Added by 8of5

The Kaylar (also called Kalar) were a caste of Rigellians from Rigel VII. They were a large and physically powerful people, noted for their aggression and abilities in construction.

After centuries of specialist breeding the Kaylar developed to be quite different from the average Rigellian, being a good deal taller and stronger. Historically the Kaylar played a major part in Rigel's warlike society.

Contents 1 Biology 2 Culture 3 History 4 Connections

BiologyEdit

Kaylar have an average height over 2.5 metres, and weight over 150 kilograms.

They are capable of a battle-frenzy that makes them hard to stop with non-lethal weapons. (FASA RPG module: The Orions: Book of Common Knowledge)

CultureEdit

The Kaylar of Rigel VII were known as primitive and savage, and their civilisation was limited to towns, some agriculture, and their most advanced weapons were catapults, swords, spears (FASA RPG module: The Orions: Book of Common Knowledge) and other primitive hand weapons. They preferred to be nomadic and unsettled however, and slaves and mercenaries soon fell back to this when their owner's empires collapses. (Decipher RPG module: Worlds)

They were strongly territorial and xenophobic, and by the late 23rd century there had never been a successful contact that didn’t end in bloodshed. (FASA RPG module: The Orions: Book of Common Knowledge)

They were expert in the ways of Rigel VII’s powerful and erratic tides, however, and many were skilled mariners. They could sail across the dangerous oceans on ships that were huge in size but quite light, long, narrow and shallow-bottomed. (FASA RPG module: The Orions: Book of Common Knowledge)

There were thought to be only around 100,000 Kaylar across Rigel VII in the later 23rd century. (FASA RPG module: The Orions: Book of Common Knowledge)

HistoryEdit

The Kaylar are suspected to be originally native to Rigel V, but were taken as mercenaries and slaves and settled on Rigel II, IV, and VII, where they quickly returned to nomadic life-styles one their master's empires collapsed. (Decipher RPG module: Worlds)

In the 2250s, when Rigel sought to join the United Federation of Planets, the Kaylar faced being disbanded as Rigel attempted to move its society forward from its warlike routes. The Zemtar fortress, a traditional Kaylar barracks, was to be the site of the Rigel's admission ceremony. (EV comic: "Our Dearest Blood")

However, Rigel VII did not join the Federation due to a Kaylar coup on the eve of the planet’s admission. The Kaylar attacks lead to the deaths of three crewpersons from the USS Enterprise and injuries to seven others. The incident shocked much of Rigellian society, spurring them to continue their reformations, to remove the more barbaric elements of their society with the aim of eventually reclaiming it's place in the Federation. (EV comics: "Our Dearest Blood", "Nor Iron Bars a Cage")

Shortly after the coup, the memory of the Kaylar attack was used by the Talosians when they held Captain Christopher Pike of the Enterprise captive. To help draw Pike into the illusion his fellow captive, Vina, purposefully overplayed her role as damsel-in-distress to keep Pike from rationalising the experience, to distracted defending her from the attacking Kaylar. (TOS episode: "The Cage"; TOS novel: Burning Dreams)

In the 2360s a group of two-hundred Kaylar were involved in venture to establish a new Federation colony on the planet Votar VII. The operation was joint venture with a group of Rigelians, with the Kaylar providing construction and repair services for suitable compensation. In 2368 the Rigelians attempted to renegotiate their contract with the Kaylar labourers and tried to force a lower rate of compensation upon them. The Kaylar refused the terms of the new contract and in response launched an attack on a dam, "repossessing" the facility, and cutting the power it provided, plunging the colony into darkness.

Votar being a strategically important location to the Federation, Starfleet sent in the USS Enterprise-D to mediate the dispute. Early attempts at diplomacy led by Worf were met with resistance from the Kaylar as the Rigelians had convinced them the Federation would side with them. Once this came to light, Worf was able to clear the waters and bring both sides to the negotiation table to find an amicable resolution to their dispute. (TNG comic: "A Matter of Dates")

The Star Charts and The Worlds of the Federation books both describe the "Kalar" as the dominant species of their homeworld, but describe them as primitive and pre-industrial, rather than the sub-culture of the Rigelians seen in "Our Dearest Blood", or space-faring people shown in "A Matter of Dates". The Worlds of the Federation describes them as rated D-plus on the Richter Scale of Culture, while Star Charts describes Pike's encounter as the first contact with the species and the world being quarantined pending development of warp drive.

ConnectionsEdit

• Kaylar article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.