Races and groups in the Star Trek universe

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Hundreds of different fictional species are depicted and / or mentioned in the television series and films of the Star Trek universe . This article describes only those races who regularly make significant appearances in Star Trek.

Preliminary remark on the external similarity of most of the peoples

Most of the intelligent life forms that appear in Star Trek (regardless of their habitat) are very similar in size, stature and musculoskeletal system to humans. In the early days of the series, the budget constraints made it necessary to rely on actors with make-up as much as possible. That tradition has continued to this day, so most intelligent species are humanoid in a very narrow sense . Another aspect relates to the observance of scientific conditions, which consciously or unconsciously come into play in the series. A fundamental assumption is that life can only arise where the prerequisites for life, such as water and light, exist. If these prerequisites are met, one must also assume that living beings then go through an evolution similar to that which has been researched on earth.

In the Spaceship Enterprise series , this was justified with the (fictional) “Hodkins law of parallel planetary development” (but see also the actual biological concept of convergence ). It said that similar life forms develop again and again on different planets, regardless of habitat. This applies not only to the biology of life forms, but also to their culture. In doing so, Gene Roddenberry justified the use of props from other television productions.

In the series Spaceship Enterprise - The next century , the artificial dissemination of the basic genetic concept by an early humanoid species was introduced as an explanation (→ episode The Missing Fragment ). However, there have previously been other approaches to circumventing this problem. It was explained that the people of Organia assumed only human form, but that in their natural form they were not physically solid. With the Tholians it was avoided, at least in the older series, to give enough information to be able to conclusively assess the physique. (However, through modern computer processing, this species was given a clearly "non-humanoid" body in Star Trek: Enterprise .) The concept of the "being made of energy" or of any variable body structure was taken up again several times. With the increasing technical possibilities of the serial producers, non-humanoid traits can also be found, for example species 8472 or parts of the Xindi .

The concept of the humanoid form is not least a consequence of the fact that figures described by humans can ultimately only act more or less humanly. Ultimately, the series and films describe human behavior. Letting this be done by nonhumans allows one to violate human norms and limits and to drive action to extremes that seem implausible to humans or would not be tolerated by human protagonists.

Ba'ku

The Ba'ku are a humanoid species whose members can live to be hundreds of years old due to the rejuvenating properties of their new homeworld. The Ba'ku are potentially technologically advanced, but prefer to use only elementary technical achievements (such as looms) so as not to lose touch with nature.

The planet on which they have lived since their homeworld was destroyed is also called Ba'ku and is located in the fog of the Briar Patch in sector 441.

The species can only be seen in the movie Star Trek: The Uprising .

Son'a

The Son'a are Ba'ku who left their home planet. They subjugated two other species and incorporated them into their culture. During Dominionkriegs they are allied with the Dominion. Among other things, they produce the drug Ketracel-White for the Jem'Hadar and also fight on their side against the Federation . After the war, however, they allied themselves with the Federation in order to distribute a special radiation that only exists in the Ba'ku system over the entire quadrant and thus achieve perfect health. For this project the planet would have had to be evacuated, which was prevented by the USS Enterprise. As a result of these events, the Son'a returned to their people.

Bajorans

The Bajorans are a human-like species that only stand out from the outside through small folds or ripples on the bridge of their noses. In the first depictions in Spaceship Enterprise - The Next Century , they also had two small, flat, comb-like continuations that ran from the corrugations in a V-shape onto the forehead. These ridges were reduced from one episode to the next until the start of the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine series, only the changed bridge of the nose was left.

The Bajorans are a principally progressive species, but their development was held back by the more than 50-year occupation of Bajor by the Cardassian people. When the Bajorans are introduced into the Star Trek universe, the Cardassians are just beginning to withdraw from Bajor. The relations between these two peoples and the Federation are therefore often the focus of the plot: The Bajoran ensign (later Lieutenant) Ro Laren served under the command of Captain Picard on the USS Enterprise-D and after the withdrawal of the Cardassians, Commander Benjamin Sisko took over For Starfleet, at the request of the Bajoran Provisional Government and with the support of the local Kira Nerys, the space station Deep Space Nine , left behind by the Cardassians , which is initially in orbit of Bajor, but since its discovery at the entrance of the Bajoran wormhole, near the planet , is located.

In Bajoran names, the family name comes first. In the case of Major Kira Nerys, Nerys is the first name and Kira is the family name, and the correct salutation is Major Kira or later Colonel Kira .

The Bajoran religion is the unifying force of the Bajoran people, which is reflected in almost every aspect of daily life. So z. B. almost every Bajoran a religious ear jewelry, since this part of the body is considered by the Bajorans as the place that houses the Pah (roughly the Bajoran analogue of the soul); the spiritual leader, also called kai , has great moral and political authority, although the real political leader is the prime minister. The Bajoran religion is based on the "belief" in the Bajoran prophets, timeless beings who inhabit the wormhole near Bajor, which is therefore also called the Temple of Heaven . Since Benjamin Sisko was the first to come back from the wormhole, he was considered by the Bajorans to be the messenger of the prophets. Another important element of religion are the rotating bodies known as “tears of the prophets” , which have a meaning similar to relics and are capable of amazing things. Each rotating body has a specific purpose; for example there is the rotating body of time or the rotating body of prophecy. They come straight from the prophets. Some of these rotating bodies were stolen by the Cardassians during the occupation and some were later returned.

The Bajorans first appeared in Starship Enterprise - The Next Century and played a prominent role in the subsequent series Deep Space Nine . A few Bajorans can also be seen in Star Trek: Spaceship Voyager and Star Trek: Lower Decks .

The planet Bajor and the wormhole

Bajor is a class M planet and has five moons. It orbits the sun of the Bajor-B'Hava'el system and has a daily cycle of 26 hours.

The Bajoran people made space flights thousands of years ago using primitive techniques and have a rich cultural heritage such as the ancient city of B'Hala, which sank for 30,000 years and was believed to be a myth until the Prophet's emissary, Benjamin Sisko, rediscovered it in 2373 .

During the Cardassian occupation, Bajor's mineral resources were ruthlessly exploited and the population enslaved. An underground movement formed that eventually became strong enough to overpower the Cardassians and drive them from Bajor; the aftermath of the occupation is very present for many years afterwards and many of the former liberation fighters join the Maquis after the occupation has ended in order to continue their fight against the Cardassians.

The space station Terok Nor (later Deep Space Nine ), a Cardassian mining station, was in orbit of Bajor and was placed under joint command of the Bajorans and Starfleet after the occupation ended, because the Bajorans and the Federation did not trust themselves to do the job on their own asked for support, which then sent Starfleet to maintain the stability of the region. After the Bajoran wormhole is discovered, the station will be moved from orbit to a position near the wormhole, as it is of strategic importance. The wormhole is the only known consistently stable wormhole in all of the Federation's known territory and connects the Bajor-B'Hava'el system in the Alpha Quadrant with the Idran system in the Gamma Quadrant, 70,000 light-years away on the other side of the galaxy .

The wormhole becomes a point of conflict during the following years as it allows the penetration of ships from the Dominion, a warlike (forced) union of different peoples dominated by the shape-changing founders and quickly in conflict after the Federation invades the Gamma Quadrant with this device. In 2374, however, a huge Dominion force disappeared while attempting to fly through the wormhole. Responsible for this are the wormhole creatures, who consider it their task to protect the Bajorans.

The wormhole collapsed at the end of 2374 when a rotating body fell into the hands of one of the enemies of the prophets, a Pah spirit, and the latter was able to enter the Temple of Heaven. After Benjamin Sisko discovered the envoy's rotating body, he opened it despite visions of the Pah spirits, whereupon a kind of burst of energy leaves the rotating body, which restores the wormhole and drives away the Pah spirit.

The wormhole becomes visible when a ship approaches and then appears as a flickering golden light surrounded by blue clouds. As soon as the ship is in the wormhole, the visible opening disappears again. It also becomes visible when a ship emerges from the wormhole. The wormhole can only be crossed at less than the speed of light ("impulse"), as the wormhole destabilizes warp fields.

The wormhole is described as a tunnel phenomenon based on verteron particles; the rotating bodies are also verteron-based energy fields (verteron particles are a kind of exotic subspace particle in Star Trek). Trill scientist Lenara Kahn's attempt to artificially create a similar wormhole failed.

Borg

Borg culture

Logo Borg
Borg drone in a regeneration alcove

The Borg society is the model of a totalitarian but non-hierarchical society. Only in later episodes of Star Trek was the Borg society based on the structure of an insect people with a queen at the top. Their concept is the permanent technical adaptation of their bodies to changed environmental conditions (idea of ​​the cyborg ) and the ruthless expansion in the universe .

The Borg evolve by “ assimilating ” other species and their technologies , that is, absorbing their knowledge and experience in their entirety in order to add the new characteristics of the community through a collective consciousness. Individuals and individual consciousness do not exist among the Borg. Assimilated individuals are turned into drones whose bodies are equipped with mechanical implants and nanotechnology . This presents itself as a paradisiacal state for the Borg, because the collective consciousness ("Hive-consciousness") of the assimilated species has become virtually immortal. Nobody from the collective is left alone, everyone is needed. Perfection is the ideal of the Borg collective. A step towards perfection is also seen in the symbiosis of technical and biological components. The members' identification with the collective is total. A wireless communication with their headquarters, the Borg queen (originally species 125) helps them with this. The Borg can use subspace radio to call their collective for help in the event of a shipwreck, for example.

The Hive consciousness (or also often called "Hive spirit") is the network of thoughts of the Borg collective. It allows each drone to communicate with the rest of the collective. But first and foremost, it serves the Borg queen to give instructions to her drones. For example, it can call up the status of a certain ship or a certain drone, “control it remotely” or simply give instructions as to when the drone should do something. This happens more in the unconscious, because the collective can switch and control like a limb. The way the Queen gives instructions to the drones is just like having billions upon billions of arms everywhere. However, a drone can also send a status report of its own accord, for example if it has discovered an unassimilated life form. When she wakes up from the regeneration cycle, she sends the Borg Queen a message about her condition and activity (or an acknowledgment of orders). In addition, the hive consciousness is a kind of permanent permanent regeneration. Should a drone be slightly injured by the impact of a projectile, it is regenerated with the help of the currents of thought by the other drones and does not necessarily have to go to an alcove. The Borg do not age and neither wear nor rust. The Borg are sustained by assimilating individuals from alien species whose culture or technology the Borg are interested in. Children and babies can also be assimilated, but they are first raised in a special maturation chamber.

The drones themselves are more like computers than living organisms. They don't know feelings like pity, guilt, anger or the like. For them, physical pain is only the processing of a nerve current through the brain and nothing that "hurts". They are programmed to behave in a precisely predictable manner and, through constant contact with the queen, can be controlled by the queen. During or after regeneration, you will receive a list of tasks to be performed during your waking hours. Once this batch of tasks has been completed, the drone sends a report to the queen and either receives new tasks or begins a new regeneration cycle. The Borg drones in the collective don't work to live, nor do they live to work. Borg drones just work like part of a mechanical transmission. It is for this reason that when an individual escapes death through assimilation by the Borg, “life” is not used.

