Mizarians
From Memory-Zeta
Categories: Cultures | Federation Cultures
The Mizarians are a unique species native to the planet Mizar II. Mizarians value peaceful non-resistance over confrontation; because of this reputation, they were conquered six times in a matter of three centuries. The Mizarians have survived these invasions by offering absolutely no resistance. They are a species known for possessing superior intelligence.
- "And we've survived by not resisting; Mizarians value peace above confrontation."
- ~ Kova Tholl, in 2366
- ~ Kova Tholl, in 2366
Contents |
[edit] History
- Industrial Scale: N+
- Cultural Development: Civil Technocracy Age
Unlike most of the other member worlds of the Federation, Mizarian history does not have a “war-torn” period akin to the World Wars of Earth or the Civil Wars of pre-Surak Vulcan. Mizarians have always been guided by science, reason and a pacifist mentality.
Mizariarian history is closely tied to the development of their pacifist philosophy. Their current age dates back eight millennia, to the time of the Great Philosopher (see below).
Because of their nonviolent beliefs, they have been frequently, and often ruthlessly, occupied. After being continually occupied by six different militaries for three centuries, the last forces of the Tzenkethi left the Mizar system in 2260. In 2273, Ambassador Surat of Vulcan negotiated Mizarian alignment with the Federation. Since that time, Mizarians have enjoyed a new âge d'or.
[edit] Government
- Main article: Republic of Mizar
[edit] The Philosophers
Most difficult for non-Mizarians to understand are the Philosophers. Unlike other monarchies in the Federation (Acamar, Betazed, The British Commonwealth on Earth, Scalos), the monarchy on Mizar is non-hereditary.
The philosophers act as teachers and symbolic figureheads, but wield no real power. The Sahr ("King" or "Queen" in English), as head of the Philosophers is Chief of State – the symbol of Mizarian culture and the enlightenment philosophy that forms the cornerstone of their society.
[edit] Brief History
Eight millennia ago, the Great Philosopher, whose name has been lost to history, began her teachings of enlightenment in the southeastern Harob Valley. Her first students were the local farmers and herders. As word of her teachings spread throughout the continent, her audiences grew to tens of thousands. She welcomed all to inquire about her teachings and to attend her lectures.
As she traveled around the continent, and eventually around the planet, she gathered devoted students around her. These students left their lives behind and dedicated themselves to learning, living, and teaching the philosophy of enlightenment. These students, and the Great Philosopher herself, took vows of chaste celibacy to achieve this triptych of teaching, practice, and enlightenment. Most Mizarians, however, opted to remain in their lives while still learning her philosophy of enlightenment.
After her death (by some accounts at the advanced age of 258), her senior students gathered together and chose one of their number to follow in the Great Philosopher’s footsteps as teacher. Thus the Mizarian monarchy was born.
Today, a young Mizarian who feels called to become a philosopher, can either enter into the University for formal study (approximately 3 to 4 years) or simply begin a more informal study with his/her local teacher (lasting 8 years on average). After completing studies, the Mizarian takes vows and joins the hierarchy. Philosophers wear different colored head coverings to denote their rank.
