A Rogues' Gallery of Andorians (cont.)
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Andorians in recent years
Ensign Thirishar ch'Thane, also known as Shar, was twenty-three years old and unmarried when he arrived to take up his new post. He is grey-eyed and has both antennae and ears. Shar's antennae are not auditory organs, but can detect electrical fields, changes in air density, temperature, strong emotions, adrenaline or teptaline. Shar finds that Deep Space 9's common areas are set too cold and dry for his comfort. Like many Andorians in Starfleet, he has come to appreciate humour in other species. Most Andorians view too much laughter as frivolity, or witlessness. [Most Pocket Deep Space Nine novels from the Avatar duology (2001) by SD Perry, including Gateways: Demons of Air and Darkness by Keith RA DeCandido. Shar also appears in "The Next Generation: The Other Side" by Robert Greenberger, part of Gateways: What Lay Beyond (2001).] Shar is of the Thane clan. [Andor: Paradigm by Heather Jarman in Worlds of Deep Space Nine, Book 1 (Pocket, 2004).]
On Sindorin, Doctor Julian Bashir discovers a deceased, hairless, blue-skinned humanoid, a victim of mad Doctor Ethan Locken. It may have been an Andorian, as it had dark marks on its scalp where the antennae may have been attached when it was alive. [Section 31 novel, Deep Space Nine: Abyss (2001) by David Weddle and Jeffrey Lang.]
Shar compares a feeling of nervousness as like a grelth (an Andorian arachnid) weaving a web in his stomach. [Gateways: Demons of Air and Darkness (Pocket, 2001) by Keith RA DeCandido.] Another Andorian arachnid is the forest spider, which can grow to a mass of 20 kilograms. [Star Trek Roleplaying Game: Creatures (Decipher, 2003).]
Like all Andorians, Shar has been raised to "live for the whole" and is expected to undergo the shelthreth ceremony with three Andorian partners: Anichent, Dizhei and Thriss. [Gateways: Demons of Air and Darkness (Pocket, 2001) by Keith RA DeCandido.]
Shar's zhavey, or biologically and socially closest mother, is Councilor Charivretha zh'Thane, who holds the Andorian seat on the Federation Council. [Avatar, Book 2 (Pocket, 2001) by SD Perry; Trill: Unjoined by Andy Mangels and Michael A Martin in Worlds of Deep Space Nine, Book 2 (Pocket, 2005).] Known affectionately as Vretha for short, she wears her hair styled like an Andorian zletha flower. She calls Shar her chei, which seems equivalent to "son". [Gateways: Demons of Air and Darkness (Pocket, 2001) by Keith RA DeCandido.]
Vretha invokes the name of Thori, a major female Andorian deity [Gateways: Demons of Air and Darkness (Pocket, 2001)], as does Tharia [The Third Artifact in The Brave and the Bold, Book 2 (Pocket, 2002) by Keith RA DeCandido] and Zhres [Articles of the Federation (Pocket, 2005) by Keith RA DeCandido.]
Shar participates in a joint mission with the crew of the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-E). [The Next Generation/Deep Space Nine crossover comic mini-series, Divided We Fall (WildStorm, 2001), by John Ordover and David Mack; also collected in a German language omnibus edition, Symbiose (Dino, 2002).]
An office of Pocket Books is located on Andor. [Title pages of Mission Gamma, Book 2: This Gray Spirit (Pocket, 2002) and Worlds of Deep Space Nine, Book 1 (Pocket, 2004).]
The full names of Shar's three bondmates are eventually revealed: Dizhei is Vindizhei sh'Rraazh and Thriss is ShathrissÃa zh'Cheen. Anichent, a male in appearance, is Thavanichent th'Dani. Anichent reminds Vretha of one of her own bondmates, Zherathrizar. [Mission Gamma, Book 1: Twilight (Pocket, 2002) by David R George III.] Dizhei calls Councilor zh'Thane her zhadi and she, in turn, calls Dizhei shri'za. [Mission Gamma, Book 2: This Gray Spirit (Pocket, 2002) by Heather Jarman.]
High levels of humidity are considered suited to Andorian physiology. Shar's keen interest in cytogenetics is a result of the falling birthrate on Andor, which threatens the race's extinction unless a solution can be determined. [Mission Gamma, Book 2: This Gray Spirit (Pocket, 2002) by Heather Jarman.]