In battle, the Borg know neither pity nor mercy, since they understand the assimilation of other species as liberation from individual existence. The pursuit of profit, hatred and overreaction are also alien to them. The Borg do not die naturally, they are deactivated and recycled by their conspecifics , their ideas and experiences are retained by the collective.

The Borg regenerate in alcoves where they "sleep". There their energy stores are charged and they also receive new instructions. Every Borg drone has a recreation niche specially adapted to it. These niches or alcoves are on the sides of the corridors in the Borg cube , the typical Borg ship. Each of these niches requires almost 30  megawatts ( Voyager 5.16) of power . The drone takes its place in the niche and begins its regeneration. Just like everything else built by the Borg, the alcoves are adapted to their location and are usually built vertically into the side walls of aisles. The reason is likely to be efficient use of space and faster availability of drones after the regeneration cycle. The drones are automatically woken up as soon as their regeneration cycle has been completed or they are needed prematurely.

Borg spaceships are mostly huge cubes (cubes) or spheres (balls). The Borg ideal manifests itself in these forms: efficiency, technical perfection, strength and resilience. Aesthetic considerations do not play a role. The Borg Queen herself commands a special ship, a kind of grid in the shape of a rhombic pyramid , which houses a large, purple ball in the middle. The Voyager also encountered smaller scouts on its journey. All ships have astonishing regeneration capacities, but destruction by pure firepower cannot be completely ruled out. This shows a battle in 2373, in which a Starfleet Armada destroyed such a cube in battle. Captain Picard has the fleet bombard a section of the cube where the protective shields briefly failed ( Star Trek: The first contact ).

Most Borg ships use a special form of propulsion technology, the transwarp propulsion . The artificial atmosphere of a Borg spaceship has a humidity of 92 percent, a temperature of 39.1 degrees Celsius and a high concentration of Tetrion particles.

In the Star Trek: Destiny (2008) novel trilogy , which takes place a year and a half after the storyline of Star Trek: Nemesis , several thousand Borg cubes are invaded in the Alpha and Beta Quadrant, with billions of individuals on the part of the Federation, Klingons and Romulans are dying. Finally, the reader learns of the emergence of the Borg species before the species as a whole is extinguished.

Borg technique

The Borg technique consists less of achievements or developments of the Borg themselves, as it is commonly known among most other races. Instead, they expand their technology by assimilating foreign technology by adapting it to their system and thus becoming usable for the Borg. For example, a weapon technology superior to theirs is stolen from the species that possess it and adapted to be used by the Borg. Borg technology is extremely resilient and can even repair itself. The Borg are one of the most technologically advanced species in the galaxy.

Due to their dependence on the transferable progress of the technology of other (stronger) species, however, the Borg are never much more developed than those stronger species in the universe, whereby the latter succeeds in several Star Trek episodes to win battles against the Borg.

Implants

The drones have various implants with which they perform their work or which relieve them of certain tasks or make them possible.

The ocular implant (ocular = relating to the eye ) enables you to perceive different energy spectra, for example ultraviolet. They can also use it to see objects that are not “hidden” in the same room but in the subspace. Objects out of phase can also be seen, for example objects or people with a cloaking device known from the Romulans. It is also possible for them to locate and localize signs of life or to quickly identify technical problems. “Zooming” is a built-in function that you can use like a muscle.

The cortical implant (cortical = located in the cerebral cortex ) is used to establish a connection to an alcove and to start or end the regeneration cycle and to disconnect the connection. It generally controls communication with technology, similar to a network card on a computer, but it is not responsible for communication with the lift consciousness.

The cortical node controls all vital functions of the drone, it is the center of all implants and regulates the body functions. If this node fails, the drone dies within a short time. If it is damaged, the unit is either replaced or the drone is completely deactivated; repairing the knot is impossible. Also, due to its complexity, it cannot be replicated with the help of a Starfleet replicator (Season 7, Episode 2, Spaceship Voyager - imperfection).

The interlink node is located in the drone's brain and connects it to the collective hive consciousness. Through it, the drone is able to communicate, receive orders and send reports. The queen can also use it to access the drone.

The exopanzer is the largest of the breast assemblies, a tank that fends off external influences such as blows or gunfire and protects the drone. However, it only extends over the chest and upper back and is like a bowl for those areas. To protect against phaser fire, the drone also has a protective shield that builds up around the body like a spaceship and absorbs the weapon energy. However, this is not active immediately, it must first adapt to the frequency of the weapon used, this information is also passed on to the drones via the hive, from the one that was hit first.

The nanoprobes are small “robots” that work on a microscopic level and act according to their programming. Drones carry them in their blood; among other things, they perform the tasks of regeneration. By injecting into a victim through the assimilation tubes, they do the tasks of assimilation, they create Borg implants with the help of the victim's blood and establish an interlink knot in the brain that immediately connects the victim to the Hive consciousness (it willlessly and enables the Borg Queen to control the person who is also becoming a drone at that moment).

Utilization technology

The alcoves are the regeneration units, comparable to charging devices. They stand vertically on the walls of every Borg ship and every station, allowing quick access. It charges the energy unit of the drone (similar to a battery). Organic nutrients are generated directly in the drone's body via replicator implants and in exactly the required amount.

The vinculum ( lat. Vinculum : "connection") is a central unit of every Borg ship. It represents the network node through which the connection of the drones on the ship or station to the rest of the collective Hive consciousness is ensured. The signal propagates through the subspace and can therefore be reached almost anywhere. It forwards the queen's instructions or the drones' reports to their destination. It also differentiates between information useful to the collective and individual thoughts. The vinculum is the core of the hive, which erases the personal thoughts of a drone and replaces them with the instructions of the collective. This unit is specially protected because if it fails, chaos breaks out in the section it controls.

A data node is used for data backup and forwarding; it is comparable to a hard drive on which information is stored. He is installed in every alcove like a recorder and records the cycle of a drone, its thoughts and its instructions. It can be removed and transported separately.

In addition, the collective is setting up transwarp centers in parts of the galaxy , which are used to quickly move ships from one point in the galaxy to another. This Transwarp centers are permanent transwarp gates, placed as channels on Transwarp Center start and have the goal no tail, the journey which is why only the transwarp center does not become a way and without a transwarp coil Transwarp center towards possible is. So far six of these centers are known, one of them in the Delta Quadrant, which was destroyed by Voyager.

Ship technology

The ships of the Borg are usually cube-shaped ("cube") or spherical ("sphere"). Like everything with the Borg, each ship is a collectively thinking unit. The larger cubes should offer space for 64,000 to 129,000 drones that carry out all work and decisions as a collective organism. The ships have the option of self-regeneration. The ships are also decentralized, so have z. B. not via a central engine room or a bridge. In addition, they are equipped with a large number of redundant systems, so that even an 87% destroyed cube is still largely operational ( Spaceship Enterprise - The Next Century 3.26). The cutting beam makes it possible to cut out parts from enemy ships. In this way, entire sections of another ship can be detached and assimilated separately. The transwarp drive is a further development of the warp drive , which in the Borg leads through artificial tubes "embedded" in the subspace and enables speeds beyond normal warp. The Borg have built a massive network that enables them to move entire fleets from one place to another in seconds. The adaptive shields enable the ships to analyze the weapon frequency and adjust the shields accordingly within seconds. This makes the enemy weapons as good as ineffective as the energy is absorbed.

Contact of the Borg with humanity

The Federation's first “official” encounter with the Borg takes place in 2365 ( time jump with Q (2.16), Spaceship Enterprise - The Next Century ), when Q moves the Enterprise under Jean-Luc Picard into the Delta Quadrant , where it hits a Meet the Borg ship. A first duel develops between the Borg spaceship and the Enterprise.

In fact, there had already been a large number of encounters between Federation members and people with the Borg, which were not recognized as such or were not known to the Federation before 2365. So the Borg traveled through time to the first (human) war plow on April 5, 2063 by Dr. Zefram Cochrane, to prevent humanity from first contact with the Vulcans. On May 1, 2153 , an arctic team of researchers encountered Borg , which were only a holdover from the time of Cochrane's first warp plow. The Enterprise NX-01 under Captain Jonathan Archer provides the Borg, which are not identified as such, because when they come into contact with the Enterprise they only report with "They will be assimilated, resistance is futile" without the typical "We are the Borg." ". All drones will be destroyed; however, they can first send a subspace message with the coordinates of the earth in the delta quadrant. It takes about 200 years for the message to be reached, so the problem is postponed to the 24th century.

From 2355 the Hansen family (including Annika Hansen, then still a child, known as Seven of Nine ) succeeded in studying the Borg with their research ship until they were assimilated in 2358.

In the later 2350s and early 2360s, several Federation starships disappeared, culminating in the loss of outposts at the Romulan Neutral Zone in 2364. These events can later be traced back to the Borg.

Jean-Luc Picard, the captain of the Enterprise from Starship Enterprise - The next century was itself assimilated once. As a Borg he had the unusual name for a Borg Locutus ( Latin for "speaking", his intended role). However, his crew managed to save him. Since then, he has had an extraordinary disdain for the Borg, but also has information about the Borg and a connection with them that is unique until the appearance of Seven of Nine . By removing some of their implants, Seven of Nine was separated from the Borg collective. As a result, she returns to human society and becomes a crew member of the USS Voyager . Since she was assimilated as a child, she struggles to discover her individuality and to become human again.

backgrounds

The original concept of the Star Trek producers also provided in very early drafts that the Borg should be created as insect-like living beings.

While the original Borg were conceived back in 1988, the concept of the Borg Queen wasn't introduced until 1996 in Star Trek: The First Contact . She is a being with her own consciousness and seems to break with the consistently technocratic concept of the Borg.

A character called "Bork" - which is also a cyborg - appeared in 1975 in the science fiction short story "The engine at heartspring's center" (German "The machine in the heart sprung center"), with the author Roger Zelazny in the final Nebula Award came.

The Borg were used by social scientists as a metaphor for a networked real society.

Years before the Borg people were first introduced into Star Trek, a very similar alien species was introduced in the British cult series Doctor Who ; there the beings are called cybermen .

Also with Perry Rhodan a positronic-biological species called Posbis was introduced into the series from 1967, whose fragment spaceships also had a cube as a basic shape, which, however, is strongly alienated by many structures and thus rather dissimilar to the geometrically more precise Borg cube at Enterprise. In contrast to the Borg (humanoids with technical extensions), however, the Posbis are robots with an organic additive (cell plasma), through which they become a sentient species. The spaceships also have plasma tanks (plasma commanders) and thus represent their own entities. On the Posbis home planet there is the central plasma (supreme instance, comparable to the Borg queen), from which all plasma components in Posbis and spaceships originate.

Breen

Logo Breen Confederation

The Breen are a very secluded species, little known about, and who largely stayed out of the political disputes of the Alpha Quadrant until the mid-2370s.

