Changes: Skagaran

Revision as of 09:54, 20 January 2016

The Skagarans were a warp-capable humanoid race, also pejoratively known as "Skags". Although a single member of this species was technically called a "Skagaran", that name could additionally be applied for plural use.

Physiology

Skagarans appeared nearly identical to Humans with the exception of distinguishing red protrusions above each eyebrow, on their throat, and in front of each ear. They also had red blood, like many humanoid species, and their body had a higher tolerance to alcohol than a Human body. They were similar enough to Humans to produce children with them and to breathe the same air as them.

Society and culture

Although some Skagarans believed in the concept of Hell, they did not practice burial ceremonies to dispose of their dead. As of the 19th century, they practiced slavery of other sentient species.

Technologically, the Skagarans achieved warp drive by Earth's mid-19th century. They possessed weapons which were probably phasers or disruptors ("guns which emitted a beam of light") and, reportedly, had transporter technology ("they could move through thin air from one place to another"). Aboard Skagaran starships, they recorded ship logs in data modules, which used crystal-like data chips.

Skagarans were also apparently capable of penetrating thermobaric clouds which surrounded the Delphic Expanse.

Skagarans had their own kind of alcohol, Skagaran whiskey, and their own language.

Skagaran history

Enslavement

During the 19th century, Skagarans were establishing colonies and were in need of workers. One Skagaran ship was sent to Earth. The vessel's crew abducted several thousand Humans from America's western rocky desert regions (as well as horses, dogs and cattle) and took them as slave workers to help the Skagarans start a colony on a planet which was located in the Delphic Expanse but had a climate similar to Earth's.

It is possible the slaves were taken from Missouri, as that state was mentioned in a document pertaining to the colony translated by Ensign Hoshi Sato.

According to the Human account, Cooper Smith was a folk hero who overthrew their Skagaran masters. However, the Skagarans recorded a slightly different version of events, calling Cooper Smith "rahk'tar", which meant "butcher". According to the Skagarans, Smith and his men burned the Skagarans' ship, destroying their weapons and murdering most of them, including entire families. To ensure the Skagarans could never enslave the Humans again, Smith wrote the first laws that kept the Skagarans from going to school, owning property or marrying. By the mid-22nd century, the Skagaran population was less than a thousand and most lived in settlements, one of which was named "Skag town" by the Humans. At this point, at least some Skagarans no longer shared their ancestors' attitude toward slavery, calling it a great crime.

Based on a lesson Bethany teaches about the Wright brothers' first powered flight, we can assume that the Humans were abducted sometime around 1864, nearly forty years before this historic event.

Enterprise

A Skagaran colony

In 2153, the NX-class starship Enterprise visited the Skagaran colony planet, which was still inhabited by Humans and Skagarans. When an away team beamed to the surface of the planet, T'Pol and Commander Charles "Trip" Tucker discovered the wreckage of the Skagaran ship that the Skaragans, three hundred years earlier, had used to transport Humans to the planet. In the ship's data module, T'Pol and Tucker found some data chips, which contained Skagaran log entries. The Skagaran logs were brought aboard Enterprise, where the crew learned that the Skagarans had suffered many disciplinary problems. Six months after the Skagaran ship had arrived, there were no more logs made. Although Enterprise was too small to carry the six thousand Humans who lived on the planet back to Earth, Captain Jonathan Archer planned to return to the planet and provide aid to the inhabitants. Archer believed that when Starfleet was eventually able to send ships to the planet, the crews of those vessels would find that the Humans had changed some of their laws.

Skagaran treatment

Although some Skagarans, such as Draysik, were employed in saloons, they were not allowed to drink with their Human masters and therefore reacted badly to alcohol. Skagaran whiskey was illegal, but a barber named Henry was allowed to keep a bottle for pulling teeth.

Skagaran (Dead) — A dead Skagaran, after being hanged for murder

If a Skagaran killed a Human, it was considered a hanging offense, even if the Skagaran had been acting in self-defense.

Legally, Humans were not encouraged to harass the Skagarans, though a Human who defended a Skagaran from other Humans could possibly be arrested. It was deemed illegal for a Human to teach Skagarans and the minimum punishment for doing so was ten years in jail. However, some Humans, such as Bethany, taught Skagaran children outside at night. A subject that Bethany taught her students was mathematics, including the study of multiplication and long division. The students who Bethany taught wrote on slates. Some of her students were called Yral, Kret and Taliyah. Bethany herself was one-quarter Skagaran. When the starship Enterprise left the Skagaran planet, Bethany had been allowed to legally teach Skagaran and Human children together. One of the subjects she taught was Earth history, including the study of the first airplane. (ENT: "North Star")

List of Skagarans

Named

Unnamed

Unnamed Skagarans

Background information

The nickname "Skag" was invented by "North Star" writer David A. Goodman. He used a "k" sound and a "g" sound in the word because he thought they made it sound "nasty", which was his intention. However, Goodman has admitted thinking that, because it is a fictional term, it will never "have the power of one of the awful [real] words." ("North Star" audio commentary, ENT Season 3 Blu-ray special features)

In the final draft script of "North Star", Skagarans were not physically described, other than being referred to as "alien humanoids".

