Andoria
Andoria is a frigid M-Class moon that orbits the fifth planet (a ringed gas giant) in the Andorian system. Approximately 85% of the moon's surface is covered in water, and the moon is characterized by two large ice caps at its poles. These are much bigger than those found on Earth.
Andoria is one of the five founding worlds of the United Federation of Planets. It is in close proximity to Vulcan, with whose people the Andorians endured great conflict for many years. Andoria forms the capital of the Andorian Empire, and is home to the Andorians and their offshoot species, the Aenar. Andoria is relatively close to the Sol system.
Andoria is also referred to as Andor, both by Andorians and off-worlders.
History
Andorian history is characterised by periods of extreme turbulence, which reflects the people's tendencies towards violence. Records from before 1692 (Earth-Gregorian) may be of limited value, as nearly all of Andoria's historical documents were destroyed during periods of global civil war.
Timeline
Pre-Warp
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| Pre-1284 | Andoria is torn by planetary civil war. Clans form alliances, attack other clans, then break allegiance and fight each other. Chaos ensues. |
| 1284 | A clan lord, Krotus, succeeds in conquering Andoria by defeating the most powerful opposing clans before turning them against the weaker remnants. This act unites Andoria and puts an end to the hundreds of years of bitter fighting. Krotus ushers in an industrial age. Andoria begins to prosper. |
| 1332 | Krotus is assassinated by his daughter. She seizes control of his clan, but is by no means as successful at maintaining control of the planet. While technological advances continue to be made, the planet's political situation begins to rapidly destabilise. |
| 1597 | Disputes over the Tharan Mountains trade route ignite hostilities between warlords, resulting in 100 years of bitter warfare that destroys nearly everything the Andorians had built. This came to be known as the Time of Lament. |
| 1692 | Lor’Vela, a 14 year-old girl, slays her mother and takes control of her keth in response to a fever-induced dream. She calls together the leaders of the clans to the Council of Tarsk, and persuades them to forego attacks on each other in an attempt to restore Andor to its former glory. The government she set up during this time remains in effect even to this day. |
| c.1910 | The Vulcans make first contact with the Andorians, whom they believe show promise despite their tendency towards strong emotion. The Andorians quickly reject their offers of aid and collaboration due to what they perceived as overly meddlesome behaviour. |
| c.1950 | The Andorians and Vulcans begin a border dispute that will last for the next 200 years. The Vulcans are unsettled by neighbours that they consider to be barbaric and casually violent. The Andorians believe that the an invasion may be imminent, and rely on their ability to stage a massive counterattack as a deterrant. |
| c.2050 | Andorians terraform Weytahn, a class-D planetoid, that lies in a strategic location close to the Vulcan homeworld. When the Vulcan demand to inspect the colony to ensure there are no military installations on the surface is denied, the Vulcans decide to forcibly evacuate the planet. The dispute rages on for many years. |
| 2097 | A treaty is signed in which the Vulcans claim Weytahn, and rename it Paan Mokar. A surveillance sattelite is placed in orbit to monitor the planet's surface. |
| 2104 | Andorians discover a hidden settlement of Aenar located below the Issan ice cap, also referred to as the Northern Wastes. Until this time, the existence of the telepathic Aenar, a subspecies of Andorians was thought to have been a myth. |
| 2118 | Andorians Develop warp travel. |
Post-Warp
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 2151 | Andorians make first contact with Humans at the Vulcan sanctuary of P'Jem. While hostilities arise in the first instance, Captain Jonathan Archer's involvement in exposing a secret Vulcan listening post ingratiates him with Andorian Commander Shran. |
| 2151 | Commander Shran saves the human Captain Jonathan Archer from rebel forces on the planet Coridan, despite Vulcan interference almost compromising the operation. |
| 2152 | Starfleet Captain Jonathan Archer mediates negotiations that lead to a ceasefire between Vulcan and Andorian forces on the colony world of Weytahn, despite resistance from both sides. |
| 2153 | An Andorian vessel under the command of Shran, the Kumari, enters the Delphic Expanse in search of the starfleet ship, Enterprise. On learning that the Xindi are developing a super-weapon that is intended to destroy Earth, the Andorians attempt to harness the weapon to use in their own defense force. |
| 2153 | The Vulcan High Command begins plans to invade Andoria. |
| 2154 | The Vulcan High Command authorizes a fleet of Vulcan ships amassed near the Regulus system to open fire on an Andorian Task Force. The attack, which had been engineered through Romulan interference, became known as the Battle of Andoria. |
| 2154 | After the Vulcan High Command is dissolved and replaced by a new regime, the Vulcans enter into a more peaceful stance with the Andorians. The Cold War is finally over. |
| 2154 | The Andorian Empire is among the galactic powers involved in preventing the destabilization of their region of space by a Romulan drone-ship. The Romulans had been using an Aenar to pilot their vessel by telepresence to prevent the Vulcans from being able to make visual contact. |
| 2155 | Formation of the Coalition of Planets, an agreement of mutual defense and co-operation between the Andorians, Tellarites, Vulcans and Humans. |
| 2156 | Andoria becomes involved in the Romulan-Earth war as a member of the Coalition of Planets. |
| 2160 | The Romulans are routed at the Battle of Cheron. This leads to the establishment of the Romulan Neutral Zone, an area of space into which neither side may cross lest it be considered an act of war. |
| 2161 | The Coalition of Planets is consolidated to become the United Federation of Planets. |
| 2164 | Captain Jonathan Archer is inducted as an honorary member of the Andorian Imperial Guard by Shran |
| 2169 | Jonathan Archer becomes the Federation Ambassador to Andoria. |
| 2230 | The Atlin Zoological park is founded. The zoo is said to contain more than 500 different animal species from many different Federation worlds. |
| 2247 | Andorian Captain Igrilan Kor begins service on the U.S.S. Eagle, an all Andorian-crewed starship. The crew receives more decorations and awards than any other in the fleet. |
| 2268 | Andorian Ambassador Shras attends the Babel Conference, and supports Coridan's entry into the United Federation of Planets. |
| 2286 | Andorians now hold two seats on the Federation Council, more than ever before. |
Geography
Many Andorian cities are subterranean, using geothermal energy to warm them in order to make habitation more comfortable. They connected by thousands of kilometers of ice tunnels. The surface is referred to as bracingly cold, even by the Andorians themselves, as the temperature only ever rises above zero degrees centigrade during rare heatwaves. Scientists theorise that it was in volcanic rifts, and in underground pockets near the planet's core that temperatures were high enough to sustain the origins of life.