The Breen can be recognized by their characteristic cold suits. From this it was deduced that the home of the Breen must be a very cold planet (for example from Gul Dukat in Deep Space Nine 4x05 Indiscretion ). Contrary to this assumption, according to Weyoun the Breen homeworld is in fact a class M planet with a fairly mild climate ( Deep Space Nine 7x20 In the Face of Evil ).

The Breen are also known for having organic ships and disruptor weapons similar to those used by Klingons and Romulans.

Towards the end of the Dominion War, the Breen Confederation allies itself with the Dominion and helps it achieve remarkable victories. For example, the strategically extremely important Chin'Toka system could be regained by a dampening weapon invented by the Breen, which deprives an enemy ship of all energy and thus makes it defenseless. They also carried out a lightning attack on Earth and highlighted the threatening situation for the Federation. However, the Klingons found effective protection against the damping weapon. When the war ended, the Breen retired to their room.

The Breen were first mentioned in Starship Enterprise , where they are believed to have been involved in an incident involving a Federation ship. But it wasn't until Deep Space Nine that we learned more about their home and their technology. But even this information always remained very mysterious. They were also mentioned in Star Trek VII: Generations and Voyager .

Brunali

The Brunali are a species from the Delta Quadrant. They are very human-like, but have a pronounced crest that runs over the entire nose and forehead. They are exposed to frequent attacks by the Borg and try to defeat them using genetic weapons. Otherwise, they avoid major technical research and mainly pursue agriculture in order not to unnecessarily arouse the interest of the Borg.

Icheb , a boy freed from the Borg collective, belongs to this people and has a major supporting role in the series Voyager .

Cardassians

Cardassian Union logo

The Cardassians come from the planet Cardassia Prime . They have a grayish skin color, black hair and various bones on the face as well as vertebrae on the right and left of the neck. Cardassians prefer high ambient temperatures and subdued lighting, such as occurs on their home planet.

They were once a peaceful, spiritual people who collected works of art across the Alpha Quadrant. However, there was a shortage of resources on Cardassia Prime. Hunger and misery spread across the planet. Millions of Cardassians died from starvation and disease. In order to put an end to dying and misery, the military took power long ago and introduced a strict military dictatorship. To protect and preserve its own people, the new dictatorship set itself the goal of stealing resources from other planets. To finance these endeavors, the once rich cultural heritage was looted by the military to create the arsenal for the military. Since then only a few cultural treasures have remained and the planet's cultural assets have been almost lost. Personal interests and planetary security were made the highest priority. Since then, the people have been characterized by a strictly militaristic social order. The strict control by the secret service Obsidian Orden (Obsidian Order) has accordingly shaped the Cardassian order socially. Cardassians appear belligerent and greedy for power to people and other races due to their strongly military mindset. Because of their approach, which is only aimed at their own interests, they are also considered strictly patriotic. Ethical and moral aspects have increasingly lost importance in the Cardassian military power. The Cardassians are therefore characterized by a goal-oriented, cunning and tactical approach. Achieving goals in the most effective and efficient way are typical features of the Cardassian military. This makes the Cardassian order very different from the federation, which is governed by (ethical) directives, or from Klingons, who put honor and family traditions in the foreground.

The military aims at a colonial power. It raids and occupies neighboring planets consistently in order to continue to meet the demand for raw materials, provided that the goal justifies its own purpose. Through numerous wars and conquests Cardassia has been able to develop its strength in military-tactical skills and is one of the technologically strongest and most progressive powers in the Alpha Quadrant.

War raged for a long time between Cardassians and the Federation. In 2367 an armistice is agreed. Independently of this, the Cardassians occupied the peaceful and religious planet Bajor for almost 41 years (2328-2369) in 2328. During this time they enslaved and persecuted the Bajorans , killing over ten million of them in total. At that time, Bajor's raw materials had already been plundered across the board. The Federation decided to help rebuild the planet Bajor. In the years following the armistice and the end of the occupation, the relationship between Cardassia and Bajor and the Federation eased noticeably.

The Obisidian Order reacts to the new threat from the Dominion, which comes from the Gamma Quadrant, in 2371 with a joint secret operation with the Romulan Tal'Shiar to eliminate the leadership of the Dominion. However, the action turns out to be a trap and the Obsidian Order is weakened to such an extent that it can no longer maintain the social oppression of the people and the military central command loses government control. The civilian Detapa Council is in charge of the Union. In the overthrow of the Cardassian government, however, the Klingons sensed a coup d'état initiated by the Dominion and launched a pre-emptive strike against the Cardassian Union in 2372.

In 2373 war broke out again between the Federation and Cardassia, when the Cardassian Union, weakened by the Klingon invasion, joined the equally imperially organized Dominion from the Gamma Quadrant to take control of the entire Alpha Quadrant. An alliance of Klingons, the Federation and from 2374 also the Romulans defeated the Dominion, the Cardassians and the Breen , who had joined the Dominion alliance shortly before the end of the war , after great losses on all sides . The Dominion finally retreats into the Gamma Quadrant, defeated. Cardassia finds herself again in misery. Shortly before the end of the war, the Dominion's entire fleet in the Alpha Quadrant and that of the Cardassians and ships of the Breen had withdrawn to their home planet Cardassia. As the Cardassian resistance movement grew stronger and the Cardassian fleet turned against the Dominion, the Dominion ordered the complete annihilation of Cardassia. This genocide killed over 800 million Cardassians before the Dominion finally declared its surrender .

The Cardassian Union was introduced in the spaceship Enterprise - The next century episode The Wounded (German title: The Vengeance Campaign ). Marc Alaimo played in this the first Cardassian Gul Macet (he later took on the role of Gul Dukat in the series Deep Space Nine and became more famous in this). The Cardassians play a central role in Deep Space Nine .

Denobulans

The Denobulans come from Denobula, which lies in the Alpha Quadrant. The humanoid species are peaceful people who seek contact with other peoples through research and trade.

The Denobulans were one of the first species that humans contacted and conducted a science and technology exchange with. In the course of this exchange, doctors from both peoples were also deployed to the other homeworld. Denobulans have a different family structure than is common on earth. A Denobulan family includes three female and three male partners who are not related to each other. The family also includes children who emerge from individual connections with one another. Denobulans only need one to two hours of sleep a day, but fall into a six-day hibernation every year, and they also find physical contact more uncomfortable.

The Denobulans appear exclusively in Enterprise .

Dominion

Dominion logo

The Dominion represents - next to the Borg and Species 8472 - the most dangerous and powerful opponent of the Federation . The contact 2370 and the 2371-2373 resulting conflicts in the Alpha Quadrant, the culminating in the largest war to date with the participation of the Federation at the end of 2373, is one of the dominant topics of everyday life on the Federation space station Deep Space Nine . The war ends in 2375 with the surrender of the Dominion Alliance.

Like the federation, the Dominion is also an amalgamation of many peoples and species, but it is not a democratic-federal state system, but imperialist and repressive. The stability of the Dominion is based on the military superiority and cruelty of the rulers, which results in fear and absolute obedience among the oppressed peoples. The Dominion is geared towards expansion and conquest; the ultimate goal is rule over the entire galaxy as an expression of the highest order.

The peoples of the Dominion serve different functions. The founders are shape shifters who founded the Dominion several thousand years ago and are still in the lead. Since they do not trust the solids , ie the "solid" forms of life, due to centuries of persecution, they genetically adapted the peoples they encountered for all important tasks in order to perform their tasks efficiently. To ensure the devotion of these peoples, the founders planted the genetic “knowledge” in every living being that was so modified that the founders are their gods and infallible. In order to have as little contact as possible with Solids , almost all administrative tasks were transferred to the Vorta . As a result, many peoples within the Dominion - such as the Dosi or the Karemma - see the founders themselves as myths and have no idea of ​​their real nature. The Vorta control the Jem'Hadar , the soldiers of the Dominion, bred for battle alone and dependent on a drug (Ketracel-White) that only the founders can supply them, which is supposed to strengthen and secure their loyalty. The Karemma are well known traders in the Dominion.

When a stable wormhole was discovered in the Alpha Quadrant (see Bajoran wormhole ), a political dispute quickly developed between the Federation and the Dominion, culminating in a massive military conflict from 2373 to 2375. Reasons for the conflict on the Dominion side were that they felt their sovereignty was violated by the penetration of exploration ships from the Alpha Quadrant into their territory. The powers of the alpha quadrant, however, feared that the Dominion could extend its claim to dominion from the gamma quadrant to the alpha quadrant by means of the wormhole.

The Cardassians , weakened in their importance in the Alpha Quadrant and at war with the Klingons , finally decided to join the Dominion. Cardassia Prime thus became the center of the Dominion in the Alpha Quadrant. In order to block the Dominion's military and civilian transports to Cardassia, the Federation decided to mine the wormhole with the support of General Martok. While the wormhole was being mined, the Dominion attacked the Federation in the Bajoran Sector in order to seize the Deep Space Nine space station and the wormhole. Meanwhile, a task force made up of the Federation and Klingons attacked a central shipyard in the Dominion in the Alpha Quadrant. This marked the beginning of the military conflict, dubbed the Dominion War in the Federation, which would last for more than two years. However, the Federation managed to prevent reinforcements from coming through the wormhole. In the course of the war, the Romulans on the side of the Federation and the Klingons and, towards the end of the fighting, the Breen and Son'a on the side of the Dominion joined the conflict. Resistance arose at Cardassia after the Cardassians were gradually deprived of their special position in the Dominion. Not least because of this, the defeat of the Dominion became apparent in the theaters of war in the Alpha Quadrant.

Eventually, the Dominion surrendered, provided that Odo , the only Founder who was (voluntarily) in the Alpha Quadrant Alliance, rejoins his people and cures the other Founders of a disease that infects them from Section 31 were; this prevented a final battle in orbit of Cardassia Prime, which was devastating for both sides.

The Dominion was introduced in Deep Space Nine in 1994 and played a major role in the series through to the end. Outside of this series, the Dominion is only mentioned briefly as a side note in Voyager , Star Trek: The Insurrection and Star Trek: Nemesis, as well as some computer games. Dominion ship holograms were used for a simulation on Voyager.

The Dominion can be seen as a reflection of the democratic, peaceful utopia of the Federation. While the Dominion's ultimate goal is to bring universal order to the galaxy, the Federation's goal is to spread freedom and understanding throughout the galaxy. The means that the Dominion uses to achieve its goal clearly show what the overestimation of an actually meaningful term such as “order” can result.

founder

The founder (engl. Founders ) are as species of ancient form of transducers shown in the gamma quadrant, which is at the tip of Dominionstaates. They are able to take on any form, including that of living beings. In their basic state they are a shapeless, gelatinous, transparent mass with a slightly brownish color.

You have no homeworld, but have settled on a planet whose coordinates are kept top secret. Here they live in the form of the so-called Great Connection . In this connection, all shape changers merge with one another in their basic state and form a kind of huge, living lake. This fusion of individuals also means a fusion of spirits and enables a non-verbal exchange of ideas.

