Star Trek Expanded Universe
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The Odanians were a sentient non-humanoid, Cetacean species. They were Federation members by late 24th century. (Clear Skies episode: "SB-24")

Physiology and psychology[]

Physically, Odanians were large, averaging at least 6 meters in length, and were similar in appearance to Earth's dolphins, specifically false killer whales, though slimmer, with darker gray skin. They could not survive out of water.

Their brains had a remarkable ability for spatial acuity, making them excellent at navigation, pattern recognition and scientific theory.

The Odanian language consisted of a series of clicks and whistles, again similar to dolphins, as well as higher frequencies and multiple wavelengths. Were a dolphin to hear an Odanian's calls, it would sound like two dolphins were "speaking" instead of one.

Odanians were known to be friendly and curious, and historically, were highly amused by the similarities between themselves and the dolphins of Earth. Likewise, they also found interacting with humanoids who visited their aquatic environment amusing. (Clear Skies episode: "SB-24")

Within the Federation[]

Odanians were renowned as navigators and some of the most gifted physicists within the Federation.

Some Odanians served as Starfleet officers in the 24th century. In 2381, 22 Odanians led by Dr. Yata joined the crew of the USS Ross at Starbase 24, comprising the ship's Cetacean Operations department.

Odanians serving aboard Starfleet vessels typically had L-shaped neural implants on either side of their heads that allowed them to connect with the ship's computer cores and utilize the universal translator's vocorder capabilities, allowing them to speak with the humanoid crew. (Clear Skies episode: "SB-24")

Background[]

  • The Odanians were created by Eric Campbell for Clear Skies. On his Twitch livestream, he said that his approach to the Odanians was that they were first encountered by the Federation "fifty or sixty years" ago (circa the 2320s), when they were discovered by a Starfleet survey team, and instantly able to communicate via the universal translator. A relationship between the two groups began, with the Odanians sharing their knowledge of theoretical science with the UFP. The Odanians allowed the Federation to construct an outpost and small colony on their world, and eventually, the Federation Council decided that due to their unique situation and advanced scientific knowledge, that the Prime Directive did not apply to the Odanians despite their lack of warp technology. They subsequently became Federation members.

External link[]

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