Andor

For the mirror universe counterpart, see Andor (mirror).

For other uses, see Andor.

Andor
Andor in 2154.
Classification:	class M moon
Affiliation:	Andorian Empire, United Federation of Planets
Location:	Andorian system, Beta Quadrant
Moon(s):	2
Dominant species:	Andorian, Aenar (formerly)
Warp capable:	1154 AD, 2083
Population:	1 billion (2269)
Capital:	Laikan
Gravity:	1.0 G
Diameter:	10,084 km
Length of day:	30 hours

Andor, also known as Andoria, was the Andorian homeworld and capital of its empire—a founding member of the United Federation of Planets. A satellite of a gas giant in the Beta Quadrant, its capital city was Laikan. (DS9 - Worlds of DS9 novel: Andor: Paradigm)

The ST reference: The Worlds of the Federation gives the native Andorian name of their homeworld as Fesoan.

The TNG short story: "The Captain and the King" names Laibok as Andoria's capital. The ENT novel: Beneath the Raptor's Wing clarifies this by stating Laikan is the capital and Laibok a major industrial city.

Andor's population in 2269 was just under 1 billion. However, in 2376, the population had dropped to under 90 million. (Last Unicorn RPG module: The Andorians: Among the Clans; Worlds of DS9 novel: Andor: Paradigm)

Andor's day-night cycle lasted 32 Earth hours. (Worlds of DS9 novel: Andor: Paradigm)

Nomenclature

The homeworld of the Andorians was known in the mid-24th century by Andorians as 'Andor', although some non-Andorians in the Federation mistakenly called the planet 'Andoria'. This was comparable to Andorians and other non-humans growing up knowing Earth as 'Terra', and learning its usual Human name only in contact with Humans. (DS9 novel: Andor: Paradigm)

Inhabitants

Andor was homeworld of the Andorian race and was, at least until the mid-22nd century, home to the Andorian subspecies, the Aenar. Both of these species, alone of all on Andor, had four genders - zhen, shen, chan, and thaan. The complicated process of reproduction between the four genders would lead to a more difficult reproductive cycle. Over the centuries this lead to a declining population for both species, so that by 2376 only fifteen-to-twenty generations were thought possible. By 2385 it was thought—perhaps exaggeratedly—that Andor was at a tipping point of no possible return. The reproductive crisis had already seen that the minority Aenar, unable to reproduce in large numbers, had died off in the preceding century. (ENT novel: The Good That Men Do, DS9 novel: Avatar, DS9 - Mission Gamma novels: Twilight, This Gray Spirit, DS9 novel: Andor: Paradigm, ST - Typhon Pact novel: Paths of Disharmony, ST - The Fall novel: A Ceremony of Losses)

History

Ancient history

Andorian understanding of their history on Andor was tied deeply for many to their mythological and religious history. The Andorians' mythology would remain a powerful facet of society in the late-24th century, particularly for those from the northern territories of Andor and those connected to the Visionist movements. The most important and well-known origin myth of the Andorians tells that the hero Thirishar attempted to claim the "Empty Throne from the deity, Uzaveh. She was amused by his passion, but asked if he was Whole. In evidence of his awareness in the face of her question, Uzaveh separated Thirishar into four distinct beings: Charaleas, Zheusal, Shanchen and Thirizaz - the first of each Andorian gender.

The ancient codices of the Andorians also presented more naturalistic presentations of the species's origin - in a manner synchronized with the Thirishar myth. The protected Reserve on Cheshras Island and/or the Eastern Archipelago was suggested in the codices to be the place Andorians developed and evolved in. Certainly, the Archipelago was the oldest inhabited place on Andor, but it could not conclusively be said to be Andorian, and so may not have been the origin point of the species-but equally, it could have been. (DS9 novel: Andor: Paradigm)

Clan period

Ancient Andorian society was feudal and highly subdivided, with geography subdivided into family units known as Clans. The clans effectively formed small nation-states, and often existed at war with one another. Clans controlled territory through fortified buildings known as keeps. (DS9 novel: Andor: Paradigm)

Being a predominantly water-covered planet, geography contributed to the separation of the clans. This changed when an ice cutter, the Kumari, was the first vessel to circumnavigate Andor. (ENT episode: "United")

However, the period of internecine clan warfare came to an end "centuries" before the twenty-fourth century. Thalisar the Last, a monarchical ruler, unified Andoria under her own throne. Thalisar, in the words of Charivretha zh'Thane, "deliberately died childless-but not before implementing the parliamentary system that she had created to succeed her, and which had governed Andor ever since." In a single lifetime, Thalisar had utterly abolished the clan warfare that had kept Andor divided until that point. Thalisar's throne was known as the Empty Throne, and remained a symbolic focal point in the government. From that point Andor was governed by a parliamentary system, the Parliament Andoria, with the government appointed by the choice of parliamentarian members, headed by a leader known as the Presider (DS9 novel: Andor: Paradigm)

While still in a state of early-modernity, Andor was surveyed by the Vulcan civilization's starship Yeht Fai-Tukh. (Decipher RPG module: Starships)

Interstellar Andor

In time the Andorians reached into space, and developed warp drive. The Andorians began forming an interstellar empire. Their military, the Andorian Imperial Guard, was formed to protect Andor and fight for it.