When it came time to design the look of the Skagarans, it was deemed appropriate for their makeup appliances to not seem too alien. This was because Skagarans were to be established as capable of interbreeding with Humans and producing offspring that could be mistaken for being Human. ("North Star" audio commentary, ENT Season 3 DVD/BD special features) However, David A. Goodman was left with the impression that the makeup was slightly too subtle (at least at the start of the episode, when the species is introduced). ("North Star" audio commentary, ENT Season 3 Blu-ray special features)

Executive Producer Brannon Braga once referred to the Skagarans as "a poignant little metaphor for the Native American Indians." (Star Trek: Communicator issue 151, p. 30) In fact, the plot point regarding the criminality of teaching Skagaran children was thought up as a way to make the aliens' predicament slightly more sympathetic than originally conceived. ("North Star" audio commentary, ENT Season 3 DVD/BD special features)

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-[[Image:Draysik.jpg|thumb|[[Draysik]], a Skagaran male (2153)]]
+[[File:Draysik.jpg|thumb|[[Draysik]], a Skagaran male (2153)]]
-The '''Skagarans''' are a [[warp]]-capable [[humanoid]] [[species|race]], also known as "[[slang|Skags]]".
+The '''Skagarans''' were a [[warp-capable]] [[humanoid]] [[species|race]], also [[slang|pejoratively known]] as "'''Skags'''". Although a single member of this species was technically called a "'''Skagaran'''", that name could additionally be applied for plural use.
 ==Physiology==
-Skagarans appear nearly identical to [[Human]]s with the exception of distinguishing red protrusions above each [[eye]]brow, on their throat, and in front of each [[ear]]. They also have red [[blood]], like many humanoid species, and their body has a larger tolerance to [[alcohol]] than a Human body. They are similar enough to humans to produce children with them.
+Skagarans appeared nearly identical to [[Human]]s with the exception of distinguishing red protrusions above each [[eye]]brow, on their throat, and in front of each [[ear]]. They also had red [[blood]], like many humanoid species, and their body had a higher tolerance to [[alcohol]] than a Human body. They were similar enough to Humans to produce children with them and to [[breathing|breathe]] the same [[atmosphere|air]] as them.
-==Society and Culture==
+==Society and culture==
 Although some Skagarans believed in the concept of [[Hell]], they did not practice [[funeral|burial]] [[:Category:Ceremonies|ceremonies]] to dispose of their dead. As of the [[19th century]], they practiced [[slavery]] of other [[sentience|sentient]] species.
-Technologically, the Skagarans achieved warp drive by the mid-19th century. They possessed [[weapon]]s which were probably [[phaser]]s or [[disruptor]]s ("guns which emitted a beam of light") and, reportedly, had [[transporter]] technology ("they could move through thin air from one place to another"). Their [[starship]]s were also capable of penetrating the [[thermobaric cloud]]s which surrounded the [[Delphic Expanse]].
+Technologically, the Skagarans achieved warp drive by Earth's mid-19th century. They possessed [[weapon]]s which were probably [[phaser]]s or [[disruptor]]s ("guns which emitted a beam of light") and, reportedly, had [[transporter]] technology ("they could move through thin air from one place to another"). Aboard [[Skagaran starship]]s, they recorded [[starship|ship]] [[log]]s in [[data module]]s, which used [[crystal]]-like [[data chip]]s.
+{{bginfo|Skagarans were also apparently capable of penetrating [[thermobaric cloud]]s which surrounded the [[Delphic Expanse]].}}
-Skagarans have their own kind of alcohol, [[Skagaran whiskey]].
+Skagarans had their own kind of [[alcohol]], [[Skagaran whiskey]], and [[Skagaran language|their own language]].
+==Skagaran history==
-===Language===
-The word ''Rokdar'' translates to "butcher". This was a name that the Skagarans used to describe [[Cooper Smith]].
-==Skagaran History==
 ===Enslavement===
-During the 19th century, a Skagaran ship was sent to [[Earth]]. The vessel's [[crew]] abducted several thousand Humans that were later taken to help the Skagarans start a [[colony]], and serve as slave workers.
+During the 19th century, Skagarans were establishing [[colony|colonies]] and were in need of workers. One Skagaran ship was sent to [[Earth]]. The vessel's [[crew]] [[alien abduction|abducted]] several thousand Humans from [[Ancient West|America's western rocky desert regions]] (as well as [[horse]]s, [[dog]]s and [[cattle]]) and took them as [[slave]] workers to help the Skagarans start a colony on a [[planet]] which was located in the [[Delphic Expanse]] but had a climate similar to Earth's.
