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For the mirror universe counterpart, see Tholian Assembly (mirror).

Known space

Tholian Assembly in known space (left of chart 3).

The Tholian Assembly is the state government of the Tholian species. The Assembly is jointly run by the members of the Ruling Conclave, individual Tholians drawn from the Political Castemoot of the Tholian Lattice. Its territory is located in the Alpha Quadrant, and had the United Federation of Planets as a neighbor. (TOS episode: "The Tholian Web"; VAN novel: Harbinger; ST reference: Star Charts)

History and specifics[]

It is the third largest interstellar entity in known space, only the United Federation of Planets and the Klingon Empire control larger territories. Among the remaining intestellar entities, the Breen Confederacy a neighbor came closest to the Tholian in the size of their territory. In 2381, the Assembly joined the Typhon Pact.

History[]

See main article: Tholian history.

The Tholians are highly xenophobic and generally limit contact with other races. Humans had never heard of the Tholian homeworld, Tholia, until 2151, when a reference to Tholia was made in the record of a Klingon courier named Klaang, who was carrying information regarding the Suliban Cabal. (ENT episode & novelization: Broken Bow)

Tholian

A Tholian.

Government and politics[]

UfpmapLUGTOSCoreGameBook

Tholian Assembly vicinity.

The Tholian Assembly was led by the High Magistrates who were capable of making highly important decisions that were carried out by ship commanders. (SCE eBooks: Interphase, Part One, Interphase, Part Two)

In addition to them, the Political Castlemoot of the Lattice was also a high ranking authority within the Tholian government. Other organizations within the government included the Leadership Conclave and the Ruling Conclave. (VAN novel: Summon the Thunder)

The race made use of a number of telepathically linked networks called Castemoots; one of the elite of which was the Political Castemoot SubLink of Tholian. This collective mindline of the Ruling Conclave which reigned supreme over the Great Castemoot Assembly as well as their species's telepathic network; the Lattice. (VAN novel: Harbinger)

Their society was seemingly formed as a participatory democracy with every adult Tholian capable of attending. However, the sheer number of Tholians means that not all issues can be debated within the Assembly. Instead, the majority of issues were handled in subassemblies which range from a hundred to a million. The composition of a subassembly depends on the qualifications of its members and held ultimate authority within its sphere of responsibility. (Last Unicorn RPG module: Star Trek: The Original Series Core Game Book)

The Tholians and many of their brethren held an intrinsic distrust of alien races which they were forced to interact with which was the reason why their territorial annexes were one way propositions. These systems became servile provinces of the Assembly with bipedal Humanoids used in the lesser echelons but remained subservient to even the lowest ranking members of Tholian society. (VAN novel: Summon the Thunder)

The Tholians were fiercely protective of the regions of space that belonged to their empire and only rarely allowed foreign vessels to cross these boundaries. (SCE eBooks: Interphase, Part One, Interphase, Part Two)

The Assembly was well known for the territorial annexation of neighboring systems which led to those worlds becoming servile provinces of the Tholian state. If there were any bipedal species such as Humanoids, than they became useful members of the lesser echelons of the Tholian Assembly though they were naturally subservient to even the lowest ranking members of Tholian society. (VAN novel: Summon the Thunder)

This meant that despite their xenophobic tendencies, the Tholians utilized other races to fight for them such as the Chakuun who were used as shock troopers. The Federation considered the race as nothing but slave soldiers to the Tholians while the Chakuun themselves believed that they were allies of the Assembly. (EV comic: "The Fallen")

Insignia of the Tholian Assembly. Insignia of the Tholians encountered by the Klingon Empire by the early 2290's. Insignia of the Tholians during the 23rd century.
Insignia of the Tholian Assembly. (ST reference: Star Charts) Insignia of Tholian forces encountered by the Klingon Empire in 2291. (ST video game: Klingon Academy) Insignia of the Tholian Assembly, during the 23rd century. (ST reference: The Worlds of the Federation)

Military[]

Members of the lower echelons of Tholian society often served as menials who were conscripted aboard military vessels where they served as command crew. (VAN novel: Summon the Thunder)

Starships[]

See main article: Tholian Fleet.

Foreign relations[]

In the 23rd century, contact between the Assembly and the Federation had been described as being intermittent at best. (TOS novel: Fracture)

Tholian Spinners in Battle

Tholian Spinners in battle with Federation starship.