Have long been the founders of the solids (untranslated, engl. Solid ), the essence of fixed shape, dogs, and tortured outlawed. The nickname changelings also comes from this time . But then they remembered their enormous abilities and made up their minds to no longer be the oppressed but the rulers. The central maxim of the founders was the desire for control and order; With the founding of the Dominion, they set themselves the goal of bringing order into the chaotic, frightening and contradicting world of the Solids and bringing it into line with the peaceful, harmonious state of the "Great Connection".

Little is known about the exact origin of the Dominion; we only know that the founders used various biotechnological methods to subjugate and subjugate other peoples, above all the Jem'Hadar and the Vorta , who were previously only primitive tree dwellers. It can also be assumed that they used their form-changing ability to subvert and manipulate the state structure of the peoples to be conquered, as they later tried to do with the Klingon Empire, the Federation and other powers of the Alpha Quadrant.

Jem'Hadar

The Jem'Hadar are the soldiers of the Dominion, a tall species of warriors with reptilian appearance who develop as they accelerate; as an infant they look human-like. They were bred by the founders as soldiers of the Dominion in order to enforce their rule by force. The Jem'Hadar are considered killing machines and are feared in the gamma quadrant. They not only use energy weapons ("disruptors"), but also sword-like hand weapons, called "Kar'takin", and thus form a combative counterpart to the honorable warriors of the Klingons, who use similar weapons and close combat techniques, but imitate them follow strict rules.

The Jem'Hadar's strength and killer instinct are dependent on the drug Ketracel-White . You are dependent on it from birth because the founders constructed the Jem'Hadar DNA in such a way that your body cannot produce this vital enzyme itself. With the help of the "White", the founders ensure the unconditional loyalty of the Jem'Hadar to the Vorta by strictly rationing the supply of the drug through the Vorta. Because of their DNA, the Jem'Hadar are naturally loyal to the Founders, but not to the Vorta. To prevent the Jem'Hadar from reproducing themselves, the founders did not create any Jem'Hadar women. The occurring groups are represented as strictly hierarchical , also due to the dependence on Ketracel-White . Nevertheless, even within this enormously homogeneous acting species there is potential for conflict when newly created Jem'Hadar are introduced, which are better adapted to the conditions in the Alpha Quadrant and thus to the conflict with the Federation and are therefore superior to the original Jem'Hadar. They also differ externally in a few details.

Karemma

The Karemma are arguably the most powerful traders in the Gamma Quadrant and not dissimilar to the Ferengi. When the Ferengi attempt to establish contact and trade relations with the Dominion, they are referred to the Karemma by the Dosi. According to the Dosi, these are important members of the Dominion. Most of the Karemma trade in the Alpha Quadrant is with the Federation, but by handling it through the Ferengi, they enjoy dubious protection from the Dominion, which would not tolerate open trade with its enemies.

Vorta

The Vorta are second in the Dominion hierarchy after the Founders. The Vorta are the administrators of the vast empire and receive orders from the founders, whom they revered as gods, which they implement. The Vorta are thoroughly unscrupulous bureaucrats who have been specially bred for this task by the founders. Originally, the Vorta were an ape-like people who were “rewarded” by the founders and changed to their later appearance and function. In doing so, importance was also attached to the little things that could be important for a negotiator: For example, they can overhear even whispered conversations from a distance at which this would not be possible for humans, but according to their own statements they do not have as good eyesight as they do most species and have a bad sense of taste. In addition, the Vorta are immune to most poisons, which can be very useful to them as diplomats.

The ( cloned ) Vorta act as the speaking organ of the founders and the Dominion. They carry out all the important administrative and control tasks that arise in the Dominion State, including diplomacy and command of the military, the Jem'Hadar. Each group of Jem'Hadar is controlled by a Vorta, who provides them with the necessary Ketracel-White . If a Vorta fails for any reason, a replacement is cloned for it.

One of the most famous Vortas in the Star Trek universe is Weyoun , the representative for the Alpha Quadrant, or one of his clone successors.

Edosians

The Edosians are a species that has three legs, three arms, and three fingers on each hand. They also have a long neck and a reptile-like head. You are not a member of the Federation, but one of these people, Arex, serves as a navigator on the Enterprise NCC-1701.

The Edosians only appear in the animated series The Enterprise . The name of this people is a bit problematic because it is not mentioned in the series and films, but only appears in a biography of Arex published by Lincoln Enterprises in 1974 and not to be regarded as a Canon.

El Aurians

Whoopi Goldberg played the El-Aurian Guinan

El Aurians are a humanoid species that is outwardly indistinguishable from humans.

They originally come from a system in the delta quadrant. However, their home planet has been assimilated by the Borg , and the few survivors have been scattered across the galaxy. In 2293 two refugee ships flew to Earth, but they got caught in the energy band called the nexus. Only a handful of the refugees survived ( Star Trek: Meeting of Generations ).

El Aurians are known to be good listeners. They also have unspecified supernatural abilities that enable them to notice phenomena that remain hidden from human perception. El Aurians live to be hundreds of years old.

For reasons unspecified, the Q have an aversion to this people.

A well-known El Aurian is Guinan , the bartender on the Enterprise-D.

Ferengi

Logo Ferengi

Striking physical characteristics of the Ferengi (English [fəˈrɛŋɡi], roughly homonymous with Persian) فرنجي, in German with Persian فرنگی, ferengi / farangi : 'Europeans', 'foreigners', ' Franks ' with original meanings such as 'the greedy' or 'the brave') are, in addition to their small body size, the orange to bronze-colored skin, the completely hairless head and the oversized ones , round ears. Life on your home planet Ferenginar is characterized by heavy rain. Ferengi, scattered across the galaxy, think sadly of the wonderfully musty scent exuded by Ferengina's putrid vegetation. Ferengi's favorite food is fresh pipe maggots, and their favorite drink is snail juice. They relieve themselves in the context of what is known as "excretion extraction".

The most important goal in the life of every male Ferengi is to make profit through business of all kinds. Their relationship with one another and with other species is therefore determined by the Rules of Acquisition , which consist of 285 sets of rules and as a kind of holy scripture be valid. The main focus is on maximizing profit. In addition, the Ferengi culture presents itself as devious, devious, sexist and cowardly.

The women - under Ferengis only referred to as " females " - are not allowed to wear clothes, make no profit, not leave the house and not learn to write. You have to chew the food for the men. When Ishka, the mother of the bartender brothers Quark and Rom , insists on wearing clothes, she encounters fierce resistance even from within her own family - also due to social pressure. The taboo for “females” to ever wear clothes, therefore, brings with it a downright compulsion to travesty when a “female” tries to gain status in public space. Accordingly, the idea of equality between women and men seems strange to Ferenginar.

When a relationship developed between Ishka and the Great Nagus and taboos continued to be broken, it triggered far-reaching changes in the status of women. It is also thanks to Ishka that the Great Nagus chooses her son Rome as his successor, a sign that “females” in the Ferengi culture can develop the freedom to shape their lives independently under certain circumstances.

This representation of the Ferengi culture only took shape in the course of Deep Space Nine . The Ferengi, with whom Captain Picard and the crew of the Enterprise meet, are much more warlike and daring, but not necessarily more personable than Quark and Rom from the space station Deep Space Nine.

The first contact with the Ferengi was officially at the time of the series Starship Enterprise - The Next Century . But the Enterprise NX-01 also encountered some Ferengi pirates more than 200 years ago. In another Enterprise episode, the Ferengi were mentioned orally. In the Deep Space Nine episode "Little Green Men", the Ferengi are held responsible for the so-called Roswell incident ; the first contact with people took place in 1947.

Ferengi like it when you rub both ears (“Oo-Mox” in their language). Since the ears of the Ferengi represent erogenous zones , Oo-Mox is very arousing and represents, so to speak, foreplay or even a sexual act. It doesn't matter to them who does it. It even happens that they can be tricked or stopped by targeted use of this weakness.

The United Federation of Planets

Federation logo

The various members of the United Federation of Planets (abbreviated Federation called, Eng. United Federation of Planets ) are organized under the unifying goals of peaceful coexistence, trade, science, exploration and a common defense. Their territory is in the Alpha Quadrant, which is 8,000 light years in size. In 2373 there are more than 150 members of the Federation ( Star Trek: First Contact ). Some of the worlds of the Federation members were originally human colonies.

The Federation was founded in San Francisco on Earth in 2161 ( Spaceship Enterprise - The Next Century : Forbidden Love , Enterprise : These Are the Adventures ) shortly after the end of the Terrestrial-Romulan War. The founding members of the Federation were the humans, Vulcans, Andorians, and Tellarites. The seat of government is in the 24th century on earth in Paris . At the same time a new defense and reconnaissance authority, the Starfleet, consisting of the military of the individual member worlds, but above all of the Earth's Starfleet, was created. Their headquarters are in San Francisco.

Starfleet

One of the most important institutions of the Federation is known as "Starfleet". Almost all spaceships operating under the Federation banner (except civilian ships) as well as most orbital stations and outposts are subordinate to it. Starfleet adopted countless practices, ranks (those of the United States Navy ), and traditions from the terrestrial navy and seafaring. Ship christenings are celebrated in an old-fashioned way: a bottle of champagne is smashed on the hull of the new ship. However, Starfleet existed a few decades before the Federation was founded. Later, when the Federation was formed, Starfleet became the central space exploration institution for the entire Federation.

The tasks of Starfleet include peace-making and keeping, aid in emergencies for allies, but also foreigners, who advance the exploration, exploration and peaceful expansion in the depths of space. At the same time, it monitors and protects the trade routes and borders of the Federation and serves as its defense force in the event of a military conflict.

Starfleet is under a command staff with a Commander in Chief (CiC) who reports directly to the Federation President.

Federation Council

The Federation Council is the central government body of the Federation.

It consists of envoys from the various planets or governments that are members of the Federation. The council is led by a triumvirate of the President, the Supreme Leader of Starfleet, and the Adjutant General of the Federal Supreme Court.

The council decides on matters such as fleet transfers, membership assumptions or jurisdiction. A decision on the templates will be made in three votes. Only the delegates take part in the first vote; majority voting applies. The second vote is taken with an included recommendation of the court; here too, majority voting is applied. The third vote is ultimately carried out by all members (envoy, president, Starfleet commander and court delegate), an absolute majority is required. If there is no majority, the third vote is repeated.

Section 31

Section 31 is a secret organization that uses all means at its disposal to defend the interests of the Federation without any moral or other concern. This also includes the destabilization of foreign governments, insofar as they are classified as dangerous by Section 31. In doing so, its members actively violate the laws and principles of the federation. Section 31 establishes its existence with reference to Article 14, Section 31 of the Starfleet Charter, which allows regulations to be suspended in the event of exceptional threats ( Enterprise : The Deviation ). However, its existence is officially denied and it operates completely independently of other federation structures. Section 31 came into being on Earth in the 22nd century, before the Federation was founded.

