Lirin

The **Lirin** were a species from the planet Liria. Their physiology, while roughly humanoid, were not mammalian in nature. They had an exoskeletal structure comprised of a dense, durable chitin, normally appearing in shades of purple, with gem-like magenta eyes. (*Star Trek: Early Voyages* comic: *Flesh of My Flesh*)

Their society, the Lirin Unity, was ancient, highly-complex and delicately balanced, and each individual Lirin fulfilled a particular role. They had a fixed population level, and rarely died from anything old age. As an elder Lirin neared death, another was conceived to maintain harmony.

With their lives balanced in such a way, Lirins attained a significant degree of telepathic sympathy with one another, their minds connected in shared consciousness and racial memory. Lirins also had a variety of psionic abilities, most notably telekinesis and pyrokinesis. Their communal empathy allowed them to join their minds together to accomplish what a single Lirin could not.

Liria made first contact with the United Federation of Planets in 2225, and joined shortly thereafter, a major step for the "shy and introspective" people who were wary of outsiders and external contact. No one could be spared from the balance of the Unity, so the Lirins generated an additional member of their race to serve as their emissary to the Federation. Deliberately created to be an outsider among his own kind, and never allowed to return home, Nano would go on to fulfill this role as a member of Starfleet, most notably as communications officer aboard the USS *Enterprise* under Captain Christopher Pike.

For the next thirty years, the Lirins rarely accepted visitors, preferring that contact go through Nano. During this time, the seed of a destructive force took root within the Unity, as their innate suspicion of outsiders grew to become an unconscious phobia of the unknown and unfamiliar. Amplified by their shared subconscious, this shared phobia eventually began manifesting in the form of destructive pyrokinetic energy which resulted in a number of deaths on Liria. Unaware of the cause, the Lirins tried to maintain the balance, hiding knowledge of their troubles from the Federation.

In 2255, three Lirins were killed in a single incident, attributed to an accidental fire in a residential block, but the disruption was so severe, Nano was recalled to Liria to rejoin the Unity. His natural inquisitiveness and unrest made connecting with the Unity difficult, and he sensed the others were deliberately blocking knowledge from him. With the help of his *Enterprise* shipmates, Nano uncovered the truth, showed his people that the deadly nightmare would continue to haunt them until the Lirins faced their fears of the outside, and that there was no shame in asking for help. Setting the wheels of change in motion, Starfleet sent a science vessel to assist the Lirins. Nano remained aboard the *Enterprise*, but would return to Liria periodically to share his experiences directly with the Unity. (*EV* comic: *One of a Kind*)

As time went on, additional Lirin were sent to represent their world to the Federation, whether as Starfleet officers or diplomats. Apart from Nano, notable Lirin include Lt. Commander Yataro, who served as chief engineer aboard the USS *Endeavour* in the 2260s and 2270s, and Adjunct Koda, who served as Speaker of the Lirin Unity in 2255. (*EV* comic: *One of a Kind*; *Star Trek: Seekers*; *TOS* novel: *Agents of Influence*)

## External links

* Lirin article at ***Memory Beta***, the non-canon *Star Trek* wiki.