Emblem of the Medusans
A Medusan carrier pod
A Medusan seen through a protective visor
The Medusans are a highly-intelligent, telepathic race from the Alpha/Beta Quadrant region. They are one of the few noncorporeal species to be members of the Federation.
Medusans are known throughout the Federation as mathematical and navigational experts without equal. Their thoughts are the most sublime in the galaxy, however, their physical appearance so utterly hideous that the sight of a Medusan would render a human mad. Vulcans are capable of viewing Medusans, but only with the use of a specially filtered visor. For these reasons, Medusans usually use an opaque carrier pod when interacting with other species. (TOS: "Is There in Truth No Beauty?")
In the mid-24th century, specialized habitats were incorporated into several Starfleet vessels so that Medusans could serve as onboard navigators through the use of the Interactive Navigational Control System. This would allow the Medusans to operate in symbiosis with the ship's computer in case normal navigational systems were offline. (FASA: Star Trek: The Next Generation Officer's Manual)
Timothy Sinclair once touched the mind of a Medusan during his childhood on Titan. He later said the encounter, though disconcerting, was the first time he had ever experienced true peace. (Star Trek: Pendragon)
In 2386, three Medusan scientists were part of a research team investigating the ancient technology on Xhe'na'zha. (Star Trek: Pendragon, Star Trek: Sons of Liberty)
Background information[]
- It has been suggested in some Star Trek/Babylon 5 crossovers that the Medusans and Vorlons are related, or perhaps one and the same.
External links[]
- Medusan article at Memory Alpha, the canon Star Trek wiki.
- Medusan article at Memory Beta, the non-canon Star Trek wiki.
- Medusan article at Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.