Malcolm Reed was a member of this organization before becoming a weapons officer on the Enterprise NX-01. Because of their violations of the law, Section 31 often comes into conflict with law-abiding Federation citizens such as B. Julian Bashir, Ward Doctor from Deep Space Nine. In the 24th century, an agent named Sloan tries unsuccessfully to recruit Bashir for Section 31 ( Deep Space Nine : Inquisition ). Still, Bashir is later used as a puppet in a Section 31 plot to ensure the Romulan Empire supports the Federation at war ( Deep Space Nine : Laws Silence under Arms ). Bashir later reveals that Section 31 wanted to end the war against the Dominion by infecting the founders with a deadly virus ( Deep Space Nine : Extreme Measures ).

Led by the emperor Philippa Georgiou from the mirror universe, the section prevents a coup on Kronos against the chancellor L'Rell and recruits Voq / Tyler ( Star Trek: Discovery : Lichtpunkt ).

Section 31 appears for the first time in Deep Space Nine and later in the prequels Enterprise and Discovery . Section 31 also plays an important role in the film Star Trek Into Darkness .

Federation members

Andorians

Andorian costume

The Andorians are a warlike species that was in constant conflict with the Vulcans before the Federation of United Planets was established. Essential external characteristics are their white or light blonde hair, their blue skin and the antennae over the forehead or on the back of the head, which grow back when they have been separated. Her homeworld is Andoria or Andor, an ice moon orbiting a gas giant . The Andorians waged war against the Vulcans around 2150. A well-known representative of the Andorians is Shran from Star Trek: Enterprise .

The Andorians first appear in Starship Enterprise , but later also in The Enterprise , Starship Enterprise - The Next Century , Deep Space Nine , Enterprise , Discovery , Star Trek: Picard , Lower Decks and two Star Trek films.

Aenar

A subspecies of the Andorians are the Aenar, who also live on Andoria. Unlike their blue-skinned relatives, they have white skin and are blind. The Aenar have extremely strong telepathic abilities and are strict pacifists. There are only a few thousand of them on Andoria.

The Aenar can only be seen in Enterprise .

Benzites

The Benzites are a humanoid species with blue skin and prominent bones from the cheeks to the skull. They develop from geostructures and apparently need a special air additive to breathe, which is emitted via a device attached to the chest.

The Benzites appear in Spaceship Enterprise - The Next Century , Deep Space Nine and Lower Decks , but can also occasionally be seen in Enterprise as extras in the background.

Betazoids

The Betazoids are a humanoid species and outwardly mostly indistinguishable from humans; only the iris of the eyes is completely black. Home is the planet Betazed (Class M, Alpha Quadrant), also called beta Veldonna V or Beta Zeta V . Betazed is a member of the federation. The capital of Betazed is Rixx .

Betazoids have telepathic abilities that manifest themselves from around the age of five. It is less common that a Betazoid is already born as a fully developed telepath (for example Tam Elbrun); such a person has to be treated therapeutically in order to be able to deal with the flood of foreign thoughts. Betazoids are unresponsive to the thoughts of individuals with four lobes of the brain such as Ferengi and Daphterian or Breen.

The Betazoid culture is based on openness and truth and is very traditional. In the course of the fourth year of life, the children are assigned their future spouse, who they marry at the age of 26, although this is not necessarily necessary. According to an old custom, the future spouses and all guests are naked at the wedding ceremony.

Betazoids are genetically compatible with humans, mixed breeds are usually not telepathic, but only empathic . In middle age female betazoids go through a phase of heightened sexual drive. The ten-month pregnancy is similar to that of humans, but the birth is much more difficult.

In the Dominion War, the planet Betazed is conquered by the Dominion, but later liberated by the Federation.

The best known representatives are Lwaxana Troi, ambassador of Betazed, daughter of the fifth house, holder of the sacred chalice of Rixx, heiress of the sacred rings of Betazed and her half-human daughter Deanna Troi .

The Betazoids first appear in Starship Enterprise - The Next Century , but later also in Deep Space Nine , Voyager and Picard .

Bolians

The Bolians are similar to the Andorians blue-skinned, but in contrast to the Andorians they have no antennae, but a division of the face in the middle, along the nose, which is created by a kind of bulge. The Bolians are a peace-loving people. They come from Bolarus X. Their sociability and curiosity are particularly striking. They are known to talk a lot and often, and to be interested in other things. They often have a knack for mechanics and are also creative. Many artists, be they musicians, painters or architects, are Bolians who are known for their playful art. They prefer meat that is already slightly rotten, but other peoples also find their culinary art to be tasty after a period of getting used to it.

The Bolians first appeared in Spaceship Enterprise - The Next Century , further appearances followed in Deep Space Nine , Voyager (the crew member of the Voyager Chell is one of the most famous representatives of the people) and Lower Decks .

Caitians

The Caitians are a feline species whose body is completely hairy. They have noses, ears that are typical of cats and, in some cases, a pronounced mane. They also have a long, lion-like tail.

A Caitian named M'Ress serves in the animated series The Enterprise as a permanent member of the crew on the bridge of the USS Enterprise. Other members of this species can be seen as extras in Star Trek IV: Back to the Present and in Star Trek Into Darkness . In lower decks there is Dr. T'Ana a main character who is a Caitian for the first time.

The name of this people comes from a 1974 Lincoln Enterprises published biography of M'Ress that should not be considered a Canon. It was therefore a bit problematic for a long time, as it was initially not mentioned in the series and films. The first mention was made in 2019 in Discovery (episode 2.01).

Deltans

A cosplayer as a deltan

The Deltans are outwardly a very human-like species, but both men and women are bald. They are extremely open-minded sexually and have the ability to relieve other people's pain by touching them. Their home planet is called Delta IV.

The Deltans were originally conceived as an important species for the ultimately unproduced series Star Trek: Phase Two . A Deltan named Ilia was supposed to serve as a permanent member of the crew on the USS Enterprise. Her character was taken on as the lead role in Star Trek: The Movie after the project was discontinued . Other Deltans can be seen as extras in Star Trek III: In Search of Mr. Spock and in Star Trek IV: Back to the Present .

Ktarians

The ktarians are a humanoid species. They have yellow eyes and two bulges on the forehead, which are separated from each other by a nasal ridge. Naomi Wildman, a crew member on the USS Voyager, is a half-Ktarian. Their physiology deviates significantly from this for reasons that are not explained. She is essentially human in appearance. Only her forehead is divided by a vertical row of small horns.

Although the Ktarians are apparently members of the Federation, their relationship with it is a bit complicated. Shortly before it is admitted, a group of Ktarians is trying to gain control of the Enterprise NCC-1701D using a game that can influence thoughts. They later sympathize with the Maquis.

The Ktarians appear in Starship Enterprise - The Next Century , Deep Space Nine , Voyager and Enterprise .

People

The emblem of the United Earth World Government , which originated around the year 2150.

According to the history of Star Trek, the " Eugenic Wars" began in 1993 , in which genetically "improved" people wanted to usurp world domination, but this failed. The dictator Khan Noonian Singh and his followers fled into space in a primitive spaceship. The Eugenic Wars were first mentioned and dated in the episode The Sleeping Tiger . This was followed by the third world war around the year 2050 . It is not fully known which parties were involved in this war; some participants were the USA and the "Eastern Coalition". This was first mentioned in the episode Bread and Games . In the movie Star Trek: First Contact , the end of the war is dated to 2053.

On 5 April 2063 a scientist named fully led Zefram Cochrane a test flight with its prototype of a superluminal space ship that he and his assistant from the remains of a titanium - ICBM built and " Phoenix " baptized. The flight was noticed by chance by the Vulcans , who then made contact with the people. This scenario is mainly based on the basic attitude of the Vulcans not to make initial contact with any species that is not capable of interstellar flights. The United States disbanded in 2079, but it wasn't until 2150 that the last independent states joined the United Earth's world government . During this time the people cultivated their relationships with the Vulcans and the Denobulans. The Vulcans supported the people but refused to share the Vulcan technology with the people. On April 16, 2151, the Starship Enterprise NX-01 went on its maiden flight to bring a Klingon who had crashed with his spaceship in Oklahoma back to its homeworld. Over the next three years, the Enterprise will witness a Temporal Cold War in which multiple parties will attempt to gain power by manipulating the timeline in the future . In 2153 the Xindi attack the earth, which is followed by a short war. In the years that followed, the people, Vulcans, Andorians, and Tellarites entered into several alliances. In 2156 a war with the Romulans begins, which is fought with nuclear weapons .

Augments
Benedict Cumberbatch embodied the Augment Khan Noonien Singh of the alternative timeline in Star Trek Into Darkness

Augments are people whose mental and physical abilities have been greatly improved through genetic engineering . The first augments were created in the 20th century. Their superior skills enabled them to come to power in over 40 states in the 1990s. Until 1996 they were finally defeated in the "Eugenic Wars" and the further use of genetic manipulation on humans was strictly prohibited. One of their most powerful leaders, Khan Noonien Singh , managed to escape from Earth with a group of supporters on the spaceship SS Botany Bay .

In the 22nd century, the scientist Dr. Arik Soong to genetically upgrade and raise some deep-frozen augment embryos again. After Soong is arrested, the self-sufficient Augments survive to capture a Klingon warship in 2154 at the age of 20. With the help of Dr. Soong is supposed to switch off the Augments with the Enterprise NX-01 , but Soong manages to escape to them, and together they want to force the surrender of thousands of augment embryos. Ultimately, this can be prevented by destroying the Klingon ship.

In the same year, the Klingons also experiment with human augment DNA. However, when they transfer this to a virus, an unexpected mutation occurs and an aggressive epidemic spreads across the Klingon Empire. This changes the appearance of the Klingons and they lose their characteristic forehead bulges. This flaw cannot be remedied until the middle of the 23rd century.

In the 23rd century the Enterprise NCC-1701 under Captain Kirk meets the spaceship SS Botany Bay and finds Khan Noonien Singh and his companions in cold sleep. After trying unsuccessfully to gain control of the Enterprise, they are abandoned on the planet Ceti Alpha V. Some time later the Enterprise came across a clone of the Augment Dr. Stavos Keniclius, who uses volcanic DNA to try to create a superior but peaceful species. Keniclius finally stops his attempts.

In 2285 Khan Noonien Sing succeeds in escaping from Ceti Alpha V. After the environmental conditions have deteriorated dramatically due to a change in orbit and a large number of his companions have died, Khan now seeks revenge on Captain Kirk and steals the Genesis with the hijacked USS Reliant Projectile that he wants to use as a weapon. In the end, however, Kirk succeeds in destroying the Reliant.

In the 24th century there are again attempts to genetically improve human abilities. However, the test subjects are strictly shielded and, in addition to their superior mental abilities, show pronounced psychological disorders. Julian Bashir , a doctor on Deep Space Nine and genetically improved himself, has occasional dealings with a group of such augments.

The augments also play an important role in the alternative timeline. Here Admiral Marcus Khan Noonien Singh wakes up from his cold sleep so that he can develop new weapons for the Federation for the fight against the Klingons.

Risaner

The Risaner are an outwardly very human-like species that only differs from them by a distinctive mark on their foreheads. They have transformed their home planet Risa into a tropical paradise by means of environmental control systems, making it the most popular holiday destination in the Federation.

