All I can remember from "the Tholian Web" follows. Please fill in gaps or make corrections as appropriate.
Their ships appear to have trilateral symmettry (sort of like a 3-armed starfish).
They are either crystalline, or wear crystal-looking helmets.
Their environment is much different than ours, with lots of heat shimmer in the background or they see in different wavelengths than standard humanoids, and so their internal cameras don't transmit wavelengths we would normally see (if the latter is true, I would suspect they see in infrared frequencies.
Anything else?
Thanks in advance.
--Baloo
------------------ "Helping Tomorrow Feel Superior by Scoffing at Yesterday." --James Lileks [Motto of The Institute of Official Cheer.] http://www.geocities.com/cyrano_jones.geo/
posted
Personally, I like to think it was a helmet, and not the thing's actual head, but that's just me. I've never actually seen the ep, so... :-)
------------------ Homer: "I can see what's happening. They did it to Jesus, and now they're doing it to me." Marge: "Are you comparing yourself to our lord?!" Homer: "Well, in bowling ability..." -The Simpsons
posted
We also know that they like to raid Federation bases now and then (although there has never been a mention of an open war with them). And that they might eventually get involved if the Klingons went to a civil war. And that they do some trading in the general vicinity of DS9, and sign nonaggression treaties with the Dominion, and send observers to anti-Dominion discussions on Earth. And that there is something called "Tholian silk" that is much sought after. And that they are punctual and uncompromising.
Not much to go by yet. And now that Paramount has the Breen to play with (ready-made costumes and CGI ships, some background material), I doubt the Tholians will be much used in subsequent shows.
posted
And it's hardly canon, but according to "Legends of the Ferengi", which did happen to be written Ira Steven Behr and Robert Hewitt Wolfe, but I digress; according to the book, the Tholians consider the Ferengi "A foul blight on the face of the universe. A pernicious infestation that must be eliminated."
------------------ "You are stupid and evil and do not know you are stupid and evil." -- Gene Ray, Cubic
posted
Given the cases where they have apparently used force against the UFP with impunity, and the fact that they were allowed to observe anti-Dominion talks, one would think the Tholians are a major military power in the Alpha quadrant - not only locally, but also on a scale that would have affected the Dominion war or the Klingon civil war. They might simply be uninterested in most of the politicking in Alpha, but everybody fears what would happen if they did become interested.
Perhaps the Tholians are very advanced in some ways. Or then less advanced but very dedicated. Or just very alien. They could well diverge significantly from the humanoid standard. And who knows what lies beyond their space? The Feds, Klingons, Romulans and Cardassians probably occupy only a tiny corner of Alpha and Beta, with Tholians and Ferengi and Breen farther out, and complete unknowns behind them. It might even be that the true rulers of Alpha are not yet known to the Feds - perhaps there is another Dominion just around the corner, controlling 90% of the quadrant?
posted
Aren't the Tholians also rather opposed to anyone coming into their space? I haven't seen "The Tholian Web", so I don't actually know what their beef was w/ the Defiant, but I think I remember reading in at least one novel some mention of their being very protective of their borders.
------------------ Homer: "I can see what's happening. They did it to Jesus, and now they're doing it to me." Marge: "Are you comparing yourself to our lord?!" Homer: "Well, in bowling ability..." -The Simpsons
posted
Yes the Tholian's are very protective of there boarders. Also their governing body is the Tholian Assembly. And i think that they are just a lump of crystal. It could be a helmet but my make one out of crystal? It would proberly be very heavy. The Tholians look very TOS.
IP: Logged
posted
Who says it was crystal? I think people only came up w/ that because it was faceted like some crystals tend to be (and others, after they're cut).
------------------ Homer: "I can see what's happening. They did it to Jesus, and now they're doing it to me." Marge: "Are you comparing yourself to our lord?!" Homer: "Well, in bowling ability..." -The Simpsons
posted
Some of the ships I make are faceted, and in some cases the explaination is that it (the hull) is manufactured from a material that doesn't form curves easily, but is still a good material for the job (my favorite is "monocrystalline alloy" -- each flat panel is a single HUGE crystal of some unspecified metal). It's quite possible that the Tholians' materials technology includes several alloys that are light, strong, and cheap, but are manufactured as flat panels because curved ones aren't as strong or cheap. Bending metal takes time and money, and the more complex the curve the more of each it takes to make it that way.
--Baloo
------------------ "Helping Tomorrow Feel Superior by Scoffing at Yesterday." --James Lileks [Motto of The Institute of Official Cheer.] http://www.geocities.com/cyrano_jones.geo/
posted
The Tholians are an aggressive race and they will claim space that they will have no right to. The tholians are probably one of the top ten powers in the alpha quadrant although little is known about them. Anyway speaking of ships there is some tholian ships in the new klingon academy. I got some pictures in a magasine but i lack a scanner. Its in the pczone(uk)magasine.
------------------ "We set sail on this new sea because their is new knowledge to be gained and new rights to be won" John F Kennedy
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