Dokkaran
| Intelligent Lifeform Index |
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| Dokkaran | |
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| Four Letter Code | DOKR |
| Federation Status | Alligned |
| Planet of Origin | Ceata |
| Encountered | TNG: Hero Worship |
| T/E Rating | T0/E0 |
| Current Tech Level | N |
| List of Named Dokkarans | |
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Name
- Proper Name: Dokkaran
- Pronunciation: Dokk-ar-an
Home System
- Quadrant: Beta
- Location: Sector 010
- Proper Name: Trezire
- Pronunciation: Trez-eer-é
- Star: It orbits a class G (Yellow) star
- Distance from Star: it's orbit is approximately 158 million km
- Companions: 9 other planets. It is the 5th planet in the system
Home World
- Proper Name: Ceata
- Pronunciation: Cé-at-za
- Diameter: 9,549 km
- Gravity: 0.9G with a density of 5.8
- Axial Tilt: 33.87%, wild seasonal extremes
- Orbital Period: 370 days
- Rotational Period: 26 hours
- Classification: M
- Surface Water: 58%
- Atmosphere: 1.07 is a standard pressure with 65% nitrogen, 34% oxygen, 1% trace chemicals
- Climate: Varries, wild seasonal changes occur over the entire planetary surface.
- Population: ~1 Million
Introduction
Otherworldly and remarkably harmonious, the Dokkarans are amongst the most unique and utterly alien life forms humans and otherwise have encountered. A race of sentient, highly evolved plants, Dokkarans emerged two hundred and thirty years ago after an encounter with the USS Elysium. Dokkarans are born fully mature beneath the branches of the great Vizinyian Trees, which in turn spawned from the lone sentient Vizinyian Tree called The Lady by the Dokkarans. The physiology of these two sentient plants is not well understood and the link between The Lady (And all other Vizinyians) and the Dokkaran is likewise enigmatic save that it appears that The Lady created the Dokkarans to be her ambassadors to the greater galaxy.
History
The events surrounding the discovery of The Lady and the creation of the first Dokkarans is known as the ‘Elysian Encounter’ in Federation records, and as the ‘Awakening’ among the Dokkaran. While on a deep space mission in 2165, the USS Elysium came across the planet now known as Ceata and encountered it’s unique, nebulous atmosphere of vibrant blues and purples. Sending down an away mission consisting of about 25 personnel, the team fanned out across what is now known as The Pale, where The Lady resides. The two crewmen to reach The Lady first were Lieutenant Evangeline Dell, and Ensign Christian Allanzar, where they began to observe strange movements among the plants surrounding the gigantic tree. Ensign Allanzar proposed that the plants were reacting to their presence but Lieutenant Dell dismissed the idea.
Eventually the plants physically uprooted themselves and moved towards the pair, proving that these plants either had some sort of previously unobserved intelligence or were being controlled by another entity. Reporting their findings back to the Elysium, the rest of the away mission was recalled to help observe these strange plants. Lieutenant Dell and Ensign Allanzar would not live to see the arrival of the team however, and just as their transmission ended, they were both mauled to death by a local feline predator, the Hesseragh.
Upon discovering their bodies, the away team also discovered the body of the Hesseragh strangled to death by vines. Eventually the plants surrounding The Lady created a barrier between the rest of the away team and the bodies of their crewmen. Later these plants dragged the bodies closer to The Lady and were apparently absorbed into the bark of the tree. The Elysium would stay on Ceata for a further three months, both to observe what would be done with the bodies of their dead crewman, and to study the unique and highly complex plant life on the planet.
After three months, two human looking individuals emerged from the roots of The Lady, bearing remarkable likeness to (But not quite an exact replication of) Lieutenant Dell and Ensign Allanzar. These two individuals were the first Dokkarans, sentient plants in humanoid form. Eventually their numbers grew, and by the time the Elysium left Ceata in May of 2166, nine months after their initial landing, there were over 300 Dokkarans.
Since then the Dokkarans have formed an advanced society on par with their interstellar neighbors (Though with help from the Federation), and while they are virtually isolationists as a group, most individual Dokkarans have left Ceata at some point to seek knowledge of the greater galaxy. No more than half a dozen Dokkarans had joined Starfleet by the time of the Dominion War, though since then there have been four Dokkaran students at Starfleet Academy and the first Dokkaran to reach the rank of Commander.
Government
One would assume that Dokkarans would defer to their tangible creator, The Lady, to run their affairs (And assume that The Lady wishes to hold such power) however The Lady is an ancient being, endowed with wisdom of many millennia, and as such, knows better than to micromanage the affairs of her beloved children. Instead the Dokkarans operate on a system of direct democracy in which all citizens vote on the most important issues, but the daily minutia is left to a council of Elders (All of those over 200 years of age at present, due to be amended eventually as the Dokkaran race as a whole gets older). For a policy to be passed, it requires a two-thirds majority vote and the assent of the Elders.
Description
Dokkarans appear externally human, but are very far from it internally. Externally though, Dokkarans are passable as humans and were modeled after them though there isn’t any natural variance in hair, eye, or skin color, with all appearing as pale, true blue eyed, and black haired (For males) and white haired (For females).
Physiology
It is a commonly held belief among those few scientists lucky enough to study Dokkaran physiology that the layman’s terms used in the biological studies of other sentient life forms would only lead the reader farther and farther away from understanding the Dokkarans, instead of closer to an understanding.
As previously stated, the Dokkarans are plants though are extremely unique plants in that they do not require sunlight and rather operate on a modified version of the Calvin Cycle found within other plants. Dokkarans also have complex dietary needs, requiring them to eat two or three large, highly varied meals a day to maintain themselves. Dokkarans are calcivores, feeding on calcium and bone marrow for most of their nutritional needs and Dokkaran dishes largely consist of different ways to prepare bones and bone marrow. Also requiring large amounts of water, Dokkarans must always be hydrated lest they start to wilt and die just like any other plants.
Dokkaran internal biology is a maze and is unlike anything previously encountered. Dokkaran ‘skin’ is instead a tough mesh of leaves fused together to give the convincing illusion of skin and is supported by a complex structure of stems that function as a sort of skeletal and circulatory system. It is through this ‘skin’ that Dokkarans are able to absorb sunlight and carry out a limited form of photosynthesis. Since the Dokkaran homeworld has little direct sunlight due to a very thick cloud and magnetosphere, Dokkarans and the other plants on their homeworld carry out the process of photosynthesis by in taking large amounts of nutrients to start the process in the absence of strong sunlight. When Dokkarans come into contact with less obstructed solar light, the feeling is euphoric and after a brief orgasmic reaction, the Dokkarans continue to be relaxed as they take in the sunlight that revitalizes them. Dokkarans also give off a pollen that is light in both particles and smell, so allergic reactions are uncommon among other species though no unheard of. This pollen masks the approach of Dokkaran hunters when they go out in the twilight periods to gather bones and their marrow from deceased animals.
Dokkaran neurobiology is one of the few things about them to be remotely similar to other humanoids and Dokkarans have a brain, though this brain has structures, cortexes and synapses that extend throughout their body. Dokkarans also have a minimal amount of natural hormones and chemicals running through their brain and in essence are ‘running dry’ on pure neuron energy. This does not limit their emotions in a sense, but these emotions are rarely brought to extremes via hormones or other natural chemicals found in animals, giving the species its trademark harmonious and ‘Zen’ personality.
Dokkarans also exhibit psionic abilities though they are not true psionics like Vulcans or other telepathic/empathic species. Dokkarans are extremely sensitive to changes in the environment around them and can readily sense the release of hormones within animals. Dokkarans can tell if someone is lying, if they desire them sexually, and can sense chemical imbalances that relate to psychiatric disorders, something Dokkarans are ‘immune to’. Dokkarans can also execute a sort of ‘mind meld’ through physical contact with another through the attuning of their nervous system to that of the other. This allows for the unity of minds between the two, allowing for the transfer of ideas, feelings and memories. In the case of sexual or other intimate contact, this experience can be very intense and if the other partner is not Dokkaran, it can be very tiring, and potentially dangerous if the Dokkaran is not careful to control the flow of ideas and emotions.
Dokkarans do not reproduce sexually, nor do they excrete solid or liquid waste (Save for producing oxygen and sugar) so their genitalia (anatomically identical to a human’s) are purely for ‘recreational activities’. Between fellow Dokkarans though, the ultimate joining of minds through their mental abilities is enough to function as a mating ritual by itself, without physical contact.