The Risans made multiple appearances in Starship Enterprise - The Next Century , Deep Space Nine , Enterprise, and Lower Decks .

Tellarites

The Tellarites come from the planet Tellar or Tellar Prime and are among the founding members of the Federation. They are a humanoid species with a corpulent figure, three fingers on each hand, a broad nose, and strong hair and beard growth. On average, they are slightly smaller than humans and are considered to be extremely argumentative. Female Tellarites have not yet been seen in Star Trek. The Tellarites fought several wars with the Andorians. However, the discovery of an attempt by the Romulans to turn several peoples against one another eased the situation, which led to the establishment of the federation a few years later.

The Tellarites first appeared in Raumschiff Enterprise , but were largely ignored in subsequent productions, except for a few short scenes in The Enterprise and two feature films. It wasn't until Enterprise that they played a bigger role again. This species was also taken up again in Discovery and Picard .

Trill

Trill refers to two different species that originate from the homonymous home planet in the Alpha Quadrant and of which few live symbiotically .

The hosts are a humanoid species that has characteristic black or brown spots running sideways from the temple to the trunk to the ankles. An original representation with spots and protruding foreheads only appeared in a single episode of Spaceship Enterprise - The Next Century .

The symbionts are worm-like, roughly arm- sized life forms that can only survive in host bodies or so-called brood ponds (basins with nutrient-rich liquid on the Trill homeworld). They are passed on from host to host after their death and have the memories of all their previous hosts. The symbionts are surgically placed in the lower body (near the diaphragm) of the host. The resulting form of life is viewed as a new, independent individual.

Although the Trill are characterized in particular by their symbiotic way of life, this association is only reserved for a small part of the humanoid Trill, u. a. because there are fewer symbionts than hosts. The possibility of symbiosis is therefore considered a great honor. Once connected, separation from the symbiote results in death for the host. The hosts therefore usually carry the symbiont within them until they die naturally. But the symbiote is also dependent on the connection with the humanoid Trill, since outside of a host body it can only exist in the described puddles . A union of the symbiote with non-Trill humanoids is possible in principle, but associated with problems ( Spaceship Enterprise - The next century : Odan, the special ambassador ).

Both the worm-like beings and the disunited humanoids and the unified life forms are called trill. A united trill bears the name of the humanoid trill and the symbiote; z. B. changed the name of Ezri Tigan with the union with the symbiote Dax to Ezri Dax .

Most of the details about the Trill's culture and way of life are mentioned in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine . They also appear (mostly as background characters) in the series Voyager , Discovery , Short Treks , Picard and Lower Decks, as well as in the feature film Star Trek: The Uprising .

The appearance change of the Trill between Spaceship Enterprise - The Next Century and Deep Space Nine

After it had been determined for the new Star Trek series ' Deep Space Nine' that a trill would belong to the core team, some of the motifs with which the trills had been introduced in Starship Enterprise - The Next Century proved to be a hindrance. Since Terry Farrell had hired an ex- model for the role of Jadzia Dax, for understandable reasons they did not want to deface this beauty with the nose piece that Odan had worn in Spaceship Enterprise - The Next Century . The fact that you couldn't beam trills because the symbiote didn't get it was a hindrance for the story. To maintain the consistency, one should actually have started with a completely new species, but the motif of the symbiote, who carried several centuries of wisdom with him, was not wanted because it offered story material. So the production team decided not to go into the picture of the Trills, which had been designed for Starship Enterprise - The Next Century . As a test, scenes with Terry Farrell and a "feminized" forehead had been shot, but the last word was a spot pattern applied by hand (and therefore always slightly different) on each day of shooting, like Famke Janssen as a Kriosian metamorph in Spaceship Enterprise - Had worn the next century . The question of how far the spots reach down on the body gave rise to showing Terry Farrell in a few scenes in bathing suits or just with a towel. During the term of Deep Space Nine it was also established that the Trill Society had a taboo against the continuation of relationships if the symbionts already had a common relationship in previous hosts, since each life should remain unique. This motif was used to address homosexual relationships in Star Trek .

Vulcans

A cosplayer as Mister Spock , the most famous representative of the Vulcans

The Vulcans come from the planet Vulkan. At the beginning of the 21st century they are much more advanced than humans. While the Third World War was raging on earth in the middle of the 21st century, the Vulcans peacefully explored the Alpha Quadrant and traded with surrounding peoples. The earth is considered to be an underdeveloped planet, which so far has not seemed worthy of a visit. Only when a warp ship built by Zefram Cochrane is noticed by the Vulcans, they decide to make a first contact (seen in the movie Star Trek: The First Contact ). For the next fifty years the Vulcans helped build the earth into the paradise it was in the 22nd century, even if they were very suspicious and patronizing of the people until the Federation was founded .

Vulkan is a founding member of the United Federation of Planets (in 2161), which includes the earth. Up until this alliance and beyond, there are always secessionists on Vulkan who believe that Vulkan should stay out of all interstellar affairs. Most of these movements are motivated by the view that Vulcans are superior to humans because of their logic-based way of life. However, these prejudices dissolve in the following decades of cooperation until the end of the 24th century.

Outwardly, Vulcans are very similar to humans: The difference is essentially limited to the upwardly tapering ears and the upwardly arched eyebrows. They also have green, copper-based blood. However, in the course of their evolution , Vulcans have learned to keep their emotions under control. With this they follow the teachings of the philosopher Surak ; The strong emotions of the Vulcans led to numerous wars on the planet in the time before Surak, which almost resulted in the extermination of the species. Through the emotional restraint, which to the uninitiated often appears as cold feeling, a Vulcan wants to protect his surroundings and himself. Vulcans lose this emotional restraint as adults in the pon farr ["mating season"] , which recurs every seven years, and in the case of a very rare disease ( Bendii syndrome ) from the age of 200 standard years . A central theme of the Star Trek series and cinema films are therefore the conflicts that arise due to their purely rational, logic-based way of acting and thinking with the emotional, more contradictory human mentality.

With their highly developed skills, Vulcans use some special techniques. For example, the Vulcan Nerve Grip is a one-hand applied strong pressure on the nerves in the crook of the neck, through which the humanoid target person immediately unconscious when used correctly. In addition, Vulcans, as contact telepaths, can fuse their mind ( katra ) with that of another being by touching them (for example the face) with their fingers and thus share all their knowledge and all experiences with them. The katra can also be transmitted to someone else, usually another Vulcan before your own death. With the help of a high priestess, he can then transfer the katra into the vrekatara , a container in which the katra of the (physically) deceased can rest for a long time and can still be consulted by high priests and adepts - this allows Vulcans to achieve a certain degree of immortality. Far more unusual is fal-tor-pan , the refusion, in which the katra is transferred back to another body; This is reliably documented for the first time and this is successful between Dr. Leonard McCoy (to whom Spock had previously given his katra ) and to Spock, who was rejuvenated by the Genesis Effect, through the high priestess T'Lar on Mount Seleya.

The Vulcan greeting was derived from the Aaronic blessing of the Jewish Kohanim .

The Vulcans ' greeting gesture is known , in which the flat hand is raised (similar to swearing ) and then the pair of index and middle fingers is spread apart from the ring finger and little finger pair, the gesture usually using the greeting formula live long and prosper or live long and prosper ( Live long and prosper , volcanic Dup dor a'az Mubster ) is accompanied. The Vulcan greeting was introduced by Leonard Nimoy and originally comes from the customs of Judaism. The gesture symbolizes the Hebrew letter ש ( Shin ), the first of the word Shaddai (God). As a young child, Nimoy had attended a Jewish service at which this Aaronic blessing was bestowed. When it came time to design a Vulcan greeting gesture in 1966, he remembered this youthful experience and suggested the gesture. It is widespread among fans and is quoted , for example, in the animated film Ice Age : a frozen UFO can be seen in a cave . The human baby shows the V salute.

?

The greeting gesture has been included in the Unicode standard since version 7.0 as an emoji ? under the code point U+1F596 with the name "Raised Hand With Part Between Middle and Ring Fingers".

A central principle of the philosophy of Vulcan is U nendliche M annigfaltigkeit in U nendlichen K ombinationen (IDIC, engl. IDIC = I nfinite D iversity in I nfinite C ombinations ). It means the Vulcans' openness to other cultures and ideas and shows parallels to human rights in its call for tolerance . At the same time, the term UMUK / IDIC also stands for the symbol that is intended to depict this principle. It consists roughly of a triangle and a circle that merge together. The aim is to illustrate how an aesthetic whole can be created from two very different forms.

In the original series, known in Germany as Raumschiff Enterprise , Leonard Nimoy plays the semi-Vulcan Spock , probably the most famous Vulcan in the Star Trek universe. One of the attractions of this series and the first Star Trek movies lies in the constant "guerrilla warfare" between Spock and the humanistic , human on-board doctor "Pille" ("Bones"), Dr. Leonard McCoy ( DeForest Kelley ), as well as the friendship and loyalty to the often emotionally driven ship's captain James Tiberius Kirk ( William Shatner ). Vulcans often play a more or less important role in the various offshoots - such as the security officer Tuvok in the Voyager series or T'Pol as the first officer in the Enterprise series .

In the 2009 film Star Trek , the fate of the Vulcans takes a different turn. Here the planet Vulkan is destroyed by the Romulan Nero in 2258. However, this film takes place in an alternative timeline , caused by a time jump by Nero.

language

The Vulcan language is a constructed language from the Star Trek universe spoken by the Vulcan people. Unlike the Klingon language is made Paramount did not bother to let develop this language extensively, as with the Klingons by Marc Okrand had happened. For this reason there is no official and uniform version of the Vulcan language. Therefore, fan circles soon made their own attempts to develop a Vulcan grammar and a Vulcan vocabulary, based on the short dialogues that were spoken in Vulcan language in the films and provided with subtitles. The Vulcan language was first heard in the movie Star Trek: The Movie .

The three best-known versions of the language that emerged are Marketa Zvelebil's Modern Standard Vulcan , Joel Anderson's Vulcan and probably the most extensive and best elaborated version by Mark R. Gardner Golic Vulcan . The Vulcan Language Guide , which was created around 1977, was also widespread and was based strongly on the Japanese language , but had little to do with the language then spoken in the feature film. Because of this, the development of this version was abandoned by its creators. Translations of this abandoned variant are particularly widespread in the German-speaking area.

Future members

In the episode Azati Prime , the Klingon Empire and the Xindi were named as future members.

Gorn

A gorn

The Gorn are a reptilian species and slightly larger than humans. They have scaly green skin and a head with a long, tooth-reinforced mouth. You have tremendous physical strength, but you are also quite slow.

The Gorn appear in Starship Enterprise , The Enterprise and Enterprise , but are also mentioned in Deep Space Nine and Picard .

