Laudean
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| Laudeans |
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| Intelligent Lifeform Index |
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| Laudean | |
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| Four Letter Code | LAUD |
| Federation Status | Neutral |
| Planet of Origin | Til'ahn |
| Encountered | Non-canon |
| T/E Rating | T0/E0 |
| Current Tech Level | K+ |
| List of Named Laudeans | |
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Full ILI Gallery • Permitted Species Gallery | |
The Laudeans are a race of the planet Til'ahn (classed as Duronis II in the Federation), who possess extraordinary powers of sensory perception, especially for energy fields.
Biology
Similar to the Vissians encountered by the Starfleet vessel Enterprise (NX-01) in 2152, the Laudeans are a three gender species. Like more species' males, Laudean males tend to be somewhat taller, larger boned and more muscular, with deeper voices and facial hair. Laudean females are usually shorter, with a lighter frame, more agile and dexterous, and supply the womb for procreation.
The unique aspect to Laudean physiology is the lomale, the Laudean's third gender. Their heights and weights generally split the differences between male and female averages. They are often slightly more muscular than females, but of a lighter frame than males. Their facial features are an odd combination of the male and female, though like females they do not grow facial hair. A lomale's genitalia are more similar to a male's, however, having a penis-like appendage, but lacking testicles or a scrotum.
Though the Laudean females supply the unfertilized egg and womb used in procreation, and males provide the sperm, these elements are not sufficient to successfully generate Laudean offspring. The female's unfertiziled egg lacks specific gene sequences necessary to produce offspring, and so is inert. The female body lacks the specific hormone needed to generate the gene sequence. The lomale's body carries this hormone, and thus copulation between a female and a lomale is necessary during a time period before the female's body produces an egg.
Once the egg is produced, its outer layer is virtually inpenetrable to a male's sperm. Once more, the lomale is needed during copulation to provide an enzyme which helps break down the egg's outer shell to a state where penetration by sperm is possible. Due to the relationship between the lomale's hormones and enzymes, the same lomale must be involved in both aspects of the procreation process.
Recent studies hint that the Fielding ability in Laudeans is also closely linked to lomale physiology. This is theorized by interspecies procreation between Laudean males and non-Laudean females. No lomale was required nor involved in the process, and the resulting offspring appear to have absolutely no Fielding ability whatsoever.
- Possible Exception to Non-Lomale involvement with non-Laudean Woman
- Exception to Laudean Lomale involvement between Laudean Men and Women
Appearance
Little is known about Laudean physiology beyond their appearance, and the information available has been gathered from a number of sources. Humanoid, Laudeans tend to be ever so slightly shorter than the average humanoid race.
Physical features do not include any ridges or bumps per se, but they do tend to have slightly sharper cheek bone structure and sizable foreheads.
Three features distinguish Laudeans from Terrans:
- Laudeans have yellow eye color (the shades of which are variable according to the individual). It is believed that this is a natural evolution due to living in a Binary star system. The Laudeans actual have dual eye lids (two eye lids rather than one) - the usual skin eye lid and then a second transparent layer that can be moved separately. This second eye lid and yellow eye color ensure protection from the sun's rays when Til'ahn's second sun comes into the season during the summer - acting like a pair of manufactured sunglasses would for Terrans.
- The second distinguishable physical feature is a rim of exotic color that runs round the top of their forehead and colors the base of their hairline. Likewise, the entirety of a Laudean's ear (although neither pointy nor any larger than a Terran's) is colored in the same exotic shades. These colors vary from Laudean to Laudean and can be one of the following colors on males and females:
- Exotic Green
- Exotic Purple
- Earthy Grey
- Watery Blue
Red, Yellow, Black and White are never seen as shades of Laudean "hairline" and "ears" on male or females.
Laudean lomales are easily distinguishable because the only color for their "hairline" and "ears" is white.
Unlike other planets, "hairline" and "ear" color is not thought to be based on geographical origin but rather social class. This evolutionary theory is supported by the fact that a royal noble would marry with a royal noble (regardless of kingdoms of origin) and a worker with a worker, etc. Of course this was a long time ago in Duronis' history, and is now redundant as Laudeans freely intermix. The presence of purple hairlines may suggest Laudeans with red coloring may at one time have existed and that the purple hair lines descended from their having children with blue hairline Laudeans - but this is unclear.
- Color Designation
- Laudean colors are set for life, but can change from light to very dark shades of the designated hue. For instance light blue to very dark blue or light green to very dark green, but not green to blue.
- For Fieldings, the intensity of their color is a determining factor on the strength of power. The darker the color the more powerful the Fielding.
The Laudeans have been described as very "nature-ish" yet also "reserved." People known for being connected to their environment, they are strictly not "nymph-ish" but rather "quiet" and more "serene" in their cultural bias. Yet despite looking "reserved," Laudeans are far from being passive and are very culturally and technologically advanced.
Other Federation citizens have found the Laudeans to be somewhat "gothic." This comes from the very high religious background, with churches, cathedrals, etc.
Some Laudeans have pale skin with a hint of a colored cheek complexion, while others have an outright golden-bronze skin that accentuates their yellowy eyes.
Male and Female Laudean
Laudean Male | Laudean Female | Laudean Lomale |
Clothing
Laudeans tend to wear long robes with large hoods over collared tops. The thickness and type of the material of the robe depend on the Province. In warmer climates Laudeans may be seen in just their high collared tops without a robe, and important Laudeans will wear a jacket-like item around their high collars. On occasions when Federation citizens visiting Duronis II wish to go out in public without drawing attention, they can often get away with putting on a Laudean robe and wearing the hood up.
Technology
Despite only having (relatively) recently achieved warp flight, the Laudeans are very technologically advance people and by no means backward. The natural evolution of the Duronis system and its sandbar hampers warp travel (even for Starfleet vessels) and thus the Laudeans were at an evolutionary hindrance whereby their technology advanced considerably without them being able to develop warp travel as quick as other races.
Incidentally, the difficulties of space travel in the Duronis system is why the Laudeans went relatively unknown to neighboring political entities, such as the Romulans, Zalkonians and the Federation. Once these powers noticed the Laudeans traveling at warp then their interest would be peaked and discovery of the Laudean Fielding ability would be of great interest to all parties.