The Andorian expansion led to conflict with their most powerful neighbor, the Vulcans, who were at that point in history belligerent and somewhat xenophobic. In early 2154 the Vulcan High Command launched an attack on Andor, but the invasion was aborted when the bellicose Administrator V'Las was deposed. (ENT episode: "Kir'Shara")

Conflict with Vulcan continued into the 22nd century, when the increasingly exploratory and important actions of Earth began to change the interstellar scene. A commander of the Imperial Guard, Hravishran th'Zoarhi, formed a close relationship with the Earth Starfleet captain, Jonathan Archer as well as his Vulcan officer, T'Pol. Their close affiliation in the face of several conflicts, the reformation of the Vulcan society, and the ambassadorial expansion of the Earth and its colonies during this period, led to the formation of the Coalition of Planets in 2155. Andor joined Earth, Vulcan, and Tellar in forming a diplomatic and security network between the four states.

The progress to the formation of the Coaltion, however, led to an aggressive response by the secretive Romulan Star Empire. At first the Romulans persecuted a secret war, using drones piloted by kidnapped Aenar pilots. When this was foiled by Archer and Hravishran, the Romulans subsided into sneak attacks, claiming Coalition convoys and starships. However, a devestating total attack on the potential Coalition state of the People's Republic of Coridan, and a subsequent increase in conflict, formed the beginning of open war. (ENT episodes: "Demons", "Terra Prime", ENT novels: The Good That Men Do, ENT, Kobayashi Maru)

The war did not leave Andor itself untouched. During the Romulan War Andor was the site of a battle between Coalition and Romulan forces. The moon was spared a devastating bombardment by a Romulan bird-of-prey due to the sacrifice of the Earth ship Challenger (NX-03). (ENT novel: Beneath the Raptor's Wing).

However, as the war proceeded, old xenophobia and fears led to the Coalition itself falling apart, with Vulcan entering a period of isolation. The humans, with the Tellarites and Andorians, continued the fight against the Romulans. (ENT novel: Beneath the Raptor's Wing).

The old Coalition planets all pulled together at the close of the war and defeated the secretive enemy by 2160. The war led Earth, Tellar, Vulcan and the independent colonies of Mars and Alpha Centauri to form the United Federation of Planets in 2161. (ENT novel: To Brave the Storm)

Federation Andor

In 2161 Andor co-founded the United Federation of Planets.(ENT episode: "These Are the Voyages...")

The Andor capital city of Laikan had a large population disaffected immigrants, most of them were miners from the neighboring system of Charulh who had lived on Andor for seven generations. The Andorians were not very hospitable to outworlders which caused some friction between the Charulhans and the Andorians. In 2280 a small group of Charulhans attempted to force the Andorians to allow them to have a voice in the government by taking several influential citizens hostage. This included the son of Laikan's governor. The human diplomat to Andor St. John Talbot, believing himself to be in the top of his form, refused any cultural advisers. He sent a message intended to defuse the situation. However, thanks to Talbot's limited knowledge of Charulhan culture, the message had the opposite effect and insulted the hostage takers. The immediate response was to kill the Governor's only son and dump his body on the road outside of Talbot's office. The human diplomat was the first to find the child's body, and the first to inform the Governor, whom Talbot had been working with closely. It was Talbot's first failure. (TOS novelization: Star Trek V: The Final Frontier)

Laikan was not mentioned by name in the Star Trek V novelization. It was referred to as the Andorian capital city.

Several weeks before the beginning of the Dominion War, Kai Winn Adami asked Captain Benjamin Sisko if the United Federation of Planets would be willing to sacrifice Andor to save Bajor from the Dominion. (DS9 episode: "In the Cards")

With the fall of Betazed a year later, several people, including Kira Nerys saw Andor as the Dominion's next possible target. (DS9 episode: "In the Pale Moonlight")

In late 2377, an unknown terrorist organization bombed a number of targets on Andor, including the Shran memorial, the Wall of Heroes, and Therin Park. (CoE eBook: Remembrance of Things Past, Book I)

Laibok and much of Andor were devastated by the Borg during their invasion in February 2381. (ST - Destiny novel: Lost Souls)

