Skagaran The Skagarans were a warp - capable humanoid race , also pejoratively known as " Skags " . Although a single member of this species was technically called a " Skagaran " , that name could additionally be applied for plural use . Physiology . Skagarans appeared nearly identical to Human s with the exception of distinguishing red protrusions above each eye brow , on their throat , and in front of each ear . They also had red blood , like many humanoid species , and their body had a higher tolerance to alcohol than a Human body . They were similar enough to Humans to produce children with them and to breathe the same air as them . Society and culture . Although some Skagarans believed in the concept of Hell , they did not practice burial to dispose of their dead . As of the 19th century , they practiced slavery of other sentient species . Technologically , the Skagarans achieved warp drive by Earth ' s mid - 19th century . They possessed weapon s which were probably phaser s or disruptor s ( " guns which emitted a beam of light " ) and , reportedly , had transporter technology ( " they could move through thin air from one place to another " ) . Aboard Skagaran starship s , they recorded ship log s in data module s , which used crystal - like data chip s . Skagarans had their own kind of alcohol , Skagaran whiskey , and their own language . Skagaran history . Enslavement . During the 19th century , Skagarans were establishing colonies and were in need of workers . One Skagaran ship was sent to Earth . The vessel ' s crew abducted several thousand Humans from United States western rocky desert regions ( as well as horse s , dog s and cattle ) and took them as slave workers to help the Skagarans start a colony on a planet which was located in the Delphic Expanse but had a climate similar to Earth ' s . According to the Human account , Cooper Smith was a folk hero who overthrew their Skagaran masters . However , the Skagarans recorded a slightly different version of events , calling Cooper Smith " rahk ' tar " , which meant " butcher " . According to the Skagarans , Smith and his men burned the Skagarans ' ship , destroying their weapons and murder ing most of them , including entire families . To ensure the Skagarans could never enslave the Humans again , Smith wrote the first laws that kept the Skagarans from going to school , owning property or marrying . By the mid - 22nd century , the Skagaran population was less than a thousand and most lived in settlements , one of which was named " Skag town " by the Humans . At this point , at least some Skagarans no longer shared their ancestors ' attitude toward slavery , calling it a great crime . " Enterprise " . In 2153 , the starship visited the Skagaran colony planet , which was still inhabited by Humans and Skagarans . When an away team beam ed to the surface of the planet , T ' Pol and Commander Charles " Trip " Tucker discovered the wreckage of the Skagaran ship that the Skaragans , three hundred years earlier , had used to transport Humans to the planet . In the ship ' s data module , T ' Pol and Tucker found some data chips , which contained Skagaran log entries . The Skagaran logs were brought aboard " Enterprise " , where the crew learned that the Skagarans had suffered many disciplinary problems . Six months after the Skagaran ship had arrived , there were no more logs made . Although " Enterprise " was too small to carry the six thousand Humans who lived on the planet back to Earth , Captain Jonathan Archer planned to return to the planet and provide aid to the inhabitants . Archer believed that when Starfleet was eventually able to send ships to the planet , the crews of those vessels would find that the Humans had changed some of their laws . Skagaran treatment . Although some Skagarans , such as Draysik , were employed in saloon s , they were not allowed to drink with their Human masters and therefore reacted badly to alcohol . Skagaran whiskey was illegal , but a barber named was allowed to keep a bottle for pulling teeth . If a Skagaran killed a Human , it was considered a hanging offense , even if the Skagaran had been acting in self - defense . Legally , Humans were not encouraged to harass the Skagarans , though a Human who defended a Skagaran from other Humans could possibly be arrested . It was deemed illegal for a Human to teach Skagarans and the minimum punishment for doing so was ten years in jail . However , some Humans , such as Bethany , taught Skagaran children outside at night . A subject that Bethany taught her students was mathematics , including the study of multiplication and long division . The students who Bethany taught wrote on slate s . Some of her students were called Yral , Kret , and Taliyah . Bethany herself was one - quarter Skagaran . When the starship " Enterprise " left the Skagaran planet , Bethany had been allowed to legally teach Skagaran and Human children together . One of the subjects she taught was Earth history , including the study of the first airplane . ( ) Background information . The nickname " Skag " was invented by " North Star " writer David A . Goodman . He used a " k " sound and a " g " sound in the word because he thought they made it sound " nasty " , which was his intention . However , Goodman has admitted thinking that , because it is a fictional term , it will never " have the power of one of the awful [ real ] words . " ( audio commentary , ENT Season 3 Blu - ray special features ) In the final draft script of " North Star " , Skagarans were not physically described , other than being referred to as " alien humanoids " . When it came time to design the look of the Skagarans , it was deemed appropriate for their makeup appliances to not seem too alien . This was because Skagarans were to be established as capable of interbreeding with Humans and producing offspring that could be mistaken for being Human . ( audio commentary , ENT Season 3 DVD / BD special features ) However , David A . Goodman was left with the impression that the makeup was slightly too subtle ( at least at the start of the episode , when the species is introduced ) . ( audio commentary , ENT Season 3 Blu - ray special features ) Executive Producer Brannon Braga once referred to the Skagarans as " a poignant little metaphor for the Native American Indians . " ( ) In fact , the plot point regarding the criminality of teaching Skagaran children was thought up as a way to make the aliens ' predicament slightly more sympathetic than originally conceived . ( audio commentary , ENT Season 3 DVD / BD special features )