Denobulan

• Appearance: Mammalian; short hair with a high hairline, prominent temporal ridges running up along the forehead, shallow cleft down the center of the forehead, small Y-shaped ridge on the chin
  • Similar ridges along spine
  • Long, claw-like nails
• Lifespan: ~150 years (ENT Novel: Live by the Code)
• Homeworld: Denobula
• Clawed nails and strong climbing ability suggest descent from arboreal mammals (ENT: "A Night in Sickbay", "The Breach")
• Extremely elastic skin and musculature
  • Much broader grin than most humanoid species (ENT: "Broken Bow", "A Night in Sickbay", "Stigma")
  • Can inflate the face akin to a pufferfish when in distress (ENT: "Home")
• Sleep on a hibernation cycle of five to six days each year (minimum of two for health) (ENT: "Dear Doctor", "Two Days and Two Nights")
  • Normal physiological effects of sleep on the brain gained through waking hallucinations instead; considered a healthy release of stress (ENT: "Exile", "Doctor's Orders")
• Cultural notes
  • Denobulan food
  • Denobulan games
  • Omnivorous (ENT; ENT Novel: Live by the Code)
    • Hunting of animals with any degree of self-awareness or consciousness largely no longer accepted as cultural practice, as improved technology reduced need for hunting to sustain population (ENT Novel: Live by the Code)
    • Denobulan lemurs a common prey in hunts (ENT: "A Night in Sickbay"; ENT Novel: Live by the Code)
    • Many believe that offworld travel betrays a person's place in the general ecosystem, leading to a general lack of Denobulan presence away from the planet (ENT Novel: Live by the Code)
  • Heavily focused on socialization even more so than most intelligent beings (ENT: "Doctor's Orders"; ENT Novel: Live by the Code)
    • Largely a result of the high population density on Denobula enforced by geological and climatological factors (ENT Novel: Live by the Code)
  • Polyamorous culture, with an expectation of three spouses per person (ENT)
    • Additionally, marriages are considered open by default, though most have no fundamental objection to a desire for a closed relationship
    • Familial relationships described by "tiers" (ENT Novel: Live by the Code)
      • First-tier relationships are all direct relationships; parents, spouses, full siblings (ENT Novel: Live by the Code)
      • Second-tier relationships are one step removed; parents' other spouses, half-siblings, etc. (ENT Novel: Live by the Code)
      • So on thusly
    • Marriages not officiated by single figure, but instead conducted as a vote among all first-tier family members (ENT Novel: Live by the Code)
      • Prospective couple makes ceremonial declarations to voting family members (ENT Novel: Live by the Code)
      • Each voting member makes a further speech expressing their approval for the marriage (ENT Novel: Live by the Code)
      • Vows are exchanged between new pair, as well as between each member and all prior spouses of their new spouse (ENT Novel: Live by the Code)
      • Depending on breadth of individuals involved, can potentially last as short as a few hours, or potentially over a full day (ENT Novel: Live by the Code; DTI Novel: Watching the Clock)
    • Heavy reliance on socialization for mental well-being does not necessarily extend to a need to maintain continuous contact in romantic relationships
      • Oftentimes married partners will spend much time apart to pursue individual interests without impacting health of the relationship (ENT: "Stigma"; ENT Novel: Live by the Code)
      • Families generally don't reside together, a result of both large family sizes and a tendency away from private long-term residences (ENT Novel: Live by the Code)
    • Marriages traditionally followed by a bacchanalia in a nearby kaybin district, as celebration of fertility and physicality (ENT Novel: Live by the Code)
  • Bi- and pansexuality common amongst Denobulans (ENT Novel: Live by the Code)
  • Denobulans give plants to friends in celebration of a coming wedding in their own family (ENT Novel: Uncertain Logic)
    • Considered metaphorical for the need to tend to a relationship to allow it to grow
  • Denobulan men usually eschew public displays of affection, are generally much more inhibited as compared to Denobulan women (ENT: "Dear Doctor")
  • Denobulan medical ethics place the desire of the patient above all else, even should such desires result in harm or death (ENT: "The Breach"; ENT Novel: Live by the Code)
  • Rain at social events considered a welcome omen, due to significant role of Denobulan monsoons in the perpetuation of life (ENT Novel: Live by the Code)
  • Common pastimes at social gatherings include gueaa-dancing and "Stump the Philosopher" (ENT Novel: Uncertain Logic)
  • Most cities bear kaybin districts, regions where beauty and fertility are celebrated through all variety of indulgences (ENT Novel: Live by the Code)
    • Food, wine, music, and sexuality all catered to (ENT Novel: Live by the Code)
    • Generally crime-free, seen as near to sacred by Denobulan culture (ENT Novel: Live by the Code)