Conversations / analysis of possible gender, sexuality, and individuality conceptualizations of alien species within the Star Trek universe, as well as rudimentary notations on culture, history, and behavior.
Changelings
Changelings (also known as “Founders”) have no concept of gender or sexuality as many humanoids see it; in fact, they find what they consider an “obsession” with such things rather vulgar. Procreation is unnecessary for a virtually deathless race; however, Changelings are capable of asexual reproduction while contained within the “Great Link.” If mitosis were attempted outside of the Link, both the original Changeling (the “progenitor”) and the potential offspring (the “scion”) would be destroyed. Originally, all Changelings spawned from one parent known to them only as “The Progenitor”; after the degenerative disease that restricted their shapeshifting abilities was able to be cured, the Changelings were once again capable of limited asexual reproduction within the Link.
There is no vocal language for Changelings; they find verbal communication beneath them, as they are able to convey meaning through Linking with one another. Necessity in more recent years has birthed a pseudo-Bajoran system of phonetics used exclusively for communication with non-Changelings (“solids”). From this conlang comes the personal pronoun d’v’riy, roughly translated to mean, “of many.”
Changelings place great value on their place within the Great Link, and often describe an individual Changeling as little more than a drop separated from an ocean—the “ocean” being, of course, the Link itself. There is almost no developed sense of individual identity, both in terms of autonomy and personal descriptors such as a name, gender, age, etc. The thought of valuing oneself by such arbitrary and ephemeral qualities is considered beneath them even to consider.
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Trill
Trill have a remarkably laissez-faire approach to the concepts of gender and sexuality, joined or unjoined; while their physical sexual dimorphism varies enough to allow them to sexually reproduce, most Trill do not differ greatly from what is known as the generic Trill bauplan. Unjoined Trill tend to have more clarity in regards to their own sense of gender and/or sexuality, with some even expressing exclusive preferences towards a particular sex, etc. Symbionts as a separate entity have no concept of either gender or sexuality, reproducing asexually in groups; the hosts’ preferences influence the joined Trill, as do any memories of past hosts, i.e., the sum of one’s parts becomes a general background sketch. Joined Trill are usually fluid in both gender and sexuality, although some hosts with stronger senses of their own individuality leave residue of their preferences on the joined entity, despite past experiences.
There are three main personal pronouns in the Trill language: first, va’i, meaning “I, an unbonded Trill”; second, ka’s, meaning “I, a symbiont”; third, sa’vk, meaning “I, the gestalt entity.” A variety of suffixes exist to determine of which host one is speaking, i.e., “I, [ordinal number] host,” and so on. Much of this linguistic subtlety is lost in translation to other languages, which often leads to confusion in regards to pronouns used to describe oneself. Trill in general regard Federation Standard, as well as many other common languages, extremely limiting in their array of pronoun options.
Trill view a joined host-symbiont match both as a dual and as a single individual. The pronoun sa’vk, and all conjugations thereof, does not have an equivalent translation into any known Federation language. It denotes both the coupling of the symbiont and the host, while also acknowledging the essence brought separately by both the symbiont and the host. The joined entity is simultaneously a combination of the two pieces and an entirely different individual altogether. It is not uncommon for newly joined Trill to depart from their previous social circles (i.e., family, friends, romantic partners) entirely, due to the strain of adjusting to the admission of the symbiont.
While there is no taboo against relationships of any combination of sexes between unjoined Trill, joined or formerly joined beings tend to be held to a higher standard. Reassociation, or the act of rekindling a relationship with someone close to a past host, is considered a grave offense. An exception can be made for certain friendships, if it is sufficiently proven that the friendship was made with the symbiont itself and not the host, but those cases are few and far between. Romantic entanglements have never been approved in terms of reassociation; once the symbiont is passed on to a new host, the joined pair is forbidden from returning to the previous life.
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Cardassians
Cardassians have two base sexes with few rare mutations and a low variety of sexual dimorphism. Their ancestors, known as Hebitians, evolved towards saurian characteristics during a particularly arid time in Cardassia’s history, spanning thousands of years; modern Cardassians have lost much of that dimorphism and secondary sex characteristics (i.e., flared neck ridges and crests, longer tails, more reptilian positioning of joints in the primary limbs, etc.).