Popular holosuite programs with Shar's bondmates include visiting the Palace of Zhevazha, or taking swordplay roles in one of "the Sagas". [Mission Gamma, Book 2: This Gray Spirit (Pocket, 2002) by Heather Jarman.]
Councilor zh'Thane's aides are named Thanis [Mission Gamma, Book 2: This Gray Spirit (Pocket, 2002) by Heather Jarman] and Zhende (a thaan). [Andor: Paradigm by Heather Jarman in Worlds of Deep Space Nine, Book 1 (Pocket, 2004).]
Shar has compared the scent of Thriss to sweet-smelling challorn flowers. [Mission Gamma, Book 2: This Gray Spirit (Pocket, 2002) by Heather Jarman.]
The zhavey of Thriss is a textile artist and a visiting professor (from the Andorian Art Academy), to the Betazed University. [Mission Gamma, Book 2: This Gray Spirit (Pocket, 2002) by Heather Jarman.] She is named Sessethantis zh'Cheen, or Thantis, and has lilac eyes. Her new synthetic forearm is a result of injuries sustained during the Dominion War's "Battle of Betazed". Under the previous political system on Andor (ie. a thousand years ago), Thantis would have been a First Princess of the Cheen-Thitar clan. Instead, she is Chieftain of the Regional Visionist Party of the Archipelago. One of her bondmates has been on deep space reconnaissance for six months. Her sh'za is a neuro-chemical engineer. The shreya (parent) of Thantis passed away several cycles ago. Thantis had actually plotted the removal of Thriss to Betazed years befor Shar enrolled at Starfleet Academy. [Andor: Paradigm by Heather Jarman in Worlds of Deep Space Nine, Book 1 (Pocket, 2004).]
During the conception of an Andorian child, the chan adds his gametes to those of the shen, which have already been fertilized by the thaan. The zygote is then implanted into the zhen's pouch. [Unity (Pocket, 2003) by SD Perry.]
From "Who's Who in Star Trek" issue #1, DC Comics.
Only the Evaste Elders can give permission to release bondmates from their bethrothal. Tezha, or sexual union outside the shelthreth, is frowned upon. Shar and Thriss indulged in this many years ago and kept the secret from their bondmates. [Andor: Paradigm by Heather Jarman in Worlds of Deep Space Nine, Book 1 (Pocket, 2004).]
Steamed shaysha is an edible, orangle-speckled, beetle-like, Andorian lifeform known as the "insect delicacy of the Archipelago". Other foods include a sour-grain pilaf with a nutty, citrus aroma, seared marine animals, and roasted vithi flower bulbs and sandbush seeds. Katheka is a stimulant analogous to coffee. [Andor: Paradigm by Heather Jarman in Worlds of Deep Space Nine, Book 1 (Pocket, 2004).]
At Enclave, Prynn sits next to an Andorian called Uthiri and is embarrassed that the Andorian might have heard her stomach rumbling. [Andor: Paradigm by Heather Jarman in Worlds of Deep Space Nine, Book 1 (Pocket, 2004).]
Vretha first visited what is now her UFP Council office in Andor's capital during her fourteenth cycle, before her Time of Knowing (engagement). Her desk, of highly polished, petrified eketha hardwood, is decorated with ancient Andorian iconographical glyphs and runes. It used to belong to former Federation Councillor th'Vrash. [Andor: Paradigm by Heather Jarman in Worlds of Deep Space Nine, Book 1 (Pocket, 2004).]
In current Andorian homeworld politics, ch'Shelos is the Presider of the Modern Progressive Party Enclave, of which th'Sivas and sh'Yethe are representatives. [Andor: Paradigm by Heather Jarman in Worlds of Deep Space Nine, Book 1 (Pocket, 2004).]
Visiting ships to Andor must contact Orbital Control. Shar meets uniformed security personnel and some reporters upon his arrival. Sentinel zh'Nastha is the installation's chief of security. [Andor: Paradigm by Heather Jarman in Worlds of Deep Space Nine, Book 1 (Pocket, 2004).]
