Star Trek 10 Things You Didn’t Know About Andorians

The Andorians debuted in the now-classic Star Trek The Original Series episode, Journey to Babel

as one of the many species sending dignitaries to a diplomatic conference

With the possible exception of the Gorn, the Andorians, with their blue skin, white hair, and antennae

resembled the pop science fiction concept of the bug-eyed monster more than any other Star Trek alien

The time and expense that went into creating this now-iconic look limited them to a handful of appearances until 2001 and the arrival of Star Trek Enterprise

Star Trek Enterprise's executive producers, Brandon Braga and Rick Berman, initially decided to bring back the Andorians when thinking about who should appear as antagonists

in the episode that became the Andorian Incident. According to Braga, this goal was to take a silly-looking alien and make them both look cool and have a believable culture

With each subsequent appearance on Enterprise, the writers further fleshed out the initially vague culture and history

On Enterprise, the Andorians became passionate warriors, rivals with the Vulcans, and founding members of the United Federation of Planets

along with humans, Vulcans, and Tellarites. With that in mind, I'm Bree from Trek Culture

and here are 10 things that you hopefully didn't already know about Andorians

Number 10. Their makeup design was created by Fred Phillips on very little notice

Makeup artist Fred Phillips was given very little notice that he'd have to design the Andorians for their first appearance

He ended up working overnight so they'd be ready in time for filming

Phillips based his design on writer DC Fontana's broad description of their appearance in the script

She described them as tall, slim humanoids with delicate antennae, curling from the head

Phillips created the Endurian's blue skin with a combination of Max Factor Aqua Blue Cream Stick makeup for the base

and a darker blue cream liner for shadows and details. He sculpted the antennae from modeling clay and then, according to Star Trek archivist Richard Arnold

top them off with the ends of thread spools. The antennae's supportive stems were made from a rigid material

and attached towards the back of the actor's white wig to hide the connection

Creating the Andorians was time-consuming and expensive. According to actor William O'Connell, who played Thelove in Journey to Babel

it took nearly two hours to apply his makeup. The time and expense limited the number of appearances for the Andorians

to only three more episodes of the series after Journey to Babel

Number 9. Their appearance has changed over the years. Like other species in Star Trek, the Andorians' appearance has changed as makeup techniques and technology have improved

For Star Trek The Motion Picture, Fred Phillips gave them forehead ridges and spindly antennae extending from the tops of their foreheads rather than thick stalks emerging from the back

According to the making of Star Trek The Motion Picture, the female Andorians were given elaborate white wigs created from a combination of starched materials and wire covered in cotton and real hair

Star Trek IV, The Voyage Home, depicted a balding Andorian with antennae emerging seamlessly from his skin

In the Star Trek The Next Generation episode, The Offspring, a female Andorian with a bulbous head, greenish skin, and spindly antennae

was one of the appearances Data's daughter, Lal, considered for herself. For Star Trek Enterprise, their skin was given a translucent appearance by applying their makeup in layers

Their antennae were returned to their original thick, segmented stalks, and Michael Westmore was also able to make them movable with servo motors

Star Trek Discovery makeup artist Glenn Hetrick design gave the Andorians a turquoise hue and more prominent brow ridges and cheekbones He was also asked to imagine an Andorian who had both antennae cut off Number 8 Andorians only appeared twice in Star Trek The Next Generation era series

When Star Trek The Next Generation began, Gene Roddenberry insisted that the writers for the

new series exclude any aliens that had appeared in Star Trek The Original Series because he didn't

want the new show to lean on the past. He must have softened his stance because Vulcans, Romulans

and Klingons all appeared by the end of Next Generation's first season. However, the only

appearances of Andorians in Star Trek The Next Generation were minor. The first one was the

aforementioned female Andorian in the third season episode The Offspring that Data's daughter Lol

considered for her appearance. The second was a blink-and-you'll-miss-it Andorian tourist briefly

seen on Ryza in the episode Captain's Holiday. However, that's still better than they fared in

