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Vulcans
Sight of Vulcans shaking hands with Zephram Cochrane and making first contact with the Humans of Earth. |
The Vulcans initiated first contact with Earth when a Vulcan Lander travelling through the Sol system on a
mission) detected the warp signature of Zephram Cochrane's experimental vessel 'The Phoenix' and altered
course to Earth to make contact.
The Vulcans are a peaceful humanoid race native to the planet Vulcan. Once, Vulcans were a passionate and violent people, whose civilization was torn by terrible wars. Then, some 2.000 years ago, the ancient philosopher Surak, known as the revered father of Vulcan civilization, led his people to reject their emotions in favour of a philosophy that embraced pure logic. Now, Vulcan society is based entirely upon logic, and any trappings of emotion are considered to be of extremely poor taste. One group of Vulcans did not accept Surak's teachings, and instead they left Vulcan to found the warrior-like Romulan Star Empire.
Certain elements of Vulcan prehistory suggest that the Vulcan race may once have originated with colonists from another planet some 500.000 years ago.
Ancient Vulcan calligraphy |
In the distant past, Vulcans killed to win their mates, and even in the present, they revert to ancient mating rituals. This is apparently the price these people must pay for totally suppressing their natural emotions. When Vulcan children are about seven, their parents select a future mate, and the two children are joined in a ceremony that links them telepathically. When the two children come of age, they are compelled to join together for the marriage rituals. The time of mating, Pon farr, is when the stoically logical Vulcans pay for their rigid control by experiencing a period of total emotional abandon. In Vulcan adults, Pon farr comes every seven years.
IDIC - The Vulcan national
Symbol. IDIC is an acronym for
Infinite Diversity in Infinite
Combinations. |
Because the planet Vulcan has a higher gravity than Earth, and its atmosphere is thinner, Vulcans in an Earth-normal environment demonstrate greater physical strength and more acute hearing than humans do. The intensity of the Vulcan sun also caused the Vulcans to evolve a secondary eyelid to protect their retina, and this inner eyelid involuntarily closes when the eye is exposed to extremely intense light.
Vulcans also have a telepathic capacity, as practiced in the Vulcan mind-meld. This is an ancient Vulcan ritual in which two persons are telepathically linked together, and sharing each other's consciousness. To Vulcans, mind-melding is a deeply personal experience, providing an intense intimacy.