The climate on Cardassia coincided with the evolution and subsequent devolution of much of the defining characteristics of modern Cardassian anatomy. Shortly after the Hebitians arrived on Cardassia (which was then a remarkably temperate, verdant, and rainy environment), a large meteorite struck the surface of the planet, causing tectonic shifts, environmental alterations, and a drastic shift in average temperature. For several thousands of years, Cardassia was little more than a desert planet, beaten by severe dust storms sweeping its surface with winds that could reach above 700 km/h. The temperature could reach above 65˚C during the hottest part of the day. To cope with the extreme conditions, the ancient Hebitians built their shelters underground, and evolved cooling neck frills, third eyelids to prevent UV radiation from damaging the inner eye, and saurian claws adept for keeping balance in strong winds and on rocky surfaces.
Over time, the climate shifted gradually towards a more moderate average, and the Hebitians evolved along with it. Some Hebitian traits are retained in the rudimentary neck ridges extending down the sides of the throat and onto the shoulders and chest, which are an erogenous zone, and are considered a desirable quality in potential sexual partners, based on how pronounced they are, leading certain individuals to use cosmetics to enhance the area; as well as vestigial tail stubs, which vary from around 30cm-60cm in length and are mostly surgically removed soon after birth due to a lack of function. Modern Cardassians also retain the third eyelid, varanid bifid tongue, and ectothermic anatomy of their ancestors.
Cardassians are ectothermic poikilotherms with sauropsid traits. They bear some similarities to diapsids in regards to skeletal structure, but are theropods. The average gestation period is seven months, although the fetus is viable at four months. Fetuses surgically removed from the parent before five months retain much more noticeable tails, but only rudimentary neck ridges and chufa (“forehead ridge,” the parietal eye), both of which develop further in the last month of pregnancy. When carried to term, the children are born still encased in a protective “eggshell” made of components similar to keratin and cartilage, presumably an evolutionary leftover from fully formed amniotic eggs. They are born without “hair” (actually modified quills/spines coated in a protective sheath of keratin), which grows in fully within the first two weeks. Cardassians have a vomeronasal organ, which compensates for their limited hearing.
While the current climate is much milder than the Hebitians experienced it to be, Cardassia is still an extremely warm, arid, and overall inhospitable planet. The oceans have risen significantly since the Hebitian period due to a higher density of precipitation as the aridity caused by the meteorite dissipated, but most of the landlocked areas are still virtually entirely desert. The area known as the Northern Continent is the most suitable for agriculture; thusly, it is in this area where scientific procedures tend to take place. Cardassians are ectothermic and therefore prefer warmer temperatures, although the intense sunlight is uncomfortable, and most Cardassians prefer to regulate activities requiring them to leave the shelter of their homes to more crepuscular times.
Cardassian architecture is primarily triangular, centered around the most fundamental of mathematical shapes. Most Cardassians enjoy the darker environments, and spend most of the brightest hours inside; it is rare for Cardassians to sleep for more than three to four hours at a time, preferring to rest briefly but more frequently, generally in between meals, which are lengthy affairs due to both a physical need to digest food slowly and a cultural need to pair mealtimes with conversation and debate. Windows are constructed of stained glass specifically designed to allow the warmth but not the UV light to seep through. Cardassia operates on a 26-hour day.
Current-day Cardassian culture places strong emphasis on the importance of family; individuals lacking a cogent family will be ostracized. While same-sex relationships are not frowned upon, procreation is expected regardless of individual preferences, either genetically or via surrogate. Adoption is considered preposterous and shameful due to the taboo that Cardassians would never abandon their biological offspring: Cardassian philosophy states clearly that the children are the future of Cardassia.
While there is no legal precedent for separation by sex, Cardassian culture paves the way for women to tend towards the sciences and technical arts, while men tend towards the military and government. Both are equally likely to serve as legal officials, proprietors of the fine arts, or members of the surveillance group known as the Obsidian Order.