Hirogen

The Hirogen are a species from the Delta Quadrant. They don't have a home planet, they live as nomads. Their entire culture is based on hunting, be it art, rituals or religious issues. The Hirogen don't see other humanoids as equals, but rather as huntable animals. When they encounter a new species, they regard hunting that species as an honorable obligation. If the prey turns out to be clearly inferior, they are disappointed. The Hirogen believe that the hunter must study his prey carefully in order to understand its abilities and to prevent the hunter from becoming the hunted. They also believe that the way the prey behaves after it is wounded is the key to its annihilation.

The Hirogen are significantly larger than other humanoid species (over 2.50 m). They protect themselves through special body armor with their own life support system and special weapons equipment. Your ships have special Monotanium armor that is able to disperse attack energy. Most of the time, one or a few ships roam the room, occasionally banding together in a common attack. Each group is led by a leader known as an Alpha. The social rank structure within the group is determined by successfully passed fights, recognizable by acquired trophies, mostly body parts or other possessions of the hunted opponent.

In a lengthy dispute between the USS Voyager and the Hirogen, Captain Janeway succeeds in negotiating a provisional truce with the Hirogen. The Hirogen also receive holotechnology from Voyager in order to be able to continue the hunt, which for the Hirogen has an almost ritual character, but also to open up opportunities for further development that would not be possible if the focus were solely on the hunt. In contrast to other warrior peoples, such as B. the Klingons, the Hirogen have no honor obligations in dealing with their opponents. They avoid talking to their “prey” whenever possible. Captain Janeway is furious when she is classified as a "commodity" by the Hirogen. The Hirogen do not have sophisticated technology. However, the USS Voyager cannot compete with a large Hirogen ship.

If the technology is used unreasonably or incorrectly, some of them end up being hunted by their own holograms and need the help of the Voyager crew.

The Hirogen have a communications network spanning over 60,000 light years that Voyager used to successfully contact a Federation ship in the Alpha Quadrant.

Iconians

The Iconians are an extinct species whose homeworld Iconia later lies in the Neutral Zone between the Federation and the Romulan Star Empire. A specialty of this species is their idiosyncratic way of space travel. As far as is known, the Iconians did not use spacecraft, but their universal portals (gateways) . These are stationary transport devices that enable a person to be teleported to another planet or a spaceship . Because of their sudden appearance on strange worlds, they have been given the fearful name of demons of air and darkness by other races . Because of this demonization, the homeworld was bombed about 200,000 years before the Federation was founded and almost all life was wiped out. Only a single system with a functioning portal will survive into the 24th century of human times. The extent of their realm is not recorded, but about seven years after the discovery of the portal on Iconia, another portal is found in the Gamma Quadrant on the other side of the galaxy. It is also unknown whether Iconians survived the bombing of their homeworld. Due to the two finds at two opposite locations in the Milky Way and the generally limited range of warpable spaceships of the vast majority of known races on parts of the galaxy, survival of individuals of this people by fleeing to other planets is quite conceivable.

The Iconians were invented for the episode "The Iconia Probes" in the series Starship Enterprise - The Next Century . This episode is about the discovery of the Iconian homeworld in the Neutral Zone and, based on that, the conflict between the Romulans and the Federation over the use of sophisticated Iconian technology. At the end of the episode, the only remaining universal portal is destroyed by the crew of the USS Enterprise so that no one can gain an advantage and the technical status quo of Starfleet and the Romulan military is maintained. The second and final canonical mention is in the episode "The Renegades" of the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine series . The plot revolves around a group of renegade Jem'Hadar who have taken control of a planet in the Gamma Quadrant that has a functioning Iconian gateway. At the end of the episode, in a joint military operation between Starfleet (under the command of Sisko) and the Dominion military (under the command of Vorta Weyoun 3), this portal is destroyed for fear of terrorist attacks by the breakaway Dominion soldiers. The Iconians as a people do not appear in any episode. In their context, it is only about technical artifacts left behind.

In addition, there is a non-canonical cross-series novel series called "Gateways", in which the Iconians and their portals play a leading role. There it also becomes clear that the Iconians are not completely extinct and that the survivors have merely given up contact with other peoples.

The Iconians also have several appearances in the online role game "Star Trek Online" and appear there as antagonists.

In the episode "Dangerous Planet Girls" in the original series Spaceship Enterprise , an abandoned outpost of an apparently extinct and technologically highly developed people plays a major role. The calandans were also able to beam people onto spaceships for hundreds of light-years in a hyperlight transporter. The USS Enterprise NCC-1701 is plagued by Calandan androids multiple times while it is hundreds of light years from the outpost. There are certain parallels in content to the Iconians introduced later. Whether the Iconians were derived directly from the Calandans has not been confirmed by the authors.

Kazon

A kazon

The Kazon are a backward pirate-like people. They live in clan-like sects that are scattered across the Kazon area, which lies in the Delta Quadrant. Most are at war with each other, others are trading. However, this warlike people hardly ever gets involved in negotiations at the diplomatic level.

The technology of their ships is backward, they did not develop it themselves, but adopted it from a species, the trot, which the Kazon kept as slaves until they freed themselves through violence. Their disruptors are powerless against many ships, and only their fast rate of fire gives them an advantage against their enemies. The shields of the Kazon ships are also easy to overcome. Rather, they rely on strong armor. The outer hull of a Kazon warship is very robust, but otherwise their ships are rather weak and sluggish. The strength of the small combat shuttles is based on their maneuverability, but their phasers are weak and based on the same principle as those of the warships, they can also penetrate atmospheres. Transporter technology and replicator technology were completely alien to the Kazon before the USS Voyager reached the sector. They thought it was sorcery and magic.

Their internal structure is strictly hierarchical. Every sect has a head, the maje. It is comparable to the Commodore of a small fleet. His sect has to blindly obey him and not question his commands. Whoever does it could pay with their life. The women in their society have no rights. The Kazon children are brought up with the values ​​of war and combat. Before a Kazon child is considered a warrior or an adult in society, it must earn a name through a special act, such as the murder of an enemy or an honorable death (similar to the Klingons, see below). When it has earned its name, it is allowed to serve on a ship of the sect and is considered a full member of the sect.

Kelpians

The Kelpians (in the English original: Kelpiens ) are a humanoid species of the Alpha Quadrant. Your home planet is called Kaminar. They are tall and slender, have a light orange skin tone and no body hair. The Kelpians evolved from animals that served as prey for another species, which has remained so even after they evolved into an intelligent species. This results in an overall very cautious and careful behavior as well as an increased sensory perception of approaching dangers. They are also able to run very quickly and have superhuman strength and stamina. They are also very sensitive to noise.

The Kelpians only appear in Discovery . A member of this people, Lieutenant Commander Saru, served there first as a science officer on the USS Shenzhou and later as the first officer on the USS Discovery. In the mirror universe into which the spaceship accidentally jumps, Kelpians are kept as slaves and also eaten by the Terrans (people of mirror earth).

Klingons

Klingon logo
John Garman Hertzler (right) in 2014 as "Martok" and Robert O'Reilly as "Gowron" at a Star Trek convention
Klingon cosplayers

The Klingons are generally considered to be quick-tempered, spirited and easily irritable to aggressive . Your home world is the planet Qo'noS (Kronos). There are also very fixed notions of honor , which are more important than most of the other values ​​in this culture - the focus of Klingon morals is on the warrior and his strictly regulated behavior.

The best known representatives are Worf , General Martok and Chancellor Gowron.

The sign of Klingons resembles a type of African union iron or shuriken - throwing knife .

Klingon Physiology

The appearance of Klingons is largely similar to that of humans, but with some significant differences: Klingons typically have very lush manes for their main hair. Long beards and sometimes artistically designed beards are also very popular with men. The most noticeable and best-known external feature is the forehead, which is furrowed to varying degrees from Klingon to Klingon. These intricate bony patterns are a holdover from evolution from the prehistoric era of the Klingons, when they had a pronounced exoskeleton (external skeleton) and looked more like crabs . Klingons have multiple lungs, stomachs, and two livers, and most of the body's functions are covered in multiple ways. This property of physical redundancy, called “brak'lul,” makes Klingons very resilient. A Klingon life usually lasts at least 150 years. Co- reproduction with humans ( B'Elanna Torres ) and Romulans (Ba'el) is possible.

During a brief period in the 2260s (seen in the original Starship Enterprise series ), they exhibited physical features that were more human-looking and wore their hair more restrained, more like Federation members. In the Enterprise series , the Klingons are shown from the start as we know them from the newer series (from Star Trek: The Movie ). This “evolutionary” peculiarity is explained in the fourth season of Enterprise : The “human” appearance can be traced back to failed genetic manipulation experiments with upgraded human DNA . This is supposed to be transmitted with the help of modified viruses , which ultimately leads to an epidemic-like spread of the actually undesirable transformations among the Klingon population, which only regresses after a few generations. This also explains why Klingons are reluctant to talk about the human appearance phase in later series set in the 24th century.

In fact, when the classic series was being produced in the 1960s, you didn't have enough money to achieve the look that was already planned back then.

In the first season of the Discovery series , which takes place in the Star Trek universe about 10 years before spaceship Enterprise , the Klingons were given a significantly different appearance. The head is now almost completely hairless, the bony patterns run around the entire head, and the clothing has significantly more spurs. In season two, they were depicted with hair again. Their absence was explained by the fact that the Klingons shaved their heads during the war.

The Klingon people are very proud of their traditions and the life of the Klingons is accompanied by numerous rituals. The sense of honor forms the basis for a large part of the ritual culture.

Klingon law

The Klingon law is the predominant in the Klingon Empire legal code. Much of what is known about Klingon law comes from the movie Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Lands Where the Viewer Witnesses a Murder Trial and the Deep Space Nine episode The House of Quark , in which Quark to their death a Klingon is involved.

Klingon law is similar to that of the Federation, with a few differences:

  • In the procedural rules, Klingon law provides that the plaintiff and the defendant present their case at the same time.
  • Klingon law offers some rights that seem unusual by Federation standards:
    • The legal classification of homicides as murder is very different from that valid in the Federation. A distinction is made between honorable and dishonorable killing. For an honorable killing - i.e. killing in one-on-one fights (duels) or under circumstances required by the code of honor - there are grounds for justification excluding punishment.
    • If the board of directors of one house kills that of another house with honor, they have the right to marry the widow of the victim and thereby also take control of the other house. This ritual is called "bIreqtal" . It has not been sufficiently proven whether this also applies equally to reversed gender relationships.
    • If a member of a house is dishonorably killed, another member of that house has the right to blood vengeance , called "bortaS DIb" (Translator: "Right to vengeance"), that is, he can kill the murderer of his relative (it is unclear whether this right is subject to further restrictions on who exactly is authorized to do so in a house). The right to blood revenge may also be exercised by Klingons who otherwise no longer have any honorary rights.
    • In Klingon case law, the death penalty is very common, including capital crimes when the right to blood revenge by a family member of the victim is not exercised.
  • Who is with the Klingons, guilt by the captain not unlike, in charge of a spaceship for the actions of his team. If a team member cannot be found for the purpose of the process, the captain will be tried in his place.
  • Similarly, one or all of the family members can be blamed for misconduct by ancestors who have already died. However, this dishonor is not a punishment, but a side effect.
  • On a positive level, most Klingons are said to be very open-minded. They hate lies, intrigues and ambushes, even if there are occasional " black sheep ". Any Klingon who plots an intrigue against the empire doesn't live long enough to earn fame. No exception is made here, even with high nobility.

