Sheliak

			Intelligent Lifeform Index

Sheliak
Four Letter Code	SHEL
Federation Status	Non-communicative
Planet of Origin	Unknown planet in the Shelia star system
Encountered	TNG: The Ensigns of Command
T/E Rating	T0/E0
Current Tech Level	NR
List of Named Sheliaks
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"Speak carefully or your own words may doom you."

a Sheliak greeting.

The Sheliak are a species to whom precision is of ultra importance. They find most species to be sadly imprecise in both their actions and their language.

Home System

• Quadrant: Alpha
• Location: Sili Chon Sector (coordinates A27-0002-1300)
• Proper Name: Shelia system
• Star: It orbits a class M (Red) star
• Distance from Star: it's orbit is approximately 101 million km
• Companions: It is the only planet in the system
• Moons: it has 6 moons.

Home World

• Proper Name: Shev’Unden
• Diameter: 21,913 km (13,616 miles)
• Gravity: 0.94 standard gravity with a density of 3.0
• Axial Tilt: 15.3%, with normal terran seasonal changes
• Orbital Period: 302 days
• Rotational Period: 21 hours
• Classification: H
• Surface Water: 43%
• Atmosphere: 0.98% is a standard pressure with 74% nitrogen, 26% oxygen, 2% trace chemicals
• Climate: Mainly a temperate planet with a large arctic poles region.
• Terrain: Rocky, landmasses with mountains and active volcanoes.
• Population: Just over 10 billion
• The above planetary data was obtained by Starfleet Intelligence from the Breen. The accuracy of it has not been verified and as such it may not be accurate.

History

In 2255 there was a brief skirmish between the Sheliak Corporate and the United Federation of Planets. Eventually, peace was established through the Treaty of Armens.

The Treaty of Armens was a diplomatic agreement between the Sheliak Corporate and the United Federation of Planets which set the border, along with a buffer zone, between the two powers. Owing to the Sheliak emphasis on precision, it was drafted in the year 2255 and contained 500,000 words which took 372 Federation legal experts to draft. As part of the dictates of the treaty, several Class H worlds were ceded from the Federation to the Sheliak.

There was virtually no contact with the Sheliak for over a century. In 2366, a dispute broke out between the Federation and the Sheliak, when the Sheliak discovered Federation colonists living on Tau Cygna V, a planet which they wished to colonize.

Apparently, they (like the Human colonists of that world) were immune to hyperonic radiation, as they were not concerned this would be a problem. The Sheliak colonists referred to themselves as "the Membership".

By the terms of the treaty, the Sheliak reserved the right to demand the removal of the colonists. Lt. Cmdr. Data played the lead role in trying to convince the colonists to evacuate the planet before Sheliak colonists arrived. At the same time Captain Picard and Counselor Troi were negotiating with the Sheliak ship director. Eventually, the matter was resolved and the colonists were removed.

Territory of the Breen Confederacy resided near the Sheliak. This was a source of conflict between the two empires. They have also had confrontations with the Yassengoro Confederacy.

Lieutenant Nog was able to procure shield modulator technology for the Sheliak designed to improve shield efficiency against radiation. It was deployed on the evacuation fleet sent to Europa Nova during the Gateways Crisis.

Recently, the Corporate have started to make bigger strides for power across the Alpha Isles. Guided by a new generation of expansionist minded Corporate agents and castellans, the Corporate have secured and held more and more open space across the Isles, occasionally backed by scant Ferengi and Breen allies. However, most of the advances have been focused mainly on securing more power and property for the Corporate as a whole. Largely focused on heavily taxed trade routes, draconian contract deals with local Isles systems and installations, and outright piracy under the guise of "repossession of assets".

Government

Due to their xenophobic nature very little is known about their governing body besides the fact that it is called the Sheliak Corporate. Though recently though contact with the USS Arrow, few details have emerged. They seem to have a more corporate based structure, even to their military entities. Captains of ships are called "Managers" and their underlings are provided similar "Management Positions" across the Bridge.

Description

A non-humanoid life-form of classification R-3. A reclusive race from deep space, the Sheliak are black, silicon-based semi-upright mounds with two arm like projections. Their appearance is therefore essentially a wrap of black, mucous-secreting folds appearing as at least a head and gesturing upper appendages (not too unlike the look of the creature Armus on Vagra II).

Physiology

Unlike most humanoids, the non-humanoid Sheliak preferred to exist in an environment that is the same temperature as their bodies.

Psychology

The Sheliak are xenophobic and avoided contact with the Federation whenever possible. This may have been due to the Sheliak attitude that humanoids were an unintelligent and inferior form of life (often pejoratively describing them as "creatures" and the presence of humanoid life as an "infestation").

The Sheliak consider humans a lower life form and have no qualms about destroying human "infestations". Still today they will "exterminate" those legally in their way -- as with the unknowing human "trespassers" on Tau Cygna V.

Religion

Due to the extreme xenophobic nature of this species and their fierce determination to defend the buffer zone of space surrounding their home world and colonies no data is currently available in regards to this subject.

Mythology

Due to the extreme xenophobic nature of this species and their fierce determination to defend the buffer zone of space surrounding their home world and colonies no data is currently available in regards to this subject.

Society

Due to the extreme xenophobic nature of this species and their fierce determination to defend the buffer zone of space surrounding their home world and colonies no data is currently available in regards to this subject. The acquisition of material wealth and high-cost assets however seem to be paramount across their culture.

Culture

Due to the extreme xenophobic nature of this species and their fierce determination to defend the buffer zone of space surrounding their home world and colonies no data is currently available in regards to this subject.

Customs

Due to the extreme xenophobic nature of this species and their fierce determination to defend the buffer zone of space surrounding their home world and colonies no data is currently available in regards to this subject.

Technology

Due to the unusual nature of their silicon based life forms certain aspects of their technology differ greatly from that of the various species living around them. These differences seem to give them a noticeable advantage when it comes to their military.

Economy

They are completely self sufficient and do not trade with anyone. This seems to be as much an aspect of their xenophobic beliefs as it has to do with their silicon based life forms.

Military

They have a fairly strong fleet with most of their ships being large class vessels. While past conflicts with the Breen, Yassengoro and the Federation were inconclusive it is fairly certain that when push comes to shove they are easily capable of defending themselves.

Federation Intelligence Files

The Sheliak language is an exceedingly complex language. By the 24th century many attempts had been made by the Federation, among others, to comprehend the language but to no avail and even telepaths have been of no help. By comparison the Sheliak had at this time mastered several Federation languages with little effort.

The comparative complexity of the Sheliak language made negotiations over the Treaty of Armens an arduous task. In order to accommodate the Sheliak, who considered the Federation language an irrational one, the treaty was 500,000 words long.

Sources

Data for this article was taken from memory alpha and beta as well as the TV episodes TNG: The Ensigns of Command and TNG: Starship Mine. The following sources were also used TNG novel: The Buried Age, DTI novel: Watching the Clock. DS9 novel: Demons of Air and Darkness and the FASA RPG module: The Federation.

SDC

This file was updated and approved by the SDC on 5 October, 2012

Content from this article may have
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 Memory Alpha

		SPECIES PROFILE UPDATED This profile was revised by the Species Development Committee.		REV 240004.12
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