El-Aurians were a humanoid species of "listeners" originating from the El-Aurian system. Data once speculated (going from appearances) that El-Aurians have an awareness that supersedes the normal flow of time and space. (TNG: "Yesterday's Enterprise"; DS9: "Rivals"; Star Trek Generations)
The El-Aurians are a widely-traveled people who have spread themselves across many parts of the galaxy. It is known that at least one El-Aurian visited Earth in 1893, before Humans had any official knowledge of alien species. (TNG: "Time's Arrow", "Time's Arrow, Part II") In 2265 the Borg launched a major attack on this species, assimilating all but a handful. (TNG: "Q Who", "Ensign Ro", "I Borg") The survivors scattered throughout the galaxy, finding homes amongst many species.
In 2293, a group of El-Aurian refugees were coming to Earth following their escape from the Borg. The two El-Aurian ships transporting the refugees, the SS Lakul and the SS Robert Fox, were caught in and destroyed by the Nexus energy ribbon near the Sol system. The USS Enterprise-B was able to save some of the refugees, including Guinan and Dr. Tolian Soran (at the cost of one Captain James T. Kirk's life, or so it was thought - however, Kirk did die as an indirect result of the rescue).
El-Aurians pride themselves on being a race of listeners, and appear to have a form of limited empathic ability. Some have used this to help others, acting as advisors or confidants. A few have turned their talent to more dubious pursuits, becoming con men and tricksters, such as Martus Mazur, while Dr. Soran used his abilities to help bring his genocidal plan to re-enter the Nexus to fruition. (DS9: "Rivals"; Star Trek Generations)
Much of their seeming reticence comes from the El-Aurian racial character. They appear to be natural lore-keepers, and use their phenomenal lifespans and memories to collect the stories and life experiences of various sentient beings. They preserve this knowledge for their own kind, and only occasionally share it with non-El-Aurians. They are a highly personable and empathic race, and as such are very willing to help other sentients work out their problems. It is possible as an offshoot of their prodigious memories and mental facilities that El-Aurians are extraordinarily sensitive to the space-time continuum itself. In 2366, Guinan was able to perceive an alternate timeline which occurred because of a disruption in the starship Enterprise-C's history. (TNG: "Yesterday's Enterprise")
- It was unclear if Guinan's special abilities and perceptions in regard to time and her ability to perceive Q were completely the result of her lineage, or if they were an extra side effect of her experience with the Nexus. According to the recent novel The Buried Age, Guinan's abilities were due to the echo of her left within the Nexus. This concept originated in an unfilmed scene in the Generations screenplay.
Externally, the El-Aurians are physically identical to Humans, in structure and even the range of racial phenotypes. The only significant physical difference between Humans and El-Aurians is in the aging process, as the extremely long-lived El-Aurian lifespan covers many centuries.
El-Aurian names typically have two syllables.
People
- See El-Aurians
Appearances
- TNG:
- "The Child" (Season Two)
- "The Outrageous Okona"
- "The Measure Of A Man"
- "The Dauphin"
- "Q Who"
- "Evolution" (Season Three)
- "Booby Trap"
- "Deja Q"
- "Yesterday's Enterprise"
- "The Offspring"
- "Hollow Pursuits"
- "The Best of Both Worlds"
- "The Best of Both Worlds, Part II" (Season Four)
- "Family"
- "The Loss"
- "Clues"
- "Galaxy's Child"
- "Night Terrors"
- "In Theory"
- "Redemption"
- "Redemption II" (Season Five)
- "Ensign Ro"
- "Imaginary Friend"
- "I Borg"
- "Time's Arrow"
- "Time's Arrow, Part II" (Season Six)
- "Rascals"
- "Suspicions"
- DS9:
- "Rivals"
- Movies: