Welcome to Ten Forward Fridays, where a new playable species is presented for the Star Trek Adventures roleplaying game, filling in some gaps until official material can be released.
For December we’re journeying back in time to the era of Star Trek: The Original Series, adding species that could be used in games set in that timeframe. This week is the Horta.
The intelligent silicon-based lifeforms known as Horta appeared in a single episode of The Original Series 1×26 The Devil in the Dark. They’re a rocky race that can burrow through solid stone by releasing concentrated acid. Despite their monstrous appearance, they’re gentle and dislike violence. While they only appeared once, I’m including the Horta because they’re iconic and also because they were featured heavily in licensed media, specifically books and comics. There’s over a half-dozen named Horta, including a couple that joined Starfleet. Non-humanoid races are tricky to portray on television but imagination-based roleplaying games are not so limited.
A Horta character could easily fit into campaign set after The Original Series. Even in the later years of Kirk’s era a Horta could work provided the Horta was a cadet or trainee. Some accommodations would have to be made to allow communication, and most portrayals of Horta characters include a voice synthesizer. A few Horta also make use of a prosthetic arm, which seems necessary for operating controls or handling tools.
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