The Cairn were a humanoid telepathic species who had no concept of spoken language.
Physiology[]
The Cairn were a humanoid species with no vocal cords. They relied on telepathy to communicate with one another. Their telepathy sent images rather than words, which allowed for a faster and more efficient exchange of information. As a result of their dependence on telepathy, the Cairn had evolved to the point where they no longer had the ability to speak. However, they still retained the biomechanics necessary for physical speech, suggesting that their lack of vocal cords was a result of their reliance on telepathy rather than an evolutionary development.(TNG: "Dark Page")
Society and Culture[]
Before interacting with the Federation, the Cairn had no concept of privacy, as their telepathic abilities allowed for open communication between individuals. Due to their unique form of communication, other telepathic species had difficulty communicating with the Cairn without proper training.(TNG: "Dark Page")
History[]
In 2370, the USS Enterprise ferried a Cairn delegation to a meeting with the Federation Council. During the journey, Ambassador Lwaxana Troi was assigned to help the Cairn integrate with the Federation by both communicating with them telepathically and teaching them to communicate verbally with the help of vocal enhancers in the absence of vocal cords. This caused strain on her and that, coupled with working with Hedril, a Cairn youth, brought back painful memories involving the death of her daughter Kestra. (TNG: "Dark Page")
Technology[]
The Cairn did not appear to have any notable technology that was mentioned during their interaction with the Federation. However, the vocal enhancers that were used to help the Cairn communicate verbally with non-telepathic species suggest that they may have had some level of technological development. (TNG: "Dark Page")
People[]
- Named
- Unnamed
Appendices[]
Background information[]
The Cairn were described in the script as "tallish humanoids, intelligent looking – with small protrusions on the sides of their heads that suggest increased cranial capacity." Kirsten Dunst described her character as having "brains on the side of [her] head". ("30th Anniversary Moments", VOY Season 3 DVD special feature)
According to Star Trek: Star Charts ("United Federation of Planets I"), the Cairn were from the planet Cairn, and, by 2378, this planet had become a member of the Federation.
The name "Cairn" comes from a Scots word meaning "pile of stones," often built to bury the dead. Near the end of Star Trek Generations, Jean-Luc Picard built one for the deceased James T. Kirk.
Apocrypha[]
In the novel Articles of the Federation, the Cairn are said to have definitely joined the Federation.
According to the Star Trek: The Next Generation - Player's Guide, the Cairn homeworld is called Vair. It is the fourth planet in the Visium system. Vair animal life evolved telepathy at a very early stage, so that very few species communicate by sound. Due to the unique Cairn method of communication, they had no need to develop a written language and their society developed extremely quickly, going from non-sentient forest-dwelling apes to the invention of warp drive in just one thousand years. The only period of conflict in Cairn history was the Viral Image Wars, when a deranged individual named Rakwin started transmitting disturbing images to others, driving the population insane. The resulting wars nearly drove the Cairn to extinction before an innovator called Wusna developed mental disciplines to protect the mind from violent images. In 2365, the USS Okinawa initiated first contact between the Federation and the Cairn. The contact was assisted by Vulcan and Betazoid officers.
External link[]
- Cairn at Memory Beta, the wiki for licensed Star Trek works