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Canian

General Data

*Home System: [Canus System

*Home Planet: Canus IV

*First Contact: 2263

*First Contact By: Captain Mark Rousseau, USS Hood

*Faction: Federation

*Government: Democratic

*Violence: Calm until Provoked

*Primary Language: Federation Common

Biological Information

*Scientific Name: Canus Lupus

*Scientific Family: Humanoid

*Scientific Order: Bi-Pedal, Quadraped

*Skin: Fur

*Hair: Short or Long

*Eyes: Varies

*Auditive: Standard Auditory

*Emphatic: No

*Telepatic: No

*Intelligence: Medium to High

*Genders: 3, Male, Female, and Herm

Other Information

Summary:

The Canian Homeworld is approximately 15 light-years from the Federation and Klingon borders, in the Canus System. The Canus System is a 6-planet Binary Star System, with 2 asteroid belts and a nebula. The Exom Belt weaves itself between the two stars, sitting in a position where it remains stationary between the two stars' gravitational pull. The Ferus Belt is located between Canus V and Canus VI, and consists of mainly icy asteroids. The Canus Nebula consists of non-volatile gases, allowing for starships to enter safely. The Excelon Nebular Observatory is located on the edge of the nebula, close to Canus IV. The Canus system is made up as follows:

• Canus I : Class N Planet
• Canus II : Class N Planet
• Canus III : Class L Planet
• Canus IV : Class M Planet
• Canus V : Class K Planet
• Canus VI : Class D Planet

Canus IV is the planet that the Canian race calls home. It has one moon named Howlon. It is covered by 40% land and 60% water, and split into four main continents. The planet's continents are Grral, an icy continent to the far North, Verinus, a moderate temperate continent north of the equator, Seronus, a desert, tropical continent south of the equator, and Exonal, a tundra continent to the far South. Canus IV's capital city is located in the southern edge of the Verinus continent, in a tropical area. The atmosphere is made up of 50% oxygen, 49% nitrogen and 1% other various gases.

Timeline:

In 2263 the USS Hood, patrolling the Klingon-Federation border, detected a never before seen craft and made first contact with one of the most surprising races that humanity had ever encountered, the Canians.

Now many of you are probably asking, how can you top a Horta? It is essentially a living rock. Well that’s simple: this race was shockingly familiar to the humans on board. In the words of Captain Mark Rousseau from his log: “I swear, when that viewscreen turned on, I thought I was looking at Ice, my neighbor's Siberian husky growing up.” That’s right, Canians strongly resemble Terran canines in a humanoid form.

Culture:

The Canians are a long lived race by most standards, their average life expectancy being around 220 years. Canians are an omnivorous race, but some of them prefer a more substantial meat-based diet. The race is broken down into three general species: Lupis, Canis and Vulpes. There are even more sub-groups, but for the purposes of this lecture we will stick to these. I will now go over each of these sub-species, but keep in mind that each statement is a generalization, not a set fact. Genetics will always throw in a wild card.

Lupis are traced back to evolving from the Grral region. They are visually similar to Terran wolves. They are generally the largest of the Canians, usually the tallest and strongest. They are usually the most physically resistant to harm. Lupis Assault Troops are raised to defend the Canian systems from attack during times of conflict. The most noted time they were used was before first contact with the Federation, when a Klingon scout ship attacked an outlying Canus Colony. There were no casualties and no Klingons ever survived to report back to the Klingon Empire.

Vulpes are traced back to evolving from the Exonal region. They are visually similar to Terran foxes. They are generally the smaller of the Canian race, usually shorter and trimmer than others. They are usually the most intelligent and creative of the race. Vulpes Engineers are considered among the most brilliant in the galaxy, and highly sought for. Vulpes were the race which helped cement relations with the Federation after first contact when, in 2265, the Canus Engineering Institute submitted plans for a system upgrade of the Constitution-class to Starfleet. It was studied and adapted, causing a refit to be needed. This was the refit that the Enterprise launched with in 2272.

The Canis are the most genetically diverse species of the race, originating from the Verinus region. They are also the most commonly seen species of the race, and cannot be summed up in one image. They commonly resemble various breeds of Terran dogs. The reason for their diversity over their counterparts is that the Lupis and Vulpes evolved from a harsher and more demanding environment, their genetic traits not evolving as broadly as the Canis, who evolved in a much less demanding and gentler climate. Canis make up approximately fifty percent of the Canian race.

Canians do not have a religion as a race and very few if any adopt one. This is not to say the Canians don’t have a spiritual or belief system, but they don’t have a religion or faith system. Canians generally follow a belief system often referred to as Futurism. It is a belief in a better tomorrow, that the future holds the answers. This system has been in place for all the recorded history of the race. There are however vague references to religious systems and some icons from ancient ruins. This common thread helped relations between the species and eventually planetary unification.