Deep Space Nine and Star Trek Voyager. Deep Space Nine featured a listing for Andorian fast food on

the Promenade Directory, but the Andorians themselves never appeared. Andorians were mentioned in the Voyager episode One Small Step, and Andorian amoebas were mentioned in Tuvix

but Andorians weren't even seen as background characters. The Andorians' triumphant return

to television had to wait until Star Trek Enterprise. Number 7. Their antennae are movable

and expressive. D.C. Fontana's script for Journey to Babel described the Andorians holding their

heads down and slightly tilted to facilitate listening with their delicate antennae. When

the redesigned Andorians debuted in the Star Trek Enterprise episode The Andorian Incident

they sported moving antennae. According to Shran actor Jeffrey Combs, he and the other actors

playing Andorians and the Andorian Incident director Roxanne Dawson worked closely with

the puppeteers controlling the antennae to create meaningful movements for them. Combs compared them

to a cat's ears. When an Indorian was angry, their antennae would flare back. Other movements could

express curiosity or gratitude. In the first draft of the Indorian incident, the Indorians were

described as having evolved from subterranean ancestors. According to this draft, their antennae

helped the Indorians to navigate the low light and could detect smells and vibrations. However

none of this has ever been stated in dialogue. According to the Star Trek Enterprise episode

United, having an antennae cut off was humiliating, although under most circumstances it would grow

back. The Star Trek Discovery episode Scavengers revealed that the antennae could also be

permanently removed. Emerald Chain Leader Osyraa did this to Rin when he attempted to incite a

rebellion. 6. They're literal bluebloods and have a fast metabolism. Blueblood is a human metaphor

for nobility. However, as depicted in the Star Trek Enterprise episode The Enar, Indorian blood

is non-viscous, translucent, and literally blue. The Andorians also have better perfusion

or delivery of blood to the capillaries in cold environments. Andorians are known for their physical endurance in hand-to-hand combat

but they have a faster metabolism than humans. Theoretically, this means that if a human and an Andorian stepped outside for fisticuffs

the human could defeat their Andorian opponent simply by exhausting them. This also means that Andorians are more vulnerable to face pulse infections

meaning that if an Andorian got shot by a phaser, they're more likely to die from wounds

than a human would survive. Andorians can also survive a wide range

of severe environmental conditions. As depicted in the Star Trek Enterprise episode

the Enar, Andorians are highly heat resistant. They can even thrive in conditions with temperatures near the boiling point of water in spite of losing up to 10 of their body weight in two days According to physiologist Zach Schlater from Indiana University

Bloomington, humans would tap out and find somewhere cool around 35 degrees Celsius or

95 degrees Fahrenheit. Number five, they consider themselves highly emotional and violent. D.C

Fontana's script for Journey to Babel described the Andorians as a fierce warrior breed. Her script

also indicated that their costumes should include a vicious-looking bladed weapon. Other than that, their backstory was deliberately kept vague

Fred Decker, the consulting producer on Star Trek Enterprise's first season, has said that he believed they were primarily an interesting makeup design with very little backstory

Their history and culture developed significantly as the Andorians made more appearances

especially in Star Trek Enterprise where they became a major figure in the show

The Andorians think themselves as violent, emotional, and passionate warriors. They despise dishonesty, never fight without a cause, and value family

They are also suspicious, volatile, and capable of acting with duplicity. The Ushan, a code of honor that demands a duel to the death

is a central part of Andorian culture. Thousands of rules govern the duels

The combatants fight each other with a broad-bladed ice miner tool, the Ushantor, while tethered to one another

In the Star Trek Enterprise episode, United, Jonathan Archer and Shran fought an Ushan duel aboard the Enterprise

It ended when Archer sliced off one of Shran's antennae with his Ushan Tor

humiliating the Andorian. Number 4. They are highly militaristic The Andorians channel their violent tendencies into a highly militaristic society

Their primary military force, the Andorian Imperial Guard, consists of both a starship fleet and the Imperial infantry

By the time they were encountered by humans in the 22nd century, the Andorian Imperial Guard had existed for at least four Andorian generations

It includes both male and female personnel, who are recruited from a young age, sometimes as children

They maintain ranks equivalent to Lieutenant, Commander, Captain, and General. Their standard issue sidearm is an assault rifle-sized direct energy weapon

that fires blue beams and doesn't feature a stun setting. When a guardsman dies far from home

their comrades carry part of their body, such as a vial of blood, to a memorial called the Wall of Heroes back home on Andoria

