Pandronian

			Intelligent Lifeform Index

Pandronian
Four Letter Code	PAND
Federation Status	Friendly
Planet of Origin	Pandro
Encountered	TAS: Bem
T/E Rating	T0/E0
Current Tech Level	M
List of Named Pandronians
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"We are one, that is enough."

a Pandronian proverb.

The Pandronians are one of the most unusual species in the galaxy as they are in reality a hive colony which requires seven individual organisms to combine together to create a single humanoid individual.

Homeworld

Home System

• Quadrant: Beta
• Location: Ski'Vanks Sector (coordinates B27-0005-1300)
• Proper Name: Pandrios system
• Star: It orbits a class F (Yellow/White) star
• Distance from Star: its orbit is approximately 37 million km
• Companions: It is the 3rd of 9 planets in the system
• Moons: it has 4 moons.

Home World

• Proper Name: Pandro
• Diameter: 17,637 km (10,959 miles)
• Gravity: 0.93 standard gravity with a density of 3.7
• Axial Tilt: 6.3%, with minimal seasonal changes
• Orbital Period: 379 days
• Rotational Period: 22.8 hours
• Classification: M
  • Surface Water: 54%
  • Atmosphere: 1.07% is a standard pressure with 71% nitrogen, 26% oxygen, 3% trace chemicals
  • Climate: Mainly a temperate planet
  • Terrain: It has numerous swamps, rain forests and mountain ranges.
  • Population: Just over 1 billion Pandronians but there are almost 8 billion individual colony creatures of which 7 billion are needed to create the 1 billion Pandronians on the planet.

History

Pandronian creation myths describe how seven intelligent plants were forced to work together to defeat an evil spirit who sought to burn their forest. The Seven joined themselves into one body to fight off this menace and discovered that they were strongest when bonded together.

There are few records and much speculation among various scientific experts as to how the Pandronians evolved into such an unusual state that when blended together into a single colony of seven unique beings they would create a single individual. Regardless of what factors influenced this bizarre form of evolution the Pandronians were able to progress and learn new technology and skills that allowed them to flourish and master their world.

While their very gradual, almost glacial slow progression from a primitive, pre-industrial species to that of one that had learned to master space flight is considered to be unusual, it was not marred by wars, border disputes or any other form of aggressive, anti-social behavior. The hive mindset that allows them to join fosters a very strong sense of community. Their location far from any shipping lanes and any strategic locations ensured their relatively unmarred history of unintentional isolationism. Even after they mastered space flight their world remains off the beaten path and receives few visitors.

A freighter belonging to the Pandorians approached and received permission to dock at a Federation controlled commercial space station in 2231. This was the first time contact was established between them.

The Pandronians enjoyed a friendly relationship with the Federation, and a mission was approved for an exchange program when the Pandronians expressed a wish to observe the workings of Starfleet in the 2260s. Commander Ari bn Bem was allowed to join the crew of the USS Enterprise as an observer.

During the Dominion War they remained strictly neutral and withdrew all of their space craft to their home world and avoided any outside contact until the war had finally drawn to a close.

Since the end of the war they have re-established contact with the Federation and engaged in limited trade but do not seem to be very motivated to extend their sphere of influence or travel very far from their home world. Their society is one of simple activity and service to each other.

Government

The Pandronian government is based on the formation of their colonies. They have a single unified government consisting of layers of councils. Each city has a council, which is under a district council, which is then under a division council. Above all six divisions is a council called the Tam Paupa, which is headed by the Premier.

This system of layers upon layers of councils makes for a very slow government. Large decisions tend to take many years to make. To the slow, steady Pandronians, though, this is quite ordinary.

The Tam Paupa consists of seven individuals, meant to represent the seven members of their pantheon. All but the Premier are elected officials, one from each of the six divisions on Pandros. The Premier is the oldest Pandrionian alive who has never replaced a body section. This is required because it makes his or her hive mind the oldest, and therefore the wisest, of them all. Because of this, Premiers tend to be ancient beings with at least one if not many, missing limbs.

Description

The Pandronians are a unique species with different subspecies that make up a colony. Together, the full colony looks like any other humanoid species and has a distinct personality. However, it can separate into seven different self-sustaining organisms which can each work independently of the others. The seven sections are the two arms, two legs, chest, abdomen, and the head. Each part of the colony has an important role and a simple brain, but together they form a hive mind and work together in a symbiotic relationship.

