Kapulins

BASIC INFORMATION

Official Name in Standard: Kapula
Native Name: Kawpoolaw
Governing Body: The Highest Sovereign Chamber
Title of the Head of Government: King and Queen

GEOGRAPHY/POPULATION

Quadrant/Sector/System:  Bolian Sector
Suns/Planets/Planetoids/Moons:  No natural satellites.

Population:  5.7 billion
Capital City:  Lommat (Population 17.25 million)

Race(s) of Native Sentients: 100% Bolian
Land/Water Ratio(s) of Planets:  20/80
Largest City:  Hosppat (Population 22.67 million)

ECONOMIC SUMMARY

Bolarus' economy revolves around high-tech industries, most prominently the development of anti-gravitational technology. They are becoming more and more immersed in anything related to ship-building, particularly warp and dimension-warp engineering.

Breakdown of living standards:

       Technosocialist age:  87 percent of population
       Information age:  8 percent of population
       Industrial age:  0 percent of population
       Agrarian age:  5 percent of population

Bolarus is very much a modern world, as evidenced by the shear breakdown of its population. Only 5 percent of its economy is geared towards agribusiness- but that's all they need. Their technological level is sophisticated enough so that 5% more than fills the world's food needs. Of course, replication technology augments what is naturally grown. Animals on Bolarus are not bred and/or killed for food sources.

Atmosphere of the planet is Class M. Belarus' major imports consist largely of luxury items- exotic goods that cannot be produced on Bolarus proper. Most exports revolve around its high-tech manufacturing goods.

GOVERNMENT/HISTORY

Member of Federation? Yes, since 2320. Planetary government since 2289. Federation Protectorate from 2289-2320.

Bolians did not develop a planetary government until relatively late in comparison to other cultures; they saw no reason to do so earlier. There had not been a meaningful war fought on Bolian soil in hundreds of years, with all difficulties being sorted out at the appropriate governmental levels. This does not mean that passions amongst Bolians do not get heated; it simply means that patience won out in the end of every crisis.

It was only their discovery of the Federation that caused them to form a planetary government in the first place. The Federation, representing a conglomerate who, at least on paper, espouse similar beliefs, appealed to them- they wanted to become a part of something bigger than even themselves. As soon as their government was in place in 2289, they applied for Federation membership. However, the Federation wished to see the government in operation first.

The basis of the Bolian government is the Central Council. This body, made up of representatives from each town (which means that every family is represented, since each family IS its own township). Representatives are not "officially" elected, but are chosen by each family form amongst their adult members. The town/ family's representative can be changed at any time. All decisions are made by the Council as a whole, with a simple majority needed for most decisions. A Councilor is appointed by the Council to act as its spokesperson in all foreign matters, but there is no term set or anything- the Councilor serves for as long as the Council sees fit.

This method of governing has served the Bolian people well; despite the potential for decisions being tied up in debate and argument, Bolians are adept at "group work" by nature- they are at their peek efficiency under such circumstances, and suffer no negative consequences for their choice of government.

RACE/SOCIETY/CULTURE

Bolarus IX is a large planet that is roughly like Earth- Class M, mostly wet (in fact a bit more so than Earth) with three large continents making up its land masses, and possessing gravity almost identical to Earth's.

Bolians have a general hominid appearance- bipedal and upright, head on top of torso. However, there are several cosmetic differences that make Bolians quite distinctive from other races. Most notably, their skin tone is blue, usually of a pale blue hue. This is due to both skin pigmentation and blood color; Bolian blood is blue. Also, Bolian have a bifurcated head and face, which divides it neatly in half. Typically, Bolian eyes are gold, but a recessive gene in their chromosomes will give the rare Bolian orange eyes.

Another trait characteristic of Bolians is their baldness. However, this is not a naturally occurring phenomenon, but rather a ritual in which most members of society, including a large proportion of the female population, indulge. According to Bolian beliefs, baldness is associated with physical prowess and dedication, two things Bolians typically take very seriously. A Bolian who chooses not to shave will likely have hair color ranging from light brown to platinum. Dark hair on a full Bolian is unheard of.

The bifurcated ridge in the Bolian head has created a deeply divided brain- even more so than the Terran brain- which has the effect of making them resistant to hypnotic suggestion. It also tends to make more pronounced distinctions between "left" brain and "right" brain functions, which results often in very few multi-faceted Bolians in terms of skill variety- they tend to be very good at disciplines of a similar nature, and do not stray much from this.

The solar year is approximately 585 days long. Average temperature is 22 C on most parts of the planet and 36 C at the equator.

Bolian society revolves around the idea of the group. Families do not typically have a single spokesperson or decision-maker; all decisions are made by agreement between all adults in the family- once a child reaches adult age, he or she has an equal voice in familial proceedings. The typical Bolian family is extended rather than nuclear; not only do cousins, aunts and uncles live in close proximity to one another (not always under one roof, but at least neighboring one another), but the family expands with every marriage to include parents-in-law and their families. Some Bolian families have hundreds of people living in the same geographic area. This phenomena has given birth to the "megalopolis" on Bolarus IX, with cities typically 2-3 times larger than average Terran cities. Each family is essentially its own township, set up within city boundaries.

