Proposed Areas of Emphasis - Scorpiad Cultural Exchange

[Guest Laarell]

To: Excalibur Science Department, Medical Department

CC: Captain Ah-Windu Corizon

From: Commander Laarell Teykier

 

Proposed Areas of Emphasis I - Scorpiad Cultural Exchange

U.S.S. Excalibur, June 12, 2385

 

In concordance with the cultural exchange with the Scorpiad, a proposed line of inquiry for use in the discussions with Command G'Lan follows. An effort has been made to stress the most relevant topics that will build upon the existing Federation knowledge-base for the Scorpiad. As this is a unique opportunity and such an opportunity has not before been extended to Starfleet personnel, a wide range of queries has been prepared in hopes of gathering the most information possible.

 

These queries range the spectrum from cultural and political to the biological. Information already known about the subjects is presented along with discussion of and possible approaches regarding each topic in turn.

 

Suggestions are also included for potential requests for more detailed information in areas that are not as conducive to casual conversation between the species, as well as possibilities for future research on both sides. It is hoped that through this meeting a better understanding of each culture will not only be obtained, but the door will be opened for future, perhaps long-term exchanges from both the Scorpiad and the Federation.

 

Respectfully prepared,

Commander Laarell Teykier

U.S.S. Excalibur

 

Cultural

 

What is the structure of Scorpiad society? How do the species currently in rebellion fit into a Scorpiad worldview now, and how have they been seen historically?

 

Arguably, at the moment one of the most pressing issues for Federation-Scorpiad understanding revolves around the question of how the so-called "lesser races" interact and have interacted with the Scorpiad. As the Federation is now involved with the issue as a result of Excalibur's coincidental encounter with a Scorpiad prison-ship, clarifying our understanding of the factions has become increasingly essential.

 

It is known that the Scorpiad are divided along biological lines, rather than racial; the Scorpiad have a total of six extant subspecies, with an unknown number of subspecies which were driven to extinction prior to first contact between the Federation and Scorpiad. Further consideration should be given to how these subspecies interact with one another, as well as to the non-Scorpiad strata of their societies. How the Al-Ucard and Eratians differed from one another in their relationship with the Scorpiad may be an important point to highlight. Another may be whether or not there are any further Scorpiad-adapted species which yet remain under Scorpiad control.

 

The Scorpiad Empire is many years older than the Federation and many other Alpha Quadrant powers. How has this history created the recent borders of the Scorpiad Empire? Is further historical data available?

 

As is already known, the Scorpiad Empire dates back many thousands of years; records exist of Scorpiad dealings with the Founders which occurred more than ten thousand years ago. This timescale is difficult for a two century year-old political entity to conceive of, and perhaps this disparity between the Scorpiad and the Federation has not been stressed fully in previous literature or inquiries. The level of political and militaristic organization to maintain such a large empire for such an incredibly long period of time is something which should be studied, closely.

 

The past often being key to the present, it is also worth study to determine why the Scorpiad's control over their subjects and subject worlds has been deteriorating in recent years. Has their grasp become increasingly more tenuous as time has progressed? Has the Federation intervention in the Gamma Quadrant brought about this shift in power, or is internal strife the result? Though it is known that the Scorpiad had ancient dealings with the Dominion, more recent conflict or cooperation between the two powers has not been fully studied.

 

What is the nature of Scorpiad aristocracy, and how does the aristocracy affect the political and military organization of the Scorpiad?

 

It has been alluded to that the Scorpiad possess a kind of caste system; the Emri subspecies is known to occupy the ruling class within that system. However, the precise nature of this aristocracy is not certain from what information has been provided to the Federation at this juncture. Within the Emri, is there "nobility" which provides the Scorpiad which will go on to rule their Empire? Is this structured as a monarchy, as is conceived of by the Federation, or an oligarchic arrangement with a wider distribution of power? How do the political leaders correspond to military commanders, and does such a correlation exist?

 

Little is known about the military organization of Scorpiad ships; it is mostly conjecture that they have a system as is practiced by Starfleet, though it is fairly well-documented that "generals" -- or commandants, as Excalibur currently hosts -- exert a degree of power over individual starships. Their exact interrelationships among themselves, however, remains a mystery, as do the descending rungs of power aboard the vessels. It is also not known whether or not a "central command" exists or whether or not the Scorpiad military body specifically invests in such non-militaristic ventures as Starfleet does, such as in scientific or medical research.

 

What makes up a "family" to the Scorpiad? What defines varying levels of familial relationships?

 

Understanding the basic component of a society is essential to understanding that society and its basic concepts of self-definition. Defining what a nuclear and extended family is to the Scorpiad would be an important step in this understanding, as well as how the young are raised, educated, and placed in the society.

 

Corollary to this, understanding how marriages are conducted - if they are conducted - among the Scorpiad can provide an increased awareness of how the society as a whole interacts. Are marriages permitted between the "castes" and subspecies? A more biological question might concern whether breeding is possible between the subspecies; if it is, how are the hybrids treated in society? Such, more complex questions can only be conceived as more basic information is gathered.

 

Do Scorpiad have any religious practices? If so, can brief descriptions be provided?

 

Perhaps equally important to an understanding of society and families is how spiritual or religious practices are involved in their culture. Do the Scorpiad have such practices? How are these related, again, to their conceptions of a caste-structured social system? Is there a "state" religion, and if so, how militantly is control over the religious adherents exercised by the government?

 

How many languages do the Scorpiad possess? How are these distributed among the subspecies?

 

A more self-explanatory question, though one which should give insight into how the separate subspecies are viewed by one another (and which have a higher place in the cultural hierarchy), understanding linguistic variation within the species is essential to understanding their culture.