+{{bginfo|It is possible the slaves were taken from [[Missouri]], as that state was mentioned in a document pertaining to the colony translated by [[Ensign]] [[Hoshi Sato]].}}
-[[Image:Cooper Smith.jpg|thumb|Cooper Smith]]
-According to Human recorded history, Cooper Smith helped the Humans to eventually overthrow their Skagaran masters and set up their own [[government]] in which the Skagarans were oppressed. However, the Skagarans recorded a slightly different version of events, calling Cooper Smith "Rokdar", meaning "butcher". According to the Skagarans, Smith ordered his men to burn the Skagarans' ship, destroy their weapons and [[murder]] most of them, including entire families of Skagarans. To make sure that the Skaragans could never enslave the Humans again, Smith wrote the first laws that kept the Skagarans from going to [[school]], owning property or marrying. By the mid-[[22nd century]], the Skagaran population was less than a thousand and most lived in settlements, one of which was named "[[Skagtown]]" by the Humans.
+[[File:Cooper Smith.jpg|thumb|Cooper Smith]]
-:''Based on Bethany's lesson about the [[Wright brothers]]' first powered flight we can assume that the Humans were abducted sometime around [[1864]], nearly forty years before this historic event.''
+According to the Human account, [[Cooper Smith]] was a folk hero who overthrew their Skagaran masters. However, the Skagarans recorded a slightly different version of events, calling Cooper Smith "rahk'tar", which meant "[[butcher]]". According to the Skagarans, Smith and his men burned the Skagarans' ship, destroying their weapons and [[murder]]ing most of them, including entire [[familial connection|families]]. To ensure the Skagarans could never enslave the Humans again, Smith wrote the first laws that kept the Skagarans from going to [[school]], owning property or [[wedding|marrying]]. By the mid-[[22nd century]], the Skagaran population was less than a thousand and most lived in settlements, one of which was named "[[Skag town]]" by the Humans. At this point, at least some Skagarans no longer shared their ancestors' attitude toward slavery, calling it a great crime.
+{{bginfo|Based on a lesson [[Bethany]] teaches about the [[Wright brothers]]' first powered flight, we can assume that the Humans were abducted sometime around [[1864]], nearly forty years before this historic event.}}
 ===''Enterprise''===
-[[Image:Skagaran Planet.jpg|thumb|A Skagaran colony]]
+[[File:Skagaran planet, low orbit.jpg|thumb|A Skagaran colony]]
-In [[2153]], the [[NX class]] starship [[Enterprise (NX-01)|''Enterprise'']] visited a [[planet]] inhabited by Humans and Skagarans in the Delphic Expanse. When an [[away team]] [[beam]]ed to the surface of the planet, [[T'Pol]] and [[Commander]] [[Charles Tucker III|Charles "Trip" Tucker]] discovered the wreckage of a Skagaran ship which the Skagarans had used three hundred years earlier to transport Humans to the planet. In the ship's data module, T'Pol and Trip found small [[crystal]]line formations, which contained Skagaran [[log entry|log entries]]. The Skagaran logs were brought aboard ''Enterprise'', where the crew learned that the Skagarans had suffered many disciplinary problems. Six months after the Skagaran ship had arrived, there were no more logs made. Although ''Enterprise'' was too small to carry the six thousand Humans who lived on the planet back to Earth, [[Captain]] [[Jonathan Archer]] planned to return to the planet and provide aid to the inhabitants. Archer believed that when [[Starfleet (Earth)|Starfleet]] was eventually able to send ships to the planet, the crews of those vessels would find that the Humans had changed some of their laws.
+In [[2153]], the {{class|NX}} starship {{NX|Enterprise}} visited the [[Skagaran colony]] [[planet]], which was still inhabited by Humans and Skagarans. When an [[away team]] [[beam]]ed to the surface of the planet, [[T'Pol]] and [[Commander]] [[Charles Tucker III|Charles "Trip" Tucker]] discovered the wreckage of the Skagaran ship that the Skaragans, three hundred years earlier, had used to transport Humans to the planet. In the ship's data module, T'Pol and Tucker found some data chips, which contained Skagaran [[log entry|log entries]]. The Skagaran logs were brought aboard ''Enterprise'', where the crew learned that the Skagarans had suffered many disciplinary problems. Six months after the Skagaran ship had arrived, there were no more logs made. Although ''Enterprise'' was too small to carry the six thousand Humans who lived on the planet back to Earth, [[Captain]] [[Jonathan Archer]] planned to return to the planet and provide aid to the inhabitants. Archer believed that when [[Starfleet]] was eventually able to send ships to the planet, the crews of those vessels would find that the Humans had changed some of their laws.
