#Andorian awards and commendations

[indignantlemur]

Did a thinky think while on the elliptical- now I gotta know if Andorians have any awards like our Nobel or Pulitzer.

-Horta-in-Charge

This is a fascinating question! Thank you!

Alright, to set the baseline I'll define what the Nobel and Pulitzer prizes are actually awarded for.

The Nobel Prize is granted to individuals and organizations that have made contributions toward the improvement of human welfare, such as chemistry, medicine and physics. This is an international prize. The Pulitzer Prize acknowledges journalism that has best exhibited “distinguished journalism, outstanding writing and photography. This is specific to the United States, though there are international equivalents.

Or, to really render it down to bare bones: the Nobel is for improvements and advancements for our entire species, through science, while the Pulitzer (and its international equivalents) is for contributions to culture in the form of art and writing, including journalism.

So, looking at the purpose of the awards, I think it would be reasonable to assume that Andorians would have something in the same vein, if not necessarily exactly the same. Since Emigre takes place at the beginning of the Federation, however, I imagine that there's still some significant separation between Andorian awards and ceremonies and everyone else's. The Federation is still in its infancy, and while I think eventually everyone will be on the same page it's not quite reasonable to me to assume that Andoria would just dump it's old and familiar ways of doing things and adopt a whole new system right away. In fact, I can't see Andorians as I've envisioned them ever really getting rid of their original versions of anything.

So, what would prestigious awards for Andorians look like?

In previous asks, we've established that Andoria is run by the civil government, the Imperial Guard, and the Guilds, all of which function under the umbrella of the Emperor. Thus, it makes sense to me that the most prestigious and sought-after awards stem from these four sources.

Let's start with the Guilds. Guild awards would be primarily for lifetime excellence and contributions to Andorian culture, I think, and would be selected by a council of senior members from each Guild. To prevent any corruption or internal politicking, no one from the same Guild as a nominee would be permitted to vote on their selection, and generally the council members voting would be required to remain segregated from the others until the voting was complete. It's not fool-proof, and there have been scandals in the past where it was discovered that so-and-so gave 'incentives' for someone to vote a particular way, which usually had everyone else up in arms about it for weeks afterwards while the whole thing was investigated by a neutral third party.

The civil government has very little to do with awards. In the past they used to present awards to individuals who, through their position, introduced revolutionary laws or worked to shape the future of Andoria, but the general populace actually protested the idea. It felt, to many, to be too much like a bunch of politicians patting themselves on the back for the work of their underlings. The awards were very quickly declared defunct, and most Clans who have these awards in their family history find them a little embarrassing.

The Imperial Guard is less about awards and more about medals and merits, and individuals are recognized for their accomplishments based on performance reviews, recommendations by superiors, and quite often by recommendations from their peers as well. It's very common for a Guardsman to be recognized by their peers and put forward for a commendation, often with the thought that what benefits the individual is to the benefit of all. The highest possible commendation is given directly from the Emperor (and/or his proxy) for exceptional service to Andoria and her people, though it should be noted that this award is often given posthumously. The last military award given by the Emperor was given to Thy'lek Shran alongside a promotion to the rank of General for his accomplishments in the field in service to Andoria.

And now, we look at the Imperial Family. Very, very rarely will the Emperor (or Empress, as the case may be) give out any kind of commendation or award himself or via a proxy, but when it happens it's a big deal. Most often, it's for a Hero of Andoria (who is almost always a Guardsman, and usually a deceased one at that) but now and then someone contributes something so fundamentally valuable to the culture of Andoria that the Emperor recognizes them. The last cultural contribution that warranted such an award was the work of an Andorian woman who personally lead a small team to excavate and translated ancient texts carved into the ice surrounding an extinct Clan's holdings describing the roots of early Andorian civilization.

Hopefully this covers everything, but feel free to ask for clarification on any points I might have been a bit vague on!

[benikoumori]

Star Trek II: Biographies 62

Spock Present rank: Captain Born: Shi Kahr, Vulcan, 56 Tasmeen 503 Father: Sarek Mother: Amanda Grayson (Homo Sapiens) Siblings: None Marital Status: Unmarried Children: None Education: Vulcan Primary School; Vulcan Academy of Science, University of Makropyrios; Starfleet Academy, Class 85. Starfleet Academy Grade Average: 4 Primary Language: Vulcan and Universal English; also Rigellian, Andorian, Coridan alpha, Trexlor, French, Creon, Baroni, Sarcaniflex, Do-an-muli. Commendations: Vega Award of Merit, Comet Class Plixar, Hydrogen Class Z-Mangre Prize, 10th Class King Axnar's Iridium Star Martian Colonies Award of Merit Federation Academy of Sciences Einstein Award Starfleet Unit Citation, with Four Clusters Starfleet Commendations, 97 Awards of Valor: Denebian Star of Heroism, First Class Axanar Medal with Nova Coridan Order of Heroism Procyon Order of St.Mark Starfleet Citation for Conspicuous Gallantry Order of the Knights of Trexlor Federation Exceptional Service Medal United Federation of Planets Golden Sun Star of Sirius (Posthumous) United Federation of Planets Golden Medal of Honor (Posthumous) Condemnations: None Starfleet Academy Demerits: None Interests: Meditation; Terran poetry; music; 3-D chess; Trexlor barra Starfleet Assignments: U.S.S.Sirius, NCC-1744 (Heavy Cruiser), Assistant Science Officer U.S.S.Phardos, NCC-1757 (Heavy Cruiser), Science Officer U.S.S.Enterprise, NCC-1701 (Heavy Cruiser), Science Officer and First Officer Leave of Absence U.S.S.Enterprise, NCC-1701 (Heavy Cruiser), Science Officer and First Officer Starfleet Academy, staff U.S.S.Enterprise, NCC-1701 (Heavy Cruiser), Commanding Officer (Special circumstances) Star Trek II: Biographies 62 https://benikoumori.livejournal.com/15728.html via LiveJournal

