Mintakan

			Intelligent Lifeform Index

Mintakan


Four Letter Code	MINT
Federation Status	Protected
Planet of Origin	Mintaka III
Encountered	TNG: Who Watches The Watchers?
T/E Rating	T0/E0
Current Tech Level	C
List of Named Mintakans

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"Stars climb each night across the sky. A simple fact yet one that leaves the question, what are they?"

a Mintakan proverb.

The Mintakan are a species of Proto-Vulcan humanoids who are currently existing at the Bronze Age level of development. Surprisingly enough they have already evolved to the point where logic has eliminated any supernatural beliefs.

Home System

Quadrant: Beta
Location: ??? Sector (coordinates A27-0002-1300??)
Proper Name: Minta Abba system
Star: It orbits a class K (Orange) star
Distance from Star: its orbit is approximately 41 million km
Companions: It is the 3rd of 12 planets in the system
Moons: It has 3 moons

Home World

Proper Name: Mintaka III
Diameter: 14,??? km (12,493 miles)
Gravity: 0.97 standard gravity with a density of 3.4
Axial Tilt: 13.2%, with normal seasonal changes
Orbital Period: 397 days
Rotational Period: 25.2 hours
Classification: M
Surface Water: 54%
Atmosphere: 1.07% is a standard pressure with 73% nitrogen, 26% oxygen, 1% trace chemicals
Climate: Mainly a temperate planet with arctic and semi-tropical regions.
Terrain: Mostly rough scrubland with rolling hills, deserts and mountain ranges.
Population: Just over 10 million

History

In 2366, a Federation anthropological team studying the Mintakans, accidentally exposed the primitive culture to 24th century technology when the duck blind they were operating out of had a reactor failure. The USS Enterprise-D responded to the situation and unknowingly worsened the cultural contamination when the Mintakans observed their comings and goings. As a result, the previously discarded beliefs in supernatural beings began to resurface in the village most directly affected. This would eventually lead to their mistaking Jean-Luc Picard for the Overseer, one of their gods. To avert the revival of religion, Captain Picard abducted the local leader, Nuria, in order to give her a guided tour of the ship to explain that the beings they discovered are simply mortals with advanced technology.

Unexpectedly, Nuria believed that this proved that Picard was indeed the Overseer. It took her seeing the death of one of the anthropological team to prove to her that Picard and his people were mortal. When they returned to the planet, Liko finally believed the truth when he almost killed Picard with a bow and arrow.

While cultural contamination occurred, it was relatively limited. The Mintakans gained only the knowledge that sentient life inhabited many worlds besides their own and that many seemingly impossible or divine feats, such as instantaneous transport and interstellar travel, could be achieved with a sufficiently high understanding of technology. The Mintakans were left to continue on something close to their original path of cultural evolution, as the Enterprise crew refused to allow access to advanced technology and explained that the Prime Directive proscribed additional contacts or interference from the Federation and Starfleet until the Mintakans independently became a warp capable culture many years in the future.

All aspects of the Federation presence were removed and satellites were placed in orbit to ensure that no further cultural contamination occurred.

Government

They have not yet developed to the point where any formal type of government has been adopted. Currently each village is governed, led by one female. This woman would seem to have been selected based on her abilities and capabilities to handle problems and to logically deal with problems in the best manner available to her.

Description

They appear to be typical Vulcans although they dress and use primitive items in keeping with their current level of development.

Physiology

As with most intelligent humanoid species they have a very complex system with specialized organs, and unique hormones, chemicals and enzymes. They are typical humanoids with most of the physical, mental and biological medical problems that seem to plague most humanoids.

Medical scans would seem to indicate that they are some form of proto-Vulcan humanoids species who follow the Vulcanoid norm, but their brain has a much lower lysosome level.

Psychology

They are quite peaceful, highly rational and they have no immediate fear of strangers. Furthermore based on the data retrieved by the Federation observers and the crew of the USS Enterprise-D it would seem that they do not have any mental health issues.

Religion

Once the Mintakans were religious and superstitious and believed in notions such as spirits of the dead haunting the living, supernatural beings or that the stars controlled their fate. One of these beings was called the Overseer, a type of Supreme Being with god like powers.

Millennia before 2366, despite their relatively minimal technological advancement, Mintakan culture had evolved and had long since rejected the aforementioned superstitions and had been collecting astronomical and archaeological data for several generations.

