Ildis Kitan

Ildis Kitan
Relatives	Drenala Kitan - Wife Alara Kitan - Daughter Solana Kitan - Daughter
Affiliation	Planetary Union
Occupation / Position	Professor
Portrayed by	Robert Picardo
First Seen	Firestorm
Biographical information
Marital status	Married
Status	Alive
Home Planet	Xelaya
Physical description
Species	Xelayan
Gender	Male

I am so proud. So very proud that you are my daughter. And I'm so sorry that you got me for a father.— Ildis to Alara

Ildis Kitan was a Xelayan university professor of medical science. He was the husband of Drenala Kitan and father of Solana Kitan, a researcher on Jintann 9, and Alara Kitan, the Chief of Security aboard the USS Orville.

Ildis considered Alara to be "intellectually deficient" and humans to be "the hillbillies of the galaxy" because of their reverence for the military. Typical of Xelayan culture, he esteemed scientific labors and thought of the military as a necessary, but unrewarding pursuit.

Career

Ildis was a university professor in medical sciences and taught at an unnamed university. He had a few "stints" at the University of Xenara Medical School as visiting lecturer in the past as well.

"A few years" before 2419, Ildis challenged research by Associate Professor Galdus Harona in a paper published in the Xelayan Journal of Science titled: "The Mellara Vaccine and Its Effects on the Risk of Torin's Syndrome: A Formal Dispute." Ildis later said that he had merely echoed what "every credible researcher in the field knew," that Galdus' methodology was "flawed," "incomplete," and in bad need of more peer review.

Family

Ildis and Drenala raised their daughters Solana and Alara from the late 24th century until the 2410s. Solana became a researcher, eventually working on a laboratory on Jintann 9.

Relative to other Xelayans, Alara was intellectually disadvantaged. By their own account, Ildis and Drenala did their best to raise Alara, but Alara later said that Ildis had reminded her of her learning disability "every day."

Alara left Xelaya to join the military wing of the Planetary Union, possibly around the year 2416, a decision Ildis said "broke our hearts." He believed that her departure was due to feeling "trapped" with limited career options.

In March 2420, Alara called her parents to discuss whether she had an experience in her life that gave rise to her fear of fire. They discussed it, but the conversation eventually turned to her career in the Planetary Union where Ildis urged Alara to return to Xelaya and pursue a degree. Even though he considered her mentally slower than average Xelayans, he continued, "Just because you're a little slow doesn't mean you can't get there if you work hard enough. A lot of intellectually deficient people find a place for themselves here."

Personality

Ildis, like his wife, appears disappointed with his daughter's decision to join the Union's military as opposed to getting an education on Xelaya. Nonetheless, he still loves and supports whatever Alara decides to do with her life, even if it is considered less reputable by the standards of Xelayan culture.

Production

Costume sketch (Home)

Costume sketch (Home)

Trivia

• According to Drenala, Ildis' and her favorite activity is to brag of Solana's PhD.
• Robert Picardo, who plays Ildis, is also known for his role as The Doctor in the sci-fi series Star Trek: Voyager.

Appearances

• Episode 1x10: Firestorm
• Episode 2x03: Home