Another unique feature about Dokkarans is their as yet unknown natural life-span. Dokkarans show little sign of aging, and the only Dokkarans that have ever died expired from disease or conflict, not natural causes. Considering the longevity capabilities of many other complex plant life, it is possible that Dokkarans are either actually immortal (They will never die naturally) or effectively immortal (They have a vastly elongated lifespan compared to other humanoids that might make them extremely long lived). As Dokkarans are not affected by the same diseases, viral or otherwise, that animals are, the best chance a Dokkaran has of dying prematurely is through conflict or some sort of accident. Dokkarans are also much lighter than other humanoids and are perhaps not the best physical fighters. Although they have a higher average strength than other humanoids, there is little variation to it and since Dokkaran's cannot exercise normally like other species (At least, they receive no enhancing effects from it) their physical strength cannot be improved. Dokkarans (Like most plants) also heal much more slowly than animals, and while on Caeta they can take root in the soil to absorb healing nutrients, this is not always possible even on other planets (Which may lack the right moisture or minerals), so for most Dokkarans, a simple paper cut might take weeks to fully heal. Dokkaran 'blood' is instead a sort of murky white water full of sugars produced by Dokkarans to energize their systems. Loss of this blood in a localized area is usually not life threatening lest the flow is not restored within a few hours lest necrosis set in. The widespread loss of this fluid however, would lead to the shut down of bodily functions without energy to sustain them, and the Dokkaran would wither and die.
Dokkaran sleep patterns are highly irregular compared to other species and reflect their botanical nature. Vespertine plants, Dokkarans ‘bloom’ in the evening when most of the animals on Caeta retreat back into their dens and are vulnerable to hunting parties. Dokkarans are most active in this period of the day, performing the majority of their tasks, though they are not truly Vespertine and are also active in the hours before and after dawn. In regards to actual sleep, this process is even more complicated. Dokkarans are plants and naturally respond to changes in the seasons, therefor in the Summer, they will sleep for two, 2 hour intervals surrounding solar and lunar maximums, one at high noon and one at midnight. In the Winter they will sleep for six hour periods, 3 hours before, and 3 hours after noon and midnight. In the Spring and Fall, Dokkarans sleep anywhere in between though they are generally quite active in the Spring. Dokkarans are also naturally sensitive to temperatures and while they are much more tolerant to shifts in the temperature than most plants, they do like like the extreme cold or the extreme heat (the latter of which is usually fatal).
Dokkarans possess a natural grip or ‘root’ in their feet, grounding their light weight bodies to the surface they are walking on. Like the Tzenkethi, Tholians and other species, Dokkarans can rotate their center of gravity to walk on different surfaces without being effected by their normally vertical alignment. This root system also allows Dokkarans to take root in certain types of soil that suit them, allowing them to physically tap into the surrounding environment and heighten their senses. Dokkarans are not able to tap into inorganic material and have difficulty realigning themselves on the surfaces of certain metals (Some of which are common in Starship construction).
Psychology
As a species, Dokkarans are extremely peaceful and harmonious, exhibiting a curious, bright and serene persona throughout the population. Noble and kind, the Dokkarans have a strong sense of altruism and chivalry, having zero tolerance for injustices and the oppression of groups of people. Lacking hormones and many chemicals found within the brains of other humanoids, Dokkarans keep their cool throughout most situations lest they become totally outraged by something though these reactions are not heightened by hormones or other neurochemicals. Dokkarans are also ‘immune’ to most psychiatric diseases caused by chemical imbalances, though many Dokkarans living aboard starships or other instillations find themselves suffering from a version of Seasonal Affective Disorder. The most common treatment is the instillation of special lights and some soil and plants in a room in their quarters to give them something to remind them of home.
Though non-violent towards each other by nature (Not a single Dokkaran on Dokkaran crime has been committed), they are not pacifists as they hunt animals and a few individuals have taken the lives of aliens in defense of themselves or others.
Sexuality among Dokkarans is a complex concept and it is different than other species. In the absence of hormones and bio-chemistry drawing two individuals together, Dokkarans are attracted to the ‘Aura’ of the other. Some are attracted to masculine ‘Auras’ and some to feminine, so in essence Dokkarans display the normal range of sexuality that humans do, though it is less about the physical form and more about the energy of the individual.
Each Dokkaran is endowed with the experiences/memories of The Lady, which includes the memories of Lieutenant Dell and Ensign Allanzar, and as such, hold a certain affinity for humanity. Dokkarans are also endowed with a smattering of life experiences from other Dokkarans who have linked with The Lady. Some of these experiences all Dokkaran share (Sort of a substitute for childhood) and some only a few share. These unique memories are what usually define a Dokkaran as an individual initially, though they later set out on their own to collect their own experiences. These initial experiences are always kept balanced so that no Dokkaran knows all of his or her race's collective memories. Where one Dokkaran might know how to fix a plasma conduit, another might not, but this Dokkaran might know how to speak Romulan whereas the other does not. These differences in memories are what set Dokkarans apart until they make their own way in the world and help to shape who they are. Dokkarans also seek to gather experiences that might prove interesting to them, creating a complex exchange of memories and ideas across an entire species.
