Bolians
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CREDITS:
========
All work in this handbook, unless otherwise noted, is the creation
of Scott Lusby. Greg Rickards also contributed to the development
of this work.
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
==================
1. Notes on Bolians and Bolian Culture
1.1- Basic Information
1.2- Geography/Population
1.3- Economic Summary
1.4- Government History
1.5- Race/Society/Culture
2. Notes on Bolian Language
2.1- Names
2.2- Suffixes
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PART 1- NOTES ON BOLIANS AND BOLIAN CULTURE
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1.1- BASIC INFORMATION:
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Official Name in Standard: The Bolians
National Name: Bolarus (Bolarus VIII and IX).
Title of the Head of State: Councilor
Title of the Head of Government: Councilor
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1.2- GEOGRAPHY/POPULATION
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Quadrant/Sector/System: Bolian Sector
Suns/Planets/Planetoids/Moons: No natural satellites.
Population: 5.7 billion
Capital City: Lommat (Population 17.25 million)
Race(s) of Native Sentients: 100% Bolian
Land/Water Ratio(s) of Planets: 20/80
Largest City: Hosppat (Population 22.67 million)
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1.3- ECONOMIC SUMMARY
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Bolarus' economy revolves around high-tech industries, most
prominently the development of anti-gravitational technology.
They are becoming more and more immersed in anything related
to ship-building, particularly warp and dimension-warp
engineering.
Breakdown of living standards:
Technosocialist age: 87 percent of population
Information age: 8 percent of population
Industrial age: 0 percent of population
Agrarian age: 5 percent of population
Bolarus is very much a modern world, as evidenced by the shear
breakdown of its population. Only 5 percent of its economy is
geared towards agribusiness- but that's all they need. Their
technological level is sophisticated enough so that 5% more than
fills the world's food needs. Of course, replication technology
augments what is naturally grown. Animals on Bolarus are not
bred and/or killed for food sources.
Atmosphere of the planet is Class M. Belarus' major imports
consist largely of luxury items- exotic goods that cannot be
produced on Bolarus proper. Most exports revolve around its
high-tech manufacturing goods.
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1.4- GOVERNMENT/HISTORY
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Member of Federation? Yes, since 2320.
Planetary government since 2289.
Federation Protectorate from 2289-2320.
Bolians did not develop a planetary government until relatively
late in comparison to other cultures; they saw no reason to do so
earlier. There had not been a meaningful war fought on Bolian soil
in hundreds of years, with all difficulties being sorted out at the
appropriate governmental levels. This does not mean that passions
amongst Bolians do not get heated; it simply means that patience
won out in the end of every crisis.
It was only their discovery of the Federation that caused them to
form a planetary government in the first place. The Federation,
representing a conglomerate who, at least on paper, espouse
similar beliefs, appealed to them- they wanted to become a part
of something bigger than even themselves. As soon as their
government was in place in 2289, they applied for Federation
membership. However, the Federation wished to see the government
in operation first.
The basis of the Bolian government is the Central Council. This
body, made up of representatives from each town (which means that
every family is represented, since each family IS its own
township). Representatives are not "officially" elected, but are
chosen by each family form amongst their adult members. The town/
family's representative can be changed at any time. All decisions
are made by the Council as a whole, with a simple majority needed
for most decisions. A Councilor is appointed by the Council to
act as its spokesperson in all foreign matters, but there is no
term set or anything- the Councilor serves for as long as the
Council sees fit.
This method of governing has served the Bolian people well; despite
the potential for decisions being tied up in debate and argument,
Bolians are adept at "group work" by nature- they are at their
peek efficiency under such circumstances, and suffer no negative
consequences for their choice of government.
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1.5- RACE/SOCIETY/CULTURE
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Bolarus IX is a large planet that is roughly like Earth- Class M,
mostly wet (in fact a bit more so than Earth) with three large
continents making up its land masses, and possessing gravity
almost identical to Earth's.
Bolians have a general hominid appearance- bipedal and upright,
head on top of torso. However, there are several cosmetic
differences that make Bolians quite distinctive from other races.
Most notably, their skin tone is blue, usually of a pale blue hue.
This is due to both skin pigmentation and blood color; Bolian
blood is blue. Also, Bolian have a bifurcated head and face,
which divides it neatly in half. Typically, Bolian eyes are gold,
but a recessive gene in their chromosomes will give the rare
Bolian orange eyes.
Another trait characteristic of Bolians is their baldness.
However, this is not a naturally occurring phenomenon, but rather
a ritual in which most members of society, including a large
proportion of the female population, indulge. According to Bolian
beliefs, baldness is associated with physical prowess and
dedication, two things Bolians typically take very seriously. A
Bolian who chooses not to shave will likely have hair color
ranging from light brown to platinum. Dark hair on a full
Bolian is unheard of.
The bifurcated ridge in the Bolian head has created a deeply
divided brain- even more so than the Terran brain- which has the
effect of making them resistant to hypnotic suggestion. It also
tends to make more pronounced distinctions between "left" brain
and "right" brain functions, which results often in very few
multi-faceted Bolians in terms of skill variety- they tend to
be very good at disciplines of a similar nature, and do not
stray much from this.
The solar year is approximately 585 days long. Average
temperature is 22 C on most parts of the planet and 36 C at the
equator.
Bolian society revolves around the idea of the group. Families
do not typically have a single spokesperson or decision-maker;
all decisions are made by agreement between all adults in the
family- once a child reaches adult age, he or she has an equal
voice in familial proceedings. The typical Bolian family is
extended rather than nuclear; not only do cousins, aunts and
uncles live in close proximity to one another (not always under
one roof, but at least neighboring one another), but the family
expands with every marriage to include parents-in-law and their
families. Some Bolian families have hundreds of people living
in the same geographic area. This phenomena has given birth to
the "megalopolis" on Bolarus IX, with cities typically 2-3 times
larger than average Terran cities. Each family is essentially
its own township, set up within city boundaries.