They reconsidered the possibility that they were wrong and that there were beings with amazing powers when a Federation study team was accidentally revealed to them in 2366. In order to counter the damage caused by this incident they were reassured that those they had encountered were simply people like them and that their rational ways was a clear indication of their ability to logically understand the realities of the universe around them.

Mythology

They have an interesting collection of tales, legends and fables regarding various supernatural beings, spirits of the dead and creatures that prowled the night.

Society

They are Proto-Vulcan humanoids who are currently existing at the Bronze Age level of development. They are quite peaceful and highly rational and their evolution has close parallels to that of the Vulcans. Once cave dwellers, they now build two-story adobe-like huts, hunt with the bow, weave cloth, use a sundial and have no immediate fear of strangers.

Culture

In keeping with their present level of development they are capable of creating music and produce excellent woven tapestries and decorated pottery.

Customs

Mintakan women always walked in front of the men as a sign of ownership, and to stake out a negotiating position for any services that might be asked of the man. Also at least some of them live in extended families.

Technology

In the 24th century, the Mintakan civilization on Mintaka III was undergoing its Bronze Age, as they had not yet developed the techniques to forge iron.

Economy

They are completely self-sufficient and trade infrequently with other villages on their world.

Military

They have no military forces of any kind and do not need them. The same can be said of an organized safety detail or police force.

Federation Intelligence Files

Karst topography

Karst topography is a type of geological landscape that features sinkholes, underground rivers and caverns. The area around the Mintakan settlement on Mintaka III possessed Karst topography, as well as high concentrations of thallium compound in the rock strata. It was for this reason, the USS Enterprise-D was unable to pinpoint the missing Doctor Palmer with its sensor beams.

===Mintakan tapestry=== (Pic of one is on memory alpha) The Mintakan tapestry is a woven picture of designs placed on a piece of hide, made by the Mintakans species. One was given as a gift from Nuria to Captain Jean-Luc Picard in 2366.

It remained in Picard's quarters and in his ready room on the USS Enterprise-D and later on the USS Enterprise-E, presumably as a reminder of the importance of the Prime Directive.

Hornbuck

The hornbuck was a most-likely ruminant animal possessing horns that was native to the planet Mintaka III. These animals were often hunted by the Mintakans. In 2366, a Mintakan hunting party discovered injured Palmer while stalking a hornbuck.

Bronze Age

Bronze Age refers to a stage of development during which a society learns to cast bronze by smelting tin and copper and to use the alloy predominantly in tools, weapons, jewelry and cookware.

===Sundial=== (Pic of one is on memory alpha) A sundial is a primitive device used for ascertaining the time of day.

In 2366, on the planet Mintaka III, the Mintakan named Oji was her village's appointed record keeper. One of her duties was to read the sundial each day, when the sun was at its zenith.

Mintakans

All of these individuals were encountered near or in the same village on Mintaka III in 2366 by the crew of the USS Enterprise-D.

Paki: Paki was a Mintakan boy who gave Jean-Luc Picard a Mintakan tapestry following the Mintakan's unintentional encounter with the Federation.

Hali: Hali was a Mintakan hunter he was sent by the Mintakan leader to hunt down William Riker, who had rescued Doctor Palmer.

Yari: Yari was a Mintakan hunter who was tricked by Troi during a rescue attempt of captured Federation Doctor Palmer.

Loko: Liko was a Mintakan male whose wife died in the floods of 2365, leaving him alone with their daughter Oji.

Fento: Fento was a Mintakan elder, who was well-versed in Mintakan legend. Fento confirmed the legend of the Overseer, a "supreme power" according to his ancestors, "who could appear and disappear at will," after Liko experienced a visit to the USS Enterprise-D, and his daughter Oji witnessed the transport.

Oji: Oji was a Mintakan female, daughter of Liko. After the death of her mother the previous year, Oji inherited the responsibility of taking daily sundial measurements from an observation point near her community.

Nuria: Nuria was a leader of a community of Mintakans the pre-industrial, proto-Vulcan humanoid society of the planet Mintaka III.

Sources

Both Memory Alpha and Memory Beta were used as references as well as the following TV episode: TNG: Who Watches The Watchers.

Content from this article may have
come partially, or entirely from
Memory Alpha


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