Dokkarans don't always live in perfect harmony with other species however. Because they are plants and the majority of sentient species in the Universe are animals, there are often heated exchanges between Dokkarans and ignorant humanoids. As Dokkarans are plants themselves, they staunchly disapprove of vegetarianism (Or the eating of any sort of plant other than fruits and/or vegetables)and the humanoid tendency to just pass off plants as simple lifeforms. Where most humanoids might only see one or two ways, Dokkarans often see a third and do not consider the other two. Harmonious and wise they may be in their natural habitat, but amongst other lifeforms, Dokkarans often come across as 'Zen', but very 'superior', often subtly turning their noses down at ignorant humanoids.
Religion
At first glance it would be easy for the uneducated to simply state that Dokkaran religious believes are centered around trees (Specifically The Lady), though they would be incorrect. Dokkarans highly revere The Lady as their creator and wise mother; and Ensign Alanzar and Lieutenant Dell for their (albeit unfortunate) role in their creation, but do not think they are explicitly Divine. Dokkarans are highly religious and hold their faith quite close to them. Dokkaran religious beliefs are molded by those of Lieutenant Dell (A Wiccan) and Ensign Allanzar (An Anglican), along with the religious views of The Lady herself.
Actual Dokkaran religion centers on the Unnamed Goddess, who is a prominent figure in the mythology of the origins of The Lady and her own religious beliefs. The Lady does not liken herself Divine and refuses worship and instead directs her children’s prayers towards the Unnamed Goddess. The Lady shares through her visions with her children that there were at one time other sentient Vizinyian Trees that covered the surface of Caeta. However at some point before The Lady even sprouted, they vanished, leaving a single seed behind to continue their civilization. Also according to these apparent ancestral memories, the Unnamed Goddess (Who originally did have a name) was the deity of the Vizinyians and bestowed sentience upon them.
Since the Dokkaran awakening two centuries ago, The Lady has had her children plant Vizinyian seeds across Caeta, though to her disappointment, none of these trees are capable of true intelligence.
The Temple of Kural Hannesh is the greatest of the temples devoted to the Unnamed Goddess and located in a grove not far from The Lady. It is the focal point of her worship and displays great architectural harmony. The style of the Temple itself is based off of Grecco-Roman architecture glimpsed in the memories of Lieutenant Dell and Ensign Allanzar though is far more elaborate.
Dokkarans lack true prayer, but instead ‘commune with the Goddess’ through a type of hypnotic meditation that puts them into a deep trance that allows for profound spiritual enlightenment. These trances can last from hours to even days in extreme cases. Dokkarans do not ask for anything material during these trances and instead reflect upon their current situation. Whatever insight is gained is presented as divine, straight from the Goddess herself.
Mythology
Since they are so new a species, there aren’t many myths that are actually Dokkaran. The mythology surrounding The Lady and her own origins is also treated as historical fact and most would find it unwise to question the accuracy of The Lady’s visions in regard to Ceata’s pre-Dokkaran history and her own origins. Through Lieutenant Dell (Who was a cultural anthropologist), the Dokkarans know the myths of many different cultures and enjoy these tales from time to time.
Society
A noble and free people, the Dokkarans value and embody harmony. Disputes among individuals never end in violence, science and religion exist in tandem and with very few laws governing their highly democratic society, and people are largely free to do as they please. 'Follow your bliss' is a common phrase among the Dokkarans (Lifted from mythologist Joseph Campbell, who Lieutenant Dell admired)and to them means that though many of them share the same memories at birth, it was what one does with these experiences and what new ones they have that define them. All are encouraged to seek their own path in the universe, and make something of themselves that sets them apart from others. The Dokkaran concept of 'Harmony through diversity' is the focal point of their society, which preaches that only through diversity and a free exchange of ideas, concepts and emotions can they as a people evolve.
Culture
A deeply religious people, worship of the Unnamed Goddess is taken very seriously among Dokkarans, something many modern species find a bit peculiar and disturbing. Many would label them fanatics for their universal unquestioning belief in what most would consider nothing more than myth and false memory on the part of The Lady, but Dokkarans strongly believe that they are a part of a divine lineage, the Unnamed Goddess created The Lady and The Lady created the Dokkarans. The Dokkarans also believe that this Goddess has a never ending plan, not just for the themselves but for the Universe. Even Dokkarans admit that their limited perception of a universe encompassing intelligence is lacking and use the 'metaphor' (The Dokkarans would not call the Goddess a metaphor, but rather a simplistic term for an unknowable alien intelligence that drives the Universe and touches all life) of the Unnamed Goddess to personify this intelligence. As such, Dokkarans have a natural respect for the believers of other faiths, seeing the existence of other religions (Monotheistic or otherwise) as further proof of the Goddess' existence. However this religious tolerance does not seem to apply to the practitioners of the Bajoran faith as the Dokkarans see the Prophets as false gods who have lead the Bajorans off the path of the one, true 'goddess'.
