Shran and Andorians

[WarpGirl]

Come on no Andorian thread? I have to start one I can't wait anymore. So my opinion on Shran if Trip wasn't in Enterprise, I'd want Shran! I don't mind the blue skin and the antenea are rather cute because you can tell when he is not being 100% honest. Anyway I am so mad Talas dies SHE ROCKS! So I'll be back must go root for my sexy blue-skin.

[Aquarius]

Shran just rocked my world all kinds of ways. I read somewhere (maybe here?) that if Enterprise had been renewed for another season, he was supposed to be added in to the regular cast somehow. A definite fan favorite, that one!

[WarpGirl]

I wouldn't mind if he rocked my galaxy! Of course I'd expect an Andorian wedding ring and well let's just say there'd better be room for me on his ship. No way I'd do a long-distance thing. Jeeze from what I know about *the_abomination* he turned into some sort of space pirate WTH!!! That isn't the man who fought for Talas and his crew, and certainly not the man who appologized to Soval of all Vulcans. One more reason to deny, and it's almost as big as the 'Bond Tragedy.' I also don't see him romantically involved with Jahmel... Don't get me wrong she is lovely. But she's so young, and gentle and Shran is neither. I thought their connection, and it is powerful was more fraternal or even paternal. And come on Shran only met her days after his mate was murdered, he might have been transfering extra protective instinct to her because Talas was murdered right in front of him. And he didn't get to say goodbye. But I love them ALL. I just wanted Talas to live.

[Linda]

Hey, did they ever show what Andorians used to symbolize the married state? Do they have wedding rings or even braclets like the Romulans? They have group marriage; wasn't it four people that it took to concieve a child? But there also seem to be romantic pairings of just two people as in Shran and the shipmate who died. Has anyone written a fan fic about a human/Andorian romance? And what about their arts and architecture and music on their very cold world? Anyone do any illustrations of their buildings and their scenery? All I have seen is their starship configurations.

Sorry, I have more questions than answers.

[WarpGirl]

The simple answer to most of those is I don't know! Oh dear, I saw no evidence of four genders though. I mean in <cough> *the_abomination* <cough> Shran marries Jamehl and they have Tala. So who are the other two if they needed them. Besides, wasn't "Cogenitor" enough? More than two genders is still confusing to me. Males having babies I can understand (seahorses do it) but what organisim has more than one gender? There are asexual organisms but that doesn't count.

As for Art Andorians make incredible jewelery according to DS9, but I don't watch that one. The Aenar had exquiste clothing and gems. As for the cities well we saw an Aenar city, I assume Andorians have similar structures.

I have never seen a human/Andorian pairing but I think some might exist of Malcolm and Talas before we found out she pursued Shran. They were an AMAZING pair. When she was trying to "seduce" that MACO I was hooked. She knocks him out and there Shran is cool as you please admiring his woman. AWSOME! I'm not sure she was serious about an Andorian woman's right too, "one final conquest before her wedding." She might have been but I can't see Shran sharing ANYTHING let alone a woman custom or no custom. Too bad they killed her.

[Asso]

...Too bad they killed her.

Another big error been made. Yes.

[Escriba]

To try to fill the gaps in an alien culture that have so many and so big that you could pass a stadium through them, I always use analogies with Earth cultures. If Vulcans are (to me, please, just to me) a mixture between Japanese and Ancient Rome and Klingons are Vikings, I usually think of Andorians as Celtics, or maybe Slavs.

But anyway, to the point, memory-alpha says that weddings require four people, not marriages. That's a good difference (strictly speaking, you need five in a Human wedding: the groom, the bride, two witnesses and the priest or whoever performs the ceremony.)

As for art, they seem very good in handpainting, so posibly their buildings have beautiful murals and such. Although I mean in the interior, because with such a climate I don't think they're out too often (and here, some investigating into Slavic arquitecture might be useful; I'll take a look.)

[Asso]

To try to fill the gaps in an alien culture that have so many and so big that you could pass a stadium through them, I always use analogies with Earth cultures. If Vulcans are (to me, please, just to me) a mixture between Japanese and Ancient Rome and Klingons are Vikings, I usually think of Andorians as Celtics, or maybe Slavs.

Ancient Rome?

[WarpGirl]

I always thought of Vulcans as a mix of Japanese and Ancient Greeks myself. They were no slouches in the warrior department. I had read that the Klingons were somehow based on the Samuari but I think it's a stretch. I think Andorians can be a mix of many different cultures but your idea really works. Russian history is a pet project of mine, and I'm half Irish. So yeah that's awsome. To me the Romulans and Reman are the Ancient Romans of ST. The obvious names aside the governmental structure is almost identical. History Geek sorry. Also in the sixties it was also a commentary on the Soviet Union. Notice I say the USSR, they destroyed so much of true Russian culture, in the past.

[Escriba]

Actually, I see Romulans as Spartans Even if, looking at it from some perspective, they could be more similar to Vulcans (no showing emotions, tight discipline ans such.) I see Vulcans as Romans because they were highly logical (in fact, they were so "mundane" that Greek used to think they were ignorant asses), they admired (and tried to achieve) the control of emotions and marriages were... well, not for love. And women were part of society (in a lesser level, of course.) Except among the Spartans, Greek women were like walls, they couldn't even get out from the house (although I think this wasn't the same in every place and time.)

Klingons as samurais? Really? They look a lot like Vikings.

As for Andorians (sorry for sidetracking), that culture of war, powerful emotions and sentimental soul could be as much Irish as Slavic, so any choice is good.

[Alelou]

Now I'm visualizing an Andorian in a kilt. Hoo boy. The macho/take-offense-easily/duel-to-the-death/wily warrior thing is very Scottish.

As long as we're trading in our favorite stereotypes.

[Asso]

Mh... Escriba. There was some kind of stereotypy in the way Greeks and Romans were narrated through centuries.
And, honestly, there was something which annoyed me, in the way Vulcans were shown on the screen.
I found always some sort of nether tendency to put them on the top, because of their analogy with "wise" oriental civilizations.
But wisdom (and imbecilities) are universal heritage.

[Escriba]

Well, I tried to point out the similarities. There are dissimilarities too. Romans loved good life: drinking, eating and fu-- But the point is they were proficient in Engineering and they were very practical (and you know how much Cato loved austerity.) Any anthropologist will tell you that we can understand alien cultures better than we can understand Romans.

[Asso]

I don't know if I have to be proud or worried.
Do you remember what Trip said to T'Pol when she revealed him the Bond?

[Escriba]

Proud, man!

At least you have a culture that has left us great engineering building works and like the 90% of our actual civil code. What can I be proud of? People that chop tree trunks for sport?