The symbol of the Water Guardian is made up of four interlocking squares which form a quasi star. In olden times, this symbol was painted in the blood of the oldest shen of the house. The symbolic shapla is a betrothal locket exchanged at the Time of Knowing, containing the entwined locks of hair from all four partners of a bonded group. Whole Vessel Law legally permits bondmates to separate. [Andor: Paradigm by Heather Jarman in Worlds of Deep Space Nine, Book 1 (Pocket, 2004).]
Saf is a psychoactive chemical and aphrodisiac refined from an Andorian plant, used in the shelthreth. It provides a myriad of benefits for sexual function. Sanctuary priests and priestesses dispense it to sealed bondgroups and, afterward, it is generally available only by medical prescription. It is illegal to possess saf offworld and it can be fatal to non Andorians. Saf doesn't replicate well and the plant only grows successfully on Andor. Phillipa Mathias has permission to purchase a sample to return to Deep Space 9 for research purposes. Prynn Tenmei almost dies after accidentally ingesting some and Vretha is kidnapped when terrorists use Phillipa's sample to overpower her. [Andor: Paradigm by Heather Jarman in Worlds of Deep Space Nine, Book 1 (Pocket, 2004).] Saf was used by Cardassians during the Bajoran Occupation. ["The Officers' Club" by Heather Jarman in Tales from the Captain's Table (Pocket, 2005).]
An old Andorian aphorism suggests, "As is the zhavey, so is the child." There is also no need to possess something exclusively. An axiom says, "When others are in need, I give." Visitors to the Enclave are expected to remove their clothes and put on a cloth shield, based on the ancient tradition of being stripped of possessions and goods. All aspects of the exterior world, including the body, are seen as public domain. Andorians draw their circle of intimacy within their minds. Another saying is that "Absence makes the heart forget." The First Truth proclaims, "One alone cannot be Whole - nor two, nor three. What one chooses, is chosen for all. What befalls one, befalls all. Their lives are yours. My life is theirs." [Andor: Paradigm by Heather Jarman in Worlds of Deep Space Nine, Book 1 (Pocket, 2004).]
Some purplish pigmentation on the neck identifies Arenthialeh zh'Vazdi, or Thia, as a nursing zhavey, only recently out of seclusion. Thia has grey-green eyes and is a botanist, just returned from a month of field studies on Dramia. She wears a modesty drape over her temporary kheth (pouch). The kheth grows over and around the lower abdomen of a zhavey for the final phase of Andorian gestation. Mashed xixu fronds (a marine plant) is used as baby food. Zhiassa is zhavey's milk. There is an unspoken rule concerning privacy for a zhavey and her newborn child. Two of Thia's bondmates are from Zhevra region. Her clan farmed with the Thitar clan for twenty generations. Thia's thaan is a security systems controller who manages government accounts. [Andor: Paradigm by Heather Jarman in Worlds of Deep Space Nine, Book 1 (Pocket, 2004).]
Shar visits his mentors at the Andorian Science Institute. Scientists there are believed to be investigating ways to alter Andorian babies at conception, perhaps changing four sexes into just two. It has been over 100 years since multiple births occurred on Andor. Doctor th'Saarash of the Institute proposed the controversial plan to alter Andorians at conception: changing four sexes into just two. However, Doctor sh'Veileth makes a breakthrough in Andorian gene therapy, based on her studies of the hominid Yrythny ova that Shar brought back from his mission to the Gamma Quadrant. This secret research reveals that a slight modification of Andorian chromosome #17 can increase viable Andorian gametes, widening the window of fertility considerably. [Andor: Paradigm by Heather Jarman in Worlds of Deep Space Nine, Book 1 (Pocket, 2004).]
Four guards, encountered by Shar on Andor, wear open-faced headgear and have close-cropped hair, such as was fashionable during the early days of the UFP. One guard, Vanazhad ch'Shal, is an old friend of Shar's. [Andor: Paradigm by Heather Jarman in Worlds of Deep Space Nine, Book 1 (Pocket, 2004).]
The Sending is an Andorian funeral. The Rite of Memory involves friends and relatives of the deceased recording an electrochemical message, or neuroimprints, in each facet of a Cipher. Mourners also create their own mask of death for The Sending. A funeral bier was prepared for Thriss on Tower Hill. Thriss's shreya and charan attend her Sending. [Andor: Paradigm by Heather Jarman in Worlds of Deep Space Nine, Book 1 (Pocket, 2004).]
