(As a break from my big long Gorn writeup, I worked up a more normal-length species profile for Trek's other Blue Man Group.)
BOLIANS
PERSONALITY: The most apparent qualities of the typical Bolian—to an outsider—are selfless, meticulous devotion to their work and a preference for cooperative or team approaches to all aspects of life. Many Bolians appear materialistic or narrow in their focus, although this tends to be a product of their eagerness to please and to work to the benefit of all around them. Bolians are often anxious personalities, either fretting privately in their perfectionism or chattering and nosing in on everything that goes on around them in an attempt to prove their usefulness to others.
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Bolians are similar in height and build to Humans, but are readily identified by their blue skin and the bifurcated ridge running down the centerline of their bodies. Like Andorians, Bolians have cobalt-rich blood, but that is the extent of the physiological similarity. Bolians grow pale blond or white hair, although most men and many women prefer to shave their scalps.
HOMEWORLD: Bolarus IX is one of thirteen planets orbiting a bright red dwarf star. The surface of Bolarus IX is 86 percent water, with three modest continents and a number of large islands scattered across the equatorial region. The temperate zones are wider and the tropical and polar regions narrower than on Earth, and Bolarus IX’s four moons produce strong tides and sometimes-unpredictable storm cycles.
CULTURE: Bolian culture is strongly regimented and group-oriented, with individuals distinguishing themselves and achieving status through personal merit applied in the service of the larger community. The World Council of Bolarus IX is made up of three life-term elected representatives from each of three continental nation-states, with candidacy determined by a rigorous evaluation of achievement and merit reinforced by a battery of tests. Most Bolians since the early 24th century recognize the World Council as their primary government, although a minority still subscribe to older nationalistic rivalries. After the Bolians realized that their international competition had been manipulated by their first interstellar contacts, the Uzor and the Iren, much of that patriotic fervor faded into history.
Bolians are strongly devoted to scientific and technological pursuits. Bolarus IX has many universities and research institutes regarded as among the Federation’s finest, and in addition is one of the economic powerhouses of the Federation, supporting many mining and manufacturing interests with a particular focus on starship construction. Bolian administrative and management models are widely emulated as well, and Bolian administrators in high demand offworld. Bolian dedication to service has allowed them to distinguish themselves in a diverse range of fields, and excellence is even more a hallmark of Bolian culture than academic, economic, or managerial specialization.
Bolian family life is as cooperative as their larger social institutions; group marriages of varying size (usually not more than three or four) are commonplace, and children are raised jointly by their co-parents with little attention to biological relatedness. Bolians tend to regard friendships, careers, and family relationships as lifetime commitments. Divorce is exceedingly rare and a source of great social stigma, as are quitting or being terminated in employment.
LANGUAGE: Bolian and Federation Standard.
COMMON NAMES: Bolians have both “family” and personal names, with the former tending to be a name shared among the co-marriage partnership to which they belong or into which they were born. The personal name comes first and the partnership name second.
FAMILY NAMES: Mot, Parrin, Rixx, Taneko, Tannekar, Vaxx.
MALE NAMES: Botral, Korvin, Medrix, Tol.
FEMALE NAMES: Darzana, Nayal, Syldra.
FAVORED PROFESSION: Any. Many Bolian civilians gravitate toward the merchant or scientist professions, where their knack for collective effort often yields great profits or discoveries. Bolians also excel in the cooperative, regimented environments of Starfleet and the Federation Merchant Marine or in the less savory occupations of mercenary soldiering or organized crime. There are relatively few Bolian mystics, because the Bolians by and large regard religious tradition as a personal or a family affair.
SPECIES ADJUSTMENTS: Presence -1, Perception +1. Bolians are alert to their physical surroundings and especially to social cues, but they often leave an impression of being either too introverted and workaholic or too nosy and talkative.
SPECIES ABILITIES:
BONUS EDGE: METICULOUS: Bolians are noted for their care and attention to their work, gaining a +1 cumulative bonus per round spent in an extended test.
SYNERGY: Bolians are excellent team players and managers, and gain a +2 bonus instead of +1 for each additional participant when leading a combined test. Test bonuses gained from each Bolian participant in a combined test are also increased by +1. (The Bolian must still make an attribute or skill test at –5 TN to participate effectively, and a failed test grants the leader no bonus.)
SKILLED: The Bolian educational system is rigorous and highly competitive, producing exceptionally skilled individuals. During the personal development step when creating the character’s background (see Chapter 5: Development in the Player’s Guide), Bolians gain extra skill picks. After choosing a package and picking skills, Bolians can add +2 skill levels to any one skill, or +1 to two skills.
AGING: Child (0-9), Young (10-17), Adult (18-60), Old (61-90), Very Old (91+)
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