Child care is a burden accepted by all members of a family, not just the parents. The concept of the "village" raising the child is not a political platform to Bolians- it is common practice. All members of the family pitch in the education and rearing of the child, helping to instill Bolian beliefs and principals by example as well as word of mouth.

This group concept is the underlying fabric of Bolian society. As a result, they tend to be extremely social creatures, preferring the company of large numbers as opposed to smaller; indeed, the cliché "The more the merrier" may have first been uttered by a Bolian. They excel when working in groups as opposed to alone, able to capitalize on the strengths of one another; they socialize in groups, usually preferring a large party to a smaller, more intimate gathering.

The group concept has fostered a trait that is unusual in most star faring races- there is no xenophobia amongst Bolians. Bolians learned early on that one of the strengths of the group idea was diversity in experiences and beliefs- if one was going to fully reap the rewards of the group concept, then one would have to forget any prejudice towards anyone "different." As such, xenophobia has not existed (except for in the select few) for thousands of years. They tend to view differences as strengths that can only broaden one's experience rather than a racially- inbred weakness.

The large group philosophy has also fostered an extreme desire to succeed in most Bolians. Success of the group is all that matters, and no Bolian wants to be thought of by his or her peers as someone who was not giving his or her very best effort. Personal success enhances group success, so the belief goes. As a result, Bolians are the consummate "team players."

Like most things in Bolian life, health care is socialized; the government covering all long-term expenditures. This practice stems from the government stance that it is simply looking out for the interests of a very large group- ALL Bolians. However, there is no assisted living in Bolian society- elder Bolians, if incapable of caring for themselves, are cared for by their families, with any assistance necessary provided by the government. However, Bolians are generally a people in excellent health; since most of their food products are genetically engineered or replicated, they are created to be exactly what Bolians need in terms of vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, etc.

However, should a Bolian be terminally and painfully ill or with less than his or her complete faculties, they engage in the practice of euthanasia. This practice has caused some tensions to arise between Bolians and other cultures, but they view this as the final service one can perform for a respected member of the group. They don't see suffering as dignified or proper- they see it as an unnecessary burden to be lifted, and will do so almost without question or fail. it is considered one of their most sacred beliefs, and is one is honored by his participation in this elaborate ritual. On another level, they also argue that it is counterproductive to the group, but this argument only serves to enflame others. Though certainly a secondary motivation, it IS still a motive.

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-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Creator(s)/Adaptor(s): Scott Lusby E-Mail Address: scottjlusby@charter.net

Created for/First Use (if known): "Conspiracy" was the first Next Generation episode in which Bolians were seen. Much of the basic character traits were taken from those episodes and subsequent episodes themselves. The elaboration on these, however, is my own conjecture.

Bolians have been seen in The Next Generation, Deep space 9 and Voyager.

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PART 2- NOTE ON BOLIAN LANGUAGE

Not much is known about Bolian language. However, there are some structural peculiarities that bear mentioning.

2.1- Names

==

Traditional Bolian family names end in a double hard consonant, and are almost exclusively single-syllable names:

Domm Finn Warr Mott Ludd Pell Grexx Trobb Hegg Hett Garnn Juff

The origin of Bolian family names bears close resemblance to some Terran customs. In Terran history, many surnames were created in order to show a relation to one's job. For instance, in ancient Terran England, one might have met a "John Smith," whose surname "Smith" indicated his trade- that of a smith. Often, this name stayed with a family through generations because all male members of the family line were trained in the same trade. Over time, however, the connection with the job faded, and surnames were passed down with the family instead of the trade.

Bolian tradition is remarkably similar in this manner. Many traditional Bolian names were taken from the job or trade of the person, with those names becoming associated less with the trade and more with the family over time until the connection to the trade faded completely.

2.2- Suffixes

=

Bolian language uses a lot of suffixes to denote all sorts of things, often differentiating between the size or number of the root it modifies.

For instance, some Bolian surnames have a "u" that follows the double hard consonant the typically ends Bolian surnames- people with this suffix are twins. Accordingly, surnames that end with an "o" signify triplets, and names that end in "a" signifies that the person is part of a set of quadruplets or larger. Of course, given the Bolian proclivity for groups, such people are generally held in high regard.

Domm (surname) + o (triplet suffix) = Dommo (surname for a set of triplets) Hocc (surname) + u (twin suffix) = Hoccu (surname for a set of twins)

Also, Bolian location names have suffixes attached to them which denote the size of the town:

Large Megalopolis -at Regular City -ar Medium Town -ab Small Village -al Rural -or

Region names, like surnames, are typically single-syllable, and end in a double hard consonant. Most regions were likely named after famous or founding bolians- thus the similarity in construction to Bolian surnames.

Hospp (region/location) + at (suffix) = Hosppat

                                            (largest megalopolis)

Promm (region/location) + or (rural suffix)= Prommor (farming community)

There are other suffixes used in Bolian language, such as those added on to nouns/pronouns to denote singular and plural (again dealing with quantity). However, conspiculously enough, there

are comparitively few prefixes.