Saurian
From Star Trek: Gamma One
| Saurian Information | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Homeworld: | Sauria II |
| Federation Member: | Yes |
| Origin: | Alpha Quadrant |
Saurians are sentient reptiles from the Sauria system. At this time they are considered among the most unique races in the Federation due to the astounding amount of differences that exist between them and other Federation members.
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Saurian System
The Sauria system is structured much like other systems bearing humanoid life; rocky inner planets, gaseous middle planets, and frozen balls of gas in the system’s outer reaches. The system does not possess any asteroid belts. None of the inner planets have moons, and the system’s gas giants possess only a handful.
Sauria (Planet)
Sauria II’s gravity is 1.06 G and the planet is slightly larger than Earth. The radioactive elements at the planet’s core long ago decayed, causing the core to cool. As such, the planet has no magnetic field. While this would ordinarily cause a planet to be blasted by radiation, a layer of particulate matter in the upper atmosphere blocks most of the more harmful radiation from reaching the surface. This has the side effect of making transporter use to and from orbit problematic, though experienced technicians can overcome these difficulties.
The planet lacks significant continents, instead its surface is covered in smaller land-masses, most of which are connected or only separated by a few dozen miles of open ocean. Sauria’s ocean only covers about 50% of the surface. Near the coasts of the landmasses tropical forests can be found, turning to mountainous high-deserts in the interior.
Climate
Sauria has very little axial tilt, so seasonal differentiation is small. As Sauria is somewhat closer to its star than Earth, the average temperatures are higher. Saurians cannot regulate their body temperature as mammals can, so the poles and equator are mostly uninhabited. Most Federation species would find the hot, humid areas along the coasts to be quite unpleasant. Storms are very common on Sauria’s coasts, though these storms only rarely penetrate the desert interior.
Biosphere
The primary forms of life on Sauria are reptilian and insectoid. Land animals remain quite small. The Saurians themselves are one of the largest creatures on land. The oceans, however, are home to gigantic arthropods and crustaceans. Some species of sea scorpion-like arthropods can reach over 100 feet in length.
Saurians (Species)
Saurians hatch from eggs laid during an annual breeding season. Breeding females will lay 4-6 soft-shelled eggs. These eggs are laid and fertilized communally. Fertilization takes place after the eggs are laid. Saurian parents do not care for their young directly. Instead, career Egg-Tenders care for the eggs and hatchlings. Under normal conditions, two Saurian females are hatched for every male, but this can be modified by controlling the temperature in the incubation chamber. Left to their own devices, about fifty percent of eggs will hatch. One of the responsibilities of the Egg-Tenders is to ensure that only as many hatchlings as can be supported are hatched. Surplus eggs are discarded.
When a Saurian hatches, it is the size of a rat and capable of fending for itself immediately. It remains in this state for 2-3 solar years, at which point it will begin to develop mentally. At this point the hatchling will be the size of a small monkey and will receive a name from the elders of its clan. About 25% of hatchlings die of natural causes before reaching this state. While non-sentient, hatchlings scuttle about their clan holds, treated very much like domestic pets.
As Saurians have an annual breeding season, Saurians from the northern hemisphere cannot breed with those of the southern hemisphere without scientific assistance. Additionally, it is difficult to set up breeding populations off-world, as the cues that trigger breeding in Saurians are often confused by the conditions on other planets.
Other Biology
Saurians are cold blooded, and find the temperatures most Federation species prefer to be too cold. Hence, while off world they often wear heated undergarments. As they do not burn calories to maintain a specific body temperature, their caloric needs are low. Saurians ordinarily consume but a single meal a day, but are capable of fasting for days without hardship.
Saurian Society
For a number of reasons, large nations never developed on Sauria. First, the lack of draft animals limited the ability to move goods and supply such empires. Also, the lack of a magnetic field makes navigation more difficult. The primary political construct throughout Saurian history has been the city state, which is referred to as a Clan-Hold.
Each Clan-Hold is built around a single economic activity, and will have anywhere from 500 to 2,000 members. This activity could be a hydroponic farm, a factory, or something similar, though there will also be a number of small artisans in each hold. Every clan produces its own variety of Saurian brandy, some holds being built around producing it for export. Clan-holds have always been interdependent, with any one hold needing the production of several nearby holds. Recently, global distribution networks has eroded this somewhat.
Until only a few years before contact with the Federation, there was no such thing as “Saurian History”. While each clan kept records, these records are almost certainly mythical if you go back a few centuries. While many clans claim to have existed for thousands of years, the constant creation of new clans and extinction of old ones makes this very unlikely.
Fifty years before first contact, the majority of clans were quite undeveloped technologically, possessing only simple metal tools. However, this level of development varied greatly across the planet. Some clans were nomadic hunter-gatherers, while others had steam power and were beginning to industrialize. However, many clans were quite advanced in the areas of mathematics, the arts, sociology, and other non-technical disciplines.
A small group of clans located on the northern landmass of Glo’oo was responsible for the first warp-capable Saurian ship, which was a probe launched into a nearby star system. As the Saurian system was under Vulcan observation at the time, the Vulcans made contact on behalf of the Federation. At this point, technological advancement began to spread across the planet from Glo-oo, cementing this region as the center of Saurian government and society. Currently, most Saurians enjoy a standard of living comparable to the rest of the Federation.
