Tholian
Encyclopedia
Tholians are a fictional starfaring and extremely territorial race in the Star Trek
fictional universe
. The Tholian (ˈθoʊliən) home nation is the Tholian Assembly, which inhabits an area of space in the Alpha Quadrant, near the Cardassian Union and the Badlands.
The Tholian Assembly is located in a region of space bordering the southern parts of the Klingon
Empire and the United Federation of Planets
. Tholia, their homeworld, is a Class Y planet.
Non-humanoid
in form, Tholians have crystal
line bodies, two arms, and six legs. They dwell in an environment of extreme heat
by human standards, their comfortable living environment being 480 kelvin
s (207 °C). Temperatures below 380 K (107 °C) will kill Tholians, causing them to shatter into tiny crystalline shards. Each Tholian has both male and female sexual organs.
Natural Tholian speech is a series of shrill squeals and clicks, similar to the sounds of a dolphin
. Their speech is difficult to parse through the universal translator
.
Tholians have little tolerance for deception, and are insistent on punctuality.
Tholian silk
is highly prized and difficult to obtain. It is an urban legend
that Tholian silk is actually made from Tholians, not by them, although there is no actual evidence in the Star Trek canon.
, Tholian ships can also work in concert to emit an energy field shaped much like a web, which will trap any space vessel inside and drain its energy. When more ships are available, a web takes much less time to construct; several Tholian vessels working in concert can spin such a web in under a minute (as seen in "In a Mirror, Darkly"), while two vessels might take hours ("The Tholian Web").
The Tholians appear to actively explore the science of inter-spatial rifts and time travel. Tholians from both the regular Trek universe and the Mirror universe are depicted as engaging in missions to capture future technology, ostensibly to use the advanced technology to further their own agenda.
s. As players in the Temporal Cold War
, they opposed the Suliban
in pursuit of an artifact from the future, disabling a powerful Vulcan
ship in the process (Enterprise episode "Future Tense").
In 2268, a Tholian commander named Loskene attacked the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701)
for violating Tholian territory while on a rescue mission to investigate the disappearance of the USS Defiant. (Star Trek: The Original Series
episode The Tholian Web).
In 2353, Tholians attacked a Federation
starbase and killed its entire complement, except for a civilian named Kyle Riker, father of William Riker
.
In 2355, simulated Tholian battles were part of Starfleet Academy
training.
In 2367, there was concern that the Tholians might get involved in the Klingon Civil War.
In 2371, a Tholian ambassador visited Deep Space 9
.
In 2372, a Tholian observer was present at a conference in Antwerp, Earth
, when a bomb destroyed the conference hall. Shortly after, the Tholians signed a non-aggression treaty with the Dominion
.
In 2379, the Romulan
s had diplomatic relations with the Tholians.
episode "In a Mirror, Darkly
", the Mirror Tholians are said to have intentionally caused the 'interphase', the rift in space (and, as it turns out, in time) depicted in the original Star Trek
episode "The Tholian Web". The Mirror Tholians detonated a high-yield explosive device, which caused the interphase to form. They then planted a false distress signal in the hopes of luring a ship from the other universe into their own (presumably with the intention of capturing the ship and using it as the vanguard of an invasion force). The USS Defiant answered the fake distress call, becoming trapped in the interphase and eventually winding up in the Mirror Universe. The Tholians captured the Defiant and attempted to steal its technology before it was commandeered by agents of the Terran Empire.
Star Fleet Universe
The Tholian Holdfast (the Tholian Assembly in the SFU is the Holdfast's governing body) comprises a small number of worlds in former Klingon space, bordering the Klingon Empire, Romulan Star Empire, and Federation
. The race originated in another galaxy
entirely, where they were once masters but were overthrown by the Seltorians, their erstwhile subordinates.
In this continuity, the Tholians were invaded by the Coalition (but primarily by forces from the Klingon Empire, who wished to recover three lost colony worlds in the Tholian home sector) in Y177 as part of Operation Nutcracker, the arrival of the Neo-Tholian 312th Battle Squadron in the Spring of Y178 saving a devastated Tholia from Klingon conquest and driving the Coalition forces from their space. During this time, and for a time afterwards, the Tholians were a partner of the Alliance but refused to allow Federation ships to fight within their territory. Their role in the General War came to an end when the Seltorian Tribunal Fleet arrived from the Tholian home galaxy to campaign against them in Y182. They remained neutral during the ISC
's campaign of pacification and joined the octant-wide resistance to the subsequent Andromedan invasion.