Territory[]

Tholian space was referred to by the race as being the "Territorial Annex of the Tholian Assembly", which suggested that their expansion was one of conquest rather than mutual interplanetary agreement with areas of deep space being often claimed by the Assembly as being their own. (ST reference: The Worlds of the Federation)

The Tholian Assembly periodically realigs their territory to compensate for the shifting of stars. Considering outside parties who settle near to it as trespassers, they send Chakuun shock troops to eliminate them. (EV comic: "The Fallen, Part Two") Until 2254, Starfleet missuderstood the tholian concept of a dynamic, shifting cosmos as an expansionalist policy. (EV comic: "The Fallen, Part One" page 3)

For some time, the Laws of the First Assembly prevented the Tholians from occupying the Shedai Sector as they were forbidden from entering that region of space. (VAN novel: Harbinger)

Deep Space Station M-33 was approximately seven light-years from the Tholian border. (TOS novel: Fracture)

Long range sensor probes conducted by the Klingon Empire showed that the core region of Tholian space consisted of a stellar nursery and a large nebula where new stars were forming. The planetary systems that were identified consist of very young planets that entered the Class C, Class F and Class H categories. These planets were, thus, incapable of supporting Humanoid life. A few rare expeditions conducted by the Klingon Empire had also revealed that those worlds within Tholian territory were reported to be rich in resources; however, there were a large number of inordinate subspace anomalies. This was one of the reasons why the Klingon Empire had not attempted to make an active invasion of Tholian Assembly territory, as the costs far outweighed the gains.

Though they were isolationists and xenophobic, the Assembly had been known to be opportunistic as they conducted raids against rival states. These attacks were not full-scale invasions and were tasked with incorporating small territory into the Assembly, the purpose of which was not known as those worlds that were taken tended to have no strategic or resource value. What was known was that once the territory was taken by the Assembly, it was zealously as defended as any other Tholian world. (TOS video game: Klingon Academy)

This meant that the territorial annexation of neighboring star systems was typically a one-way proposition, as once it was conquered, it usually became a servile province. (VAN novel: Summon the Thunder)

Planets and Systems[]

Conflicts[]

Appendices[]

Connections[]

major states in the Alpha and Beta Quadrants
Khitomer Accords Cardassian UnionFerengi AllianceKlingon EmpireUnited Federation of Planets
Typhon Pact Breen ConfederacyGorn HegemonyHoly Order of the KinshayaRomulan Star EmpireTholian AssemblyTzenkethi Coalition
Khitomer Alliance Cardassian UnionDeferiDelta AllianceDominionFerengi AllianceKlingon EmpireLukari ConcordiumRomulan RepublicUnited Federation of PlanetsVoth Separatists
non-aligned states Acamarian Sovereignty Boslic AnarchyCairn DemocracyDaa'Vit ConfederacyDanteri EmpireFarius Planetary AuthorityFirst FederationGottar HegemonyGrigariHydran KingdomIdanian ClansImperial Klingon StatesInterstellar ConcordiumIyaaran ScientocracyJ'naii CouncilJibetian ConfederacyKaelon RepublicKarg EmpireKentari UnionKtarian EnclaveKzinti PatriarchyLissepian CorporatocracyLyran Star EmpireMentosh AssemblyMetron ConsortiumNew Thallonian ProtectorateNyberrite AllianceOrion ColoniesPelian RepublicPatriarchyRegnancy of the Carnelian ThroneSattar CollectiveSheliak CorporateShirn AllianceTalarian RepublicTanugan AnocracyTarn EmpireTezwaTirrion AssemblyUbarrak PrimacyVenette ConventionVomnin Confederacy
defunct states Hiram AssemblyHradrian EmpireHusnock Star KingdomImperial Romulan StatePartnership of CivilizationsSlaver EmpireStellar Kingdom of CorillThallonian EmpireThelasian Trading ConfederacyVegan TyrannyZalkat Union
states unique to the mirror universe Galactic CommonwealthKlingon-Cardassian AllianceTerran EmpireTerran Republic
states from other alternate timelines AllianceConfederation of EarthErdenreichGalactic UnionIconian-Dominion AllianceInterstellar AxisInterstellar CoalitionInterstellar UnionKlingon-Andorian CompactVulcan-Andorian EmpireVulcan ProtectorateVulcan Star Empire

External link[]

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