SOMETHING ABOUT THE LEGAL SYSTEM.
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Vorta
The Vorta originated as a species of homoiothermic quadrupedal arboreal synapsids. They had not evolved to the point of coherent linguistic communication or sophisticated technology at the point when the Changelings (known to the present-day Vorta as “Founders”) genetically altered them. The original “designs” created by the Changelings followed much of the patterns of the Changelings themselves, rendering the Vorta beings with no concept of gender or sexuality. They lacked any “unnecessary” senses, including advanced taste buds (sacrificed in order to gain a stronger immune reaction to toxins), aesthetic appreciation, and sexual organs. Later “models” designed by the Changelings were modified to fit a more humanoid standard, although the result still lacked any means of reproduction, sexual or asexual.
The Vorta reproduce via cloning, the only sustainable way to manage the population of their species. The design of the Vorta immune system is such that the Vorta’s body would instantaneously reject any matter the Vorta came in contact with for any reason that was deemed a toxin, i.e., most forms of poison. Organ donation is virtually impossible without immune suppressors strong enough that a simple cold would kill the Vorta before it had any chance of recovery; therefore, when a Vorta is gravely injured, its body is designed to shut down as rapidly as possible, to allow the transition of its consciousness, which is controlled by the Changelings through cybernetic memory chips implanted subcutaneously and connected to a database hub, into the next genetic copy.
It is not known if the Changelings intentionally designed the Vorta to deify them. Because the “Founders” reproduce asexually, sexual reproduction is seen as “impure.” The cloning process is swift: Vorta reach maturity within a period of a few Terran weeks. The clones are based on a section of cell tissue and DNA gathered from the original model, which are then replicated exactly with each new iteration. As of the end of the Changelings’ reign over the Vorta, there were seventeen different Vorta “models” which were capable of being cloned.
Towards the end of the period of time where the Changelings controlled the Vorta, several individual Vorta began to display curiosity in aesthetic attraction, and some vestigial and potentially latent characteristics regarding preferential appearances etc. began to emerge. A notable example of this was the Weyoun line of Vorta, which displayed a keen interest in the concept of artistic appeal, as well as the taste of food, something the Vorta were previously incapable of distinguishing due to a low count of primary taste buds, instead relying on the texture of the food to determine its quality.
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Bajorans
Prior to First Contact with the Federation, no specific Bajoran words existed for their own concept of gender. Learning that Humans, specifically the Federation, placed such importance on gender, was an unexpected culture shock. Bajoran culture meted out jobs, roles, tasks, etc., as was personally appropriate, not based on gender, sex, etc. While Bajorans usually procreated in pairs, a strong emphasis on extended family existed within the culture.
Bajoran culture values compassion and community. It is not uncommon for several generations of family to share the same living spaces, with a communal rotation of duties which allows each individual to contribute as is most apt. The Bajoran language has many dialects, which generally denote the region from which the individual originates; the family name, which is listed before the personal name, also denotes the origin.
Before the Cardassian Occupation of Bajor, Bajorans were divided by a long-standing caste system known as d’jarras. An individual’s d’jarra was used to determine one’s profession outside of the family home. The Bajorans believed that their gods (known as “Prophets”) had foreknowledge of the path each individual was destined to walk, and would guide them accordingly. After the Occupation had ended, Bajor did away with the d’jarra system, although not without conflict from some of the more orthodox sects, which caused some animosity, particularly as Bajor struggled to heal from a fifty-year enslavement.
Bajorans are ectothermic poikilotherms, depending on external sources of heat. Bajor’s climate, which has remained stable for many hundreds of thousands of years, is accommodating to this necessity; however, expatriated Bajorans often require medical supplements to replace the thermic environment of their homeworld.
Although Bajorans are ectotherms, they are live births. Bajorans only carry their young for five months, during which time the fetus develops within a protective membranous amniotic sac separate from the uterine lining. There is no umbilical cord; nutrients are absorbed via the “eggshell” membrane and then transferred to the fetus. During the month leading up to the birth, the fetus, now fully grown, absorbs the protective encasement. The most prevalent theory is that Bajorans were once monotremes. While Bajorans are capable of nursing their children, it is not necessary; Bajorans are born capable of consuming solid foods.
