Nausicaan

File:Nausicaan.jpg

A hologram of a 24th-century Nausicaan male

The Nausicaans were a humanoid species, Their homeworld, Nausicaa, was located in the Alpha Quadrant. (VOY: "Q2")

Physiology

Nausicaans were large aliens renowned for their lack of subtlety and surly, ill-tempered manner. In some ways physically similar to the Chalnoth, they were generally tall humanoids surpassing two meters in height, with great physical strength. Their faces were commonly ashen in color and were distinguished by a prominent bone structure with sharp tusks protruding at either side of their mouths. Some Nausicaans also had a line of four small horns that ran vertically down the forehead, though this trait seemed to have become less common by the 24th century.

File:Nausicaan Captain.jpg

A 22nd-century Nausicaan captain

According to Dr. Phlox, the Nausicaan adrenal gland gave off a fragrance not unlike the scent of some female Humans' sweat after performing exercise. (ENT: "Fight or Flight")

The Nausicaan speaking voice was deep, with a distinct accent, though they were commonly the silent, brooding type.

The Nausicaans in Star Trek: Enterprise differ slightly from those seen in every other episode in which they appear. Most noticeably, they are smaller in stature and are a yellow and pinkish in color with an additional line of spikes running down their forehead ridges. They also speak more clearly and are generally more humanoid in their 22nd century portrayal. While this could be attributed to simple variations within the species, their more civilized manner could be seen as an indication of a cultural shift away from a more structured society by the 24th century.

In Star Trek: The Next Generation, their voices were electronically altered, giving them a far more alien sound. However, Star Trek: Enterprise used no such adjustment in their two appearances on that series.

History

During the 22nd century, the Nausicaans were well-known pirates, attacking freighters in various sectors for years. The ECS Horizon had a run-in once with some Nausicaan pirates.

In the year 2151, Earth Starfleet made first official contact with the Nausicaans when the Earth ship Enterprise intervened in a conflict involving the ECS Fortunate and a force of Nausicaan pirates. In that point in their history, despite their renegade behavior, they were seen working in larger groups, like a military. (ENT: "Fortunate Son") Such organization in their society and space ventures, however, seems to have apparently dissolved in later years.

Liquidator Brunt accompanied by Nausicaan bodyguards

In the mid-2320s, Cadet Third-Class Jean-Luc Picard was assigned to training on Morikin VII where he had his first encounter with Nausicaans, who had an outpost on a nearby asteroid. (TNG: "Tapestry")

In 2327, the newly-graduated Picard and two of his friends, Cortan Zweller and Marta Batanides, became involved in a fight at the Bonestell Recreation Facility on Starbase Earhart after a trio of Nausicaans cheated during a game of dom-jot. During a melee, one of the Nausicaans stabbed Picard through the heart, severely injuring him and necessitating the implanting of an artificial heart. (TNG: "Samaritan Snare", "Tapestry")

In 2371, a group of Nausicaans used an ultrasonic generator to break in and rob the Central Museum of Remmil VI by breaking down one of the walls. (DS9: "Heart of Stone")

A Nausicaan was seen in a bar on Dessica II while the senior staff of the USS Enterprise-D was searching for clues about the whereabouts of Captain Jean-Luc Picard in that establishment. (TNG: "Gambit, Part I")

The Nausicaans were infamous thugs, and were a common choice as bodyguards or hired muscle – FCA liquidator Brunt used two Nausicaans as bodyguards in 2372 when he investigated a labor union set up by employees of Quark. The Nausicaans severely beat Quark in an unsuccessful attempt to force Rom to shut down the union. (DS9: "Bar Association")

In 2374, Quark proposed using Nausicaans to break his brother out of his holding cell. For five bars of gold-pressed latinum, Quark could hire five Nausicaans, a fast ship and very few questions. Breaking Rom out of the holding cell would have been child's play compared to the things Nausicaans are used to doing. (DS9: "Favor the Bold") Later that year, Quark made 200 bars of gold-pressed latinum by selling Denevan crystals to a Nausicaan entrepreneur. (DS9: "The Sound of Her Voice")

The Orion Syndicate was also known to hire Nausicaans. Miles O'Brien was attacked by several of them on New Sydney in 2375. (DS9: "Prodigal Daughter")

A Nausicaan representative was part of the holographic diplomacy scenario 12-alpha aboard the USS Voyager in which Q Junior was to act as a mediator. Here, amongst other species, Nausicaans and Bolians were fighting over the mining rights to a dilithium-rich planetoid. The holographic Nausicaan, notable for his green skin, claimed that the planetoid was within Nausicaan space and warned that they would attack anyone who came near it. (VOY: "Q2")

Technology and culture

File:Nausicaan asteroid base.jpg

A Nausicaan asteroid base

While little has been seen that would indicate any governmental or military organization in Nausicaan society, the 22nd century saw coordinated acts of piracy. Hunting parties of several warp-capable raider starships armed with plasma cannons and protected by deflector shields, worked out of asteroid bases. The pirate crews were armed with hand-held directed energy weapons. (ENT: "Fortunate Son")

Over the next two centuries, however, most contact with Nausicaans were in the form of isolated run-ins with civilians who seemed to be independent operators, though the practice of using asteroids as settlements did not go out of practice.

Nausicaan culture appeared to be firmly rooted in violence. Most Nausicaan games involved inflicting pain or injury, including one played by liquidator Brunt's bodyguards, which involved tossing darts at each other's chest. (DS9: "Bar Association")

People

No Nausicaans were named in canon productions.

• List of unnamed Nausicaans

Appendices

Appearances

• ENT:
  • "Fortunate Son"
  • "Canamar"
• TNG:
  • "Tapestry"
  • "Gambit, Part I"
• DS9:
  • "Heart of Stone"
  • "Improbable Cause"
  • "Bar Association"
  • "Favor the Bold"
  • "The Sound of Her Voice"
  • "Prodigal Daughter"
• VOY: "Q2" (hologram)

Background

The Nausicaans were named after the princess Nausicaä of the Phaeaces in the Greek epic poem The Odyssey by Homer, as well as for the 1984 Japanese animated science fiction film Nausicaä of the Valley of Wind, whose main character is also named after the aforementioned princess. (Star Trek Encyclopedia) Coincidentally, Patrick Stewart later lent his voice talent to the 2005 English redubbing of this anime film. His character, Lord Yupa, intervenes in a fight by blocking princess Nausicaä's sword thrust with his gauntleted forearm, getting stabbed in the process.

The Star Trek: Voyager episode "Nemesis" features a Nausicaan-like alien species known as the Kradin.

A Nausicaan knife from the episode "Tapestry" was sold off on the It's A Wrap! sale and auction on eBay. [1]

Apocrypha

In Star Trek Online, Naussicaans are a playable species for the Klingon faction. The Naussicaans were mercenaries allied with the Gorn during the Klingon-Gorn War and when the Gorn surrendered, the Naussicaans did too, becoming formal allies with the Klingon Empire. Many episodes in the game feature the Naussicaans as the player's primary opponent.