Andoria
| Official Name | Andorian Empire[1] |
| Affiliation | United Federation of Planets[2] |
| Orbital Period | 300 days[3] |
| Rotational Period | 30 hours[3] |
| Class | M[4] |
| Gravity | 1.0g[3] |
| Points of Interest | Andorian Military Academy,[3] Lor'Tan,[5] Lor'Tan Great Hall,[3][5] Andoria VII Observatory,[3] Atlin Zoological Park[5] |
| Notable Species | Andorians,[2] Aenar[4] |
| Notable Individuals | Krotus,[5] Lor'Vela,[3][5] Shran,[1] Kor, Igrilan,[5] Kor, Trallex,[3] P'Trell, Ghee[6] |
| Notable Events | Age of Lament,[3][5] |
A cold world with relatively few natural resources, Andoria (sometimes called Andor[7]) nevertheless gave rise to an advanced civilization that played a key role in galactic events. Not a planet, Andoria was actually a moon[4][8] of the eighth planet in the Procyon system in the Andorian Sector (aka Sector 006) of the Beta Quadrant,[9] a ringed Class J gas giant[4] named Olith.[5][10]
Environment
Unquestionably, Andoria was cold. Orbiting a Class J gas giant[4] at the outermost edges of the Procyon system, it was an extreme example of a Class M world.[9] Without the heat generated by Andoria's core, which manifested itself on the surface in the form of volcanoes and volcanic rifts, the world might not have developed life at all. An estimated 85 percent of all the animal life on Andoria lived within 15 degrees latitude of the equator.[5]
These relatively temperate zones had a climate similar to the taiga zones on Earth. Long, cold seasons were interrupted by brief but warm summers.[3][4] The warmer conditions, coupled with the heavy summer tourist season, made summers the least favorite time of year for many Andorians.[3] In the 22nd century, the temperature rose above the freezing point of water only a few weeks at a time in some zones, which was considered a heat wave. Andorian cities were built underground to take advantage of geothermal energy.[4]
Dense forests covered much of the Andorian landscape. Trees similar to the redwoods and sequoias of Earth—their blue color notwithstanding—numbered among Andoria's most prominent species of trees. The coloration of the trees, like that of most of the moon's lifeforms, had a blue tint that ranged from the deep blue-green leaves of the deciduous trees along the equator to the vibrant blue of the mountaintop conifers more common near the arctic regions. The Andorian Blue Taiga, known for its brilliant azure hues, made for a popular tourist destination that rivaled the national parks of Earth in beauty and majesty.[3] Andoria was the homeworld of the Andorians, a species distinguished by their blue skin, white hair and antennae.[2] The planet was also host to an Andorian subspecies called the Aenar, who lived in isolation from the rest of their world. The albino Aenar were blind but strongly telepathic.[4] Also native to the planet was a flying mammal called the Redbat.[11]
Andoria's water had relatively high concentrations of cobalt, which accounted for the high levels of the heavy metal in Andorian blood. The presence of cobalt also made Andorian water mildly toxic to Humans unless it was first purified. While Humans could comfortably breathe the Andorian atmosphere for short periods of time,[4] prolonged exposure to the moon's thin atmosphere left many fatigued. As a result, Andorian architects typically outfitted Federation and Starfleet buildings with atmospheric conditioners that could create an earthlike atmosphere.[3]
Geography
Map of Andoria (Decipher 7))
Andoria's landmass was divided into four continents: Issa, Ka'thela, Tlanek, and Voral. Issa and Tlanek were both frozen solid and inhospitable, covered at virtually all times by glacial ice sheets that could be hundreds of meters thick. Nearly all of Andorian civilization resided on the continents Ka'thela and Voral, which were joined by a thin strip of land that contained the Tharan Mountains. Historically, this served as Andoria's most important overland trade route.[5]
Government
Clans, or kethni, formed the basic structure of Andorian society.[3][5] A strong chieftain ruled each keth, typically having gained the position through ritual combat, although in some cases the position was passed by heredity.[3] Originally, kethni were huge, extended families and confederations of family units related to one another by blood. As Andoria entered its Industrial Age and families were less likely to stay tied to the same location long enough for traditional clan ties to solidify, the definition of kethni changed to include clans based on economic, professional, or ideological grounds. Kethni also came to represent groups based on the common interests of their members. Even so, these newer kethni commanded the same loyalty from their members as that shown to the old family-based clans.[5] Together, the leaders of the three hundred largest clans form the Kethni Council, the unified world government which came into being following the reforms instituted by Lor'Vela in the wake of the Age of Lament.[3][5] Officially, each of the clan leaders was equal to every other leader, but in practice, several clan leaders wielded more power due to the strength and influence of their clans, the alliances they shared with other clans, and also due to their own personal age and experience.[3] In the 2360s and 2370s, the most powerful member of the council was Trallex Kor, the eldest clan leader in the council and the leader of Clan Kor, the strongest and most powerful clan on Andoria.[3]
Although Andoria never wavered in its commitment to the Federation, the Kethni Council maintained Andoria's autonomous military force—the Andorian Imperial Guard (renamed the Andorian Defense Forces following the formation of the Federation)—as well as its own intelligence service, the Am Tal, or "Seeker of Secrets." The Am Tal was so secretive, the Federation knew of it only through rumor, and its mandate was to ferret out information—be it political, military, or economic—that would help the Andorian government and track the activities of kethni that had been censured by the Kethni Council. Am Tal operatives worked under deep cover, and were recruited from all walks of life. They continued to lead their daily life while secretly helping the organization gather information. The existence of the Am Tal was controversial, but also represented a romanticized ideal of modern-day Andorian warriors, fighting the good fight against Andoria's enemies.[5]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Berman, Rick & Brannon Braga (Executive Producers). "The Andorian Incident". Enterprise, season 1, episode 7 (Production number 07). Directed by Roxann Dawson. Story by Rick Berman, Brannon Braga & Fred Dekker. Teleplay by Fred Dekker. Paramount Pictures. 31 October 2001.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Roddenberry, Gene (Executive Producer). "Journey to Babel." Star Trek, Season 2, Episode 15. Directed by Joseph Pevney. Written by D.C. Fontana. Desilu Productions, 17 November 1967.
- ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 3.12 3.13 3.14 3.15 3.16 3.17 Isaacs, Ross A. (Line Developer). Planets of the UFP: A Guide to Federation Worlds. Star Trek: The Next Generation Roleplaying Game. LUG Book 25102. Written by James Cambias, Richard Dakan, Jeff Hannes, Harry Heckel, Kenneth A. Hite, Ross A. Isaacs, Sam Johnson, Steve Long, Christian Moore, Lou Prosperi, Justin Schmid, and John Snead. Original art by John Bridges, Joe Corroney, Andrew Currie, Mark Forrer, John Grigni, Pia Guerra, Steve Kurth, and Terry Pallot. Last Unicorn Games, Inc.. March 1999.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 4.8 "The Aenar". Star Trek: Enterprise, episode 90. Television. Paramount Pictures Corporation, 11 February 2005.
- ↑ 5.00 5.01 5.02 5.03 5.04 5.05 5.06 5.07 5.08 5.09 5.10 5.11 5.12 5.13 Heinig, Jess (Line Developer). Worlds. Star Trek Roleplaying Game. Decipher Book 7. Written by Eric Burns, Kenneth A. Hite, and Doug Sun. Original Art by Blake Beasley and Kieran Yanner. Decipher, Inc.. 2005.
- ↑ Berman, Rick et al (Executive Producers). "Prophet Motive". Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, season 3, episode 16 (Production number 462). Directed by Rene Auberjonois. Written by Ira Steven Behr & Robert Hewitt Wolfe. Paramount Pictures. 20 February 1995.
- ↑ Roddenberry, Gene (Executive Producer). "Conspiracy". Star Trek: The Next Generation, season 1, episode 25 (Production number 125). Co-Executive Producers: Rick Berman & Maurice Hurley. Directed by Cliff Bole. Story by Robert Sabaroff. Teleplay by Tracy Tormé. Paramount Pictures. 9 May 1988.
- ↑ The Star Fleet Technical Manual listed the Andoria system as being the Epsilon Indii system. "Planets of the UFP: A Guide to Federation Worlds" and "Worlds" both listed Andoria as being the fifth planet of an otherwise-unspecified Andoria system, with a single G2III primary, also named Andoria. "Star Trek: Star Charts," however, established that Andoria was the eighth planet in the Procyon system, in keeping with the Star Trek: Enterprise episode, "The Andorian Incident," which established that Vulcan and Andoria were "neighboring systems." The episode "The Aenar" further established that Andoria was a moon in orbit of a ringed gas giant. To reconcile these conflicts, Andoria is listed here as Procyon A VIIIa, or the moon of the eighth planet orbiting Procyon A, in keeping with facts established in "Star Trek: Star Charts," which is most closely in line with those facts established on screen.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Mandel, Geoffrey. Star Trek: Star Charts. Pocket Books, 2002.
- ↑ "Worlds" gave the name of Andoria's moon as Olith. "The Aenar," however, established that Andoria itself was the moon of an otherwise-unnamed gas giant. Rather than discard the name entirely, the conflict has been resolved by transferring that name to the gas giant.
- ↑ Berman, Rick & Michael Piller (Executive Producers). "Invasive Procedures". Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, season 2, episode 4 (Production number 424). Directed by Les Landau. Story by John Whelpley. Teleplay by John Whelpley and Robert Hewitt Wolfe. Paramount Pictures. 17 October 1993.
