Andolian

The andolian (pl. andolians) is a species of people recognized by the Intergalactic Federation. According to IF Census records, andolians are the fourth most common race in the known universe making up approximately 8% of the inducted population of the IF.

History and Origins
The Setza are both the oldest and first recognized culture of andolians in the IF, as they are a Founding Race and had reached untold technological breakthroughs before the Alset cataclysm. Though there is much debate on the origins of the andolians, their striking resemblance to humans has resulted in the idea of a Master Race. Theories vary on the specifics but the general belief is that the first race of sentient life in the known universe was human-like. That race, through means hotly debate, split into the human and andolian races of today. This idea, though theoretical, has resulted in unspoken rivalries between various groups of andolians and humans. It even reached a fever pitch during the Andolian rebellion, but rarely has escalated to violent levels in recent times.

Andolians and Andolans
Although the proper racial name, defined by the IF, is andolian, several groups have taken to calling themselves and their kin andolans. Some attribute this change to the founding of the unified andolian home-world Andolas. Others find different reasons, such as the Shal andolans who find the long 'a' and 'e' vowel sounds offensive (therefore they are respectfully referred to as andolans.)

Appearance
Relative to Gibson's Theory of Human Consistency and the Master Race theories, andolians are nearly identical to humans. The biggest andolian difference is the presence of a long, thin tail. Andolians also have slightly more protruding spinal columns due to alternate rib cage construction. Other than that the differences remain largely cosmetic. Andolians can develop nearly any pigment of color in their body, resulting in unusual skin tints and natural hair colors. A side effect of this is that many andolians have very bright and conspicuous marks upon their body from pigmentation. Similar to a birthmark, these 'shows', as they are called, hold different significance for each race of andolian. Some view them as part of their heritage, while others look down upon their shows and seek to have them clinically removed.

List of Andolian Cultures

 * Andolas (Andolese)
 * Fortha (Forthen)
 * L'then (L'these)
 * Noran (Noranian)
 * Setza (Setzan)
 * Shal (Shallian)