Biology:

Physical Description: About the size of a fox and resembling something between a cat and a bear

cub. Lumi has electric blue fur, accented in spots with purple and yellow in the ears and the fur on

its neck but fur colour can vary in the species, usually in different shades of blue and purple.

They have four legs, paws with five toes at the front and four at the back and a large bushy tail.

Two antennae are on the top of its head, both containing purple spheres which seem to pulse

energy. They tend to have large eyes with yellow instead of white around the iris.

 

Electric-shock: Like an electric eel, Chernov produce electric shocks to defend themselves.

The shocks are not powerful enough to kill anything (or at least not anything big) but they can

stun attackers.*

 

Diet: Because their biology is dependant on a lot of energy, the Chernov need to eat a lot.

They eat mostly fruits, vegetables, berries and grass and they've got two stomachs (like cows) to

get as much energy as possible from their food. In spite of being herbivores, they have two vestigial canines, likely left over from an earlier point in their evolution. 

 

Sleep: Similar to humans there is individual variance but between 6-10 hours depending on the individual (average of 8). 

 

Reproduction: Chernov reproduce asexually by turning electricity into matter. On their home planet, when a Chernov decides they want to have a baby, they go to a highly charged spring and consume energy from that. The energy is used to produce an egg which the creature lays. It hatches within 6 months as long as it's kept connected to an energy source. At home, that would mean leaving the egg inside the spring until it hatches but it can be done using artificial means as well. 

 

Culture: 

The Chernov are an advanced, warp-capable civilisation but until the recent attack on their homeworld, they've mostly kept to themselves. They value nature and tend to live in small settlements inside of forests but they do use technology. Their technology is always designed to blend in well with the environment and be as environmentally conscious as possible. This is partly because there was a time in their history (a long time ago, probably thousands of years) where their planet was almost destroyed because of mistreating the environment. They hate waste and like to recycle everything. 

 

Religion: There are lots of different religions on the planet but a lot of them focus on the concept of energy and how it's never created or destroyed. Most Chernov believes in some kind of reincarnation, but not all of them. Like with all cultures, there's individual variance in beliefs. 

 

Family: Even though Chernov don't mate, they do form packs with their closest friends. The size of a pack can vary but is usually between 3 or 4 adults and their children. They raise the children together. 

 

Ageing: Lifespans are similar to humans, they reach maturity around 18. Noticeable aging past maturity isn't obvious until a Chernov is very old and the energy starts to dissipate from their bodies. 

​

*The Chernov are inspired by a quote from Chekov in Star Trek TOS: 

"This creature was capable of generating and controlling energy without causing itself harm. In 2267, Pavel Chekov listed it, the electric eel, and the giant dry-worm as examples of such creatures when attempting to understand the source of Apollo's power, but Leonard McCoy interrupted him before he could finish saying the creature's name, saying "not the whole encyclopedia, Chekov." (TOS: "Who Mourns for Adonais?")" 

https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Unnamed_non-humanoids_(23rd_century)

​

​