Tesla Atashi'va

A Treatise of the El-Aurian People
Volume I
October 10, 2004 : Authored by Kinsey Hines

Introduction

Since there is very little information on which to base my character in the Star Trek Universe, I have decided to take some liberties in determining the origins of the El-Aurian people as well as traits about their genetic makeup, life-style, technology, and religious beliefs.  This document is not canon, nor do I ever expect it to be so.  With this in mind, I would like to stir up your thoughts a bit about El-Aurian people.

Section I – Origins of the El-Aurian People

I ascertain that the El-Aurian people must have a connection with the Q Continuum.  Why, as seen in the episode Q Who, would Q actually FEAR a mortal woman?  It is my belief that El-Aurian people are a corporeal form of the Q Continuum that separated from these non-corporeal entities in order to reform a biological society.  You may argue that it’s been tried for people of the Q Continuum to leave since, as witnessed by the death of Amanda Roger’s parents for attempting to lead a corporeal life.  However, this was not an entire group of people, only two.  If an entire offshoot of the Continuum left to create a corporeal society, the non-corporeal Q would have no way to pressure them to return.  We are aware of the decadence of the Q Continuum, as witnessed in several episodes (and books), and if this decadence had been occurring for millennia, as suggested by Q himself, would it not be perceivable that a group would have left to create a society such as El-Auria?

Section II – Biology of El-Auria

This offshoot of the Q Continuum would explain why they are able to sense time-shifts so easily.  It would also explain their advanced psychic abilities.  It is my belief that most El-Aurian people choose not to use their abilities to their full extent, or over the millennia as being corporeal beings have lost a portion of their abilities.  However, I do believe that some El-Aurian people are more “gifted” than others with their abilities.  Perhaps the allure of the Nexus was the ability to live again in a Q Continuum state for some of them (such as Tolian Soran), and this drove some to more insane routes.  Most El-Aurian people are gifted with a sense of wisdom from an early age that keeps them doing positive work and effort.

Biologically, the El-Aurian people are a composite of biological and metaphasic energy.  This accounts for their extended life-spans reaching several millennia.  The first 50-60 years of their lives are the equivalent to about 20 standard Terran years.  They have a 20-30 year childhood development cycle allowing their parents to instruct them on the ways of their mental abilities.  It is undocumented how long an El-Aurian life-span is, as they generally do not discuss it with short-lived species.  The oldest documented El-Aurian is Guinan’s father, who is said to be approximately 770 years old, as recorded in a log.  He is considered to be middle-aged by El-Aurian standard.

This biological makeup prevents them from being able to be assimilated by the Borg.  That is why, whenever El-Auria is used in reference to the Borg, you hear of “refugees”.  The Borg did manage to assimilate a small portion of technology from El-Auria to defeat them (trans-warp, photon torpedoes, and nadion-stream electromagnetic beams) by tearing their world to shreds.  The fact that El-Aurian people are not “scared” of the Borg can be witnessed in the episode “Q Who” in Season 2 of TNG.  When Guinan is asked about the Borg, she calmly states, “Protect yourself captain.” as if she doesn’t have a care in the world.  (Of course you could argue she already knew the outcome of the encounter, and that’s why she showed no fear.)

Section III – El Aurian Technology

It is a given fact that El-Auria must have been capable of advanced technological achievements.  We are aware that Guinan is a very young woman during the Time’s Arrow episode (I’d place her physical age at less than 60 El-Aurian years, due to her demeanor portrayed, which was that of a young adult who might be scolded by her father.  She also suggests later that she is in her 500’s, which would make my assumption quite correct at being ~560 years old.)  To that end, we know, as witnessed by Voyager, that it takes approximately 70 years to travel 70,000 light years through the Delta Quadrant to reach Earth at Warp 8.  This would also mean that El-Auria had warp drive considerably longer than any Alpha Quadrant species.  It would also indicate that El-Auria had alternative methods of exceeding the Warp Threshold, as Guinan would have had to have left El-Auria for Earth before she was born to travel there at Warp 8.  Therefore, it is my assumption that El-Auria must have had either trans-warp or micro-wormhole technology at a minimum of 500 years ago (and most likely well before that).  This would be expected from a culture who have unnaturally high IQ’s and life expectancies. This would also put El-Aurian technology about 500-600 years ahead of current Federation standard technology.