-===Skagaran Treatment===
+===Skagaran treatment===
-Although some Skagarans, such as [[Draysik]], were employed in [[saloon]]s, they were not allowed to drink with their Human masters and therefore reacted badly to alcohol. Skagaran whiskey was illegal, but a [[barber]] named [[Henry (barber)|Henry]] was allowed to keep a bottle for pulling teeth.
+Although some Skagarans, such as [[Draysik]], were employed in [[saloon]]s, they were not allowed to drink with their Human masters and therefore reacted badly to alcohol. Skagaran whiskey was illegal, but a [[barber]] named {{dis|Henry|barber}} was allowed to keep a bottle for pulling teeth.
-[[Image:Skagaran (Dead).jpg|thumb|A dead Skagaran, after being hanged for murder]]
+[[File:Skagaran (Dead).jpg|thumb|A dead Skagaran, after being hanged for murder]]
-If a Skagaran committed murder, it was considered a hanging offense, regardless of whether the murder was committed in self-defense or not.
+If a Skagaran killed a Human, it was considered a [[hanging]] offense, even if the Skagaran had been acting in self-defense.
-Legally, Humans were not encouraged to harass the Skagarans, though a Human who defended a Skagaran from other Humans could possibly be arrested. It was deemed illegal for a Human to teach Skagarans and the minimum punishment for doing so was ten years in [[prison|jail]]. However, some Humans, such as [[Bethany]], taught Skagaran children outside at night. A subject that Bethany taught her students was [[mathematics]], including the study of multiplication and long division. The students who Bethany taught wrote on slates. Some of her students were called [[Yral]], [[Kret]] and [[Taliyah]]. Bethany herself was one-quarter Skagaran. When the starship ''Enterprise'' left the Skagaran planet, Bethany had been allowed to legally teach Skagaran and Human children together. One of the subjects she taught was Earth history, including the study of the first [[airplane]]. ({{ENT|North Star}})
+Legally, Humans were not encouraged to harass the Skagarans, though a Human who defended a Skagaran from other Humans could possibly be arrested. It was deemed illegal for a Human to teach Skagarans and the minimum punishment for doing so was ten years in [[jail]]. However, some Humans, such as Bethany, taught Skagaran children outside at night. A subject that Bethany taught her students was [[mathematics]], including the study of multiplication and long division. The students who Bethany taught wrote on [[slate]]s. Some of her students were called [[Yral]], [[Kret]] and [[Taliyah]]. Bethany herself was one-quarter Skagaran. When the starship ''Enterprise'' left the Skagaran planet, Bethany had been allowed to legally teach Skagaran and Human children together. One of the subjects she taught was [[Human history|Earth history]], including the study of the first [[airplane]]. ({{ENT|North Star}})
 ==List of Skagarans==
@@ Line 47: / Line 47: @@
 * [[Unnamed Skagarans]]
+== Background information ==
+The nickname "Skag" was invented by "North Star" writer [[David A. Goodman]]. He used a "k" sound and a "g" sound in the word because he thought they made it sound "nasty", which was his intention. However, Goodman has admitted thinking that, because it is a fictional term, it will never "have the power of one of the awful [real] words." ({{e|North Star}} [[audio commentary]], [[ENT Season 3 Blu-ray]] special features)
+In the final draft script of "North Star", Skagarans were not physically described, other than being referred to as "alien humanoids".
+When it came time to design the look of the Skagarans, it was deemed appropriate for their makeup appliances to not seem too alien. This was because Skagarans were to be established as capable of interbreeding with Humans and producing offspring that could be mistaken for being Human. ({{e|North Star}} [[audio commentary]], [[ENT Season 3 DVD]]/[[Blu-ray Disc|BD]] special features) However, David A. Goodman was left with the impression that the makeup was slightly too subtle (at least at the start of the episode, when the species is introduced). ({{e|North Star}} [[audio commentary]], [[ENT Season 3 Blu-ray]] special features)
+Executive Producer [[Brannon Braga]] once referred to the Skagarans as "a poignant little metaphor for the [[American Indian|Native American Indians]]." ({{STC|151|30}}) In fact, the plot point regarding the criminality of teaching Skagaran children was thought up as a way to make the aliens' predicament slightly more sympathetic than originally conceived. ({{e|North Star}} [[audio commentary]], [[ENT Season 3 DVD]]/[[Blu-ray Disc|BD]] special features)
+[[cs:Skagaran]]
 [[Category:Species]]