TheStar Trekfranchise provides several of the most iconic alien species in science fiction history. Klingons and Vulcans stand out among most of the aliens on TV. For every iconic example of extraterrestrial life in theStar Trekuniverse, many series provide a dozen species that appear once or twice before disappearing into obscurity. Sometimes they slowly build an alien species over the course of years until they introduce a main character from its ranks. That was the slow roll-out the Saurians experienced.
ThoughStar Trekfrequently indulges inthe Planet of Hats trope, they just as often introduce alien races that behave just like human beings. SomeStar Trekraces have one character trait that informs every representative and all of their dialogue, while others do everything humans do despite looking the way they do. It’s a fascinating way to use alien makeup, often depicting the utopian future of endless unique species operating as one bold collective.
What is a Saurian?
Saurians are an alienspecies fromStar Trek. They are large, humanoid lizards with most of the features one would associate with reptiles. They’re taller than humans, on average. In place of skin, they have thick scales. Their scales tend to be gray, pink, or dull green. Their massive eyes tend to lack irises or any other features. They have two sets of eyelids around their pitch-black orbs. That unique trait allows them to see a far greater spectrum of light and detail than humans. Other aspects of their biology provided substantial evolutionary weaknesses. Saurians shed their skin annually, forcing them to quarantine themselves to avoid contaminating clean areas. They also endured more severe symptoms when afflicted with conditions like the common cold due to their six nasal canals.
Their native language consists mainly of clicks and pops. It’s unusual enough that the universal translator sometimes struggles to capture it. They seem to eat plants, as they’re most often seen eating bamboo. Saurian culture doesn’t come up often, but it’s known that they spawn clutches of eggs and raise their young as communal multifamily units. They have distilled and bottled aunique liquor called Saurion brandysince at least the late 22nd century. It was extremely popular and common in the Federation. The Saurians have served the Federation for several centuries.
Where did Saurians first appear?
Star Trekmentioned the Saurian species years before they depicted them. Saurian brandy appears in several early episodes ofThe Original Series. Season one, episodefour, “The Enemy Within,“is the first episode to mention Saurian brandy. It depicts an evil doppelgänger of Captain Kirk demanding the unique liquor and wandering around drunk. Janice Rand brings up Saurian brandy in the following episode, and Kirk offers it to another ship’s crew in episode seven. The first Saurian in the franchise appeared inStar Trek: The Motion Picture, 13 years after their first mention in a script. That Saurion doesn’t have a name and is never identified in dialogue. Instead, extraneous details labeled the pink-scaled reptile. Costume designers Fred Phillips and Robert Fletcher added details to the Saurian and every other race they designed. The Saurians went dormant for several decades before introducing a central character inStar Trek: Discovery. It’s abizarre path for aStar Trekspecies, but it eventually led to a fun character.
Notable Saurians inStar Trek
The franchise’s most iconic Saurian is Linus fromStar Trek: Discovery. David Benjamin Tomlinson portrayed Linus and several other costumed aliens. Linus is a relativelyminor figure inDiscovery, but his comic relief scenes add a ton to the series. He frequently used a personal transporter that transported him to unexpected locations and awkward encounters. Linus is a sciences division officer who decided to stay aboard theDiscoveryas it traveled into the future. Most recently, he became the Spore Drive Operations Officer after a promotion. Other Saurians inStar Trekinclude:
The Saurians have a strange path throughtheStar Trekfranchise. They existed as a meaningless background detail for decades before they became a notable species. Their planet, background, and many of their representatives remain non-canonical.Star Trekand its genre stablemates can drop alien species names on any detail of the world without tying it to anything. The Saurians are more than just the universe’s favorite brandy distillery.