Physiology

They are a truly unique species with what appears to be the ability to independently separate sections of their bodies. In reality they are a colony lifeform with seven different individuals combined together to create what appears to be a single humanoid.

When combined together they appear to be a typical humanoid with variable heights ranging between 5’8” and 6’ typically. They have green skin with tufts of red hair, large eyes, and a slightly down-turned mouth. They call their arms and legs, "graspers and walkers."

Biology

As with most intelligent humanoid species they have a very complex system with specialized organs, and unique hormones, chemicals and enzymes. However that is where all similarities end.

Pandronians are in reality not a single individual but a colony that requires seven distinct parts assembled together to create a single humanoid. These seven parts are the head, upper torso, lower torso, arms and legs. They are also considered a plant species, because all their bodily functions are based on photosynthesis.

Colonies

The seven "sections" of the Pandronian body, or "colony", are actually five different subspecies which have evolved to depend on each other in a completely symbiotic nature. They started as separate species with different strengths, but as they developed some small intelligence, they began to work together. Through the millennia, this symbiosis became so intertwined that they cannot exist on their own for long.

Each subspecies has a central core nervous system that allows it to function, though its intelligence is limited to basic survival. Covered in a chlorophyll-filled skin membrane, they get their energy from photosynthesis. Light and water is enough to sustain a single portion of the body for a time, but the full body needs food as well. Each section can also produce a limited amount of self-levitation.

The five subspecies are as follows:

• Thinkers: This is the head portion of the body. The thinkers were originally the most intelligent of the species, with the best senses and reasoning. Usually one exists per colony, its role is to be the center of the hive mind and to collect sensory input through eyes, ears and nose. This section has the only full brain of the subspecies, though it cannot provide enough power to use it unless connected to the rest of the body. Also the location of the vocal cords.
• Graspers: These are the arm and hand portions. These creatures developed great dexterity and strength and so they became the workers of the colony. There are usually two per colony, one of each gender.
• Walkers: As their name suggests, these are the leg and feet portions of the body. Built for speed and endurance, they support the rest of the colony, though they provide little in terms of intelligence. Each colony typically has two walkers, usually one of each gender.
• Thumpers: The chest of the Pandronian colony. This is the powerhouse of the body, and also the reproductive section. Rather than blood, the Pandronian colony uses a type of thin sap to transport glucose and carbon to the different extremities. The thumpers house a large heart to pump the sap through the body. Either Male or Female. One per colony.
• Grumblers: This is the abdominal section, and it holds the colony's digestive system. A large mouth sits where a human naval would be, directly connected to the stomach. Sugar and Water are pulled out of the food and turned into sap, which is pumped through the body by the thumper section. Non-gendered section, and there can only be one per colony.

Reproduction

Pandronian reproduction is very strange to most humanoids. The strange mix of genders can be confusing to outsiders and is a very private thing in their society, so it is rarely discussed. It takes two full Pandronian colonies to create a bask, or group of offspring. A typical bask is 15-20 eggs.

Genders

There are technically six Pandronian genders, though only two are necessary for reproduction. Walkers and graspers hatch as either lefts or rights, and thumpers as either male or female. Thinkers exist on a much more fluid gender plane, one without any chromosome difference, and grumblers have no gender.

The thumpers control the reproductive aspect of the Pandronian biology because they are the only section to have sexual contact with another body. The nature of reproduction is very much the same as any sexual reproduction in the galaxy. After conception, the female delivers the tiny fertilized eggs, which are then incubated and cared for by the community. The eggs can hatch into any of the five subspecies with differing degrees of probability. Graspers and walkers are the most common, each at a 30% chance of hatching. Then thumpers and grumpers each have a 12% chance, and thinkers are the rarest at 6%.

Walkers and graspers have a different sort of gender. They require more compatibility than the other sections of the colony, so they are usually a mated pair. The two walkers and the two graspers are connected to each other directly to ensure faster communication.

Joining

Each of the seven sections of the Pandronian colony can exist for a while as a closed system. After the eggs hatch, the very young organisms are kept in creches where they are tended like plants until they are old enough to be joined.

