The Tamarians (or Children of Tama/Tamar) are a humanoid race first encountered by the Federation in the 23rd century. They are native to the planet Sigma Tama IV.
History[]
Tamarians became warp-capable in 2050. (ST reference: Star Charts)
The Federation encountered the Tamarians seven times prior to 2368, but were never able to break the language barrier. In that year, Tamarian Captain Dathon beamed himself and Starfleet Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the USS Enterprise-D to the surface of planet El-Adrel IV, in hopes that a shared conflict would lead to mutual understanding and friendship. During this encounter, it was determined that the Tamarians communicated exclusively through cultural metaphors. Though Dathon was killed on the planet, the contact marked the opening of communication between the two cultures. (TNG episode: "Darmok")
The progress made in relations with the Tamarians following this breakthrough was considered one of the noteworthy accomplishments of Federation President Jaresh-Inyo and his administration. (ST novel: Articles of the Federation)
Roxana Novac was a linguist assigned to the Federation's Tamarian liaison office, and did much work in understanding the Tamarians' language. (SCE eBook: War Stories, Book 1)
It was later learned that the Tamarians have a second language, used for conveying precise engineering concepts such as numbers, equations and instructions, thus explaining how Tamarians can effectively operate starships. This second language is very musical and sounds almost like singing. (TNG short story: "Friends With the Sparrows")
In 2381, the Tamarian Doctor Sharak was assigned to the USS Voyager as chief medical officer for its return mission to the Delta Quadrant. Kayshon became the first Tamarian to join to Starfleet and was assigned as the USS Cerritos' chief of security. (VOY novel: Unworthy; LD episode: "Kayshon, His Eyes Open")
- While the Script, Star Trek.com and Memory Alpha use the term "Children of Tama," the SCE story and Articles of the Federation uses "Children of Tamar."
Known individuals[]
Tamarian language[]
The Tamarian language made use of references about people surrounding the mythology and history of the Tamarians. The Tamarians would speak entirely by allegory. Despite difficulty in translating their language, Captain Picard was able to figure out how to communicate with the Tamarians. Eventually, the Federation's universal translator would be able to translate the Tamarian language, though it would still have trouble in the 2380s. (TNG episode: "Darmok"; LD episode: "Kayshon, His Eyes Open")
Known examples[]
- "Arnock at the race of Natara" – running
- "Bazminti when he pulled back the veil" - an undercover operation
- "The beast at Tanagra" – a problem to be overcome
- "Children of Tama" – Tamarian
- "Chenza at court, the court of silence" – not listening
- "Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra" – cooperation
- "Darmok and Jalad on the ocean" – new friendship and understanding gained through a shared challenge
- "Darmok on the ocean" – Loneliness, isolation
- "Picard and Dathon at El-Adrel" – successful first contact between two alien cultures, or to work toward a common goal
- "Kadir beneath Mo Moteh"[1] – failure or inability to communicate or understand; derisive in connotation
- "Kailash, when it rises" – a necessary loss or sacrifice
- "Karno in the forest with Mira" – overeating or weight gain
- "Kiazi's children, their faces wet" – downplaying the severity of a perceived injury
- "Kimarnt, her head cloudy?" – offering an intoxicating beverage
- "Kira at Bashi" – to tell a story
- "Kiteo, his eyes closed" – refusal to understand
- "Mirab, with sails unfurled" – signifying departure/engines to full/fleeing; depending on tone, could mean "Prepare to withdraw" or "We have to get out of here!"
- "Rai and Jiri at Lungha. Rai of Lowani. Lowani under two moons. Jiri of Ubaya. Ubaya of crossroads, at Lungha. Lungha, her sky gray" – greeting between two different cultures/races
- "Rapunki, when he joined the Seven" – greeting, expressing honor at joining a new group
- "The river Temarc in winter" – to cease an action, especially speaking; often used as an imperative
- "Shaka, when the walls fell" – failure
- "Sokath, his eyes uncovered/opened" – understanding/realization
- "Temba, at rest" – declining a gift. A gracious response signifying that the gift is unnecessary, or should rightfully be kept by the other person.
- "Temba, his arms wide/open" – signifying a gift
- "Unzak and Vhila as children?" – meaning unknown, perhaps related to language learning or making a connection with other cultures
- "Uzani, his army with fists closed" – to close rank and attack after luring the enemy
- "Uzani, his army with fists open" – to lure the enemy towards you by spreading your forces
- "Zima at Anzo" "Zima and Bakor" – danger/hostility arising from miscommunication/misunderstanding.
- "Zinda, his face black, his eyes red" – anger or conflict, also can indicate pain, possible indication of inability to survive (either self, or other party)
- "Zinda, his eyes red"[1] – expressing pain or dismay
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Appendices[]
References[]
Connections[]
- Tamarian article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.
- Tamarian (language) article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.