Sulamid

Signar IV in the Andrinus system is the home world of the Sulamid. They are a Federation member, but a new addition to Starfleets ranks. Signar IV had first contact only 60 years ago, and has had one of the most peaceful transitions to galactic society ever recorded.

Sulamid have an unusual familial structure. It consists of a paternal and maternal caregiver, but these may not be the beings responsible for the child's birth. The social structure of the Sulamid is one of 'community'. Everything is shared, and everything is done with the benefit of the community in mind. This has made the Sulamid an extremely selfless people.

Sulamid are extremely curious, and a naturally peaceful people. They are both capable and willing to defend themselves, but they are not given to anger or animosity generally speaking. The natural curiosity and amazing intelligence of the Sulamid tends to draw them toward the sciences and occasionally engineering. Most Sulamid detest being away from the community for very long, so it is unusual to see one in Starfleet, though a few have signed on, most notably Lieutenant Kosoandrisellapethio'andiello'drinar, Chief Science Officer of the U.S.S. Odyssey-B.

Physical Appearance/Physical Attributes: Sulamids have iridescent skin that shifts color slightly from blue to purple to dark red, depending on emotional state. There is a metallic sheen to the skin, looking much like snakeskin. The males hair often hangs in long "braids" of silver that reach their shoulders and that is usually tied back into the approximation of a ponytail. Females often opt for sorter versions of the same hairstyle. They have wide eyes that range in colour from red to purple to gree usually flecked with silver, and are about twice the size of a human's eyes. Sulamids move their heads constantly in quick, almost bird-like movements.

Sulamid are also equipped with a dual set of vocal chords, allowing them to literally make two different sounds simultaneously. This has been used in their speech, so as to give the effect of 'harmonizing with themselves'.

Language: The most striking aspect of the Sulamid is their speech. They speak in something called 'holophrasis' speech. This basically involves using only the key words in a sentence. Sulamid have no concept of 'connective' words, such as 'and', 'or', 'is', etc. In addition, they leave out many words, so that their sentences seems to convey as much information as possible in as few words as possible. Their voices has a lilting, sing-song quality to it, due in part to their double set of vocal chords.

An example of holophrasis speech is provided below:

Standard sentence: "Sir, what can I do for you?"

Holophrasis sentence: "Sir, service, requirement?"

Standard sentence: "Sir I have no explanation. I heard cries and decided to investigate."

Holophrasis sentence: "Sir. Negative, apologies. Cries heard. Investigate."