Kelpien
| SPECIES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Kelpien | |||
| Homeworld: | Kaminar | ||
| Quadrant: | Alpha | ||
| Affiliation: | Unknown | ||
| Biology | |||
| Average Male Height: | |||
| Average Male Weight: | |||
| Average Female Height: | |||
| Average Female Weight: | |||
| Minimum Academy Age: | 21 | ||
| Life Expectancy: | 300 | ||
| Distinctive Features: | |||
| Playability | |||
| PRC Rated: | Yes | ||
| NPC Rated: | Yes | ||
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Kelpiens are a humanoid species from Kaminar. They were one of two sentient species on the planet, along with the Ba'ul, with whom they had a complicated relationship. Empathy was a defining trait hardwired in the Kelpien DNA.
Contents
Physiology
Kelpiens had a tall, lanky build, brownish orange skin, and no head hair, although males at least could grow facial hair at an advanced age. Tendril-like threat ganglia splayed out from the back of a Kelpien's head when they sensed danger. Female Kelpiens typically exhibited smoother skin than males.
The species map on Kaminar did not have food chains, but instead was a binary of predator or prey. Kelpiens were the latter, and as such were biologically determined with heightened senses, and a hyper-vigilance to detect approaching danger in order to flee from it. This had been honed to the point of essentially a sixth-sense warning that a situation was dangerous – as Saru put it, the ability "to sense the coming of death." Besides having more developed senses, Kelpiens had exceptional physical strength and stamina relative to Humans: Kelpiens pursued by apex predators had exceeded speeds of eighty kilometers per hour.
Kelpiens possessed visual, auditory, and tactile receptors more acute than those of Humans. They had a larger optical window than Humans, and could see far deeper into the light spectrum than them, including in the ultraviolet. They could also see heat signatures. They could sense predators from as much as ten kilometers.
At some point in their life cycle, Kelpiens would undergo a a physiological process called the vahar'ai. It was considered unique to their species and they interpreted it as a terminal condition signaling that they were ready to be culled for slaughter by the Ba'ul. It was extremely painful, and Kelpiens undergoing the vahar'ai were expected to present themselves for culling, which was said to make the pain go away. The alternative was believed to be madness. In fact, vahar'ai was a temporary condition that ended with the ganglia detaching, after which vital signs returned to normal.
After undergoing vahar'ai, the Kelpien's excessive fear responses appeared to be suppressed; Saru in particular showed a more confrontational nature. This was followed by the development of new keratin-based structures in the cartilage previously housing the threat ganglia, new organs from which a Kelpien could forcibly expel (or "shoot") spines (see dart) which grew from them; these structures extended outward in the same manner as the old threat ganglia in moments of great stress. Long ago in their planet's history, post-vahar'ai "evolved" Kelpiens nearly drove the Ba'ul to extinction before the Ba'ul subjugated them.
Female Kelpiens developed red spots on their foreheads when they were pregnant. To an uninformed eye, this could be mistaken for radiation burns.
Kelpiens appeared to be long-lived; one, Su'Kal, was about 124 years old as of 3189, and didn't display any signs of old age (whereas a hologram of a Kelpien of advanced age looked noticably old). One of the holograms cryptically stated Su'Kal had been “altered” to ensure his survival, so it is possible his longevity is unusual for Kelpiens and was the result of genetic engineering.
- Kelpien skeletal structure.jpg
- Kelpien internal medical scan.jpg
Internal organs
- Sarukelpienchest.jpg
Male chest
- Kelpien's hand.jpg
hand
History
Early history
The Kelpien species as a whole was at a pre-warp technological level as of 2257. Several hundred years before the 23rd century, Kelpiens who had undergone vahar'ai fought against the Ba'ul, driving them almost to extinction. The Ba'ul retaliated using more advanced technology however, subjugating the Kelpiens and eventually integrated a technologically supported ideology into Kelpien society. This ideology, known to the Kelpiens as the "Great Balance", kept the Kelpiens subservient by teaching them that they were a prey species for the Ba'ul. Kelpiens were monitored by pylons installed by the Ba'ul, which they called the Watchful Eye.
Kelpien society was thereafter shaped by the fact that they were essentially farmed as livestock by the Ba'ul. Kelpiens who underwent vahar'ai would voluntarily submit to Harvesting by the Ba'ul. More advanced technology could occasionally fall off of starships onto Kaminar's surface, where Kelpien custom dictated that it should be disposed of.
