About Andorians

[Amanda Rose]

As many of you know, ENT does not exist in my world and it doesn't exist here. Furthermore, when I created Zuub and since 12 years ago, hardly anything was known about Andorians, I had to come up with a world history. Since Zuub is being reused in her true form, Andorians here and in our universe have to follow suit for consistency purposes. Much of what I have used in the past comes from here: . The fact that Andorians pair bond is not inconsistent with Data's comment in "Data's Day" where Data states that Andorian marriages require groups of 4 (as two pairs can be married simultaneously and perhaps it is more symbolism than anything given the pair bonding of Andorians as described in their abilities.

This is our canon for Andorians:

Andorian abilities: Despite the fact that Andorians may look slender and/or fragile, they can easily lift twice her weight. Andorians, have antennae which allow her greater hearing to have greater sensitivity than humanoid ears would allow her. The antennae also permit Andorians to have long distance heat-sensing abilities, detect the following: electrical fields, changes in air density, temperature, adrenaline or teptaline, and permit her to have close range empathic and minor telepathic abilities. Whenever an Andorian does bond, the telepathic abilities with her spouse will be complete and no telepathic abilities will manifest with others.

THE ANTENNAE DO NOT REGENERATE! THERE IS NO WORSE SIN than to cut off an Andorian's antennae. Essentially, cutting off an Andorian's antennae is worse than castration and forced blinding of a human.

Androian faces do not reveal emotions. Their muscles in their cheeks do not have the ability to do much more than talk. However, an Andorian's emotions can be told by the movements of their antennae. They express polite interest by curving toward the object of attention, fear or excitement by standing rigid and quivering, weariness or depression by drooping, confusion or upset by wringing and lashing, sexual arousal by slow writhing, intoxication by wobbling unsteadily in different directions, and rage by pressing back against the skull. Andorians "kiss" by touching the tips of their antennae together.

Andorians are carnivores by choice. Vegetables are seen as as food for livestock; however, they will eat them to survive.

Andorian children are given non-sex based names as Andorians are unlikely to know their child's sex until first puberty which occurs roughly between the ages of 12 and 15. Once they have completed first puberty, Andorians are considered neuters because they are unable to get pregnant until second puberty, which is the permanent and telepathic bonding with a mate. Neuters are allowed, if not encouraged, to experiment sexually in any way that interests them and are restricted by no taboos whatever (so long as they do not injure another).

Andorians who do marry promptly find themselves faced with the great physiosocial problem of hyper-fertility. Litters of young usually number from four to six. Litters of eight are not rare. Since a bonded couple can carry three litters at once (one in the female's womb, one in the male's womb and one in the pouch) while nursing a fourth, a healthy couple can produce up to 24 children per standard year - and an Andorian's breeding life can extend for 40 years or more.

Another effect of Andorian hyper-fertility is an aggressive and territorial nature. In order to feed all those children, even a single couple must strive constantly to increase its herds - which necessarily means increasing the tribal lands, since Andorian vegetation is notoriously unsuitable to cultivation and the herds must perforce go wherever the fat-grass chooses to grow. Such expansion inevitably brings a clan into competition with its neighbouring clans, and the usual result is war. Although occasionally one finds a clan that has, by virtue of unusual cunning or strength or luck, managed to overcome its neighbours and absorb their lands, herds and survivors, it is far more common for such clan warfare to result in no significant change of borders, but merely a paring down of numbers on both sides. This is the origin of the Vulcan "joke" about "Andorian population control".

This constant outward direction of aggression makes Andorians correspondingly peaceful within the clan - but only up to a point. The constant population pressure can operate against familial harmony at the drop of a sword. Clans at peace with their neighbours often turn their aggression inward, resulting in dynastic struggles and fratricide, which usually does not end until the clan is decimated by warfare - or until war with neighbouring clans is resumed. On Andor, the phrase: "The family that slays together, stays together" is not a joke.

Andorians have only recently (due to Picard) switched from a dictatorship to a democracy.

[Amanda Rose]

Also, please note that I use for Andorian language. You will now finally all see what Zuub's name really means if you look her name up here.

[Sjet]

That is an appropriate name.