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The J'naii were a spacefaring androgynous race native to the planet J'naii.

History[]

In an early stage of their evolution, the J'naii species had two sexes. The J'naii race eventually evolved physically into an androgynous race.

In mid-2368, the J'naii contacted the nearby USS Enterprise-D to investigate the disappearance of the J'naii shuttle Taris Murn in their star system. The crew of the shuttle was rescued from a pocket of null space. The pocket was thoroughly mapped by shuttlecraft from the Enterprise. The crew discussed plans to regulate space travel around the pocket and decided on deploying warning buoys around the null space pocket.

Physiology[]

As the stage of two physical sexes had been passed by evolution, the whole notion of gender was offensive to the J'naii. J'naii were taught that gender was a primitive aspect of less evolved lifeforms. Consequently, it was hard for the J'naii to grasp the subtleties of differences and complex customs between sexes in other species. Although J'naii were possibly sexually compatible with gendered races, they were never allowed to mate by assuming a gender role in the act. This was considered criminally perverse in J'naii society and a strictly taboo subject.

J'naii mating and reproduction was a long ritual, full of variety and invention, and was considered extremely pleasurable. In the last stage a fibrous husk was inseminated by the two parents. The fetus then incubated inside the husk. This was considered a less risky and less painful method of reproduction compared to other species of which the J'naii had knowledge.

In the Star Trek: The Next Generation Makeup FX Journal (p. 89) it is stated that to achieve the neutered look of a sexless race that was still made up of individuals, the women of varying ages who were hired had their breasts taped down, and only a subtle forehead piece was created, according to Michael Westmore, to cover the eyebrow areas of the actresses that women tend to pluck and shape.

Society and culture[]

The planet J'naii was ruled from the civic chamber in the civic center. Noor was the head of government, and the head of a panel of judges dealing with legal matters of the J'naii people, in 2368. J'naii considered themselves a remarkably free and open society and by all measurements, an enlightened race. The rights and liberties the citizens enjoyed gave them a great deal of self-determination. In dealing with sickness, the government took its obligation to cure the sickness seriously.

The term "civic chamber" and "civic center" are derived from the script of "The Outcast". [1]

The J'naii were said to be strong-minded and to have plenty of social conflicts between individuals. J'naii used no form of make-up, and did not keep their hair long or arrange it elaborately. Even though the J'naii formed family units, sleeping together with a friend had nothing to do with mating. Rather, it was a preferred way to keep warm. When dancing, whomever was the taller led. In the J'naii language there was a personal pronoun that was gender neutral, for which there was no translation in the English language.

Subculture[]

Occasionally individuals were born who had urges for maleness or femaleness instead of androgyny. Being a remnant from the earlier evolutionary stages, this was considered a form of sickness. This resulted in a subculture forming inside J'naii society where the gender-oriented individuals lived in a lie. They pretended to have androgynous gender identity, and sought each other out in secret, to express themselves and love for each other through the gender roles. This minority lived always in fear of being discovered.

Some J'naii were aware from a young age of an alignment towards a particular gender. These J'naii could face cruel taunts from their schoolmates when suspected of being a deviant. In general, being suspected and discovered led to being ridiculed and cast out of society. They were called deviants, throwbacks, misfits, and criminals.

The government had a total lack of acceptance for such gender identities. Any individual suspected of having them could be taken into custody. A trial was held for the individual to confirm or dispute the charges. When a person was found to be a deviant, psychotectic therapy was used to change their gender identity to androgyny. A person would only be re-accepted into society if they accepted this procedure.

Technology[]

In the 24th century, the J'naii operated at least several shuttlecraft, incapable of venturing beyond their star system, such as the Taris Murn. A flight school trained J'naii shuttle pilots. J'naii had knowledge of warp drive technology and several other races. In 2368, a J'naii shuttle pilot was already familiar with all the technology of a Starfleet Type 6 shuttlecraft - such as microfusion thrusters, the shuttles matter-antimatter reaction assembly, and the warp nacelles, navigational deflector, redundant graviton polarity source generators - before having seen one. J'naii used plestorene-based backup systems on their own shuttlecraft. (TNG: "The Outcast")

People[]

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