| Title "Transliteration" | Number | Head covering | Description | Form of indirect address |
| Sahr "King" or "Queen" | 1 |  white
| Is the direct successor of the Great Philosopher; he teaches all Mizarians and is elected by and from the Tamba (the longest reign of a monarch has been 32 years) | His or Her Holiness |
| Tamba "Prince" or "Princess" | 40 |  cardinal
| Teach in their province and are the Sahr’s chief advisors; they are elected by and from their Yelas | His or Her Eminence |
| Yela "Duke" or "Duchess" | 596 |  tyrian
| Have taken Final Vows and are considered the direct successors of the Great Philosopher’s original students; they teach in their district and are elected by and from their Kais | His or Her Excellency |
| Komba "Marquess" or "Marchioness" | thousands2 |  green
| Take precedence above their fellow Kais; they are usually advanced in age and have been recognized by the Sahr as exceptional teachers. Unlike the other Kais, they need to only inform a Yela if they are going to teach in his district | The Most Honorable |
| Kai1 "Count" or "Countess" |  black
| Have taken Middle Vows (one of which is chaste celibacy), they are the local teachers; a Kai may teach in another district, but only with the permission of the respective Yela | The Right Honorable | |
| Safia "Viscount" or "Viscountess" |  brown
| Fall below their fellow Kais since they are relatively inexperienced and are assigned to assist another Kai until they can teach on their own | The Very Honorable | |
| Mani "Baron" or "Baroness" | hundreds |  ecru
| Have taken First Vows and assist their local Kais in their duties but do not remain chaste and may have spouses, children, and other careers | The Honorable |
| Kono "Knight" or "Monk" | hundreds |  saffron
| Are a unique group filling what can best be likened to a monastic or a mendicant role. Being a Kono does not preclude a philosopher from being selected for higher positions in the hierarchy. For example: of the 40 current Tamba, 7 are also Kono – as such they wear their usual saffron head covering with a cardinal edging or boarder. | Sir |
| other Mizarians |  grey3
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footnotes:
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[edit] Physiology
[edit] Physical Appearance
Mizarian height and weight are similar to other galenoids, the average male standing at 187 cm with 9% body fat, and the average female standing at 172 cm with 16% body fat. Like vulcanoids, Mizarians are on average twice as physically strong as Humans. Mizarians are tetradactyly (meaning that they have four fingers on each hand, one of which is opposable) and are also characterized by slightly tapered ears (though not as pronounced as vulcaniods), silvery eye color, an inability to grow facial hair, and white hair that is seldom cut and usually worn in a long plait down the back. In addition to their noticeable facial ridges, sexually mature Mizarians also have two pronounced cornar, or vein and artery filled protrusions of the skull that break the skin and are covered in a scleroprotein similar to keratin and chitin. This feature gives some discomfort to many Terrans, who are reminded by them of the devil’s horns from old Abrahamic mythologies.
[edit] Eye Sight
Although their hearing, taste, smell, and touch senses are comparable, Mizarian vision is radically different from Humans. Mizarians are pentachromats, meaning that they see in five colors (ultraviolet, blue, green, red and infrared), while Humans are trichromats (seeing only in red, green, and blue). The normal visual acuity for a Mizarian is approximately twice that for Humans (20/10 or 6/3 on the Snellen chart).
[edit] Blood
Mizarians are hemoplumbic (meaning that they have grey, lead-based blood) while Humanoids are hemoferric (red, iron-based blood) and Vulcanoids are hemocupric (green, copper-based blood). In addition to being a very unique attribute, this complicates medial procedures and makes interspecific reproduction impossible with any other species known to the Federation (recent archeological evidence suggests that the now-extinct inhabitants of the Gorlan world may have also been hemoplumbic). There are thirty blood types, and the average Mizarian resting heart-rate is approximately 40 beats per minute. Due to their blood composition, Mizarian skin color has a grayish tinge in much the same way that red Human blood and green Vulcan blood results in their respective pinkish and greenish skin tones.
[edit] Body Temperature
- Like the Terran celsius temperature scale, the Mizarans also developed a scale whereby water froze at "0"; unlike its Terran counterpart, however, water freezes at "1000" on the Mizarian scale.
The average human body temperature is 36.8 celsius (Wunderlich, 1861). The average mizarian body temperature is 336 sahasra.
[edit] Reproduction
Mizarian females are heptestrous, meaning that they menstruate seven times a year or roughly once every 96 days. Mizarian families are typically small; at last census the average woman had 2.59 children.
[edit] Metabolism
Mizarians have a complicated and fast metabolism, eating five small meals a day (transliterated into English as: breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner, supper). A disciplined Mizarian can slow his metabolism and go weeks without food. The Mizarian pancreas does not have an endocrine region or beta cells and thus does not produce insulin. As a result, Mizarians are incapable of digesting higher-glucose foods; to a Human physician, all Mizarians are Type I Diabetic.
[edit] Brain
Like Vulcans, Mizarians can learn to gain direct control of most of their bodily functions and thus to regulate their bodies at will. Those who are very disciplined and dedicated students of the philosophy have been known to manifest paranormal abilities such as psychokinesis, telepathy, and even a certain degree of precognition; though considerable training is required to utilize these abilities to their fullest.
[edit] Life Expectancy
As of their last census, Mizarian life-expectancy is currently 167.04 Terran years (compared to 120 for Humans and 250 for Vulcans).
[edit] Traditions & Culture
Formal Mizarian dress includes a head covering which hides their white hair.