Ancient Bajorans were able to construct light-propelled starships capable of sub-warp speeds, which they used to voyage to their neighboring planets, most notably Cardassia, which was at the time a verdant and mountainous terrain (Class M). Several groups of Ancient Bajorans were marooned on Cardassia following the collision of an asteroid, which caused temperature and aridity to increase greatly. Despite the conditions—unlike the natural environment of Bajor, which had and has a high humidity and frequent monsoon seasons—the settlers were able to survive for hundreds of thousands of years, eventually evolving into modern-day Cardassians, who called their ancestors “Hebitians.” While the climate on Bajor remained relatively stable over this period of time due to Bajor’s location between its sun and satellites, Cardassia underwent dramatic changes which caused its occupants to evolve to the point where they were unrecognizable to their neighbors.
Due to their shared genealogical heritage, Cardassians and Bajorans are able to produce fertile mixed-race offspring without medical intervention. Details of the ancient Bajoran/Hebitian voyages and subsequent marooning has been deliberately expunged from Cardassian history, and are similarly not known among the Bajoran public.
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Vulcans
The Vulcan language (Vulkhansu) translates poorly into most Federation languages, and is thus difficult to feed through a translator. Much of the language relies on contextual nuance, such as the example of the word ozhika, commonly translated to mean “logic” (the core tenant of the Vulcan philosophical system), but which actually has several dozens of meanings which vary from “duty” to “sense of self.”
Vulcan sexuality is open-minded; bonded pairs are meant to procreate to ensure the future of their species, chosen due to their adaptive mental capability. While the mind-bond is for life, extramarital arrangements are viewed as logical for a pairing where no romantic love is exchanged, and no disapproval is cast upon couples of any gender combination.
Vulcans have three primary sexes and, subsequently, three primary genders, rendered as prefixes: “sa-” (most closely translated to “male”), “kosu-” (most closely translated to “female”), and “on-” (most closely translated to “both”). Although Vulkhansu is not gendered, much of the contextual nuance of the language is lost when translated, making it difficult to differentiate between the gender of a speaker and the gender of that to whom they are speaking.
The suvel nahan po’surak (“Vulcans,” literally translated as “the thinking people, after Surak”) adhere to a trinary tradition naming system determined by the gender of the individual. The sa-suvel nahan po’surak (most closely translated to “male Vulcans”) generally are given a two-syllable name containing the consonants “K,” “S,” “P,” “R,” “L,” and/or “V” (ex.: Spock, Kuvak, Solkar, Sarek, Sybok, etc.). The kosu-suvel nahan po’surak (most closely translated to “female Vulcans”) generally are given names which follow a “T+P+[syllabic]” convention (ex.: T’Pring, T’Pau, T’Pol, etc.) The on-suvel nahan po’surak (most closely translated to “Vulcans of both”) generally are given a name which is a combination of the aforementioned, dual-syllabic with a suffix of “-[vowel]+K” (ex.: Saavik, Tuvok, Duryk, etc.). The philosophy behind this linguistic decision states that the suvel nahan po’surak exist upon a linear spectrum, with the sa at one end, the kosu at the other, and the on stretching between the pillars at either side. [NOTE: full comprehension of the importance of Vulcan given names requires at least an amateur knowledge of the structure of Vulcan formal script.]
Vulkhansu relies on the context of stressed-unstressed syllables: Spock’s name, for example, when properly said, would be pronounced similarly to “SSS-pock” (two syllables), with the stress on the first syllable/character. Vulkhansu “letters” share much with the old Terran language known as Japanese, in that each symbol represents a sound (i.e., “sa” or “ko”). Conversely, a name such as T’Pring would be pronounced similarly to “ttt-PRING,” with the stress on the second syllable/character. For Saavik, an on-suvel nahan po’surak, both syllables/characters are stressed, i.e., “SAA-VIKK.” This distinction is evident with a native speaker; most non-Vulcans, even those fluent in Vulkhansu, find it difficult to stress the correct syllables.
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Andorians
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Ferengi
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