Halanan
| SPECIES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Halanan
| |||
| Homeworld: | New Halana | ||
| Quadrant: | Alpha | ||
| Affiliation: | United Federation of Planets | ||
| Biology | |||
| Average Male Height: | 168 cm (5 ft. 6 in.) to 196 cm (6 ft. 5 in.) | ||
| Average Male Weight: | 59 kg (130 lb.) to 108.9 kg (240 lb.) | ||
| Average Female Height: | 163 cm (5 ft. 4 in.) to 188 cm (6 ft. 2 in.) | ||
| Average Female Weight: | 59 kg (130 lb.) to 99.8 kg (220 lb.) | ||
| Minimum Academy Age: | 18 | ||
| Life Expectancy: | 125 | ||
| Distinctive Features: | |||
| Playability | |||
| PRC Rated: | Yes | ||
| NPC Rated: | Yes | ||
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Contents
Physiology
The Halanans are a humanoid, bipedal species. The have the appearance of a Terran except for extra folds of skin near the top of the ears and two curling points at the very top.
Halanans have a certain biological response that makes it’s necessary for them to mate for life. When a Halanan has his or her first sexual experience, a hormone in the brain is released that affects the emotional center of the brain. This creates a bond between the Halanan and his or her mate that can only be broken through death. See society for more information.
This hormone also triggers the last stage of the reproductive cycle of a Halanan. Thus, they can't reproduce until after their first sexual experience.
Pregnancy and Gestation
The Halanan gestation rate is twice as fast as a Human gestation rate. A Halanan fetus will be fully developed and ready for delivery in only 20 weeks. The child is born with fully developed organ systems, however due to such a quick gestation period, he or she does not spend much time growing in the womb. As a result, a typical Halanan newborn is very tiny, averaging about 2 lbs (0.9 kg) and 14 inches (36 cm).
Similar to premature Human babies, Halanan infants need more external warmth than other newborns. This is generally accomplished by keeping the child swaddled against their mother or father's body for the first four weeks of development.
A newborn Halanan child has very high nutritional needs and will generally need to be fed every two hours for the first week of development. Breast milk is highly recommended, though it can be supplemented if needed. Feeding tapers off to once every three hours during the second week, once every four hours during the third week, and so on.
Planet of Origin
The Halanans originated from their home planet of Halana. A natural incident within the Halanan solar system forced the evacuation of the planet. Federation Professor Gideon Seyetik saved the race by terraforming a planet he dubbed New Halana. It is claimed to be a paradise world.
Telepathy
The Halanans have a form of telepathy known as psycho-projective telepathy. Under the influence of high emotions, a Halanan will uknowingly project an image displaying that emotion, or at time even another person who looks like them, but acts different. They are trained as children to keep this under control as much as possible, but sometimes the emotional response makes this impossible.
Society
Halanans have very few people who venture out to other worlds or even off planet, though as a member of the Federation, they allow visitors from the Federation and other groups they trust.
The biological need to mate for life has forced Halanans to form a rigid way of courting and searching for a mate. It is not unusual for a Halanan to spend time with many different members of the opposite sex in order to find the one person that is meant to be their mate. They call the finding of that person “knowing”. Once they “know”, a Halanan is not afraid to express his or her feelings to the person they have chosen for their mate. If the person they have chosen rejects them, it hurts, but unless they have formed a sexual bond, the Halanan can recover.
Ritual suicide is an accepted practice among Halanans. This is also due to the biological bond created between a Halanan and his or her mate. If a Halanan is rejected after the bond has formed, suicide is the most common answer to relieve a broken heart. Though the death of a partner can sever the bond, there are times when it does not and ritual suicide is practiced.
The biological bond is the main reason Halanans rarely leave their planet. The risk of bonding with someone and being rejected is dubbed by most to be unworthy. The Halanan psycho-projective telepathy also keeps them close to home, where they are better understood by their own kind.
There are only two known Halanans in Star Fleet, Commander Aloysia Yvette, and a Klingon/Halanan hybrid, Midshipman Tala Thaine.
Naming Conventions
The first name of a Halanan is chosen by the parents in a fashion similar to Human naming conventions. The surname of a Halanan, however, depends on the social status of their family. When two Halanans bond, the surname of the Halanan with the higher social status becomes the family name, regardless of gender. This surname is then given to all children.
However, if both Halanans have equal social status, then the partners are free to choose which name they will take. Most of the time, each Halanan keeps their own family name. When it comes to giving family names to the children, there is usually much debate and negotiation between the partners involving extended family.
Middle names are uncommon in Halanan culture, though some parents chose to given their child the surname of the parent with lower social status as a middle name.
