Vulcanoid Rigelian

For the Vulcanoid Rigelian Homeworld, see: Rigel V

Introduction
The Vulcanoid Rigelians were a vulcanoid race who settled on the planet Rigel V in the Rigel-system. As such they were a member of the Vulcanite.

Biology
The Rigelians were a vulcanoid race, indistinguishable from Vulcans, even sensors were incapable of telling the difference. They had a very similar physiology, but different enough that certain drugs and treatments could not automatically be assumed to work as well on both races. They had the same physical features, olive-green blood and a similar level of strength. However, as they did not repress their emotions, they tended to be more charismatic.

Like Vulcans and Romulans, Rigelians were susceptible to Tuvan Syndrome.

Psionics
They also kept the psionic abilities and disciplines of their Vulcan ancestors, and maintained them through breeding and study. A noted difference, however, was that the Rigelians did not demonstrate any appreciable telepathic abilities. They apparently possessed an uncanny sense of direction, possibly deriving from their psionic skills.

Culture
The Rigelians retained the psionic skills of their Vulcan ancestors by breeding, study and exploration of their own inner mind's psionic and emotional aspects. These skills were important enough that Rigelian aristocrats achieved status through their psionic talents and gifts. Many of the ancient psionic disciplines of the Vulcan mind lords were kept alive in the Monastery of Gol.

Cultural Dogma
They were a superstitious people, and numerology played an important part in Rigelian culture, with many number-based rules and guidelines enshrined in the Doctrine of Lollo. These rules determined the structure of government, number of spouses and children in each clan, practices involving food, specified colors and styles of dress, and various omens of ill fortune. Rigelians swore to truth on the primary numbers or wished good tidings by informing another that they had good combinations. Numerologists were an important class in Rigelian society, and even used their techniques to investigate crimes.

Emotions
Unlike their vulcanoid kin, the Rigelians did not repress their emotions, lacked the discipline common to both Romulans and Vulcans, and weren't afraid to look foolish, making them somewhat similar to Humans. Rigelian children did not undergo the deep studying that Vulcan children faced and even made physical displays of affection to their parents. In fact, the Rigelians were noted to be culturally more similar to the Romulans, but they were not as war-like and lacked the restrictive aspects of that society. This was attributed to the countering influence of the Orions and, later, Humans, who shared the Rigel-system and provided the Rigelians with more liberal views for their culture. Thus they were tolerant of many different forms of lifestyle. However, they had a fiercely independent streak.

They believed in the importance of exercise of the entire body for optimum health. A central part of their “exercise” was regular sexual activity, which they believed reduced their destructive urges and made people happier and heal faster. Therefore, they typically added sex to therapy to help the healing process and considered it unnatural to go without. Sex also helped them grow their clans and create new ones.

Where Vulcans controlled their violent urges by suppressing emotion and Romulans surrendered to them, the Rigelians instead expended their energies with physical exertion. When a Rigelian was upset, they typically either fought or had sex. This lead them to experience the grief frenzy, such as when mourning the death of loved one, in which they fought another until the frenzy burned out the grief. It was possible to hire another to battle for this purpose.

Society
Despite their desire for a low-technology lifestyle, Rigelian medical techniques were renowned. This was because of the colonists' initial need to adapt their Vulcan biochemistry to their new homeworld and to the Rigel-system. This led Rigelian medical researchers to pioneer many advances and useful techniques in a number of fields, particularly hematology, nephrology, and oncology. Many biologists and doctors were raised to the level of aristocracy, prompting wealthy families to arrange marriages to promising young medical students. Rigel V traded its medical equipment and medicines, including biological and medical products harvested from its forests.

History
The Rigelians were one of the splinter civilizations of Vulcans that formed after the philosopher Surak spread his philosophy of peace and logic. During the time of the diaspora from the Vulcan homeworld, the Debrune fleet passed the Rigel-system in 453 AD. A splinter fleet under the command of Vice-Admiral Torek broke off and approached Rigel V. Rather than be subject to his comrades, Torek decided to conquer the primitive Kaylar-populated world with his own forces and rule it himself.

It did not go as well as he planned, however, as the native Kaylar were armed by the Orions, who did not desire the competition from an expansionist empire. The Kaylar lost in the fields but remained firmly entrenched in the jungles and mountainous areas. A century of conflict engulfed the world before the Debrune eventually succeeded in conquering the southern continent, which they named Han-shir after the continent of the planet Vulcan, their former homeworld. The colder northern parts of the world were left to the Kaylar. They negotiated new trade deals with the Orions and avoided further interference from them, and a time of stability followed. From that point forward, the Debrune offshoot became the Vulcanoid Rigelians, who developed their own civilization on their new homeworld.

By the 11th century, Rigelian civilization was at its height, represented by the city of Ancient Grace, which had great many-storied buildings with huge white columns and porticos standing upon its hills. But the Rigelians of this time were described as being distrustful, possessive, and highly competitive. The numerologists warned the Rigelian race to change their ways.

Subsequently, a plague spread through the population and decimated their number, leaving the cities in ruins while the native plant life flourished. After the plague had run its course, the survivors formed a new society that was more rural and decentralized, with new family units that possessed many members, to prevent them from being so decimated again. In addition, their culture shifted to living in the present, rather than focusing on the future or the past. Rigelian society became less inclined to violence as they further adapted to their homeworld.

This shift to a near-agrarian lifestyle meant that the Rigelian people remained poor compared to other worlds, though their forests gave them some biological and medical products which they sold. However, they had no fleets and no trade agreements, which severely restricted their civilization.