[edit] Dietary Habits
As part of their enlightenment philosophy, Mizarians do not kill animals for food. As a result, the majority of Mizarian diet could be classified as vegetarian. Meat, obtained from animals that have died of natural causes, is considered a delicacy due to its rarity.
[edit] Monument of Surrender
The most widely-known attraction on Mizar is the Monument of Surrender [1] in the square of the palace of the monarch. Often misunderstood because of its name, it has nothing whatsoever to do with military surrender. Instead, the octagonal obelisk is a monument to the “surrender” of each monarch to the Mizarian philosophy; it has been the coronation sight for millennia. At 164 meters in height, it is the tallest artifical structure on Mizar.
[edit] Martial Art
As might be expected, the Mizarian martial art form is purely defensive in nature, allowing its practitioners to defend themselves while also protecting their attacker from injury. It was developed by a physician named Barla who became one of the Great Philosophers original students, and is thus considered one of the first yelas.
Barla taught that meditation, the focus of the Great Philosopher’s enlightenment teachings, without the accompanying physical experience was nothing but “empty discussion” and that other Martial Ways, without truly realizing the mind was nothing but “beastly behavior.” One of his personal mantras was “to control aggression without inflicting injury is the art of enlightenment.”
[edit] Death and Burial Practices
Nearly all Mizarians believe in a form of reincarnation. A core teaching of the enlightenment philosophy is the concept that there is no permanent and unchanging “self.” Thus, what is reborn is not the same person, but is instead the continuation of their life’s momentum; just as one moment gives rise to another; or as the flame of a dying candle can serve to light the flame of another.
Mizarian funerals are typically very joyous celebrations of the deceased’s life. Afterward, the mortal remains are cremated.
[edit] Familial Structure
The primary caregiver in a Mizarian family is usually the child’s foreparents (grandparents) or even second-foreparents (great-grandparents). Most Mizarians look forward to the time when they can retire from their careers and raise their grandchildren. This arrangement allows adult Mizarians to focus on their careers and to remain close to their own parents while their children are raised by close relatives.
[edit] Naming Conventions
Mizarian naming conventions take non-Mizarians a little getting used-to. Names follow what is known on Earth as the “Eastern Order”, placing the surname or family name before the personal or given name.
Given the inflected nature of the Mizarian language, the family name is rendered in the genitive case (ending in “-a”) if the personal name is also given.
For example, let us look at the name of the current prime minister. Kova Tholl literally means “Tholl of the family Kov.” If a title and only the family name is used, it would be grammatically incorrect to keep the family name in the genitive. Prime Minister Kova would be literally translated as Prime Minister “of the family Kov” - which is awkward. Thus the correct form of address for him is either Prime Minister Kov or Prime Minister Kova Tholl.
[edit] Science and Technology
Mizarians achieved faster-than-light travel during Earth's 2nd Century CE and soon began a mutually enlightening relationship with the Vulcan P'Jem Monastery. Mizarians have also been frequent visitors to the Klingon Boreth Monastary since its founding during Earth’s 9th century CE.
[edit] Honors
In 2305, the Federation commissioned the Excelsior II Class Explorer USS Mizar (NCC-14707). She was the first Federation vessel to have a Mizarian homeport. She served the Federation well for nearly half-a-century before being heavily damaged, and ultimately sacrificed, to destroy the attacking Tholian fleet at the Battle of Alpha Hydrae in 2351 while serving as the flagship of Admiral Darz Taneko of Bolarus IX. The Admiral was posthumously awarded The Star Cross.
To commemorate her gallantry in battle, the Federation commissioned the Nebula-class Explorer USS Mizar-A (NCC-63589) in 2354. She is still in service and is the second Federation vessel to have homeport on Mizar II.
[edit] Notes
[edit] Canon Appearances
- Allegiance (TNG 3:18, 26 March 1990)
- Ménage à Troi (TNG 3:24, 28 May 1990)
- Chain of Command, Part I (TNG 6:10, 14 December 1992)
- Star Trek X: Generations (18 November 1994)
- Starship Creator (Computer Game, October 1998)
- The Price of Freedom (RPG Sourcebook, February 1999)
- Birth of the Federation (Computer Game, April 1999)
- Star Charts (paperback, October 2002)
- Starfleet Operations Manual (RPG Sourcebook, April 2003)
- Enigma (Novel, August 2004)
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