Standard Tholian vessels are akin to those seen in Star Trek. There are also a range of Neo-Tholian vessels, reinforcements from their home galaxy, with more advanced and larger ship classes and web casters.
Star Trek: The Next Generation
Tholians were depicted as orange crystals with arm
s and leg
s. They were also said to have the vestiges of a hive mind
.
Starship Exeter
The Tholians appear in the second fan film production of the Starship Exeter
series story The Tressaurian Intersection (2005, partially released).
Star Trek
Star Trek is an American science fiction entertainment franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. The core of Star Trek is its six television series: The Original Series, The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise...
fictional universe
Fictional universe
A fictional universe is a self-consistent fictional setting with elements that differ from the real world. It may also be called an imagined, constructed or fictional realm ....
. The Tholian (ˈθoʊliən) home nation is the Tholian Assembly, which inhabits an area of space in the Alpha Quadrant, near the Cardassian Union and the Badlands.
The Tholian Assembly is located in a region of space bordering the southern parts of the Klingon
Klingon
Klingons are a fictional warrior race in the Star Trek universe.Klingons are recurring villains in the 1960s television show Star Trek: The Original Series, and have appeared in all five spin-off series and eight feature films...
Empire and the United Federation of Planets
United Federation of Planets
The United Federation of Planets, also known as "The Federation" is a fictional interplanetary federal republic depicted in the Star Trek television series and motion pictures...
. Tholia, their homeworld, is a Class Y planet.
Tholian biology and culture
Humanoid
A humanoid is something that has an appearance resembling a human being. The term first appeared in 1912 to refer to fossils which were morphologically similar to, but not identical with, those of the human skeleton. Although this usage was common in the sciences for much of the 20th century, it...
in form, Tholians have crystal
Crystal
A crystal or crystalline solid is a solid material whose constituent atoms, molecules, or ions are arranged in an orderly repeating pattern extending in all three spatial dimensions. The scientific study of crystals and crystal formation is known as crystallography...
line bodies, two arms, and six legs. They dwell in an environment of extreme heat
Heat
In physics and thermodynamics, heat is energy transferred from one body, region, or thermodynamic system to another due to thermal contact or thermal radiation when the systems are at different temperatures. It is often described as one of the fundamental processes of energy transfer between...
by human standards, their comfortable living environment being 480 kelvin
Kelvin
The kelvin is a unit of measurement for temperature. It is one of the seven base units in the International System of Units and is assigned the unit symbol K. The Kelvin scale is an absolute, thermodynamic temperature scale using as its null point absolute zero, the temperature at which all...
s (207 °C). Temperatures below 380 K (107 °C) will kill Tholians, causing them to shatter into tiny crystalline shards. Each Tholian has both male and female sexual organs.
Natural Tholian speech is a series of shrill squeals and clicks, similar to the sounds of a dolphin
Dolphin
Dolphins are marine mammals that are closely related to whales and porpoises. There are almost forty species of dolphin in 17 genera. They vary in size from and , up to and . They are found worldwide, mostly in the shallower seas of the continental shelves, and are carnivores, mostly eating...
. Their speech is difficult to parse through the universal translator
Universal translator
A universal translator is a device common to many science fiction works, especially on television. First described in Murray Leinster's 1945 novella "First Contact", the translator's purpose is to offer an instant translation of any language...
.
Tholians have little tolerance for deception, and are insistent on punctuality.
Tholian silk
Silk
Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The best-known type of silk is obtained from the cocoons of the larvae of the mulberry silkworm Bombyx mori reared in captivity...
is highly prized and difficult to obtain. It is an urban legend
Urban legend
An urban legend, urban myth, urban tale, or contemporary legend, is a form of modern folklore consisting of stories that may or may not have been believed by their tellers to be true...
that Tholian silk is actually made from Tholians, not by them, although there is no actual evidence in the Star Trek canon.
Tholian technology
Besides utilizing standard offensive weaponryWeapons of Star Trek
The Star Trek fictional universe contains a very large number of weapons. As with most science fiction franchises, the series focuses primarily on energy weapons...
