Iroshar III, also known as Iroshar, was a Class M
planet in the Alpha Quadrant. It was the home planet of the Irosha
species, the capital of Iroshan society, and a member of the
Ferengi Alliance. The symbiotic zhr species, native to neighboring
Iroshar IV, were also commonplace, as were Ferengi and other
species.
Species
The Irosha were a humanoid species
native to Iroshar III. Irosha were visually indistinguishable from
humans, and only genetic analysis
that did not appear in other planet's populations could detect
whether an individual had Irosha ancestry. In particular, the
Irosha lacked many genetic markers that were found in humans and
other Earth species (as well as the Voth in the Delta Quadrant.)
The zhrs were a small, insect-like species native to Iroshar IV.
Zhrs were typically between six and fourteen centimeters in
length. They were capable of flight and speech, and were able to
learn human languages. On some parts of Iroshar, capitalizing the
first letter in the word "zhr" as a proper noun was considered
offensive, because it was perceived to imply a shared identity
that (in many zhrs' minds) did not exist.
Symbiosis
Zhrs could live independently or form a symbiotic relationship
with a host organism, in which the symbiont was converted to a
non-material form and stored in the host's brain. Because of this,
zhrs were believed to descend, at least in part, from a species
native to another dimension.
In a symbiotic relationship, the host would normally be aware of
the symbiont's presence; usually, this meant that the host could
see and/or hear the symbiont, even though it was not physically
present.
Zhrs could naturally join with animal host species native to
Iroshar IV. To join with an Irosha or another species required
special equipment; such equipment was commonplace on Iroshar.
Either the host or the symbiont could choose to break the link at
any time, which would cause the symbiont to rematerialize.
Once joined, most zhrs would develop a shared identity with their
hosts, seeing themselves as a single person, and their
personalities and memories would be combined. In situations where
this did not happen, they would choose to sever the link and try
again with someone else. As a result, if a joined pair was split
apart after spending a long time together, both organisms would
identify as the same person and share most of their memories.
It was common for joined Iroshans to have artificial antennae
implanted which would provide additional sensory input to the
symbiont, and to wear tinted goggles to lower the intensity of
green and blue light.
Behavior
Iroshans often had difficulty reading the emotions of others,
which made it difficult for them to achieve emotionally intimate
relationships outside of symbiosis. Individuals were generally
distrustful of anyone outside their inner circle; some of them
were known to trust aliens more than members of their own species.
Society
Iroshan society in the 24th century was organized around
business. All Iroshan businesses were employee-owned; smaller
companies would be spun off from larger ones as departments
started to form silos . Large projects were achieved through trade
groups and joint ventures, where multiple companies would
contribute their employees towards a particular effort.
Most Iroshans lived and slept in their offices. Unemployment was
rare, but poverty was relatively common.
The Iroshan Trade and Governance Association
served as the government of the Iroshar system. However, private
businesses held most of the real power in Iroshan society, and the
Association was largely powerless to regulate them due to
infighting and a lack of political will.
Culture
The most commonly spoken Iroshan languages used three genders:
one for people driven by logic, another for those driven by
emotion, and a third for inanimate objects. It was difficult for
emotional individuals to rise in rank in the workplace.
Card games were popular on Iroshar. A standard Iroshan card deck
had two suits: lakes (●), and trees (▲). Each suit
had cards numbered 1 through 9, two leg cards (╲ and ╱), and two
wing cards (❨ and ❩). Some decks also included two blank cards. A
Ferengi company on Iroshar III manufactured a 58-card deck that
could also be used for human card games.
Economy
Iroshar had a capitalist economy, since Iroshans did not trust
each other enough to freely share what was available.
Although the planet was under the authority of the Iroshan Trade
and Governance Association (ITGA), most of the power was
decentralized and split between competing businesses. In the
mid-24th century, the ITGA, which wanted to increase participation
in the economy, made several attempts to provide universal health
care, which were met with pushback from the public and were
largely unsuccessful.
Technology
Although Iroshan engineers were capable of building warp engines,
the technology was not well-developed. Most Iroshan starships were
designed for travel inside the solar system, and used a
combination of traditional impulse engines and repeated
time-travel bursts to achieve speeds of up to 0.97c without time
dilation. Iroshan ships with warp capability generally used
Ferengi warp technology.
Foreign
Relations
Ferengi traders were already well known to the Iroshans by the
22nd century, and a considerable number of Ferengis lived in the
Iroshar system. By the late 24th century, the Iroshar system was
affiliated with the Ferengi Alliance on
a rolling contract which allowed either side to opt out with 10
years' notice. After the destruction of Romulus, the Alliance was
considered by many to be the third most powerful entity in the
quadrant, after the Federation and the Klingon Empire.
The Iroshar system was once invited to join the Federation, but
the Iroshans were not ready to trust the Federation, or each
other, to provide for their needs. Nevertheless, the Federation
considered Iroshar an ally.