Mariposan

The Mariposans were a Human culture which developed on the colony world of Mariposa beginning in the early 22nd century.

The original Mariposans were a collection of geneticists, molecular biologists, neurologists and other scientists, who left Earth on 27 November 2123 aboard the SS Mariposa, along with another group known as the Bringloidi. After leaving these others on a planet named Bringloid, the Mariposa continued on to the planet Mariposa, where tragically, the ship hull breached, killing 289 and leaving only five survivors. In order to build their colony and society, these five successfully cloned themselves. Over the following centuries, the Mariposans prospered, though they struggled with the problem of DNA replicative fading, which would render any further cloning impossible.

In 2365, the Mariposans came back into contact with the rest of humanity when the USS Enterprise-D visited. The Mariposan Prime Minister, Wilson Granger, appealed to the Enterprise crew to donate DNA which they could use to produce additional clones, but was refused. He then attempted to steal cellular samples from the crewmembers, but when discovered, the Enterprise crew destroyed the samples and the clones being grown from them. An arrangement was then reached where the former Bringloidi, having been rescued from their dying world, were transplanted to Mariposa, primarily to ensure the planet's population would continue to propagate. (TNG episode: "Up the Long Ladder")

The Mariposan government formally became the United Ficus Colony, headed by both a Mariposan and a Bringloidi Prime Minister. However, the two groups remained distinct from one another, and endured a significant degree of strain during the first decade following reunion. (SCE eBook: Out of the Cocoon)