Ligonian
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Ligonians come from Ligon II, a Class M planet in the Alpha Quadrant. It is one of the few places in Federation space where microbes may be found that produce the vaccine for Anchilles fever (such microbes never seem to survive transplantation to off-planet laboratories).
Personality
Ligonians present a polite and gracious demeanor in public, and they seem agreeable and eager to please. Privately, they regard outsiders with deep suspicion and even consider them culturally inferior. They are also capable or shrewd and devious intrigues against each other, despite their culture's emphasis on social honor.
Physiology
Ligonians are broad-shouldered, dark-skinned humanoids. They are known for their headdresses and garments that wrap tightly around the body, both of which are made from brightly-dyed cloth. There is very little difference between male and female clothing. Wealthier Ligonians favor a soft, lustrous fabric similar to Terran silk. Physiologically, Ligonians are near enough to human norms that antigens and vaccines produced on their world are also useful to humans and human-like species.
All Ligonians are naturally ambidextrous, and they have no concept of favoring one hand over the other.
History
Early in their history, local and regional Ligonian chieftains fought intense and bloody wars against each other, and it is during this period, known as the Time of the Warring Lords, that the Ligonian social codes of honor formed. On the other hand, the Time of the Warring Lords also produced a strong reaction against rampant warfare, and since then political leaders on Ligon II have largely refrained from open conflict with each other.
The Ligonians made first contact with the Federation in 2318 when the Enterprise stumbled upon Ligon II during a patrol mission. They nearly ran afoul of the Federation in 2364 after an outbreak of the rare and deadly Anchilles fever on Styris IV. Ligon II was one of the few places that produced vaccines against the disease, and so Starfleet dispatched the Enterprise-D to negotiate for a supply. They were met by a delegation led by Lutan, who had become a minor lord by virtue of his marriage to Yareena, a prominent landowner. Unfortunately, Lutan used the opportunity to kidnap Enterprise-D security chief Lieutenant Tasha Yar and claim her as his new First One (primary spouse). Under the rules of Ligonian society, this forced a ritual combat to the death between Lieutenant Yar and Yareena; Lutan hoped that Lieutenant Yar would prevail, allowing him to inherit Yareena's property. Lieutenant Yar, however, foiled the plot - although Yar killed Yareena, the medical technology of the Enterprise was able to restore Yareena; honor was satisfied with no loss of life.
The Federation Council chose to overlook the incident and maintain cordial relations with Ligon II. The Ligonians, conversely, remained aloof from the Federation, fearing that too much foreign influence would destabilize their society. They have never formally applied for Federation membership, despite many unofficial discussions with UFP diplomats on the subject.
Society
Tbe first Federation sociologists to study Ligonian society described it as matriarchal because only females have the right to own property, while males are relegated to stewardship of their possessions. In truth, the whole picture is more complex than that. Females who own property place great trust in their husbands, seeing as how the husbands function as operational managers of all assets. They are, in effect, business partners, although the wife is always the titular boss. And while Ligonians permit polygamy, just as many males as females take multiple spouses, so the institution hardly functions as a way for one sex to control the other.
Both males and females wield political power. Ligon II has no world government, and authority is divided between regional and local lords whose right to rule is determined by wealth, extent of landholdings and the military power at their beck. And while the largest landowners are all female, they may by choice divest their authority on their primary husband, or First One.
Above all, Ligonian society places considerable emphasis on ritual and the notion of honor. Honor, in this context, refers to how one stands in the estimation of others, judged by generally accepted codes of conduct. Deceit, disloyalty, failure, personal rejection and criminal behavior are all considered shameful and result in loss of face. They also place strong emphasis on the martial virtues and loyalty to one's social betters, but not as much on academic activity of the sort that leads to technological innovation.
Ligonian culture attaches great shame to failure, which spurs individual Ligonians to do their utmost to succeed. Their code of honor is derived from ancient traditions of military service. Ligon II is not a UFP member and Starfleet has made no arrangements to accept Ligonians in service, but adventurous Ligonian mercenaries can be found wandering the Alpha Quadrant.
Reference(s)
- Bridges, Bill, et al. Star Trek Roleplaying Game Book 5: Aliens, Decipher, 2003. ISBN: 1582369070.