Government:

The current Canian government is an overall democratic structure, with officials elected by the general population. There are three structures in the Canian Government: Executive, Legislative and Judicial. The Executive Branch of the government, known as the High Council, is charged with setting the course for the race and ensuring the smooth working of the government. Except in times of war or emergency, the High Council is the weakest part of the government, having little power to effect long term change, but able to effect short term solutions to solve problems. The High Council is made up of the various ministers fulfilling the functions of government. These ministers have a wide range of functions such as foreign affairs, science and war. The High Council is lead by the Council of Three, a joint chief executive post that administrates the government. Each member of the Council of Three holds the title of Prime Minister. In older times it was law that each seat was filled by a different species but in more modern times it is possible for a species to hold two seats, and even once in history, during the Dominion War, all three seats were held by Lupis for a year. The Council of Three is elected for a three-year term at staggered times to make sure the entire Council isn’t unknowledgeable to their duties. The Ministers of the High Council are appointed for a five-year term by the Council of Three and approval of the Great Senate and not general election.

The Legislative Branch, known as the Great Senate, is made up of Senators and speaks for the people. The Senate must approve all declarations of war, treaties, alliances, passing of new laws, alteration of old ones, changes to public policy, and a great many more. All acts of Senate must pass with a three-quarter vote to be approved, and can be vetoed by the Council of Three if it would require actions not possible for the government at the time, or by the Judicial Branch if it would violate the set of laws known as the Unalienable Rights, set forth long ago. The number of Senators in the Senate grows every few decades as Canians grow and expand their colonies. The first Great Senate had thirty members, ten for each race, and now currently stands at ninety, thirty for each race. The Senate is run by three Councilors, one of each race, selected at the beginning of each session.

The Judicial Branch, known as the Canian High Court, is the first example of a united system in Canian history, established almost five centuries before any joint government system. Originally created as the High Tribal Council, composed of nine elders, three from each race, known as the Wise Ones, they are the highest power in the government, but are focused on the law. When the planet united into one government, the name was changed to Canian High Court, the elders became known as Elders. A set of rights was drafted, known as the Unalienable Rights, which are the basis of all Canian laws. The duty of the High Court is to uphold them. These are the rights that each citizen has under the law and they cannot be altered or ignored by any branch of government. When a new elder is needed, the Elders review records and select a suitable applicant for the position. All elders are at least sixty five years old, hence the name, with extensive experience in legal matters.

Technology:

Canians are approximately three centuries ahead of the Federation on the technological scale, but the Federation advances fast. Canians acquired space travel much earlier than other races, roughly at the same time as the Vulcans, but did not leave their solar system for many years. With this advantage, the Canians could have had a massive empire, but were never interested in going as far and fast as they could. The Canian idea of exploration is more of a ‘slow and steady’ kind, especially when compared to the Federation. When Canians discover a new planet they study it in extreme detail, while Starfleet finds a planet, scans it and moves on. With this method of exploration, Canians have not moved too far outside their home system, but have deeply rooted colonies and have acquired a wealth of knowledge as a result.

Canians have warp technology that is proven not to cause the subspace damage caused by other races, and are rumored to have a faster than light drive comparable to the highly experimental Slipstream Drive. The Canian Navy is made up of roughly 15,000 ships, 6,000 being actual combat vessels. The exact combat abilities of these vessels are not known as no one to date has survived an encounter to report back. Both Starfleet and Imperial Intelligence agree on one fact: war with the Canians would end badly, for the Federation and the Empire. Their ships vary from the Guardian-class battle cruisers, roughly the size of a Negh'Var-class battleship, to a Spirit-class escort, about the size of the Defiant-class starship. While comparable in size, the abilities of these vessels are far beyond anything the Federation has to offer.

In a threat assessment of the Canian Navy, the massive Guardian-class battle cruiser was listed on par with a Borg Tactical Cube. So for those that wonder things like “Why didn’t the Klingons or Dominion just conquer them?” the simple answer is they couldn’t. This is not at all to say the Canians are invincible, just that the cost of victory would be so high, it wouldn’t be worth it.

Recommendations

Canians are friendly to almost every race they have encountered, the biggest exception being the Klingons. They can hardly be blamed though, since their first contact consisted in a Klingon captain saying he would turn the Canian captain into a rug, and every Klingon being killed. Relations have not really improved since. Due to the strong xenophobia of the Cardassians, relations have been cold with them, but have warmed up after the Dominion War. Usually there have been friendly terms between the Canian government and the Federation, but there have been some tense moments. It is believed that the Canians aided the Romulan Empire in the development and creation of their unique quantum singularity cores, although it was never proven. No race has truly earned the trust of the Canians, as most races have qualities that the Canians view as a weakness that would destroy them. The closest has been the Federation but “its drive to keep going and never look back, and often not looking where it is going” keeps many Canians cautious.

Canians do not follow many other races in terms of family and mating. The ceremony of marriage is foreign to Canian society. While some will take mates for life, much of Canian society does not believe in strict monogamy like many other races. Feelings fade as do relationships, so long ago, Canians stopped marriage ceremonies, going for less formal means, usually held only at a family level. As a result of this, families and clans are often huge and there is little degree of separation between individuals.

Sources:

Compiled by Lan Nakajima & Milesprower Dagger updated by Kermie Mistwallow