Saru and the USS Discovery
The first Kelpien known to have achieved contact with greater galactic society was Saru, a 23rd century Kelpien who salvaged an abandoned Ba'ul communications array and made contact with the Federation Starfleet. Retrieved from Kaminar by the USS Archimedes, 23rd century , Saru was granted refugee status by the Federation on the understanding that the remainder of his species would remain subject to the Prime Directive. Saru soon decided to join Starfleet and was decorated with the Starfleet Medal of Honor for his actions aboard the USS Discovery in the Federation-Klingon War. Throughout his service, Saru kept detailed personal logs in the hope that when General Order 1 no longer applied to his species, they would know that a journey like his was possible.
In 2257, following an encounter with a spacefaring sphere-like lifeform, Saru underwent vahar'ai and survived, an unexpected experience which left him feeling empowered, and full of questions about the implications for both his race and planet.
Saru returned to Kaminar later that year when the USS Discovery followed a red burst to Kaminar's star system. Returning to his ancestral village, Saru revealed to his sister, the priest Siranna, that Kelpien beliefs about vahar'ai were false. Both were kidnapped by the Ba'ul out of paranoia that revealing the truth of the "Great Balance" would once again result in the Ba'ul being driven to the point of extinction. With the aid of Discovery, Saru used Ba'ul technology to broadcast the same frequencies from the sphere that had triggered his own vahar'ai across Kaminar. Over 60% of the Kelpien population underwent vahar'ai, breaking the concept of the Great Balance.
The Ba'ul made a last-ditch attempt to commit genocide against the Kelpiens via the pylons. This was halted by the being known only as the Red Angel, which was witnessed by Saru and contributed significantly to Starfleet's understanding of the apparition. Following the incident, Saru expressed his belief to Siranna that the Kelpiens could move beyond their past animosity with the Ba'ul.
In early 2258, Siranna and other Kelpiens assisted Discovery and the USS Enterprise, NCC-1701 against Control in the Battle near Xahea, piloting Ba'ul fighters.
The Federation
In the 25th Century, a few Kelpians had joined the ranks of Star Fleet despite their planet not yet being a member. Just like all other Non-Federation members, they required sponsorship in order to be given admission.
By the mid-31st century, the Kelpiens and Ba'ul had formed an Alliance and joined the Federation.
In 3064, the Template:KSF, a Kelpien research vessel, crashed on Theta Zeta while charting a dilithium nursery in the Verubin Nebula. Five years later, Su'Kal, a child born to Dr. Issa among the wreckage, witnessed the death of his mother by radiation poisoning and screamed in horror. Because his genes had mutated to interact with the planet's dilithium in unique ways, and dilithium had a subspace component, this scream unleashed the Burn across the galaxy without his knowledge.
Su'Kal was finally rescued by the USS Discovery in 3189, and taken home to Kaminar.
Society
Until they became warp-capable, the Kelpien way of life had always been oriented toward death, and their role as prey to the Ba'ul. They were hunted, bred, and farmed (like Humans' livestock of old) by a species known as the Ba'ul.
Believing their role as a prey species to be part of the "Great Balance of Kaminar", Kelpiens were expected to offer their lives to sustain the Ba'ul after reaching vahar'ai. These harvests consisted of the chosen Kelpiens kneeling in a circle of stones beneath the Ba'ul ship, awaiting a bright light, and their ultimate disappearance. Priests explained how this sacrifice tied into the great balance, as well as an entity called the Watchful Eye, which was said to be in the sky. They reacted angrily to critical inquiries.
While Kelpien priests claimed this sacrifice allowed the others to live in "peace and comfort," according to Saru, Kelpiens lived in a constant state of fear from the moment of birth. Due to being a prey species, Kelpiens tended to prudently avoid risk or dangerous situations, giving them a reputation as being somewhat cowardly. When faced with a novel situation, their default assumption was typically to consider that it might be hostile – i.e., if it was unknown what had destroyed a interstellar relay, and it could plausibly have just been destroyed by an asteroid impact, a Kelpien would first assume that it was hostile action by a nearby threat, until proven otherwise. This did not mean, however, that Kelpiens would enter a fit of panic when faced with danger; rather, when faced with a fight-or-flight situation, they would calmly insist that flight was the wiser course of action.
Kelpiens lived in packs, and occupied hut-like houses which included elements that emitted a yellow-orange light. Candles were also used for light. Fire was also used, by day and by night. They harvested flowers and a type of kelp-like aquatic plant, the latter with nets which were stitched using needles. Food was eaten using implements and bowls. They possessed a spoken and written language. Entertainment included a game with what looked like dice.
Kelpiens were few in number in the mid-23rd Century, although their numbers had begun to grow once they learned the truth about the Ba'ul and vahar'ai.
In the mirror universe, the species was both slave and livestock to the Terran Empire. Slaves, not permitted names, were stationed aboard Terran starships like the ISS Shenzhou, to serve the ship's captain. Kelpien entrails were dined on; their ganglia were particularly prized.
