Yo, yet another Trekkie preparing to write a fic series about her own OC crew. I wanted a non-humanoid in there, and I've grown fond of the Tholians. The Tholians of course are a very xenophobic species, for the most part. But every "Star Trek" species has a few individuals who go against the tide. I can come up with a back-story for my Tholian crew-member easily enough, but even so, I'd love to hear suggestions. What are some reasons a Tholian might join Starfleet? The one twist I do NOT want to use is, "She's here to study humanoids.... but then it turns out it's for a Tholian invasion!" Because (spoiler) "Orville." Aside from that already-done twist, any other ideas?
I think the idea of her being an outcast might have the most chance for character development, dealing with her isolation, loss of place in the world, having to adapt to humanoids, mistrust from shipmates about why she's there, lots of possible angles to explore.
I wouldn't play up the 'outcast' angle because Garak, but a Tholian who feels her species' xenophobia is ultimately harming it and consequently has gone to the Federation as the least xenophobic group she could find could have potential. In the sense that she wants to learn from them and try to bring some of their ideas back to the Tholians...but at the same time,there should be a lot of Federation ideas she's not necessarily on board with. Keep in mind that Tholians will necessitate environmental considerations.
In the novels, Ambassador Tezrene is the respresentative of her people and spends some amount of time on Earth each year. The suit she wears sounds like it would not really fit the confined space of a starship, or be a good idea to be around if it tore.
I like the idea of actively seeking engagement with other species, rather than being an outcast from the Tholian realm. Perhaps this Tholian heard that carbon-based lifeforms have more fun. Kor
To annex the Federation? Or to look the glitziest in the Federation's best nightclub? Oh look, here he is dancing and doing his favorite chant! But in seriousness, I voted "Was once rescued by a Federation ship, and became enamored with Starfleet"
haha. That's (test) footage of the Tholian the late Thomas Sasser built for "The Tressaurian Intersection" (link).