Wait!  I know what you’re thinking.  What about the Lakul in Star Trek Generations?  I ascertain these ships were not of El-Aurian design.  There’s really no way they could have been.  They were not even warp capable.  How would they have traveled all the way from the Delta Quadrant at sub-light speeds?  If they were, in-fact, of El-Aurian design, they would have had to have been built in the Alpha/Beta Quadrants sometime in the mid to late 2200’s.  Otherwise, they would have had to have been several hundred years (if not thousands) or years old.  Even if I am wrong in my asserting they are not warp capable, it still would have taken them in excess of 70-100 years to get to where they were when the Enterprise-B arrived to help.

Section IV – Life-style of the El-Aurian

What’s the typical life-style of an El-Aurian?  Early childhood as an El-Aurian might be a hard thing for many short-lived species to fathom.  The first thirty years of life are considered their early childhood and development years.  During this time, parents will generally take time away from their careers to form the development bond with their children.  During childhood, it was customary for the government to continue parental income at full rate even though they were there about half the usual time, and yes, I do mean for twenty years.  Parents take their role with pride in our society, teaching their children the intricacies of the abilities of their race, including guiding their mental abilities with tender love and gentleness.

Traditional El-Aurian Education System begins at the customary age of 30.  Trying to describe their education system would be quite boring and tedious, but I will say that there was a strong emphasis on the core basics, and the system is very challenging mentally.  It would be considered equivalent to “Advanced” courses on Terran worlds.

Most El-Aurian people begin to develop telepathic and precognitive abilities at a very young age, and the ability became progressively stronger through their formative years.  It might be prudent to mention that the El-Aurian race does not generally enter “puberty” until their early to mid 40’s.  Due to their longevity, their development years (childhood) are generally at least double or triple that of many Alpha Quadrant races.  Their childhood generally lasts until puberty, and they spend another fifteen years or so going through puberty.  I know many people would probably be interested in the relationship tastes of the El-Aurian people, but the truth of the matter is that they were always taught that you can find equality in all people.  Many El-Aurian people have more than one intimate relationship in their lifetimes, and usually with various genders (male, female, and neuter when applicable).

El-Aurian people are very dedicated to education and the arts.  Most El-Aurian people spend at least 30-50 years in collegiate level education before beginning a career.  Then about every 100 years, they re-enter collegiate education for 5 to 10 years to continue to expand their horizons.  This keeps most of them on the cutting edge of their fields.

Section V – Religious Beliefs

Religion is a long-rooted part of humanoid life. The El-Aurian people do have religious roots as well, even though they may not be what 21st century theologists would consider main-stream. El-Aurian people look inward for their spirituality, as well as to the world around them with extreme attentiveness. This is part of the reason why the El-Aurian people are called a “Race of Listeners”. Anything and everything is part of an El-Aurian’s spirituality; life, love, and science. If you are having a conversation with an El-Aurian, you are a spiritual bond to them for that time. Many people have a feeling of euphoria after long conversations with them, which is normal due to their psychic connection they will maintain during the dialogue. El-Aurian people make excellent counselors, clergy, and educators due to this gift. It also gives them above the bar excellence in business acumen, making El-Aurian people some of the most successful people in the quadrants. Life is an El-Aurian’s religion; every moment of it is an eternity to them, and it’s important to them to get everything they can out of each of those moments.

Conclusion

I hope that this document helps to understand my views of the El-Aurian people as I have gathered from the characters, interactions, and demeanors presented on the show.  Some of it is of course conjecture, but I feel that it’s a valid conclusion to the material that is available.  I may expand this document at a later time citing more examples, but for now, I consider it complete for the purposes of this site.  Feel free to post your comments on the AuraNet Forums.