 

The Scorpiad language which has been documented in prior encounters with the Scorpiad has also been largely underexplored. If resources could be made available to Federation scientists in order to study the language more thoroughly, it would allow for a richer appreciation.

 

What, if anything, constitutes a sense of aesthetics in Scorpiad culture? Is there "art" as we conceive of it?

 

What is art? The exact question has plagued humanoids for as long as can be remembered in most societies; what "art" is to a Scorpiad may be an entirely different matter, or the similarities between what is considered art and what isn't - and what constitutes art - may be equally surprising. Either way, in order to fully understand what makes the Scorpiad tick - or click as the case may be - a study of Scorpiad art is in order.

 

This also would be a wonderful opportunity for a comparative study, and an excellent point of research for a cooperative exchange between our two powers.

 

Would the Scorpiad be willing to participate in any, more thorough exchanges of culture, either through sharing of data or personnel?

 

As has been alluded to in the earlier descriptions, it seems that a true exchange of personnel between the Scorpiad and Federation is in order; a peaceable transaction now could have larger benefits later, and enable a greater flow of knowledge between the two powers. Information and data is perhaps the best short-term solution to the break in knowledge which currently exists between the Federation and the Scorpiad, but a greater path towards understanding can only be achieved by a trade of researchers and scientists.

 

 

Diplomatic/Political

 

The Scorpiad Empire has experienced instability along its boundaries in recent years. What is the cause of this?

 

The depth of time in which the Scorpiad Empire has occupied a primacy in the Gamma Quadrant suggests that something fundamental has been recently altered which has brought about this instability. While the war with the Federation has certainly had its consequences, this issues seem more deeply seeded; this is a primary concern as the Federation and other Alpha/Beta Quadrant powers extend their influence and interests deeper into the Gamma Quadrant.

 

Helping the Scorpiad achieve a peaceful balance within their current and former holdings can only be accomplished by understanding the processes which have brought them to their current position. In order for this to be done, a better picture of the situation both in the Scorpiad Empire and among her allies must be established.

 

What interest do the Scorpiad have in establishing trade dialogues with powers outside of their immediate jurisdiction? If there is an interest, what goods, supplies, or resources might be desired either as imports or exports?

 

Though a more practical matter, conversations regarding trade seem imminent as the Federation and the Scorpiad aim towards a peaceful understanding between themselves. What do they want? What do we want? What can be negotiated? Commerce blind of political boundaries has the potential to bring the two powers closer to one another; the Federation could use whatever help it can get in this department.

 

The Scorpiad maintain a diplomatic presence on Camelot Station, though a wider diplomatic movement has not been a major point of discussion. What are the Scorpiad's plans for diplomatic expansion in the near future?

 

Should relations between the Scorpiad and the Federation continue to improve, an increased diplomatic presence on both sides should not be too far into the future. A Federation presence is due, one might think, in Scorpiad space, and an opportunity should be afforded for the Scorpiad to increase their own diplomatic holdings as the relationship between the powers continues to improve.

 

In addition to this, the question of whether or not the Scorpiad are amenable to receiving more Federation diplomatic representatives should soon be broached. As the current situation on Excalibur indicates, there are still essential issues which ought to be negotiated in anticipation of encounters between the two powers. Advance planning by both parties can avoid interquadrant debacles in the future.

 

What diplomatic dialogues have been established between the rebelling species and the Scorpiad? Would the Scorpiad Empire be willing to acknowledge them as distinct political entities in order to bring about such dialogues, if they have not already occurred?

 

This ties in a bit with the previous point; if the Scorpiad have not yet begun formal diplomatic dialogues with the Al-Ucard and Eratians, it may be possible to convince them of such discussions' worth with the aid of Federation ambassadors. While the Scorpiad may not be especially fond of bringing in outside agents to help them fight what they could easily consider to be a war between "family-members", the suggestion should be made in case they would value such a contribution by the Federation.

 

The exact status of relations between the Scorpiad Empire and the rebelling species also should be clarified.

 

 

Biological

 

How do the subspecies differ from one another? Are there records or physical evidence for the extinct subspecies?

 

Six subspecies, as noted above, are currently extant and general information regarding their relative toxicities to one another, general places in Scorpiad society, and appearance is known. However, little is known about the extinct subspecies. How they became extinct, when, and perhaps why is another piece of information that is necessary to understanding how Scorpiad society evolved to its current state, and knowing more about the physical makeup of these subspecies will grant Federation operatives a better understanding of the Scorpiad species as a whole.

 

Can further information be provided on Scorpiad physiology? Can information regarding Scorpiad diseases, injuries, and other maladies be released to the Federation?

 

As the two powers begin to interact more and more, a greater likelihood of shared medical care will inevitably arise; such a situation nearly did during Excalibur's rescue of the Scorpiad ship. In order to provide adequate medical care, at its most base reason, it is advised that at least a basic exchange of anatomical, physiological, and pathological data occurs.

 

What level of genetic manipulation took place in "creating" the "servant species" of the Scorpiad; notable the Al-Ucard and Eratians? Are there other species which have been similarly adapted for the Scorpiad's purposes?

 

That the Scorpiad manipulated the genetic makeup of the Al-Ucard and the Eratians is known. What is not is exactly how this was done and with what methods - and materials. How much of an influence this had on the Empire's control - past and present - of these species is also indeterminate. The possibilities for research here are boundless; an attempt should be made to explore this topic as much as possible.

Further, more specific questions regarding the biology of the Scorpiad may be provided at a later date by Medical.

Edited June 28, 2010 by Laarell