The Children of Tama

The Children of Tama are a reclusive, non-humanoid-speaking species from the planet Tama, featured in Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Darmok" (Season 5, Episode 2). They are also referred to as Tamarians.

The Tamarians are members of the United Federation of Planets, but communication with them has long been unsuccessful due to their unique language, which is entirely based on metaphor and allegory. Their speech references mythological and historical figures from Tamarian culture, such as “Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra”, making literal translation by universal translators ineffective without shared context.

Subject ID: 202052

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The Children of Tama are a reclusive, non-humanoid-speaking species from the planet Tama, featured in Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Darmok" (Season 5, Episode 2). They are also referred to as Tamarians.

The Tamarians are members of the United Federation of Planets, but communication with them has long been unsuccessful due to their unique language, which is entirely based on metaphor and allegory. Their speech references mythological and historical figures from Tamarian culture, such as “Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra”, making literal translation by universal translators ineffective without shared context.

First contact is achieved when Captain Dathon of the Tamarian vessel isolates himself with Captain Picard on El-Adrel IV, forcing a shared experience that allows Picard to understand the metaphor-based language. Dathon's sacrifice enables the breakthrough, making the Tamarians one of the most culturally distinct and memorable species in Star Trek canon.

Subject ID: 202052

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