, Tholian ships can also work in concert to emit an energy field shaped much like a web, which will trap any space vessel inside and drain its energy. When more ships are available, a web takes much less time to construct; several Tholian vessels working in concert can spin such a web in under a minute (as seen in "In a Mirror, Darkly"), while two vessels might take hours ("The Tholian Web").
The Tholians appear to actively explore the science of inter-spatial rifts and time travel. Tholians from both the regular Trek universe and the Mirror universe are depicted as engaging in missions to capture future technology, ostensibly to use the advanced technology to further their own agenda.
Tholian history
In 2152, Tholians made their first contact with humanHuman
Humans are the only living species in the Homo genus...
s. As players in the Temporal Cold War
Temporal Cold War
The Temporal Cold War is a fictional conflict waged throughout history in the Star Trek universe, predominantly during the 22nd century AD...
, they opposed the Suliban
Suliban
The Suliban are a starfaring race in the fictional Star Trek universe, seen throughout the series Star Trek: Enterprise. A Suliban sect known as the Cabal served as the show's primary antagonists in the first and second seasons....
in pursuit of an artifact from the future, disabling a powerful Vulcan
Vulcan (Star Trek)
Vulcans, or sometimes Vulcanians, are an extraterrestrial humanoid species in the Star Trek universe who evolved on the planet Vulcan, and are noted for their attempt to live by reason and logic with no interference from emotion. They were the first extraterrestrial species in the Star Trek...
ship in the process (Enterprise episode "Future Tense").
In 2268, a Tholian commander named Loskene attacked the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701)
USS Enterprise (NCC-1701)
The USS Enterprise, NCC-1701, is a fictional starship in the Star Trek media franchise. The original Star Trek series depicts her crew's mission "to explore strange new worlds; to seek out new life and new civilizations; to boldly go where no man has gone before" under the command of Captain James...
for violating Tholian territory while on a rescue mission to investigate the disappearance of the USS Defiant. (Star Trek: The Original Series
Star Trek: The Original Series
Star Trek is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry, produced by Desilu Productions . Star Trek was telecast on NBC from September 8, 1966, through June 3, 1969...
episode The Tholian Web).
In 2353, Tholians attacked a Federation
United Federation of Planets
The United Federation of Planets, also known as "The Federation" is a fictional interplanetary federal republic depicted in the Star Trek television series and motion pictures...
starbase and killed its entire complement, except for a civilian named Kyle Riker, father of William Riker
William Riker
William Thomas Riker, played by Jonathan Frakes, is a fictional character in the Star Trek universe primarily appearing as a main character in Star Trek: The Next Generation...
.
In 2355, simulated Tholian battles were part of Starfleet Academy
Starfleet Academy
In the fictional universe of Star Trek, Starfleet Academy is where the future's recruits to Starfleet will be trained. It was created in the year 2161, when the United Federation of Planets was founded...
training.
In 2367, there was concern that the Tholians might get involved in the Klingon Civil War.
In 2371, a Tholian ambassador visited Deep Space 9
Deep Space Nine (space station)
Deep Space Nine is a fictitious space station, and is the eponymous primary setting of the science fiction television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. It serves as a base for the exploration of the Gamma Quadrant via the Bajoran wormhole, and is a hub of trade and travel for the sector's denizens...
.
In 2372, a Tholian observer was present at a conference in Antwerp, Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
, when a bomb destroyed the conference hall. Shortly after, the Tholians signed a non-aggression treaty with the Dominion
Dominion (Star Trek)
In the Star Trek universe, the Dominion is a ruthless and militaristic Gamma Quadrant state consisting of many different races. The Dominion wages war on the United Federation of Planets and its allies in the late 24th century, acting as an antagonist in the TV show Star Trek: Deep Space...
.
In 2379, the Romulan
Romulan
The Romulans are a fictional alien race in the Star Trek universe. First appearing in the original Star Trek series in the 1966 episode "Balance of Terror", they have since made appearances in all the main later Star Trek series: The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager...
s had diplomatic relations with the Tholians.
