Community (species)
| Intelligent Lifeform Index |
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| Community (species) | |
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| Four Letter Code | CMMN |
| Federation Status | Unknown |
| Planet of Origin | Zeta Equulei system |
| Encountered | 2376, USS Rutledge |
| T/E Rating | T0/E0 |
| Current Tech Level | Unknown |
| List of Named Community | |
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The Community appears to have arisen as a collective consciousness from their ecosystem, but -- after first contact -- seemed comfortable lodging their minds in single individuals from their world that approximate humanoid dimensions.
Warp-capable, there are reports that they may also possess dangerous, subspace weaponry.
Backstory
The Community are curious about other species but apparently didn’t realize that some of the other races they had encountered were sentient until they made telepathic contact with a Deltan ambassador on board the USS Rutledge. They refused all diplomatic contact with the Federation after the incident.
In 2391, they made contact with the deep space survey ship Tyson. The crew of the Tyson reported seeing things--people that weren’t really there: long lost relatives and friends speaking to them, but something was off about how these representations behaved. Shortly thereafter, the crew realized it was actually the Community itself attempting to communicate with them using their own memories as avatars. It was the first direct communication the Federation received from the Community in over a decade. When the Tyson crew later beamed down to the moon's surface, they encountered actual physical bodies the Community were able to "inhabit" for direct interaction, but it seems such physical forms are more vestigial now, with very little sentient thought on their own unless infused by the Community's consciousness. The Community didn’t take hostile action against the survey ship, instead asking for assistance.
The USS Garuda was subsequently sent to further investigate the matter, discovering the Community were actively engaged in a blockade against their enemy the Myr Luuk.
Homeworld
Officially designated as Zeta Equulei 6A, the Community homeworld is a class M moon orbiting a Jovian-type gas giant. The average surface temperature is 17 degrees Celsius. Dense vegetation covering much of the land mass. The surface is 64% water, however tides caused by the neighboring gas giant are extreme, leading to extreme changes in water levels. Much of the habitable zones of the moon are swamps.
Culture
The Community's culture is built entirely around the collective consciousness - the Confluence - of billions of individuals that the Community refers to as intelligences. Intelligences can be separated from the whole and siphoned into individual bodies. On the planet, such bodies are in full contact with the ‘confluence’, but are able to think, learn, develop, plan, etc… as individuals. This allows for innovation, art, and societal growth. Over time, some members of the Community have chosen to leave the planet. Most return after a few years, with their experiences adding to the greater experience of the whole. As an organization, the Community is extremely conservative and slow to adapt to change. When they discovered that they were so different from other sentient races, they returned their fleet to their home system and have had little contact with the outside universe. As recreation, many intelligences will siphon themselves into other native life forms in order to experience different types of existence.
Appearance
The Community possesses an extraordinary level of control over the other life forms on the planet, with individual intelligences apparently able to inhabit formed bodies for utilitarian purposes. During the Myr Luuk / Community conflict of 2391, the Community generated a humanoid body made primarily of wood and other plant matter to serve as liaison to the Garuda's crew. The Community ships blockading the Myr Luuk homeworld during the same conflict were also living members of the Community.
Communication
Vocal cords never evolved among the native species of Zeta Equulei 6A. As such, the Community has struggled to adapt to the use of verbal language, which is employed by nearly every other sentient species. They communicate through thought with each other, and with those they can interact with. Non-telepathic races may be read by the Community, with effort, but such experiences are uncomfortable for both.
To communicate with most races, the Community creates emissaries in humanoid form, which act as ambassadors for the Confluence. Specific knowledge can be instilled into these individuals, but is usually only granted as it becomes needed. Away from the moon, Community members lose contact with the Confluence, though they can still connect to other individuals in range. Some of these limitations have been reduced due to advances in subspace communication technology.
For telepaths, it takes skill to filter the thoughts of the Confluence as a whole, but it can be done. Isolated intelligences are easier to communicate with.
Technology Level and Fleet
Most Community technology is supplemented with numerous Community intelligences that keep it efficient and operational, including starship. This technology is mostly organic in nature, but the race has traded with several outside species to acquire more advanced capabilities. Despite this, the Community's technology level is about 50 years behind most of the major powers in the quadrant.
Community propulsion technology has not improved much since the species first achieved warp flight, if only because the Community hasn't seen a need to travel much beyond their star system. Additionally, Community ships are not intended to sustain a traditional crew, though larger ships are equipped with a womb-like structure capable of growing new components or even humanoid bodies, should the need arise. Other lifeforms may be generated to facilitate specific functions such as communication or repair.
If in range of the Confluence, new intelligences can be siphoned into the new body. If not, the ship must use some of its own reserve. Ships intended for longer deployments may have a large reservoir of extra intelligences specifically for this purpose.