Hello all, Ric here and this is a cultural index episode looking at one of Star Trek’s
most notorious, nefarious and nasty nuisances, the Nausicaans. This video will draw from
the primary content of the shows to build an image of this species with additional content
drawn from books and games to flesh out some details here and there as in canon, there
is little confirmed information to go on, but much we can draw from speculation.
The Nausicaans stand around 2 metres tall on average with strong musculature and a robust
physique. They generally are proud of their physicality and strength plays a large part
in determining their place in society as well as informing how they are often presented
on the intergalactic stage. Their skin tones range from pale yellowish, greys and pastel
browns and all seem to have dark hair. Like Klingons, they have prominent brows made from
bone but also sport a pair of small tusks that erupt from their cheeks to create a pincer
like formation over their mouth; Sometimes two, sometimes four of them. Some even grew
horns on their brow, but this was not all. Generally, their hair was worn loose and ungroomed.
Their reputation as problematic however was due to their caustic temperament that saw
them quickly turn to violence to solve problems. Insults directed their way are typically answered
with death instantly in a fight, which they often had the inclination to incite anyway.
It was considered strange by other Nausicaans if one of their own was too restrained or
pragmatic, especially if they were not being paid to be. Despite their brutish reputation,
they were rather cunning and seldom started a fight they weren’t confident they would
win. Dirty fighting, uneven odds and literal backstabbing were not considered dishonourable
actions among them if it helped them win. They idealise strength and power but this
comes in many forms although most commonly in its raw state. Because of this temperament
they were frequently encountered as pirates and raiders. This brought individuals into
conflict with several law enforcements of various species, but they often roamed around
and operated from hidden outposts which they had established or commandeered meaning they
often evaded capture. Many too were adept at circumventing security systems and even
jail breaks, again showing there is an adept mind behind all the brawn.
However, those not wanting the hassle of dealing with law enforcement were employed as mercenaries
and bodyguards. Favoured by the Ferengi and Orion Syndicate, their violent streak that
boarders on sadism generally meant that they were comfortable skirting the law even in
this profession, lending them a fearsome reputation. First contact with them was made by Starfleet
in 2151, by the NX-01 and surprise, surprise, they were pirates.
Their homeworld is Nausicaa, the 3rd planet in the system of the same name and orbited
by three moons. In memory beta content it was razed by the Borg in 2381, but this is
not confirmed on screens. Nausicaa is predominantly formed of yellow rock and has a gravity of
0.7g. It has 40% surface water bound up not in oceans, but as large inland seas and lakes,
therefore all landmasses of the planet are connected. The planet’s environment is rather
varied with one constant, the fierce winds that whip around its surface. The planet is
densely forested around equator, creating a tropical climate. Beyond this, the planet
is mostly arid, mountainous and rocky which is where the high winds blow with frequent
storms. Heavy pollutants still linger in their climate form their industrial age where the
dealt irreparable damage to its ecosystem and to this day, acid rain is a common problem.
Nausicaa has smooth ice caps, blasted by the winds called the Great Silver Plain. In older
times, it was a practice that some would journey to the ice caps to seek enlightenment by surviving
a 300 miles trip across its hazardous surface. They were forbidden to fight, or aid one another
on the plains during this time. The other native lifeforms, like the Nausicaans
are hardy omnivores by necessity, and many are endangered by constant Nausicaan hunting
leading to the survivors being as cunning as their predators. Their non-copyright infringing
predators. There are many cities across the planet such
as Gedya, Gi’rak toa, Melvar, K’Kall’a, Re’tak’ma, Sandala, Sdara and Rylon through
which interstellar commerce does flow. They do have a centralised government, however,
due to their boisterous nature, it is always in a state of flux as individuals are ousted,
killed or fall out of favour rapidly. This turbulent nature makes it very difficult for
other powers to establish any meaningful long-term relationship with them and is what allows
for this rampant, unchecked piracy to flourish. They do have a military, but many choose to
break away and seek their own prizes as bounty hunters or mercenaries as they are motivated
by no small amount of sadism, greed and thrill seeking. However, they must have a dedicated
shipyard, as they do produce their own vessels, more on these in a minute.