In the Star Trek Enterprise episode United, Shran offered to take Archer's blood to the Wall of Heroes if Archer lost their Ushan duel

Archer denied the honor, telling Shran that he wasn't going to die that day

As depicted in the Star Trek Enterprise episode Shadows of Pajam, the Andorian Imperial Guard are also highly skilled at espionage techniques

such as monitoring secured transmissions and deploying secret operatives. Number 3. The Enar are their secretive cousins

First revealed on screen at the end of the Star Trek Enterprise episode United

the Enar are a subspecies of the Andorians native to Andoria's northern wastes

The Andorians considered them a myth until they encountered them in the early 22nd century

The Enar are physiologically similar to their cousins, however, they lack skin pigmentation

and have a pale, ice blue or white appearance instead of a vivid blue

Most Enar are blind, however their other senses make up for their lack of sight and are considered

superior to the senses of other humanoids. Along with their heightened senses, Enar also have

highly developed telepathic abilities They use their ability to communicate with each other and can project themselves to other humanoids They can also defend themselves from telepathic mind control The Enar and Andorians are genetically compatible Shran half daughter had paler skin than her father

and fully developed eyesight, unlike her mother. Culturally, the Enar and Andorians are opposite

The Enar are pacifists rather than warriors. Enar communities are leaderless rather than an empire governed by a chancellor

They appoint a speaker as situations warrant, and one of their core beliefs is that a person only dies

once they've fulfilled their purpose in life. Number 2. Andorian women are equal to Andorian men

Although traits such as militarism and a warrior ethos are associated with patriarchal societies

in Andorian culture, men and women have equal status. In Star Trek Enterprise, the Andorian Imperial Guard

was depicted as having a large number of female soldiers just as capable of kicking your sorry pink butt as male soldiers

In the movie Conan the Destroyer, Grace Jones's character Zula answered Princess Jaina's question

about getting the man she has her heart set on with the now iconic retort

Grab him and take him. Apparently, that same logic also applies to intimate relationships in Andorian society

An Andorian woman can initiate an intimate relationship simply by assaulting her desired man

That gives a whole new meaning to the phrase swipe right. As mentioned in the Star Trek Next Generation episode, Data's Day

and the Star Trek Enterprise episodes, Ceasefire, Proving Grounds, and Babel 1

Andorian weddings require groups of four people. While this might indicate polygamy

it could just as easily mean that the engaged couple, an officiant, and a witness

were all that the Andorian law and customs required. The idea of someone like Shran sharing a home

with three other Andorian adults is unsettling. Number one, the Andorians and Vulcans met in the 20th century

and hated each other almost immediately. The Andorians and Vulcans made first contact

in the early 20th century. While the first meeting went well, By the 1950s, they were bickering over the property line like sitcom neighbors

with this feud lasting for 200 years. The Indorians believed the only thing stopping a Vulcan invasion

was the fear of massive retaliation. This dispute developed into a Cold War

Like the Cold War between the United States and the Soviets, the Indorian-Vulcan Cold War included accusations of espionage

actual espionage, and at least one proxy war. The Cold War heated up during Earth's conflict with the Zindi

The Andorians assisted the Enterprise's attempt to capture a prototype of the Zindi planet killer

However, they stole it for themselves for use as a deterrent in the Cold War

But the Enterprise was able to destroy the prototype before the Andorians had time to study it

Administrator Volk Loss of the Vulcan High Command claimed that the Andorians had recovered Zindi technology

and launched an invasion of Andorian space. When his claims were proven false, he was overthrown and a more peaceful government installed

After this, Andorians and Vulcans began cooperating with each other, eventually joining with humans and Tellarites into the Coalition of Planets

and then into the United Federation of Planets. And those were 10 things about the Andorians that you hopefully didn't know

If you enjoyed this video, then go ahead and give it a like. You can also leave a comment below if you can think of anything else that we might have missed

If you want to keep up with us outside of YouTube, you can follow us on Twitter at TrekCulture, or on Instagram at TrekCultureYT

You can also find me across various social medias by searching Trekkie Bree

With all that being said, I hope you all have a great rest of your day

and don't forget to live long and prosper