The Mirror Universe
In the Mirror Universe, the Tholians appear to be more cunning and treacherous: in the Star Trek: EnterpriseStar Trek: Enterprise
Star Trek: Enterprise is a science fiction television series. It follows the adventures of humanity's first warp 5 starship, the Enterprise, ten years before the United Federation of Planets shown in previous Star Trek series was formed.Enterprise premiered on September 26, 2001...
episode "In a Mirror, Darkly
In a Mirror, Darkly (Enterprise episode)
"In a Mirror, Darkly" is a two-part episode of Star Trek: Enterprise. "In a Mirror, Darkly " was the 700th live-action Star Trek episode broadcast...
", the Mirror Tholians are said to have intentionally caused the 'interphase', the rift in space (and, as it turns out, in time) depicted in the original Star Trek
Star Trek
Star Trek is an American science fiction entertainment franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. The core of Star Trek is its six television series: The Original Series, The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise...
episode "The Tholian Web". The Mirror Tholians detonated a high-yield explosive device, which caused the interphase to form. They then planted a false distress signal in the hopes of luring a ship from the other universe into their own (presumably with the intention of capturing the ship and using it as the vanguard of an invasion force). The USS Defiant answered the fake distress call, becoming trapped in the interphase and eventually winding up in the Mirror Universe. The Tholians captured the Defiant and attempted to steal its technology before it was commandeered by agents of the Terran Empire.
Star Fleet UniverseStar Fleet UniverseThe Star Fleet Universe is the variant of the Star Trek fictional universe detailed in the series of Star Fleet Battles games from Amarillo Design Bureau Inc. and used as reference for the Starfleet Command series of computer games...
The Tholian Holdfast (the Tholian Assembly in the SFU is the Holdfast's governing body) comprises a small number of worlds in former Klingon space, bordering the Klingon Empire, Romulan Star Empire, and FederationUnited Federation of Planets
The United Federation of Planets, also known as "The Federation" is a fictional interplanetary federal republic depicted in the Star Trek television series and motion pictures...
. The race originated in another galaxy
Galaxy
A galaxy is a massive, gravitationally bound system that consists of stars and stellar remnants, an interstellar medium of gas and dust, and an important but poorly understood component tentatively dubbed dark matter. The word galaxy is derived from the Greek galaxias , literally "milky", a...
entirely, where they were once masters but were overthrown by the Seltorians, their erstwhile subordinates.
In this continuity, the Tholians were invaded by the Coalition (but primarily by forces from the Klingon Empire, who wished to recover three lost colony worlds in the Tholian home sector) in Y177 as part of Operation Nutcracker, the arrival of the Neo-Tholian 312th Battle Squadron in the Spring of Y178 saving a devastated Tholia from Klingon conquest and driving the Coalition forces from their space. During this time, and for a time afterwards, the Tholians were a partner of the Alliance but refused to allow Federation ships to fight within their territory. Their role in the General War came to an end when the Seltorian Tribunal Fleet arrived from the Tholian home galaxy to campaign against them in Y182. They remained neutral during the ISC
ISC
-Computing:* Initiative for Software Choice, a group of software vendors* Internet Storm Center, a program run by the SANS Institute that monitors the level of malicious activity on the internet...
's campaign of pacification and joined the octant-wide resistance to the subsequent Andromedan invasion.
Standard Tholian vessels are akin to those seen in Star Trek. There are also a range of Neo-Tholian vessels, reinforcements from their home galaxy, with more advanced and larger ship classes and web casters.
Star Trek: The Next GenerationStar Trek: The Next GenerationStar Trek: The Next Generation is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry as part of the Star Trek franchise. Roddenberry, Rick Berman, and Michael Piller served as executive producers at different times throughout the production...
comics
Tholians were depicted as orange crystals with armArm
In human anatomy, the arm is the part of the upper limb between the shoulder and the elbow joints. In other animals, the term arm can also be used for analogous structures, such as one of the paired forelimbs of a four-legged animal or the arms of cephalopods...
s and leg
Leg
Łęg may refer to the following places in Poland:*A former name for the town of Ełk *Part of the Czyżyny district of Kraków*Łęg, Pleszew County in Greater Poland Voivodeship...
s. They were also said to have the vestiges of a hive mind
Group mind (science fiction)
A group mind, hive mind or group ego in science fiction is a single consciousness occupying many bodies. Its use in literature goes back at least as far as Olaf Stapledon's science fiction novel Last and First Men ....
.
