Asari

Government and Culture

The Asari were slow to the idea of a centralized government in their formative years. At first, they were clustered into city-states within their homeworld of Thessia, conducting friendly relations with one another, but never seeking to rule or dominate. It was the development of a globalized network similar to what the humans called the "internet" that brought Asari city-states together, with chats going on throughout Thessia regarding politics at almost all times, a democratic structure that persists to this day. The Asari are a generally democratic society, but the opinions of older Asari hold more weight in most discussions than those of those who are younger. 

The Asari were the first to achieve interstellar travel, and the first to discover the Citadel, thus giving the Asari a founding position in the Citadel Council, which governs interstellar affairs.

Government / Culture

The Asari are among the most widespread species in the known universe, and given the most respect. Rather than exert force to achieve their goals, Asari prefer to use diplomacy, and are thus among the most skilled diplomats among the Citadel-alligned races. Despite this, Asari commandos are among the most lethal military units, combining rigid discipline and natural Asari affinity to biotic power to form lethal warriors. Even the Turians, a race renouned for their military prowess, have a profound respect for Asari commandos.

In keeping with their open society, the Asari are generally not repressed about their sexuality the way many other cultures are, leading to assumptions of Asari promiscuity that are patently false. This has also led to a willingness by strip club owners to use Asari dancers.

Biology

Asari have a robust cellular regenerative system.  While they do not heal faster than other species, Asari are known to reach a thousand years of age.  Although Asari are mono-gendered, they are not asexual.  An Asari 

Asari Biotics

Asari can engage in and take pleasure from physical sexual contace, but that isn't how they produce children. Rather, the Asari will join with her mate through a form of parthenogenesis, through which both their nervous system are linked. This allows the Asari to breed with anyone, regardless of race or gender. In fact, the Asari not only have the ability to reproduce with other species, but generally prefer to do so. The children of two Asari partners are often looked down upon as "purebloods," since they are thought to bring nothing genetically to the race (though most will not speak of these prejudices openly out of politeness).

Melding

During melding, an Asari consciously attunes her nervous system to her partner’s, sending and receiving electrical impulses directly through the skin.  The partner can be another Asari, or an alien of either gender. Due to the nature of melding two minds, effectively, the Asari and her partner briefly become one unified nervous system.  This unique means of reproduction is the reason Asari are talented biotics. Their ability, consciously controlling nerve’ impulses, is very similar to biotic training.  Asari believe that their offspring acquire the best qualities of the “father” from the melded genes, but evidence is anecdotal.

Life Stages

Asari pass through three climacteric life stages, marked by biochemical and physiological changes.

Matron (350-700 years): This is a more drawn back phase of life, in which the Asari focuses on laying the foundation for a family and find her place in society.

Matriarch (700-1000 years):An Asari in this phase of her life is more engaged in politics and culture, and is generally focused on leading the next generation of Asari.

While each stage of life is marked by strong biological tendencies, individuals do make unexpected life choices.  For instance, there are Maidens who stay close to home rather than explore, Matrons who would rather work than build a family, am Matriarchs who have no interest in community affairs.

Religion

Siari

The pantheistic mainstream Asari religion is Siari, which translates roughly as “All is One.”  The faithful agree on certain core truths:

• The universe is a consciousness
  
• 

  Asari
  Every life within it is an aspect of the greater whole
  
• Death is a merging of one’s spiritual energy back into the greater universal consciousness
  

Siarists don’t specifically believe in reincarnation; they believe that spiritual energy returned to the universal consciousness upon death will eventually be used to fill new mortal vessels.  Sairi became popular after the Asari left their homeworld and discovered their ability to mind meld with nearly any form of life.  This ability is seen as proof that all life is fundamentally similar.  Siari priestesses see their role as promoting unity between the disparate shards of the universe’s awareness.

Athame

Before the rise of Siari pantheism, Asari’ religions were as diverse as their political opinions.  The strongest survivor of those days was the monotheistic religion worshipping the goddess Athame.  Like the Asari, the goddess cycles through the triple aspects of maiden, matron, and matriarch.