Created by Captain Nycolas Temple on Mon Dec 1st, 2025 @ 4:04pm

The Drax

OVERVIEW

Planet: Drax Prime
Location: White Diamond Nebula, Beta Quadrant
Alignment: Neutral

GEOGRAPHY

Drax Prime is located in the White Diamond Nebula, beyond Federation space and near to Chalnoth territory within the Beta Quadrant. The nebula protects their home world through a swirling dome of Ionsdaleite dust clouds, with only a narrow corridor of traversable space that has resulted in the planet’s peaceful isolation for most of its known history. The system contains a White Dwarf star around half way through its life cycle. The combination of the dust clouds and light from the star provides a sparking appearance to the nebula; hence the name White Diamond Nebula.

Drax Prime is a class-M Planet, roughly the size of the Sol system’s planet Neptune. Due to its unconventional rotational axis from the nearby White Dwarf Star, the planet observed 3 distinct weather seasons - a hot period ("the Cinder"), which then will drop dramatically into a deep cold period ("the Sleep"), then finally into a spring-like period ("the Weeping"), where liquid clouds frozen from the cold period begin to thaw and showers like glittering lights across the planet. The Weeping is considered a period of shedding, renewal, tragic beauty, and new beginnings for the Drax.

A typical Drax year is approximately 9 months in Earth years. There are three micro-moon satellites which orbit Drax, one is present in the sky during each season and are therefore named after each season. The narrow entry corridor into the Diamond Nebula exists because of an artificially-created field generator that is controlled by the Drax.

Every 6 years, the White Dwarf star is in closest proximity to the dust cloud, giving a more dazzling display of light refraction across the region. As a result of the frequent occurrence of 3 in Drax astrophysics (3 moons, 3 seasons, 9 months to a year, 6 year star orbit cycles), the number 3 is highly valued as a sign of fortune and power.

CULTURE

The Drax are a Rationalist democratic society, with an emphasis on decision-making based on consensus, reason and knowledge, self-determination, and the development of their telepathic abilities. It is the latter that most defines the Drax people - telepathic communication being the primary means of language in their society, and the ability to read one's emotions being a secondary source of communication.

Young Drax will develop their abilities through familial education and formal testing. These tests will determine if a Drax will work for one of the Prime Sectors - Defence, Law Enforcement, Testing, or Government - or if they will work in a civilian role on the planet. Children picked for the Prime Sectors are highly regarded and there is an esteem value placed upon families seeking such a role. In more recent years, as the Drax have sought formal relations with other species, Diplomacy has been added as an adjunct role to the Prime Sectors.

It has been said that the Drax developed their telepathy and empathy before they learnt the written word, and for long periods of their history they relied entirely on these methods of communication above the written or spoken word. Their society is collectively governed through democratic consensus and the overriding value of honesty above all else. A governing body known as The Council governs the laws and defence of the Drax, with anterior bodies overseeing specific sectors such as education, agriculture, commerce, trade, and culture.

In a race of telepaths, honesty and truthfulness is not only expected, but required. Anyone attempting to hide their thoughts and feelings from a fellow Drax are seen as entirely un-Drax, a fundamental betrayal of Drax culture and society. Secrets and lies are unacceptable and will result in one’s banishment from the Drax - either temporarily or permanently, depending on the reason. Drax Inquisitors are trained to delve deep into a person's mind to discover any hidden truths within, the process being an brute force attack on the subject's psyche. Such techniques are regrettably and rarely used, but still present in Drax to maintain the commitment to honesty above all.

The Drax are not specifically xenophobic to other races, however they have remained politically isolated due to their distrust of other species that are not openly telepathic with them; they are physically uncomfortable attempting to lessen or stop their open telepathy around other species. The Drax are also known to wear gloves and covering clothing while in foreign environments to protect themselves.

Apart from the controlled entryway corridor, it is said that the Drax have deployed Inquisitors at the borders of the Diamond Nebula, and on each of the planet's moons. These Defensive Inquisitors have developed the ability to project their thoughts onto nearby targets, delivering blinding headaches, hallucinations, and nauseating feelings to any unwelcome guests. This is a highly skilled ability that only rare members of the Drax have developed, and typically only used in defence of the planet.

Drax society is rich with the exploration of ideas, thoughts, and feelings. Emotions in particular are seen as normal as breathing, and everything from joy to jealously, pleasure to pain, happiness to humiliation is encouraged. The Drax believe in experiencing the full plethora of emotions and will often feature this in their schools to help developing Drax identify and understand their emotions. Art and music that invokes emotional reactions is highly regarded.

There are no deities or religions on Drax, as they do not believe in something they cannot feel or connect with, and their society is based on scientific rationalism and logical consensus. They are not as strictly objective as the Vulcans, due to their abundance of emotional resonance, nor are they as emotionally guided as the Betazoids due to their isolationist past.

HISTORY

It is unlikely that Drax was seeded by the Progenitor species due to the isolation of their planet, however they share DNA remnants of the Cairn species, another telepathic species that are located nearby. It is possible the planet was colonised by a settlement of the Cairns at some point in their history; and have developed their own abilities and society in complete isolation.

As the Drax's scientific development continued, they began to search for life beyond their nebula but could not penetrate through the dust cloud. Eventually, they developed a gravitational field that allowed them to open a corridor through the nebula and explore outside of it. Eventually, they were able to develop a permanent "doorway" that they could control to help protect their homeworld.

While Drax Prime is not want for resources, however their curious minds and willingness to experience other emotions persuaded the Drax the pursue diplomatic relations with other species - albeit in very controlled, short periods. It is rare for the Drax to allow outside races into their nebular, very few have ever landed on the planet themselves. This has been regarded for only a select few races.

As the Chalnoth became aware of them, the Drax found themselves with a serious potential threat on their horizon. The warrior Chalnoth were incredibly aggressive and saw the Drax as rare meat. This has made it necessary for the Drax to curtail and limit their trade and travel routes out of their nebula, as well as seek defensive agreements with neighbouring species.

RECENT HISTORY

The Drax first encountered the Federation around 40 years previously, which they saw as a strangely fascinating but also confusing mixing of species and peoples - something they could not support. The Drax were politically neutral with the Federation, however remained curious about learning more about them.

The Diamond Nebula was studied by the USS Stargazer in 2359. Sensing a threat, the Drax employed their Defensive Inquisitors to protect their planet. Once an understanding was reached, a Drax envoy visited the Stargazer and were enthralled by Starfleet's technical prowess, weaponry, and their mixed crew of capable officers.

In the past 10 years, the Drax have made overtures towards joining the Federation, which has increased in the previous 5 years for unknown reasons. The Drax and the Federation have been undergoing negotiations for a draft Protectorate treaty, however talks have stalled numerous times as the Drax remain hesitant towards finalising the agreement.

In 2395, the USS Pandora was dispatched to Drax Prime, upon invitation from the Drax Council, to complete negotiations for a Protectorate Treaty.