Dokkarans do not have traditional families and do not try to form such groups, rather they see all Dokkarans as one family of distant cousins, the same, but totally unique at the same time. Dokkarans do feel a need to be in groups however, and their highly democratic and communal society helps to fulfill these needs. As there is little point to it, Dokkarans don't marry and rarely cohabitate with their lovers, preferring to engage in elongated courtships that can end at anytime, reveling in the chase.
As stated before, the Dokkaran's most defining quality is their harmonious nature. Where most humanoid cultures only see two options for the rule of the universe, chaos or order, Dokkarans see a third way, Harmony, which they define as the acceptance that neither order nor chaos is either true or inherently false as both ideas are delusions made up by primitive minds to boil down the world around them to a singular simplistic view. Rather Dokkarans believe that the universe exists in a state of harmony, with tranquility being the prevailing element of the world around them. Mortals only perceive order or disorder because they have a limited scope of the universe that limits their viewpoint, boiling down their existence to simple absolutions, one way or the other with the proposed balance between the two being an even greater delusion. To see past what one wants to see or what they have been allowed to see is to break the chains of these simplistic and false ideas of mutually exclusive absolutions and see the harmony that prevails in the universe. Billions might die in a supernova, but billions more will be born as the carbon from that exploding star travels to a newly formed planet, planting the first seeds of a new cycle of life. It is all in the Goddess' plan.
Customs
- Dokkarans do not practice marriage; it serves little purpose to a race of long lived plants who cannot sexually reproduce.
- Communing with the Goddess usually takes place every day after the Dokkaran awakes in the late afternoon, for about half an hour.
- A traditional greeting involves the two meeting individuals placing their hands on the center of the other's ribcage, allowing both to transfer ideas of good tidings and warm welcomes.
- The preparation of the Dokkaran diet of bone and bone marrow is a lengthy process as the bone itself must be cracked open and the marrow scooped out. Then the bone is placed in an acid-oil mix and boiled until it is flexible and able to be chewed apart like any normal meat.
- It is customary to kill the weakest of the herd of the animal a hunter wishes to kill, therefor natural selection is served and the herd is the better for it since the more evolutionary favored specimens will live on and reproduce, passing their traits onto the next generation.
Technology
At first, Dokkarans had little use for technology, prefering to meditate and consider their own existance. But as time went on, many wished to form an advanced society like the others glimpsed in the memories of The Lady. Scientists emerged for the first time, using memories obtained from The Lady (And a little help from Starfleet) to begin building infastructure, buildings and devices. The Dokkarans now boast a vibrant (if small) scientific community, inventing, tinkering and introducing technology gifted by the Federation into greater Dokkaran society. Dokkarans are masters of eco-friendly and zero-emission technology, creating a self sustaining energy source using a mineral found on Caeta. In terms of military technology, Dokkarans have also pioneered imobilizer weapons or other weapon systems designed to disable starships but leave the ship, crew and technology intact.
Economy
The Dokkarans operate on an interesting and unique barter system, goods are exchanged for any manner of other services, even a song or a work of art. Dokkarans do not have communal property in the strictest sense but have a strong sense that what belongs to the one, also belongs to the whole, and believe that money is not particularly useful to them. The exchange rate for different goods for other materials depends on which merchant one is dealing with but there is little in the way of heckling and usually the first offer is accepted. The Dokkarans also maintain a stockpile of gems and precious ores to sell to use in trade with other cultures but do not use currency amongst one another. Dokkaran sculpture is highly valued off Ceata, as are the native flora for their great beauty and incredible resilience.
Military
For years the Dokkarans were a Federation protectorate but gained their independence in 2289 and the defense of Ceata is now the responsibility of the Dokkaran Military Command (DMC). The Dokkaran fleet consists largely of assorted small craft armed with immobilizer weapons. The Dokkarans don't have the manpower to build massive starships more than one at a time and as such, there are but a few Cruiser-Class ships within the fleet. This force of thousands of fighters mixed with a few dozen capital ships (Mostly Frigates and Destroyers)has never been called upon to defend Ceata in earnest as war has yet to touch the planet, but as some scientists have predicted, 'It is only a matter of time before the sin of war is brought unto the heaven that is Ceata'.
Federation Intelligence Files
Sources
Both Memory Alpha and Memory Beta were used as referances as well as the TV episode TNG: Hero Worship.
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