The joining process is a relatively simple matter. The membrane folds at each joint open to allow the tentacle-like connectors to reach out and intertwine with each other. Each tentacle contains a large sap vein and thousands of nerves, which connect to those in the next organism. The membranes then close around the connected joint to seal it closed. These seven distinct parts of the whole can be disassembled and reassembled with other parts over and over again to create a new colony collective each time. This effectively ends the existence of the previous unique Pandronian.

Psychology

As colony creatures, Pandronians existed as cooperative beings made up of discrete organisms. Consequently, the concept of an individual holds a unique meaning for Pandronians, who referred to the colony as "this one" instead of the more expected "I" used by most humanoid species. The separate organisms that constituted a unique Pandronian may have also, over the course of time, "disassembled" and reassembled with other creatures creating a new colony and effectively creating a new unique Pandronian at the cost of the former.

Due to the unusual nature of their collective mental functions not much is known about any mental health issues that they may suffer from. Conflicts in the cohesion of the colony can affect the stability of the hive mind, and attempts to join different combinations of the organisms has unilaterally resulted in mental instability. The thinker can be replaced just like any other part of the organism, but any mental issues tend to exist in the hive as a whole, rather than in just one section.

Abilities

Levitate

Each individual part of the Pandronian collective can assemble and disassemble at will. When doing so each part can levitate in order to move slowly from one location to another. This seems to be a natural mental ability developed with in the primitive functions of each section through evolution. This ability consumes a massive amount of energy and adrenaline, however, and is rarely used.

Pandronian individuals rarely have the complete cohesion of mind necessary to use this ability while joined. Elder Pandronians have been known to master it, though, and there are legends of ancient gurus who can levitate other objects.

Hive Mind

Each separate part of the Pandorian collective has its own central nervous system with minor, fauna-level functioning. To compare them with Terran animals, the thinker has the intelligence of a rat, the graspers that of a monkey, the walkers that of a horse, the thumpers that of a cow, and the grumpers have about the intelligence of a sheep.

However, when they join together into a single individual, the nervous systems all connect to the large brain housed in the thinker, and they become a unique individual, one with a personality, intelligence and knowledge that is an unusual combination of the entire collective. They do not have telepathic abilities, rather the hive mind is formed through neural connections between each organism.

Religion

The Pandrionians have a single religion that is embedded deep into their society. It is form of Ancestral Worship where they venerate the ancient great Pandrions, or heroes, especially the Seven. Their name for their society comes from this, as they call themselves the "Pandrionians" or the "people of the Pandrions."

The religion is led by Pandrion Gurus. These are monks who have dedicated their lives to spreading the truth about their ancestors.

Mythology

Much of the Pandrion mythos revolves around the Seven original plants that they believe the different organisms in their hive colony descend from. These first Seven are venerated for their wisdom and cooperation. The creation myth describes how the Seven intelligent plants were forced to work together to defeat an evil spirit named Yangin who sought to burn their forest. The Seven joined themselves into one body to fight off this menace and discovered that they were strongest when bonded together.

Most of their mythology revolves around stories of cooperation and teamwork. The villans are usually rogues who want to tear apart the community or natural forces that destroy their world. There are hundreds of stories, some about the Seven, others about past ancient gurus or premiers who lead the Pandronians in some great defense or cultural progression.

Society

They have a very simplistic society with an almost complete lack of crime or other antisocial activities. The people work well together, care for one another and for the uncombined parts that have not yet reached maturity or have become injured. Offspring are raised by creches rather than parents, so the individual bonds to the community rather than a family.

Communities are heavily organized as each individual is given a role in serving the community. The council oversees a group of guilds designed to see to the communities' needs. Most communities have at least some of the following guilds.

• Agricultural Guild
• Mining Guild
• Industrial Guild
• Artisans Guild
• Construction Guild
• Pandrion Guild (the gurus belong to this guild)
• Sanitation Guild
• Medical Guild
• Creche Guild
• Council Guild (this includes all the assistants to the councilmen)

Large cities will have extra guilds or multiples of some of the guilds.

