, when the USS Enterprise encountered an orbiting warning buoy. Captain James T. Kirk ignored the Melkot warning to leave their territory and instead assumed orbit and beamed down a landing party.

The Melkotians condemning the landing party to death for their trespass. The form of execution was to be by telepathic projection of illusions that took the form of the famous gunfight at the OK Corral in Tombstone, Arizona, on October 26, 1881, between the Earps and the Clantons who lost.

Leonard McCoy used a container of baking soda as a component of a non-lethal gas grenade in an attempt to escape the Melkotian illusion. It was only when Spock used the Vulcan mind meld to alter their perception of reality that the illusion was defeated.

The Melkot were intrigued by Kirk's display of mercy and suggested that the Enterprise visit Melkot, where a delegation would come out to meet them. This meeting progressed into formal diplomatic talks that eventually resulted in them becoming full members of the Federation.

The Melkot joined the Federation just before Betazed did but even as full members they still generally prefer seclusion and only allow a few individuals to visit their world at any one time.

During his captaincy of the USS Enterprise-B, John Harriman was forced to address a problem with the Melkot. His resolution of the situation later earned him the Zee-Magnees Prize.

Their cranial bodies are able to levitate and move around by a means of psychokinesis.

The Specific was a Melkotian starship that was an entry into the Great Starship Race. Specific was commanded by Captain Im.

Sources

Both Memory Alpha and Memory Beta were used as resources as well as the following TV episode, TOS: Spectre of the Gun.

The following written sources were also used. The TOS novel: The Great Starship Race, the ST short story: Hour of Fire, ST reference: The Worlds of the Federation, Enterprise Incidents, issue #14, p. 44 and Starlog, issue 25, p. 36.

Content from this article may have
come partially, or entirely from
 Memory Alpha

		SPECIES PROFILE UPDATED This profile was revised by the Species Development Committee.		REV 240109.14
		Please add any new information discovered during the course of a mission or shore leave.
SB118-SDC

Memory Beta pic = A Melkotian buoy

Memory Alpha pc = of species