Andorian Empire



The Andorian Empire, also known as the Andorian Star Clan and Epsilon Indii Star Empire, was the name of the Andorian state. Centered on the moon of Andor, the Andorian Empire was one of the five founding Member States of the United Federation of Planets, having signed the Articles of the Federation on 12 August 2161.

In 2382, following a prolonged political crisis, the Andorian Empire seceded from the Federation, re-establishing itself as an independent state.

The Andorian Empire remained an independent state until 2385, when it applied and was accepted for readmission to the Federation.

Early Space Age
At some early point in Andorian history, the race made contact with a Romulan vessel. The Andorian starships, despite being primitive, managed to damage the Romulan vessel, which was carrying the Emperor of the Romulan Star Empire, and took possession of an artifact known as the Devil's Heart. At this period of time, a deadly plague had erupted on Andoria, but the healer Telev, using this artifact (known to the Andorians as Telev's Bane) healed his people. Years later, the race would make contact with the Ferengi, who threatened the Andorians with slaughter if they did not trade and the Devil's Heart would be one of the items given away.

By Stardate -1/9609, the Andorian Empire was formed with the first act of colonization of another world. In Stardate 0/2207, they Andorians made First contact with the Vegan Tyranny and a war erupted between the two sides. As a result of the conflict, the Vegans never recover from their losses and slowly their empire disappeared from space. The Andorian Empire reached its height on Stardate 0/45 when they possessed 13 colonies outside their home system.

Early Interstellar Relations
Throughout the 20th, 21st, and 22nd Centuries, the Andorian Empire was constantly at odds with the neighboring world of Vulcan. Numerous wars and cold wars occurred between the hostile powers, both of which committed numerous acts of aggression against the other.

The Andorian Empire made first contact with United Earth in 2151, when the Human ship, Enterprise (NX-01), became embroiled in an attempt on the part of the Imperial Guard to expose a suspected Vulcan spy station on the ancient monastery of P'Jem. The Imperial Guard invaded P'Jem and took the monks hostage along with the visiting Enterprise crew. The Humans eventually uncovered the spy station in the course of freeing themselves from the Andorians, and the Imperial Guard later destroyed the monastery and station.

One particular sore spot between between Andor and Vulcan was a terraformed planetoid called Weytahn by the Andorians and Paan Mokar by the Vulcans. The planetoid was the subject of numerous firefights before a peace treaty was negotiated in 2153 under United Earth moderation. (ENT episode: "Cease Fire") Another sore spot was Coridan III, where both the Andorian and Vulcan governments supported opposing factions in a civil war.

The Andorian Empire opened full diplomatic relations with United Earth soon after contact, establishing the Andorian Embassy on Earth. A chan, Thoris (also known as Anlenthoris ch'Vhendreni, ENT novel: The Good That Men Do), became the Andorian Ambassador to United Earth. Operations between the United Earth Starfleet and the Imperial Guard -- and in particular between Imperial Guard Commander Thy'lek Shran, commanding officer of the Kumari, and United Earth Starfleet Captain Jonathan Archer, commanding officer of Enterprise NX-01 -- gradually became quite close. In 2153, Commander Shran provided intelligence on the Xindi superweapon to Archer after an unsuccessful attempt to acquire the weapons technology for the Empire, and in 2154, the Kumari travelled to Earth and helped defeat the superweapon and the flagship of the mad Xindi-Reptilian Commander Dolim on 14 February, providing Archer with crucial assistance in saving Earth from the Xindi.

In 2154, V'Las, then the Administrator of the Vulcan High Command, the Vulcan head of government, attempted to launch an invasion of the Andorian Empire on the basis of falsified intelligence indicating that the Andorian Empire had acquired weapons based upon Xindi technology. The plot was exposed by Soval, former Vulcan Ambassador to United Earth, to acting Enterprise NX-01 commanding officer Charles Tucker III, who contacted Commander Shran. On Shran's word, the Imperial Guard assembled a fleet to meet the invading Vulcan forces. Commander Tucker attempted once again to mediate between the two, but a battle erupted between the Vulcan and Andorian fleets. Fortunately, a coup d'etat on Vulcan forced V'Las out of power and exposed his lies, leading to the battle's end.

Later that year, the Andorian Empire and Tellar also nearly went to war, as numerous ships from either world were being destroyed by foes apparently from the other side. Once again, United Earth volunteered to mediate the dispute, this time hosting negotiations on the planetoid of Babel One; in the course of escorting the Tellarite delegation, however, Enterprise NX-01 discovered evidence that the Andorian Empire and Tellar were being manipulated into going to war by the Romulan Star Empire. Captain Archer's skill at interspecies negotiations led to the establishment of an unprecedented alliance of Andorian, Vulcan, Terran, and Tellarite ships in the search for the disguised Romulan attackers. The unwilling involvement of an Aenar citizen in the perpetuation of the fraud was also uncovered.