[indignantlemur]

Various Andorian Headcanons:

The list became so long that tumblr wouldn't let me add more, so I'm breaking this up into separate posts.

Andorians and Food

Andorians and the Sea

Andorian Governing Bodies & The Role of Nepotism

Andorian Marriage Dynamics & Divorce

Andorian Proposals

Andorian Religion & Spirituality (And horror stories)

The Andorian Imperial Clan

Andorian Hair

Andorian Holidays

Andorian Courtship Ring Metallurgy

Andorian Medical Professionals

Andorian Awards and Commendations

Andorians and Figure Skating

Andorians and Dancing

Andorians and Currency

The Andorian Facepalm?

Andorian-Vulcan relations pre-ST:ENT

Andorian Language and Conlang

Andorian Weddings and Funerals

Andorian Attitudes on Interspecies Relationships

Andorian-Human Hybridization

The Am Tal and The Andorian Incident

Andorian Clan Identification and Chitin Patterns

Andorian Names

Andorians and Adoption

Clanless Andorians

Andorians and Rites of Passage into Adulthood

The Code of the Ushaan and the Holmgang

Andorian Fairy Tales

Kelenthor the Clanless and Watercolours

Human-Andorian First Contact headcanons

Andorian Fashion and Fabrics

Are Andorians Extroverts or Introverts?

Andorian Family Dynamics

Andorian Cosmetics and Perfumes

Andorian Arts: Theatre/Opera/Poetry/Etc

Andorian Quad Marriages vs Bonds

Temperatures on Andoria

Andorian Humour and Philosophy

The Spirits of Andoria

Andorian Blood Chemistry RE: Toxins and Cyanide

Andorian Homes and Decor

Star Trek Species in the Star Wars Universe

Andorian Mate Selection (Pheromones, Personality Traits, & More)

Andorians on Punks and Goths

Andorians on Diss Tracks

Andorians and Crime & Punishment

Andorian Etiquette vs Human Etiquette

Kelenthor the Clanless - More lore!

Andorian Lore & Character Lore tidbits

Character Lore Tidbits: Thoris

Character Lore Tidbits: Shral

Character Lore Tidbits: Thelen

Andorians and UV Exposure: Do Andorians Tan?

Andorians and Cave Diving

Character Lore: Shral's Family & Childhood

Andorian Conservation Efforts & Environmentalism

Andorian Education and Childcare

Andorians of Human Family Units & Thoris' POV in Ch 5

Andorian Quads and Larger Arrangements

Character Lore Tidbits: Thoris' Childhood

Thoris' Thoughts on Shral's Pining?

Vulcan and Andorian Cultural Compatibilities

Human-Andorian First Contact: Revisited

Andorian Opinions on Romulans

Andorians, Rodeos, and The Post-Scarcity Implications for the Terran Meat Industry

Andorian Jewelry

Shran, Archer, Trip, T'Pol and TATV in Emigre

Changes to Andorian Culture Over Time

Emigre Crew vs Carolers

What Dagmar Got Everyone For Christmas

Andorians and Salt

Thoris' Sleeping Arrangements in Emigre

Andorian Cryptids

What If the Mission in ENT 'Broken Bow' Had Failed?

If Shral Brought Dagmar to Meet His Family

Who Are Thoris' Spouses?

WIP Ask: Mirror 'Verse Emigre

How Old Is Thoris?: Andorian vs Human Lifespans

Character Lore: Emperor Rissithiath th'Zaa'Kor

Shrancher and Andorian Commando headcanons

Andorian Friendship & Human Antics

Andorian Superstitions

Transgender and Non-Binary Individuals in Andorian Society

Vilashral's Family and Potential Objections to Dagmar

Andorian Clans, Parentage, and Another Thoris Tidbit

The Cast Members' Guilty Pleasures

The Casts' Most Embarrassing Memories

Andorian Lawyers and Interplanetary Law

Headcanons about Andorian Doctors

Andoria's Historical Timeline

Am Tal Opsec

Broken Bow: Humans as a Client Species

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