Ekosian
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The Ekosians are native to the Class M world of Ekos, the inner planet in the M43 Alpha system. They are a Pre-warp Civilization of humanoids. By the mid-23rd Century, Ekos was in a state of anarchy, thanks to the ongoing wars at that time. While this prevented any cultural or technological growth on the planet, her peaceful sister world of Zeon flourished. Many Zeons came to Ekos to help teach the Ekosians a better existence.
Ekosians and Zeons now work together for the betterment of both planets. They continue to develop technologies (such as interstellar spaceflight) in hopes of joining the Federation.
Personality
Generations of constant warfare have made Ekosians both cunning and tough. They are suspicious of those they do not know well, and they are quite capable of setting traps and elaborate ruses to test the intentions of strangers.
Physiology
Physically and anatomically, Ekosians bear a striking resemblance to humans and indeed, the two races are nearly identical. The fact that Federation emissary John Gill introduced them to 20th century-style Earth clothing (perhaps the least of Gill's violations of the Prime Directive, but still a significant one) only accentuates this similarity. Since the end of his period of influence (known as the Gill Interregnum), Ekosians have gone back to their traditional modes of dress, which include tunic-like garments of rough cloth for males and colorful gowns for females.
History
It is sometimes difficult to remember that the Ekosians had much history before their involvement with the Federation, especially since not much of it was formally recorded. They were, even by their own accounts, a ferociously warlike people who organized themselves into tribes, and then semi-feudal states led by warrior-kings, that fought each other constantly. Viewed from a global perspective, the Ekosians as a whole lived in a state of perpetual anarchy.
The Federation made first contact with the Ekosians and the intelligent race on their sister planet, Zeon, in 2260. Shortly thereafter, distinguished historian John Gill came to Ekos as a UFP cultural observer. Despairing over the endless bloodshed that he found, Gill made the fateful decision to violate the Prime Directive and take Ekosian social evolution into his own hands. Leapfrogging in a handful of years developments that took centuries on his native Earth, Gill gave the Ekosians technology that humans had not developed until the mid-20th century. He also crafted for them a totalitarian world government in which he tried to replicate the orderliness and obedience to higher authority of Nazi Germany without its intrigue and genocidal hatred of outsiders.
Gill failed, and disastrously so. Generations of experience had taught the Ekosians that force validates the exercise of power, and that hatred serves as a powerful rallying point for large population groups. In 2268, Deputy Fuhrer Melakon seized control of the government, used Gill as a captive figurehead, and united the Ekosians behind a genocidal war against the peaceful and more technologically advanced Zeons. Only active intervention by the Enterprise toppled Melakon's regime, although John Gill was killed in the process.
For decades thereafter, Federation emissaries sought to undo the damage that Gill's experiment had caused. Over time, the Ekosians established a lasting peace with the Zeons, which included trade and cultural exchanges. In 2373, Ekos applied for and received membership in the UFP.
Society
Except for the Gill Interregnum, Ekosian society has long exhibited a structure that mixes tribal and feudal characteristics. Individuals identify most strongly with their clans, or extended families, which in turn owe allegiance to a local feudal lord or tribal chieftain. Each local leader owes allegiance to a king or overlord. At every step of the social ladder, those below owe those immediately above a tax (whether in the form of money, goods or military or civil service) in return for physical protection and other governmental services.
Once John Gill's disastrous social experiment was discontinued, their world government evolved away from a totalitarian state, into a loose republic in which the old feudal states agreed to cooperate with each other.
Originally, Ekosians spoke their own language, Ekosian. However, John Gill encouraged them to replace it with Federation Standard, and he was successful enough that Ekosian was quickly reduced to an artifact that existed only in archaic literature. Within a generation after the Gill Interregnum, the Ekosian language underwent a revival and Ekosian society and culture became functionally bilingual.
Reference(s)
- Bridges, Bill, et al. Star Trek Roleplaying Game Book 5: Aliens, Decipher, 2003. ISBN: 1582369070.