Starship ExeterStarship ExeterStarship Exeter is a Star Trek fan film project, one of the earliest of the semi-professional fan film projects that have become an increasingly common fixture of the internet video scene. Although fan films have been produced for almost as long as there have been film fans, they were generally few...
Star TrekStar TrekStar Trek is an American science fiction entertainment franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. The core of Star Trek is its six television series: The Original Series, The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise...
fan productions
The Tholians appear in the second fan film production of the Starship ExeterStarship Exeter
Starship Exeter is a Star Trek fan film project, one of the earliest of the semi-professional fan film projects that have become an increasingly common fixture of the internet video scene. Although fan films have been produced for almost as long as there have been film fans, they were generally few...
series story The Tressaurian Intersection (2005, partially released).
Novels
- In the Peter DavidPeter DavidPeter Allen David , often abbreviated PAD, is an American writer of comic books, novels, television, movies and video games...
novel Vendetta, Commander Loskene encounters the Enterprise-DUSS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D)The USS Enterprise is a 24th century starship in the Star Trek fictional universe and the principal setting of the Star Trek: The Next Generation television series...
some 90 years after encountering the original Enterprise. It was explained that Tholians perceive linear time differently than most other humanoids, alluding to their more heightened sense of "interphasic" four dimensional space/time. - In the 1999-2000 DS9 novel trilogy "Millenium- Book II War of the Prophets", the large mural in Quark's bar depicted the visage of Gul Dukat's enemy; Tholian Admiral Alkene. Albeit, in a more Andy WarholAndy WarholAndrew Warhola , known as Andy Warhol, was an American painter, printmaker, and filmmaker who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art...
-esque way. - The 2003 novel The Sundered suggests that Tholians have a short lifespan.
- In J.M. Dillard's novel Star Trek: Recovery, Admiral James T. KirkJames T. KirkJames Tiberius "Jim" Kirk is a character in the Star Trek media franchise. Kirk was first played by William Shatner as the principal lead character in the original Star Trek series. Shatner voiced Kirk in the animated Star Trek series and appeared in the first seven Star Trek movies...
and Dr. Leonard McCoyLeonard McCoyLeonard "Bones" McCoy is a character in the Star Trek media franchise. First portrayed by DeForest Kelley in the original Star Trek series, McCoy also appears in the animated Star Trek series, seven Star Trek movies, the pilot episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, and in numerous books,...
oversee the test of the rescue ship "Recovery" at Zotos IV before the Klingons, Romulans, and Tholians. Both the fully automated ship and its designer, Myron Shulman, go mad under the influence of the vengeful Tholian Lokara, who makes the Recovery attack the other ships. Commander Lokara of the Skotha seeks revenge on Kirk and Starfleet, because Lokara's breeding partner Lanra was crippled aboard Loskene's ship during the battle against the Enterprise four years earlier (Star Trek: The Original SeriesStar Trek: The Original SeriesStar Trek is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry, produced by Desilu Productions . Star Trek was telecast on NBC from September 8, 1966, through June 3, 1969...
episode The Tholian Web). Lokara is later killed by the KlingonKlingonKlingons are a fictional warrior race in the Star Trek universe.Klingons are recurring villains in the 1960s television show Star Trek: The Original Series, and have appeared in all five spin-off series and eight feature films...
s. - The 2005 novel Star Trek Vanguard: Harbinger is focused on a region of space - the Taurus Reach - close to the Tholian and Klingon frontiers, and includes several postulations on Tholian technology and society.
- The 2006 novel Star Trek Vanguard: Summon the ThunderSummon the Thunder (Star Trek novel)Summon the Thunder is the second novel in the Star Trek: Vanguard series concerning the Starbase 47, otherwise known as Vanguard.-Synopsis:The Shedai, an ancient race of beings, threaten the lives of all aboard "Vanguard" a Federation starbase....
continues the story of the Taurus Reach. Taking place in 2265, there is more insight into Tholian society, including its possible linkages to ancient technological ruins found on several planets in this region of space. They were also responsible for the destruction of the U.S.S. Bombay. - In the New Frontier novel 'Gods Above', a Tholian vessel comes to the planet Danter seeking a sample of the 'ambrosia' provided to the Danteri by the Beings. The Beings (the life-forms who influenced Greco-Roman, Norse, and Egyptian myths on Earth) promptly destroy the Tholians.