The Kzin
COMBAT:
The Kzinti are physically large (usually 2.5 meters tall), and they have a preference for unarmed (natural claws and teeth) combat. They also use phasers and disruptors.
Immensely powerful, Kzinti have more than one heart and vertical bracing of their ribs. Their warrior code of single combat commits them to fight to the death any foe who engages in hand-to-hand combat with one of them. If a Kzin commander is physically attacked, combat reinforcements may not be requested until honor is settled.
Kzin are known for their favored attack strategy, which is "Scream and Leap" (as in just scream and leap).
HABITAT/SOCIETY:
Kzinti only eat flesh (preferably blood-raw and served at body temperature), and refuse to speak to herbivorous beings, save when absolutely necessary. They also revile pacifists, so Vulcans are doubly contemptible to them. They will reluctantly converse with omnivores like humans, although they will use other peoples for food if possible.
Kzinti females are non-sentient, animal-minded creatures (unlike Ferengi females who are only repressed), and fought over, kept in harems much like lion prides. Kzin males frequently forget that females of other species
are usually sentient beings. This leads many of them to underestimate female opponents, because they instinctively consider females to be inferior.
The Kzinti and Lyrans, though both feline, hate each
other. The Caitains and the Kzinti also do not get along too well, though they are on
better relations than the Lyrans.
The Kzin produce telepaths with great ability to read minds, but these individuals tend to be unhappy neurotics. Although they do not need to touch a subject to read its mind, they are reluctant to read omnivore minds, and will only read herbivore or female minds if disciplined by the commander. Reading minds causes great psychological stress to telepaths, and unless the telepath rests for a period of time after each mind reading, the stresses build up and they tend to lose consciousness. Thus, Kzinti commanders do not use their telepathic subordinates casually. Every police ship has one telepath aboard, and
15-25% of other Kzinti ships have one on board as well.Among the Kzin, names are given only to individuals who have been awarded that honor by the Patriarch, the ruler of all the Kzin. This practice is similar to the British monarch awarding knighthood to worthy individuals. Unnamed Kzin are referred to only by their rank or specialty – i.e., Captain, Flyer (starship pilot), Telepath, and so forth. Distinguished Kzin gain a partial name (i.e., “Chuft” Captain, “Jarl” Captain are examples of typical partial names). Only the greatest of Kzinti warriors gain a full name, which is unrelated to their partial or rank/specialty names.
HISTORY:
Around the time that the Romulans and Federation were fighting their first war, the Klingons and Kzinti met each other in their first war. Both sides consider the other to be evil barbarians. Kzinti, while being honorable by their own standards, tend to consider other races to be inferior to them, and consider eating dead sentient beings to be acceptable (but then, Klingons have odd diets at times as well). Though they fought for many years, there was no successful end to the war.
Eventually, the Kzinti met the Federation, and attempted to conquer them. It didn't work, but the Federation tended to treat Kzinti prisoners
well, and though other wars occurred, they eventually became friendly. Though this friendship was always limited; even when the Klingons were advancing on Kzin (the name of the Kzinti home-world), the Kzinti maintained a large fleet on the Federation border.ECOLOGY:
They have no moral issues with eating other sentient beings (the prey thing again) often before such beings are rendered non-sentient. They host barbeques for their prisoners, who are the center of attention (and usually the main course as well).
STAR SHIPS:
In terms of design, old-style Kzinti ships have more missiles than Klingons, similar or fewer disruptors, and a mix of phaser 1 and 3 (no phaser 2). They are relatively underpowered designs, but since missiles don't need power and phaser 3 are very
efficient, they don't need as much power.Current Kzinti ships, while they are designed in the same way as the old style, in terms of aesthetics, posses modern warp
drives
that are generally similar to a Federation Galaxy-class starship in engine design. A typical Hunter-class Police ship’s maximum
warp is 9.93. They tend to possess Klingon or Romulan style disruptors, and are also
capable of launching photon torpedoes. Recent
reports also mention that Kzin ships now possess cloaking technology, though how or where
they got it from still remains a mystery.
Typical names of Kzinti ships are: “Traitors Claw," "Hot Needle of Inquiry," “Cat Who Sleeps With Dogs,” “Cat Who Sees Stars,” “Cat Who Feels Your Pain,” and “Blackheart Seeker” are to name a few.
KZINTI RANKS:
Because of their previous status as a Federation Protectorate, the Kzinti have adopted some things from Starfleet, and changed it to suit their needs. Below is a listing of the Kzin Military/Police Command Structure, and their Starfleet Counterparts. The Patriarch, Ruler of all Kzin, ranks above even the highest War Admiral. Not all Kzin who have a rank have a full name.
Kzinti Ranks
Starfleet Ranks
Warrior