When an Andorian's antennae move together, it is the equivalent of a shrug. An Andorian smile is more of a soft, liquid gaze. Andorians give off a honey-sweet scent when they are exerted by exercise. Andorians require less sleep than many other hominids. Andorians can subsist on three or four hours of sleep during the 32-hour Andorian day. They are neither diurnal nor nocturnal, and young children can even eat comfortably at midnight and then attend school. Prynn hears the young Andorian students chanting about Thirizaz and Sanchen, calling for a volcano to bleed lava into the sea, to create mist to aid their escape from the wicked spirit keeping them apart. One student, Thezalden ch'Letha, is reprimanded for not being attentive during sex education classes. [Andor: Paradigm by Heather Jarman in Worlds of Deep Space Nine, Book 1 (Pocket, 2004).]
Temperature regulators are woven into most Andorian fabrics. Chan wear warriors' attire. Thaan wear chain mail. Zhen traditionally wear a ceara. This fine-gauge, knitted, form-fitting body stocking has an over-garment of rectangular fabric, which can be wrapped in various ways and pinned by brooches (bearing the clan insignia). The pantaloons are wide-legged and cropped at the mid calf. Prynn borrows a ceara when her luggage goes missing. Shen wear bodypaint on special occasions, and traditionally reveal the entire back when visiting Sanctuary. [Andor: Paradigm by Heather Jarman in Worlds of Deep Space Nine, Book 1 (Pocket, 2004).]
The ancient Reiji clan gave up its land and title for a more nomadic existence. Vretha has contacted this less savoury element of Andorian society, in her desperation to confirm rumours of the Science Institute's alleged experiments into Andorian genetics. While visiting this clan, Prynn witnesses a form of gambling that uses frenzied, rodent-like furry animals and a sharp knife. Losers forfeit their own teeth to the winners. Here, Prynn ingests the saf drink that almost claims her life. [Andor: Paradigm by Heather Jarman in Worlds of Deep Space Nine, Book 1 (Pocket, 2004).]
Flower boxes of sea ivy and black-throated conch flowers, with furry yellow branches, decorate the route to Therin Park's east entrance. Its archway leads to a series of rooms of terraced waterfalls and gardens. Melon-coloured fish with winglike fins, reed flies and scarlet and yellow fish can be seen in and near the ponds. The seep willow is a variety of Andorian tree that grows in clusters. Striped cave lilies are rare, even in the tropics. Elta is a floral tree on Andor and taras is another kind of tree. Shaggy marsh bison are Andorian animals. A klazh is an Andorian animal known for its careless way of moving. [Andor: Paradigm by Heather Jarman in Worlds of Deep Space Nine, Book 1 (Pocket, 2004).]
The Reserve is an off-limits area where the Codices say the Andorian species evolved. Vretha is taken there when kidnapped. The Great Wash, a landform prone to flash flooding, is near the mouth of a lava tube and a few kilometres past Temple Butte. By following the Temple Path within the Coral Canyon complex, Shar hopes to rescue his zhavey. [Andor: Paradigm by Heather Jarman in Worlds of Deep Space Nine, Book 1 (Pocket, 2004).]
Shanchen's Mantle is a native Andorian plant with small, furry, moss-like flowers in yellow and white. When Phillipa Mathias becomes a victim of the Andorian shax, a poisonous, parasitic insect that nests under the skin of its host, a previously unknown strain of Shanchen's Mantle was discovered by Shar's group in their search for a natural antidote while within The Reserve. Doctor sh'Veileth realises that this primitive variety of the plant has a four-gamete fertilization process, similar to Andorians themselves. This is the essential evidence that Andorians had always sought - to prove that they were native their home planet. [Andor: Paradigm by Heather Jarman in Worlds of Deep Space Nine, Book 1 (Pocket, 2004).]
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Most Andorian graphics © Pocket Books, WildStorm/DC Comics, DC Comics and Ian McLean. This web page is not intended to infringe on copyrights held by CBS/Paramount.
Page first uploaded June 2001. Last revised October 2009; updated regularly.
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