Melkot
| SPECIES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Melkotian | |||
| Homeworld: | Melkot | ||
| Quadrant: | Alpha | ||
| Affiliation: | Unknown | ||
| Biology | |||
| Average Male Height: | 71 cm (2 ft. 4 in.) to 122 cm (4 ft. 0 in.) | ||
| Average Male Weight: | 18.1 kg (40 lb.) to 54.4 kg (120 lb.) | ||
| Average Female Height: | 71 cm (2 ft. 4 in.) to 122 cm (4 ft. 0 in.) | ||
| Average Female Weight: | 18.1 kg (40 lb.) to 54.4 kg (120 lb.) | ||
| Minimum Academy Age: | |||
| Life Expectancy: | 80 | ||
| Distinctive Features: | |||
| Playability | |||
| PRC Rated: | No | ||
| NPC Rated: | No | ||
 | |||
The Melkotians (sometimes referred to as the Melkot) are a non-humanoid species located in the Alpha Quadrant. They possess powerful telepathic abilities and a strong dislike of outsiders.
Contents
Physiology
Melkotians possess very few humanoid characteristics, appearing to be disembodied floating heads with a somewhat worm-like appearance.
Sunken within what appear to be eye sockets, Melkotians have two eyes, both of which are white, glowing points of light. Their 'heads' are greenish-brown, wrinkled and roughly rounded. Just below and between their eyes are two small cavities which may be nostrils. They possess no ears, mouths or hair. They have no limbs or torso, with just a tangle of tendrils hanging beneath the 'head'.
Melkotians are naturally powerful telepaths. They communicate using telepathy exclusively and, when communicating with another species, are able to do so using the recipient's own language. They are also capable of forcing groups of people into sophisticated and shared psychic illusions so convincing that death within one of these illusions results in the physical body also dying. These illusions can be constructed based on scenarios plucked from the mind of the victim. The Melkotians may also be able to block technological devices such as tricorders and communicators, though it is possible that they use technology of their own to accomplish this.
They float seemingly without aid. This could be evidence of telekinetic ability, which seems likely given the strength of their other telepathic powers.
Culture
For unknown reasons, the Melkotians are extremely distrustful of other species and are willing to take extreme measures to ensure that they remain isolated. They view outsiders as diseases which must be destroyed, and are entirely willing to kill members of other species who trespass upon their homeworld, considering that to be a crime against them punishable by death. Though their attitude towards other species has softened somewhat since making first contact with the United Federation of Planets, enough that they now allow limited contact with Federation representatives, the Melkotians remain suspicious of outsiders and secluded from the rest of the Alpha Quadrant. They have displayed no interest in expanding their own territory.
Technology
Though they do not appear to be a technologically-driven society, the Melkotians possess technology at least advanced enough to produce warning buoys which orbit their planet. These buoys broadcast a message to any starships within range, demanding that they vacate Melkotian space immediately. The Melkotians are able to initiate a self-destruct sequence in their warning buoys from the surface of the planet. Part of the self-destruct sequence involves the warning buoys emitting extremely high levels of unstable M-rays for several seconds before the buoy explodes.
History
The Melkotians remained deliberately isolated from other species throughout their existence, maintaining orbital warning buoys commanding incoming ships to turn back, and executing trespassers. This policy changed when they made first contact with the United Federation of Planets in 2268.
This occurred when the USS Enterprise, NCC-1701 encountered one of the Melkotian warning buoys. They elected to ignore the message instructing them to leave Melkotian space and instead beamed an away team down to the planet, including Captain James T. Kirk and Commander Spock. Regarding this as trespass, the Melkotians condemned the away team to death. Using a scenario taken from the mind of Captain Kirk, they forced the away team to experience a fragmented but realistic shared psychic illusion designed to result in their deaths.
The scenario they selected was a true incident from Earth's history, the gunfight between the Earps and the Clantons at the OK Corral, with the away team taking on the roles of the Clantons. As events within the illusion deviated from recorded history, the away team came to understand that their experience wasn't real. Spock's Vulcan logic enabled him to see through the illusion more completely than his companions, so he performed a mind meld upon them to alter their perceptions and keep them safe. This left the Earps unable to harm them, allowing them to survive the gunfight. When Kirk was given the opportunity to kill Wyatt Earp, he took pity on him and let him live.
Impressed by this example of another species being capable of mercy, the Melkotians immediately released the away team from the psychic illusion and transported them back to the Enterprise. Kirk's actions had caused them to reconsider their xenophobic stance, and they went so far as to invite the Enterprise to visit their planet so that they could meet with a Melkotian delegation and establish relations between them. They also destroyed the warning buoy that the Enterprise had encountered. Whether this was an indication that the Melkotians were now considering allowing other species from outside the Federation to contact them, or if it was merely a gesture to symbolise their willingness to allow the Enterprise to approach, is unknown.