Secession

In 2382, Andor seceded from the Federation due to the ongoing reproductive crisis on the planet. However, normal diplomatic relations were maintained, and any Andorians serving in Starfleet were allowed to remain there if they chose. (ST - Typhon Pact novel: Paths of Disharmony)

After the fall

Three years later, after a cure for Andoria's reproductive crisis was finally found, a new governing coalition came into power. Parliament Andoria voted to repeal the secession ordinance and Andor applied for readmission into the Federation. With the support of a number of councilors the readmission of one of the Federation's founding states was fast-tracked through the Federation Council. (ST - The Fall novel: A Ceremony of Losses)

Alternate timelines

In an alternate timeline where Montgomery Scott rescued James T. Kirk before he could be absorbed into the Nexus, Andor was one of the worlds that had been assimilated and was in the process of being converted into raw materials by 2293. When the USS Enterprise-D scanned the planet, Data reported that there were two billion Borg drones, with most having been Andorians before their assimilation. The Alliance had secretly placed several hundred cloaked photon torpedoes near the system, intent on destroying the Borg presence there. (Star Trek novel: Engines of Destiny)

Location

Andor was a moon of Procyon VIII (Alpha Canis Minoris) in the Beta Quadrant. (ST reference: Star Charts; ENT novels: Kobayashi Maru, Beneath the Raptor's Wing)

Other sources claim Andor's location to be Epsilon Indi VIII (Star Fleet Technical Manual) or Epsilon Indi V, Kay'va V in Andorian. (Decipher RPG module: Narrator's Guide)

Andor is considered one of the core worlds of the Federation and is situated relatively close to both Earth and Vulcan. It is located on the other side of the Federation from Deep Space 9 and particularly distant from the Ferengi Alliance. (DS9 novel: The 34th Rule, ST - Destiny novel: Lost Souls)

Geography

Surface of Andoria (Alternate)

The snowy plains of Andor

Emblem of the Andorian Empire.

Andor had a much cooler climate than the class M norm. In the summer months temperatures in the northern polar wastes averaged around -28°C.

Eighty-five percent of the planet was covered in water, with the remaining fifteen percent divided into two continents. Zhevra was the largest of the two and was located in the southern hemisphere. As well as the two continents a series of island chains existed, most notably in the northern hemisphere where the Andorian species is believed to have first evolved.

The Andorians: Among the Clans alternatively states that poles are covered by two continents, Issa in the north and Tlanek to the south. Of Andor's 35.1% surface landmass, the inhabitants predominantly reside on two equatorial continents, Ka'Thela (also known as Kathela) and Voral, which are linked by the mountainous isthmus Akalath, home to the Tharan Mountains.

Many, but not all, cities were located underground to take advantage of geothermal heat. Major population centers included the capital, Laikan, Laibok, and Harbortown located on the northern islands. (DS9 novel: Andor: Paradigm, ENT episode: "The Aenar")

Andoria's mountain ranges were popular destinations for tourists. Both Worf and Kasidy Yates suggested them as possible locations for their honeymoons. (DS9 episodes: "Change of Heart", "Strange Bedfellows")

The moon endured strong magnetic fields around its poles and its circumpolar Northern Wastes. The fields disrupted regional security grids, and allowed in pre-Federation times, for pirates, slavers and others to covertly make planetfall there. (ENT novel: The Good That Men Do)

Provinces and cities

• Gazawahaida
• Harbortown
• Laibok
• Laikan
• Lor'Tan
• Lor'vela
• Shess
• Tarsk
• Thelasa-vei province
• Wethesa
• Neshilev Settlement Project

Points of interest and other landmarks

• Andorian Academy
• Atlin Zoological Park
• Cheshras Islands
• Eastern Archipelago
• Emarni Lake
• Grand Staircase
• Great Rift Range
• Hand of Cheshras
• Hill Country
• Nitra Bridge
• Northern Wastes
• Palace of Zhevazha
• Plaza of Freedom
• Cheshras Islands
• Therin Park
• Vezhdar Plain
• Wall of Heroes

Bodies of water

Anshim Ocean • Bo'ab • Central Canal • Emarnl Lake • Frost River • Khyzhon Sea • La Len Ocean • La'Vor Sea • Lor'Tan Strait • Mar'it • Moss River • Smathl Lake • Lake Thalassa

Natural history

Flora

There were not many plants on Andoria, but some of the flora were carnivorous. (ST video game: Elite Force II)

• Andorian rose (SNW short story: "Best Tools Available")
• Andorian tuber root

Fauna

• ahleesh
• alicorne
• Andorian amoeba
• Andorian forest spider
• Andorian redbat
• atlirith
• canya
• engoru
• glikar'ma
• gopa
• grayth
• Grelth
• hybor
• ice bore
• korelath
• makra
• preshava
• rock slug
• stinging centipede
• zabathu

Appendices

External links

• Andor article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.
• Andor article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.