Government
Sauria is ruled by Senate with representatives from each region. Each hold in any particular region puts forward a candidate for the senate, and then the candidates decide amongst themselves who will be senator. The candidates that are not selected join the senator in the capital as his aides, though only the senator is able to vote. The senator serves until recalled by the majority of his aides. Every Clan-Hold creates and enforces its own laws, within a civil-rights framework established when Sauria joined the Federation. The global age of majority for Saurians is 22 solar years, but most clans have rites-of-passage that may grant clan-adulthood at some point prior to this.
Sand-Lizards
Saurians possessing skin that is red or brown are in many ways treated as second-class citizens on Sauria. For thousands of years such hatchlings were abandoned in the wilderness, though since joining the Federation any sort of exile from a Clan-Hold is illegal. However, Sand-Lizard births are becoming increasingly rare as modern genetic technology has given Clan-Holds the ability to test the genetics of unhatched eggs and discard any with Sand-Lizard genetic markers. It is estimated that by 2450 Sand-Lizard births amongst the Clan-Holds will be eliminated.
Eventually, communities of Sand-Lizards formed in the mountains and high-deserts of Sauria. During the breeding season, they would journey closer to the coast to collect the hatchlings abandoned by the Clan-Holds. Sand-Lizards generally did not form permanent communities, instead travelling amongst the mountainous areas nomadically.
Caravans
Saurians have a long tradition of trade caravans. By nature, Saurians are curious wanderers. Before first contact, at any given time a quarter of the population would be away from the hold trading with other holds. Traditionally, Saurians do not eat when travelling, making the greeting meal a clan will host for visitors an important aspect of their culture. To refuse to provide this meal is a grave insult, and one of the few causes for conflict between two holds.
Occasionally, these caravans would meet up at centralized areas for week-long trade bazaars. These locations were called “Crossings”. For most of the year they were unoccupied. After first contact, Sand-Lizards took over many of the Crossings and converted them into year-round waypoints with inns and trading facilities. The largest of these grew into the planet’s spaceports. The planet’s orbitals are also referred to as Crossings, though none of these are run by Sand-Lizards. A secondary effect of this is that off-worlders (who generally stay in climate-controlled facilities at the Crossings) are more familiar with the Sand-Lizards than they otherwise might be. Additionally, proportionally more Sand-Lizards leave Sauria to live off-world or crew Saurian trade ships.
Clan-Holds
The center of any Clan-Hold is the great hall. All meals are consumed in the great hall, and hatchlings, adults, and elders all sleep in a giant mound in this chamber, even in holds of 2,000 Saurians. Surrounding the sleeping chamber are other recreational chambers and work spaces. Beyond these chambers is a ring of storage areas.
Changing clans is fairly common on Sauria. Once a Saurian has been declared an adult by his original clan, he can petition another clan for admission. In practice this is almost always granted, though in the past a test of ability was often administered. Saurians will change clans to pursue a career that interests them (by perhaps joining a clan centered around a research facility) or for something as simple as them liking the area the new clan is in. The Saurian population at Starfleet Academy is run as a Clan-Hold. If a Saurian is without a clan, or considers himself to be without a clan, it has been shown to cause significant stress and socialization problems.
Conflict amongst clan holds is, these days, almost nonexistent. In the past, conflicts almost always took the form of raids against property or facilities, rather than a hold's occupants. Were a hold to simply stand back and not resist an attack, the attackers would rarely harm them. These raids would almost always be to capture resources, though if a clan was raiding to avenge an insult they also destroy structures or something similar. For example, should a clan attack to avenge its caravan not being given the traditional greeting feast, the attackers would likely plunder their food stores, or destroy the storage building. The defending clan’s members would only be attacked or injured should they decide to resist.
Cuisine
Saurians eat significantly less than mammals, and the culinary arts are not highly regarded on Sauria. Saurians are carnivores, and on Sauria they eat a variety of larva and large worms. Off-world, they can generally eat any type of meat. Saurians cannot properly digest plant matter.
Names
Every clan has different naming conventions, however all Clan-Hold Saurians append the name of their Clan-Hold as their surname. Some Saurians translate these names into Federation Standard when travelling (especially when the name is difficult to pronounce), while others do not. Sand-Lizards often take descriptive surnames based on an occupation or attribute. These names also may or may not be translated.
Language
The primary Saurian language is that of the Glo’oo region, which all Saurians learn by law. It is very difficult for off-worlders to learn, due to its musical nature and 28 tones. Certain sounds are not pronounceable by all species, though a system of approximate sounds has been developed. Saurians tend to learn the languages of other species rather than teach their language. Given that the planet was never united, Sauria has thousands of other languages, and tens of thousands of other dialects. As such, Saurians have become very adept at languages.
Education
Saurians begin their primary education at the age of ten. After that, they are apprenticed to their Clan-Hold’s work-masters. Most clans have a rite-of-passage, after which their education is considered complete. Once they are considered an adult by their clan, a Saurian may visit other Clan-Holds to learn specific skills. Additionally, the Centerhold of Glo’oo has a university which can be attended once a Saurian has reached the age of 22. Many Saurians travel off-world to attend universities on other worlds.
Saurians in Starfleet
Saurians are very curious and travel extensively, but they always return to their Clan-Hold between journeys. As such, most Saurians do not adapt well to Starfleet service. It is thought that this stems from the subconscious idea that they are without a clan, and that those Saurians that do adapt have somehow been able to internalize the non-Saurian members of their unit as their clan. Studies show that less than ten-percent of Saurians in Starfleet seem to be able to make this jump, though with the increasingly global society on Sauria it is thought this number could increase. In the meantime, Starfleet has a created a small number of Saurian-majority vessels to try to combat this problem. Each of these ships is considered a Clan-Hold in its own right, and run as such.
