Not much is known about the Tholians, in fact we see more about their technology and appearance
than their culture or society. In universe, this is attributed to their zealous defence
of their territory and many a ship has fallen victim to their attacks after wondering into
their space. Hi all ,Ric here and today’s index is on the Tholian Assembly, the extremophile
non-humanoid race that causes no end of headaches for the Federation.
The most commonly known fact of the Tholian Assembly is that their homeworld, Tholia Prime
also called Tholis is an extreme environment, suspected to be a class Y planet of high temperatures
and pressure with a non-nitrogen-oxygen atmosphere. Their biology is uniquely adapted to life
in these environments and therefore the most common habitation for humanoid life is lethal
to them. They exists comfortably in temperatures of
207 degrees Celsius, 480 Kelvin and have a distinctly non-humanoid appearance. They have
a head with what appear to be eyes at the top, however these formations glow so they
likely do not operate in the same way as a human’s eyes. They have 8 limbs, 6 legs
and 2 arms with each ending in grasping appendages. Lower temperatures (below 380K) would cause
them great distress as their exoskeleton fractures. Prolonged exposure leads to them freezing
then shatter. Painfully. They are a Hermaphroditic species possessing both male and female organs.
They support exoskeletons made from a Silicon-Crystalline compound, Possibly Silica. This would make
them similar to Earth Diatoms. Which consume minerals from their surrounding environment
as well as a form of photosynthesis, the Tholians may do something similar as they seem to breathe
anaerobically through their shells, filtering out most toxins. They are also speculated
to draw nutrients from their atmosphere. Their crystalline structure is also used in
communications as they make audible chirping and screeching sounds which are formed from
resonating its shell. This can be amplified to even higher levels as they can utilise
their own carapace as a transmitter to emit EM waves to commune with others of their kin,
even across vast distances. Some sources say that the Tholians pass on their memories and
identity through the transfer of electrical currents to a newly birthed body so that while
their former body dies, the “individual” lives on. This is not possible should the
body die before transference. This is suggested to be possible through the electrical charge
that is contained within their cells. Their unique method of radio-communication and this
electromagnetic transfer lead to them generate an ambient static field of consciousness that
was akin to a shared collective intelligence. This has given rise to the belief that they
in fact share a Hive existence but is more like a natural Wi-Fi, connecting them all.
They called it the Lattice and it could be sensed by telepathic species such as Vulcans,
though a uniquely Tholian experience. The Tholians practice marriage and are bonded
into threes. New born Tholians are altered at birth to grow into a role assigned them.
This includes a number of physical changes in their size and build. This is tied into
the caste system that they operate. Individuals are assigned a role based on their previous
experiences and these fall into a number of divisions from Warriors to Political roles.
There are Leadership roles within each of these, often referred to as Queens or other
monarchic titles by outsiders. As well as specialised Diplomats, Medical personnel and
the Sciences. The Science Caste is further divided into all aspects of research and development
but is pretty low in their social hierarchy. This is the reason for their relatively slow
pace of development. The Tholians have one unique technology where
they excel above all others, and that is their Tractor Beam tech. That sounds like an underwhelming
specialisation, however in practice it is anything but. They have developed a system
where they can create energy webs of interlinking beams. These are deployed in both offensive
and defensive capacities. Energy from within the web is absorbed and dispersed throughout
the frame while from outside, energy can pass into it just fine, leading to effective traps.
The species tended to hail before firing on intruders into their territory, but its borders
were routinely changing as they claimed and relinquished systems beyond their core space.
They did see fit to create a universal translator for the benefit of the other races however
showing that violence was not their go to option but one they had no qualms about resorting
to. They will fire on intruders after their warnings are not headed, then attempt to capture
a vessel with a web or destroy it and they had a reputation for punctuality and precision.
Outside of their class Y environment they’d have to wear mechanised pressure suits and
this is represented in Star Trek online as their military makes use of such frames while
using portable versions of their tractor tech and even using it as a projectile. They also
produce a sort of webbing that may be organic in origin and used as silica based silk.
