Canon Facts Speculation
One of the most influential and important species
in the Alpha quadrant, Humans originate from the planet Earth in the Sol
system. The early history of the planet was remarkable in many respects
- chiefly for the number of contacts with alien civilisations which occurred.
All of these proved to be of a very limited type however, and it was not
until 2063 that the first official First Contact occured. At this point
Earth was suffering the effects of a large scale nuclear war and was at
a particularly low point. A group of scientists working under Zephram Cochrane
had been working on a method of faster than light drive system for spacecraft
when the war occurred. Despite having no official funding and poor living
conditions the team pressed on with their project, and by 2063 they where
able to launch the Phoenix, making Humanity only the second of the current
major species in the alpha quadrant to utilize this form of propulsion.
Cochrane's flight attracted the attention of a Vulcan
survey vessel which was in the system; the Vulcans subsequently sent a shuttlecraft
down to make contact with Cochranes team. The discovery that they where not
alone in the universe had a profound impact on mankind, bringing all the people
of the Earth together as never before.
As one of the only species equipped with warp
drive technology, Humanity was able to become a major pioneer in interstellar
trade. Human-built spacecraft totally monopolised this trade for over twenty
five years, bringing a flood of revenue which rebuilt the war-torn planet
and turned it into an economic powerhouse. By
2113 poverty, hunger and war had been abolished from the planet
and Humanity was a major power.
Throughout the next forty five years Humanity continued
to build an interstellar network of colonies and bases through a significant
portion of the Alpha quadrant. Finally, in 2152 they
encountered the Romulan Empire; the two powers fought a brief but intense war
which was ended in 2160 when the Romulan Neutral Zone was established in order
to provide a buffer zone between the two powers.
The Romulan War proved to Humanity that they had
over-reached themselves, and they sought to form an alliance of different
civilisations in order to provide for greater stability and prevent further
conflicts. The United Federation of Planets
was established in 2161 when the Humans and Vulcans signed the Federation
Constitution. Although the Federation is regarded as a model of inter-species
cooperation, Humans have always made up the
bulk of its population and have therefore tended to dominate it.
Physically, Humans are bilaterally symetrical bipeds
whose skin and hair can vary considerably between individuals. As with most
species there are two genders, male and female, but unusually there are several
different racial groups. In most other respects Humans are physically close
to the average for an Alpha quadrant species. |