Child care is a burden accepted by all members of a family, not
just the parents. The concept of the "village" raising the
child is not a political platform to Bolians- it is common
practice. All members of the family pitch in the education and
rearing of the child, helping to instill Bolian beliefs and
principals by example as well as word of mouth.
This group concept is the underlying fabric of Bolian society.
As a result, they tend to be extremely social creatures,
preferring the company of large numbers as opposed to smaller;
indeed, the cliché "The more the merrier" may have first been
uttered by a Bolian. They excel when working in groups as
opposed to alone, able to capitalize on the strengths of one
another; they socialize in groups, usually preferring a large
party to a smaller, more intimate gathering.
The group concept has fostered a trait that is unusual in most
star faring races- there is no xenophobia amongst Bolians. Bolians
learned early on that one of the strengths of the group idea
was diversity in experiences and beliefs- if one was going to
fully reap the rewards of the group concept, then one would have
to forget any prejudice towards anyone "different." As such,
xenophobia has not existed (except for in the select few) for
thousands of years. They tend to view differences as strengths
that can only broaden one's experience rather than a racially-
inbred weakness.
The large group philosophy has also fostered an extreme desire
to succeed in most Bolians. Success of the group is all that
matters, and no Bolian wants to be thought of by his or her peers
as someone who was not giving his or her very best effort.
Personal success enhances group success, so the belief goes.
As a result, Bolians are the consummate "team players."
Like most things in Bolian life, health care is socialized; the
government covering all long-term expenditures. This practice
stems from the government stance that it is simply looking out
for the interests of a very large group- ALL Bolians. However,
there is no assisted living in Bolian society- elder Bolians, if
incapable of caring for themselves, are cared for by their
families, with any assistance necessary provided by the government.
However, Bolians are generally a people in excellent health; since
most of their food products are genetically engineered or
replicated, they are created to be exactly what Bolians need in
terms of vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, etc.
However, should a Bolian be terminally and painfully ill or with
less than his or her complete faculties, they engage in the
practice of euthanasia. This practice has caused some tensions to
arise between Bolians and other cultures, but they view this as
the final service one can perform for a respected member of the
group. They don't see suffering as dignified or proper- they see
it as an unnecessary burden to be lifted, and will do so almost
without question or fail. it is considered one of their most
sacred beliefs, and is one is honored by his participation in this
elaborate ritual. On another level, they also argue that it is
counterproductive to the group, but this argument only serves to
enflame others. Though certainly a secondary motivation, it IS
still a motive.
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Creator(s)/Adaptor(s): Scott Lusby
E-Mail Address: scottjlusby@charter.net
Created for/First Use (if known): "Conspiracy" was the first
Next Generation episode in which Bolians were seen. Much of the
basic character traits were taken from those episodes and subsequent
episodes themselves. The elaboration on these, however, is my
own conjecture.
Bolians have been seen in The Next Generation, Deep space 9 and
Voyager.
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Please check one:
_X_ Canonical - All rights reserved by Paramount.
__ Semi-Canonical - All rights reserved by Paramount.
__ Non-Canonical - All rights reserved by companies specified:
______________________________________________________________
__ Original - All rights reserved by creator named above.
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PART 2- NOTE ON BOLIAN LANGUAGE
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Not much is known about Bolian language. However, there are some
structural peculiarities that bear mentioning.
2.1- Names
==========
Traditional Bolian family names end in a double hard consonant, and
are almost exclusively single-syllable names:
Domm Finn Warr
Mott Ludd Pell
Grexx Trobb Hegg
Hett Garnn Juff
The origin of Bolian family names bears close resemblance to some
Terran customs. In Terran history, many surnames were created in
order to show a relation to one's job. For instance, in ancient
Terran England, one might have met a "John Smith," whose surname
"Smith" indicated his trade- that of a smith. Often, this name
stayed with a family through generations because all male members
of the family line were trained in the same trade. Over time,
however, the connection with the job faded, and surnames were
passed down with the family instead of the trade.
Bolian tradition is remarkably similar in this manner. Many
traditional Bolian names were taken from the job or trade of the
person, with those names becoming associated less with the trade
and more with the family over time until the connection to the
trade faded completely.
2.2- Suffixes
=============
Bolian language uses a lot of suffixes to denote all sorts of
things, often differentiating between the size or number of the
root it modifies.
For instance, some Bolian surnames have a "u" that follows the
double hard consonant the typically ends Bolian surnames- people
with this suffix are twins. Accordingly, surnames that end with
an "o" signify triplets, and names that end in "a" signifies that
the person is part of a set of quadruplets or larger. Of course,
given the Bolian proclivity for groups, such people are generally
held in high regard.
Domm (surname) + o (triplet suffix) = Dommo
(surname for a set of triplets)
Hocc (surname) + u (twin suffix) = Hoccu
(surname for a set of twins)
Also, Bolian location names have suffixes attached to them which
denote the size of the town:
Large Megalopolis -at
Regular City -ar
Medium Town -ab
Small Village -al
Rural -or
Region names, like surnames, are typically single-syllable, and
end in a double hard consonant. Most regions were likely named
after famous or founding bolians- thus the similarity in
construction to Bolian surnames.
Hospp (region/location) + at (suffix) = Hosppat
(largest megalopolis)
Promm (region/location) + or (rural suffix)= Prommor
(farming community)
There are other suffixes used in Bolian language, such as those
added on to nouns/pronouns to denote singular and plural (again
dealing with quantity). However, conspiculously enough, there
are comparitively few prefixes.