They maintain outposts in other systems, often apart from more civilized hubs of activity,
such as on an asteroid in the Morikin system. They are often very territorial within their
own space when it comes to resources, attacking any unauthorised interlopers with little warning.
Their vessel design tends to have ships constructed vertically, which would be an issue for landing
surely, and share the same focus on power that they themselves do. They manufacture
ships focused on overwhelming firepower and aggression such as the Guramba class siege
destroyer, the Kolasi class, the Scourge and Ravager class dreadnaught, the Vandal class
and the Talon Battleship. The technology at play on these vessels varies from loadouts
of photon torpedoes, disruptor beams and plasma weaponry. Alongside this, vessels with Nausicaan
captains, not just their “official” ships often have other tricks up their sleeve. This
diversity is likely a side effect from their looting through raids, prizes from their kills,
or bartered goods. This reflects the pragmatic cunning of the species as they adapt whatever
that can use to give themselves an edge in combat, just as they do in a physical melee.
When it comes to personal arms, they again, often have a variety of plundered weaponry
but there is a use of a device called a Nausicaan Warstaff. This is constructed out of salvaged
components which are made from disassembled energy weapons. It can be used as a spear,
club and directed energy weapon being around 2 metres long, its unknown if this has a cultural
origin. (but that seems likely.) When a young Nausicaan reaches the “age
of Majority” they can join the military or choose their own path, effectivity a coming-of-age.
Despite their skirmish focused mentality, they do have a religion they follow, called
the Heart of the Sky. Being as the winds are a constantly shaping influence on their homeworld,
they developed a belief in a pantheon of four gods, called the Four Winds. They construct
temples to this religion and believe that upon death, their “Tegol”, or soul leaves
the body and meets these gods, their friends and families in the afterlife of the Heart
in the Sky. Culturally, they do enjoy games of various
others, including gambling and tests of physical prowess. However, following a theme, cheating
is considered part of the game for them, if they can get away with it and if not, well
then they can always start another fight. Games of their own devising include a dart
throwing competition where their opponent is the dartboard and the first to show signs
of pain is the looser. Surprisingly, they do have their own arts,
as seen in a form of opera called tusk-opera. It’s unclear as to how this works, or why
tusks are involved. Perhaps they resonate or click with the singing, but whatever the
case, it actually has fans in many other species outside of Nausicaa so it can’t be as bad
as you may expect. Nausicaan names included many that end in
“gar”, although those that do not are a lot shorter. Savonigar, Trenigar, Krinogar,
Kajek, Krozh and Goshi. In their language, Undari means coward and Guramba means nerve,
as in “you don’t have the nerve.” It is also a slang term for their genitalia meaning
the Nausicaans are the only species I have come across that named a type of destroyer
ship after their balls. Because that how the Nausicaans be.
So there we have it. A fair amount of info on one of the most violently rambunctious
species in Star Trek and honestly more than I expected to find on a species that was coined
to be that tough looking background mercenary species. It’s easy to forget their conniving
smarts when faced with their brute-like appearance, but it is present in every level of their
culture. I was most surprised to discover a central religion and even the existence
of their songcraft, showing that even among the most dangerous, there is often a hidden
depth. It’s just covered in a lot of bad attitude and spikes.
Because of the turmoil of their own government, being stirred by their churning combative
drives, its unlikely that they would ever willingly enter into diplomatic relations
with other powers beyond short lived and intermittent trade deals. Their only stable operations
seem to be those who branch out as mercenaries or (unfortunately) pirates. Maybe the Klingons
could conquer them into submission at some point, but the more diplomatic approach from
the Federation is unlikely to make much headway. Thanks for watching this video on the Nausicaans,
named after a princess of a 1984 anime about two warring nations that were destroying their
planet. The next index will probably be on the Hutts, as I’ve been meaning to do them
for a while now, but they always seem to lose out in the votes, but nonetheless feel free
to suggest others you’d like me to look into and I’ll add them to the bucket of
choice. Thanks again for watching, I’ve been Ric
and until next video, goodbye!