There are 4 continents on Andoria, Issa (Northern Ice-Cap), Ka’thela, Tlanek (Southern Ice-Cap) and Voral. Ka’thela and Voral are connected by the Tharan Mountains.
Lor'Tan is the largest city on Andoria, although its administrative capital is Laibok. Borders between countries do not exist, instead various areas are controlled by different keth, similar to a tribal territorial system.
Andorian Landmarks
- The Andorian Academy is considered one of the foremost educational institutions for artists within the entire Federation.
- The Wall of Heroes is a place on Andoria where fallen members of the Imperial Guard can be honoured by depositing a vial of their blood.
- The Andorian Mountains are considered to be a place of outstanding natural beauty within the galaxy, and many newlywed couples visit them as a honeymoon location.
Zoology
- The Andorian Amoeba holds particular scientific interest due to its somewhat unique reproduction system. Through fusing with another single cell organism, the amoeba produces a completely new species.
- Andorian Bulls are known for their extremely aggressive dispositions.
- Andorian Redbats are considered by some to be a great delicacy.
- Andorian tuber roots are extremely high in calorific content. As such they make ideal additions to emergency provisions.
- In the polar regions of Andoria, Ice Bore swarms often congregate. These worms are able to produce heat internally through a chemical reaction, and are harvested by the Aenar for worldwide distribution.
- Sharing a similarity with horses on Earth, Zabathu are often used as mounts by Andorian riders.
Politics
All Andorians are members of clans, or keth, which specialise in different professional skills. These keth all have different views, which need to be represented in some way in the global government. As such, the Kethni council, made up of a number of members from different keth is the global government of Andoria, and it comprises around 300 members. Legislation, as well as the election of a Chancellor, is decided democratically. The Council is directly responsible for the Andorian Defence Force, which does not fall under the jurisdiction of Starfleet Command.
Commerce
The most important overland trade route on the planet is through the Tharan Mountains. This trade route was the source of a great deal of dispute during the Time of Lament. Its importance has dwindled since the introduction of atmosphere-capable shuttlecraft and transporter technology.
The Federation underwent an Andorian fad in the early 23rd Century, as Andorian clothing and cuisine became fashionable on Earth. Many humans purchased Andorian Hrisal (ceremonial blades) as well as fake antennae. Andorian silk is prized for its softness, and Andorian jewellery is highly collectable. Andorian Ale remains a well-loved beverage throughout the Federation to this day.
Andorian tiles are exported to many different worlds as they are regarded as being extremely well crafted. Their high quality lends itself well to hand painting.
Federation Intelligence File
It is rumoured that an extremely top secret group, known as the Am Tal, operate for the Andorian government as an intelligence agency. This organisation is not widely known of within the Federation.
The Andorians are a passionate people who are well known for their military prowess. The Andorian Imperial Guard continues to act as a defense for Andoria, and operates outside of Starfleet's command structure. Although relations with the Vulcan people were once strained, they have now settled onto more friendly terms.
Sources
- Star Trek:Enterprise ("The Andorian Incident", "Shadows of P'Jem", "Cease Fire", "Twilight", "Proving Ground", "Countdown", "Zero Hour", "Kir'Shara", "Babel One", "United", "The Aenar", "In a Mirror, Darkly", "In a Mirror, Darkly, Part II", "Demons", "Terra Prime", "These Are the Voyages...")
- Star Trek:Deep Space Nine ("Prodigal Daughter")
- Memory Alpha (various pages)
- Memory Beta (various pages)
- Star Trek RPG: Aliens (Decipher Inc., 2003)
- Star Trek RPG: Worlds (Decipher Inc., 2003)
- The Good That Men Do (Andy Mangels & Michael A. Martin, Pocket Books)