Despite the extreme level of organization and cooperative work, the Pandrionian society tends to be very static. The people go about their work and live in communal houses with their guilds, but there is very little expressive thought. Society moves at a slow pace, though the people are very happy and content.

Culture

Pandrionians love good food and music. The artisan's guild is a major part of their society, and musicians usually work long hours entertaining factory workers and playing in creches. With their own floral nature, they have a great affinity for farming and produce bountiful harvests of a large variety of fresh crops.

Storytelling is another large part of their culture. The Pandrion gurus have perfected their art and enjoy passing it on to the next generation. Because egglings have very limited mobility, much of the gurus' job is telling them story after story.

Customs

Pandrionians have developed a reputation for assembling and disassembling at will, but in reality this is very rare. The reputation comes because the most adventurous and rebellious Pandrionians are usually the only ones to meet other cultures. The joining process is a sacred ceremony, and dis-joining is a grave choice made only after great deliberation.

Family

Individual family units are frowned upon in Pandrionian society. Pair-bonding is common among joined adults, but they are still expected to live in the communal housing set up for each guild. Usually people bond with others in their own guild because they can live together. They can change guilds, but it is a long, complicated process.

It is required by Pandronian law to surrender fertilized eggs to the community creche. This is one of the few crime issues the culture has. Because of the difficulty in raising egglings, the law forbids parents to keep the eggs themselves.

Creche

Creches are designed with several sections. First is the Incubation chambers, where the eggs are cared for. Then the Hatchling Chambers, where the infants are taught to move through levitation and sustained with sunlight and water. As they start to get more intelligent, they are moved to the Eggling Rooms, where the unique organisms are tested and grouped according to compatability.

Because of the mental instability of a badly joined community, much care is given to the creation of a new Pandrionian individual. The creche workers spend a great deal of time observing the egglings as they develop. Once a group seems to connect well, the workers will move that colony to a separate space, where they will spend a year together before the joining is made.

The Joining Ceremony

Once the colony is determined, they are brought before Pandron gurus to be joined. It can be an agonizing process the first time as the different parts learn to work and think together. Now they are moved to the Joining section. With other newly joined individuals, they will learn to master simple skills.

From thinking to moving to complex problem solving, the Joining process is a difficult one for egglings. Eventually, though, they graduate from the creche and apply to join a guild.

Dis-Joining

When a member of the individual's colony dies or becomes too sick to function, the Pandrionian goes to a specialized medical center called a Home. The part is removed and the individual has a choice whether to disband entirely, carry on in a disabled capacaty, or get a replacement. It is a difficult choice for many because the addition of a new member can entirely change the personality and identity of the individual. Some choose to start over by completely disassembling, some choose to accept the change, and some cling to their identity and refuse to take a new member.

The most socially encouraged choice is to disassemble entirely. The separated organisms are not sent back to the creche, but rather cared for in a section of the Home. It is extremely taboo to join an eggling to a mature adult Pandronian. Rather, replacement members are chosen by the disabled individual from the home. Sometimes one will have to go to a large city to find a complementary replacement. Disassembled members who are deemed compatible often choose each other while in the Home and join to make a new individual.

Technology

For the most part they are content to advance at their own pace. That being said they do on occasion trade for advanced technologies.

Economy

They have the ability to be completely self-sufficient if need be. During the Dominion War they cut off all outside contact. Since that time they have re-established a number of long term trade deals and take an active if limited part in the economic possibilities available to them.

Military

They have a very small military with less than 50 ships. Most of those are merely patrol class frigates designed to escort freighters and patrol their transport lanes. The few true war ships that they have seldom ever leave their system. The military guild is one of the smallest and least important.

Federation Intelligence Files

The Pandronians enjoyed a friendly relationship with the Federation, and a mission was approved to have an exchange program when the Pandronians expressed a wish to observe the workings of Starfleet in the 2260s. Commander Ari bn Bem was allowed to join the crew of the USS Enterprise as an observer.

Sources

Both Memory Alpha and Memory Beta were used as references as well as the following TV episode, TAS: Bem and the Drawn to the Final Frontier - The Making of Star Trek: The Animated Series", TAS DVD

Also used were the following written articles Star Trek Logs Nine and Ten novelization: Bem and The Trek 25th Anniversary Celebration, pp. 51 & 52.

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 239205.20
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