The interior of their ships, according to some sources, are based on the same Tri-design
that is present throughout their architecture and heraldry. There are consoles on every
surface even in cavernous rooms suggesting that they are able to scurry up walls and
able to operate from strange angles without disorientation.
In the Mirror universe, the Tholians sought to “employ” humanoids to work as labourers
in environments they couldn’t stand. If an inhabited planet fell into their territory,
they all but enslaved the populous and forced them to work in the environments that they
themselves could not enter. Starfleet would continue to consider the Tholians a threat
due to their xenophobic attitudes well into the 24th century, over 200 years after their
first contact. Starfleet was aware of them prior to the 2260s.
The years 2252-2254 saw the first Federation conflict with the Tholians. Not the “First
Federation”, but Starfleet. Skirmishes continued to erupt throughout history, most often when
Starfleet encountered areas of freshly claimed Tholian territory. 2298 eased tensions between
the species as the Federation stepped in to manage disputes between the Tholians and the
Neyel over extradimensional tunnels to the Small Magellanic Cloud.
However by 2353, they were back at war with the Federation with individuals like Kyle
Riker and then Captain Leyton surviving the conflicts. Once again, this skirmish cannot
have lasted too long as in 2372, the Tholians made it known to Starfleet that they wished
to make use of the Bajoran Wormhole. They then, however, signed a non-aggression pact
with the Dominion in 2373 content to let the two powers beat each other, though analysts
pointed out that if the Federation fell, then the Assembly did not stand a chance either.
This hostility doesn’t seem to extend to other species however as they do engage in
commerce and trade with dignitaries on Deep Space Nine, (technically a Bajoran Outpost
at the time) and exporting goods with Ferenginar, such as silks. By the emergence of the Dominion
War, the Tholians had sent observers and politicians to Earth indicating a possible de-escalation
of hostilities between Starfleet and the Assembly while also extending ties to Romulus by 2379.
Both the Klingon Empire and Federation boarder Tholian space though this seems to have changed
with time and the expansion of the Federation. Some newer research has shed light on their
territorial claims being based on the movement of certain astronomical bodies within their
territory every 8 cycles, meaning that what originally appeared as random annexing of
systems in fact may be predictable and to a design.
One recurring trait is that they seemed borderline obsessed with the exploration of time and
alternate universes. They seem to continually show an interest on space-time time bending
phenomena like wormholes, rifts, interphasic space, time travel and such. And seem far
more interesting in this than exploring the physical space around them. This can be seen
in their pursuit of future tech in 2152 and their mirror universe counterparts luring
in the USS Defiant in 2268. In hindsight, these interactions have been seen as machinations
within the complex Temporal Cold War marking the Tholians as a potential faction operating
at different time periods. The Tholians are a very alien species when
compared to standard humanoid forms most commonly encountered and have a strong xenophobic attitude
towards such species. Their extreme life-support requirements mean that it is seldom that the
species ever interacts with others and continues the air of mystery around them and their continual
pursuit of extra-dimensional technology and research adds to this strangeness. Compounded
with the geometry of their starships, perhaps it’s all tied to them perceiving the universe
in a different fashion. A lot of this information is yet to be confirmed in canon, but then,
their natural habitat was born from extra materials too and there are a lot of ideas
here that simply expand upon what we’ve seen. For example, I love the idea of a planet
wide, natural song of information created by their crystalline commination that carries
the individuality to others. That would be a nice idea to expand upon.
Thanks for listening to this Cultural Index video on the Tholians and as usual the next
choices for the index can be voted for over on the community tab, with the choices being
from two more otherworldly inhabitants, either the Mass Effect universe’s rotund Volus
or one the opposite end of the spectrum, the Ice Warriors of Doctor Who. Let me know by
casting your vote and until the next video, Thanks again for watching and I’ll see you
next time, Goodbye!