Worlds of Star Trek Deep Space Nine

by Heather Jarman

  The wind changed; Prynn shivered. Soon, the sun would set, the waves would rise. She gazed out at the horizon, the wash of coral and lavender and blush washing together over a canvas of blue sky.

  With her finger, she twisted a tendril of her hair into rope; she removed a pocket knife from her beach bag and cut off a short length. She carefully braided the white with the black and closed the locket.

  Someday.

  Undoing the catch, she draped the chain around her neck, and fastened it, adjusting the chain until the locket nestled against her skin. Through her shirt, she touched the diamond-shape outline with her fingers, feeling the locket press into her breastbone.

  Someday.

  Glossary of Andorii Terms

  In our interpretation of the Andorians, the species is comprised of four sexes. This is loosely extrapolated from Data’s line in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode “Data’s Day,” in which he states that Andorians marry in groups of four. While the authors and editors of Star Trek fiction freely acknowledge that “A” doesn’t necessarily equal “B,” we decided to go with that particular interpretation simply because it afforded us what we felt were the most interesting storytelling opportunities.

  None of the Andorian sexes is truly male or female as humans might define them. Andorians do, however, accept male or female pronouns in order to simplify their interactions with the various two-sex species that dominate the Star Trek universe, and to avoid unwelcome questions about their biology.

  The sexes break down as follows:

  zhen (“she”)

  shen (“she”)

  chan (“he”)

  thaan (“he”)

  The dominant language on the world of Andor (or Andoria, as it is sometimes called) is known as Andorii. As with many terrestrial languages, certain words in Andorii are gender-specific. What follows is a short list of those words and a few others established in Deep Space Nine fiction set after the TV series.

  sex: zhen shen chan thaan

  polite form of address: Zha Sha Cha Tha

  beloved (bondmate): zh’yi sh’za ch’te th’se

  parent: zhavey shreya charan thavan

  offspring: zhei shei chei thei

  sibling: zhi shi chi thi

  parent by marriage: zhadi shidei chada thadu

  child by marriage: zhri’za shri’za chri’ze thri’ze

  OTHER ANDORII TERMS

  ceara: traditional clothing among zhen

  challorn: a sweet-smelling flower

  eketha: a hardwood tree

  elta: a floral tree

  grelth: an arachnid

  hari: a flatbread

  katheka: a stimulant analogous to coffee

  kheth: the temporary pouch that grows over and around the lower abdomen of a zhavey for the final phase of Andorian gestation

  klazh: an animal known for its careless way of moving

  saf: a psychoactive chemical refined from an Andorian plant, used in the shelthreth and generally available only by medical prescription on Andor. Possession of saf is illegal off Andor

  shapla: a betrothal symbol; woven locks of hair from bondmates

  shax: a poisonous altParasitic insect that nests under the skin of its host

  shaysha: an edible beetlelike insect

  shelthreth: ritual consummation of marriage for the purpose of conception.

  taras: a kind of tree

  tezha: sexual union outside the shelthreth

  vithi: an edible flower

  xixu: a marine plant whose fronds may be mashed and used in baby food

  zhiassa: a zhavey’s milk

  zletha: a flower