Andoria

Andoria (foreground) in orbit of Andor

*“Andoria, it is said, is an* atlirith *tamed by Lor'Vela, but fathered by Krotus."*
**Andoria** was an inhabited moon orbiting a ringed gas giant, known as Andor, in the Procyon system (Andorii: ***Kay'va***). It was the homeworld of the Andorians. Andor was the eighth planet in orbit of *Kuy'va*, the Andorii name of the Procyon primary.

It served as the capitol of the Andorian Empire, took part in talks to form a Coalition of Planets in 2155, and became a founding member of the United Federation of Planets in 2161. The two largest settlements were Laikan, capital of the Empire, and Laibok, a major industrial center.

The Andorian Imperial Guard, which served as the planets defensive force, were trained at the Andorian Military Institute on a remote part of the planet. Starfleet cadets pursuing careers in Starfleet Security would often spend a semester at the institute. One of the wilderness survival training sessions was also held on the institute's grounds.

The planet was known to its natives as ***An'dor*** in Andorii and ***Fesoan*** in Hup'reka, an ancient Andorian language. It was known as ***'anDorya'*** in tlhIngan Hol and ***ch'Andor*** in Rihan.

## Biota

### Flora

#### Glitterling

The sole bioluminescent plant on the moon, *tloon'adold*, more commonly known as the Andorian glitterling, was found solely in caves. It had a large, interconnected root and stem system, allowing the glitterling to spread along cave walls and ceilings.

#### Vieesha

Purple in color, vieesha grew in shallow waters, with its long, flat leaves extending almost to the surface. Known as Andorian seaweed, the plant had great medicinal properties and became the basis of several Federation medicines and painkillers. It was also the source of a powerful narcotic (*ekakor*) regulated to use in treating massive, emergency shock traumas, though the abundance of the vieesha led to the drug being commonly found in black markets.

#### Vithi

The vithi was a wildflower found near geothermal vents on Andoria. Much debate surrounded the origin of the flower's name. Its full name was *vethi'adold*, meaning "chaos plant," and major theories included the haphazard style and range of its growth or that it was the center of an ancient famine-driven conflict. The most promising theory was that the plant's flowers contained psychotropics and may have caused chaotic actions among early Andorians that ate the petals.

Despite the name and blossom's effects, the plant's bulbs (*kovethi'adold*) were edible to most native lifeforms and became a major foodstuff, despite the difficulties in organized farming of the vithi.

#### Xixu

Native to the shallow shorelines of Andoria, the xixu had large fronds to capture sunlight and heat. Andorians living in coastal regions mashed the fronds and used the paste as food for Andorian infants once they were weaned off the milk (*zhiassa*) of their parental zhen.

### Fauna

While Andorians were the dominant species on the moon, they shared it with a variety of lifeforms. Much to the chagrin of Andorian biologists, most fauna were known by names comparing them to Earth animals. This practice began to die out by the late 23rd century and the use of native names expanded within the general populace of the Federation.

#### Andorian

The sole sapient fauna native to the moon, Andorians were the dominant species and had settlements ranging across Andoria's surface.

#### Tlilu'afil

The tlilu'afil, also known as the Andorian alicorne, was a six-legged equinoid animal native to the tundra at the borders of the moon’s temperate zone. It lived in small family groups, led by the animal most able to defend its claim to lead.

While its cream-colored fur allowed it to blend into the icy landscape, the alicorne’s indigo-colored horn stood in stark contrast to this natural defense. The single horn was a symbol of the animal’s aggressive nature and was mostly used in fights for dominance with others of its own kind. This aggressiveness, while admired by Andorians, made the tlilu'afil extremely difficult to domesticate and few anrr recorded ans ever being tamed. This inspired the use of the alicorne being in the symbology of some kethni and Andorian athletic teams.

The alicorne received its Earth equivalent name from the first Human visitors to Andoria’s tundra. The swiftness of the animal and its third set of legs made it appear to fly across the snow on a pair of wings.

## Geography

#### Tlar Athasa

A large nature preserve in the Blue Taiga Region, Tlar Athasa housed dozens of endangered species and its environs and museum were one of the most popular attractions on Andoria.

## Appendices

### Connections

**Starship classes:** *Atlira* • *Ilthirin* • *Kloneeth* • *Kumari* (*Charal* • *Chimesh* • *Khyzon* • *Kuthar* • *Thozyn*) • *Omtil* • *Sevaijen* • *Shola*

### Sources consulted

* Andoria article at *Memory Alpha*.
* Andoria article at *Memory Beta*.
* Andoria article at the *Star Trek Online Wiki*.

### Footnotes

1. ↑ *Among the Clans*, 9-10.
2. ↑ *Star Trek: The Romulan War - To Brave the Storm;* Star Trek Adventures - Beta Quadrant*, 22-24.*
3. ↑ *Star Trek TNG RPG - Planets of the UFP* sourcebook, 28.
4. ↑ *Among the Clans*, 33-34.
5. ↑ Andorian Icon Link supplemental by Last Unicorn Games.