The Klingons as a military power

Bat'leth

The Klingon Empire was founded by "Kahless the Unforgettable", the first Klingon Emperor. This established a militaristic tradition that pervades the entire culture, with the importance of exploring foreign worlds in the Federation - wielding weapons is a central component of this culture. The Klingons are feared as opponents: A common tactic is boarding enemy ships to take prisoners is considered very unusual, which seems to be based on the Klingon code of honor. Not only does it contradict the Klingon concept of honor to take prisoners, but conversely also to surrender - death (especially in combat) is almost always preferred to captivity.

Klingon combat tactics are particularly aimed at hand-to-hand combat: Klingons prefer to fight with sharp cutting and stabbing weapons, such as the betleH (Klingon for "Bat'leth", a kind of sword; according to Marc Okrand, the word "Bat'leth" came from due to a misprint and shaped the spelling of the Federation standard transcription of Klingon ) or daggers such as the Daqtagh (also: D'k tahg) and the meqleH (also: Mek'leth, a broad, one-handed short sword) - see also the Klingon language . Enabling individual close combat is also one of the main reasons for boarding enemy ships. In addition to these traditional weapons, however, the warriors also carry disruptor pistols, whose energy output cremates a humanoid enemy in seconds.

Klingon warships are equipped with cloaking devices that allow them to approach undetected and attack unexpectedly. Disruptor cannons and photon torpedoes are primarily used as armament. Strong deflector shields and heavy hull armor are installed for defense. Aside from the first cloaking devices that they received from the Romulans in the 23rd century in exchange for a number of D-7 battlecruisers, they generally do not use technology from other cultures.

In the 23rd century there was a year-long war with the federation in 2256, which almost led to its annihilation. There was another war with the Federation in 2267, but it only lasted a few days. Things relaxed again in the first half of the 24th century when the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-C), an Ambassador-class starship, sacrificed itself in an attempt to defeat the Klingon outpost at Narendra III against four Romulan battlecruisers To defend. This failed, as expected, but showed the Klingons that the Federation is not without honor.

In the second half of the 24th century, however, there was renewed tension when the Klingons, meanwhile infiltrated by agents of the Dominion, attacked the Cardassian Union. This was condemned by the Federation and a new war broke out. This only ended when the Cardassian Union joined the Dominion - the Klingons alone would have been inferior to this superiority without any chance, albeit honorable. In the Dominion War the fronts cleared and the relationship of the Klingon Empire to the Federation and the Romulans strengthened again.

The fact that the Klingon culture and the Klingon state system did not have the well-known militaristic quality from the beginning is mentioned in the series ' Enterprise' ; Here the Klingon right-back Captain Archers (who in this episode has to answer to a Klingon tribunal for the destruction of a Klingon ship) explains that the same social structure has only developed in the last few decades. This is a logical explanation, because a purely military-oriented economy and a purist / military culture would not have been able to construct a stable government, let alone civil research and (space) exploration.

Relations between the Federation and the Klingon Empire are in part similar to those between the United States and Russia or the Soviet Union at the time the series or film was made, particularly noticeable in Star Trek 6.

Klingon-Cardassian Alliance

The Klingon-Cardassian Alliance controls much of the known universe in the Mirror Universe. At the end of the 23rd century or the beginning of the 24th century, she conquered the Terran Empire and enslaved the Terrans (that's how people are called here) and the other peoples belonging to it. In the years that followed, other peoples, such as B. the Bajorans. However, in 2370 there was renewed contact between the Federation and the Alliance. From this encounter the Terran Rebellion arose, which first captured Terok Nor and later even captured Worf, the ruler of the Alliance. However, the further development of events is unknown.

Malon

The Malon are a humanoid species native to the Delta Quadrant; their main planet is Malon Prime. Even if their starships are on a par with the Federation's technology, they apparently operate an industry that generates enormous amounts of antimatter waste. These emit theta radiation that is highly dangerous for life forms. This results in a distinctive waste disposal industry: The Malon use gigantic tanker spaceships to dispose of the radiant garbage far from their home. Consideration is rarely given to possible inhabitants or risks for other species. The Malon are only found in Voyager .

Maquis

The word maquis comes from French and describes the impenetrable bush forest in the Mediterranean countries. Bandits and outlaws traditionally hid there, which is why the word maquis is often used as a synonym for an underground movement.

The Maquis was named after the French resistance movement in World War II .

The Maquis in Star Trek is a group of renegade Federation citizens and outside worlders who, after their worlds have fallen to the Cardassian Union as a result of a peace treaty , fights against the Cardassians, but also against Starfleet. The Maquis is supported by the Klingons with cloaking devices and weapons , other species such as the Ktarians openly sympathize with the Maquis, but there is no official support.

When handing over their worlds to the Cardassians, some of the later members consent to live there under their rule. But since they were harassed by them, they decide to fight.

Their military is limited to outdated and mostly civilian spaceships, which have often been patched up and can hardly withstand the battles. They are also often smaller ships, modified transporters or scouts that have been salvaged from junk dumps or bought and made fit to fly again. Accordingly, their military strength is very low and they are dependent on their lists and tricks to defy the great powers.

The organization of the Maquis is based on so-called “cells”, small groups that interact with one another. Each cell has a leader and has about one or two ships. The Maquis has a head, which usually consists of three to five people and acts almost like a kind of council. Decisions regarding the military and diplomacy are discussed and made together. These decisions are then passed on to the cell leaders, who then implement them.

Each cell is responsible for recruiting, each cell leader has to look for personnel himself, check it and may only initiate the person if he has confidence in the secrets of the Maquis. Since the Maquis has no structure that is comparable to the Starfleet or the Union Fleet, trust and honesty are vital to him.

The enforcement of the orders is mostly carried out according to the "rule of thumb". Similar to a wolf pack, whoever does not obey verbal instructions is motivated to do so with blows and kicks. Thus, there is a kind of lawlessness within the cell, only that not only the strongest are in command, but knowledge and experience are also effective arguments. Education and previous work also play a role, so, for example, Chakotay, who has a starfleet training and experience in command of the rank of commander, is not questioned as a cell leader.

In episode 4x15 from Voyager , Chakotay receives news that the Maquis have been wiped out by the Cardassians' weapons of mass destruction and that a few have been imprisoned. Here the presence of the Dominion in the Alpha Quadrant is implied as "power from the Gamma Quadrant" that helped the Cardassians in exterminating the Maquis. The Maquis belonging to the Voyager crew are the last free of this group.

Nausicaans

First featured in Starship Enterprise - The Next Century , the Nausicaans are a heavily built and violent humanoid species. Because of their ruthlessness, they are often hired as mercenaries (for example by the FCA inspector of the Ferengi Brunt, Deep Space Nine series ). In the 22nd century, before the Federation was founded, they raided earthly freighters. The early Starfleet therefore had to spend a lot of time keeping an eye on the Nausicaan pirates.

Jean-Luc Picard, who later became captain of the Enterprise-D, was stabbed in the heart as an ensign in a fight with Nausicaans, which is why his heart had to be replaced by an artificial one.

Nausicaans also occasionally show up as argumentative guests at Quark's Bar in Deep Space Nine .

The name "Nausicaan" derives from the protagonist of the anime -Kinofilms Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind from. Quite a few members of the Star Trek production team are fans of Japanese cartoons and have built in lots of subtle anime references.

Ocampa

An ocampa

The Ocampa are a species from the Delta Quadrant, where they were originally supplied with energy by the “caregiver” until he died. Originally, the Ocampa lived on the surface of their planet. They had to leave, however, because the caregiver and others of his kind inadvertently triggered a drought on the planet, forcing the population to flee below the surface. Most of them spend their short lives (approx. 9 years) underground (with the exception of a colony on a space station), and most of their once supernatural abilities have withered. However, your abilities can to a large extent be called back through intensive training.

Ocampa women usually only get pregnant once in a lifetime. During her fertile phase, the appearance of the female Ocampa changes. They then have a yellowish color on the face and the palms of the hands. They carry their children on their backs. The Ocampa Kes is better known from Voyager ; she also succeeds in developing the supernatural abilities.

Orions

A cosplayer as an Orion dancer (left)

The Orions are a humanoid species that looks very similar to humans, but is distinguished by a strong, green skin color. Women are delicately built and have long, black hair. Men are shown in The Enterprise and Enterprise significantly taller than the average person, very muscular and bald, while in Discovery they are of normal human stature and black hair. While the Orions trade peacefully, piracy, organized crime, and the slave trade are an important part of their culture. They are known for their slave girls, who are extremely attractive to males of various species, including humans, due to their pheromones and the mostly scanty clothing. One important organization is the Orion Syndicate, which appears to be both a government and a criminal organization. It is active as early as the 22nd century. In the 24th century, in addition to Orions, it also included members of numerous other species.

The home planet of the Orions is Orion, a planet in the constellation of the same name . However, there is conflicting information about which star it is orbiting. No precise information is given within the series and films. According to the reference work The Worlds of the Federation , it is the eighth of twelve largely inhabited planets in the Rigel system. According to the Star Trek Star Atlas, however, Orion orbits the star π³ Orionis .

The Orions appear in Starship Enterprise , The Enterprise , Enterprise , Discovery and Lower Decks as well as two feature films, in the other series they are only mentioned. In Lower Decks , D'Vana Tendi is the first main character who is an Orion.

Q

John de Lancie embodied the most famous representative of the Q species

The Q are immortal, almost omnipotent beings. They inhabit another dimension outside of known space-time , the Q-continuum. They evolved from an ancient species that developed extreme physical and mental powers over thousands of years. Strictly speaking, this is not a question of omnipotence. Nevertheless, Q are many times superior to many other species.

The Q's first appearance takes place in Spaceship Enterprise - The Next Century , where a representative of this species (played by John de Lancie ) meets the crew of the Enterprise-D to condemn them for their underdevelopment from his superior perspective, in the course of the plot, however, an increasing interest in humanity developed. In doing so, however, he repeatedly exposes the people he meets to problems that are related to his lack of understanding of their abilities and his disregard. While this one representative of the Q has multiple appearances, also in Deep Space Nine and Voyager , other Q appear in the course of the plot.

Q are not bound to a fixed shape, but can take any shape, including human. Since they are capable of suicide in this form, it is possible for them to circumvent their immortality. In addition, Q can only be killed by their own kind, which is a taboo break.

The Q continuum can be entered by humans, but its form cannot be understood. For them and the viewer it is therefore presented in metaphors and comparisons, e.g. B. as a scenario in the American Civil War . Within this continuum, the Q are subject to physical laws that limit their capabilities. In the course of the plot, it is also described that the Q have reached a dead end in their development because they have already discovered and discussed everything and are therefore in a phase of degeneration.

Q do not reproduce, but are able to do so. After a war in the Q continuum, a child conceived this way leads to the relaxation of the conflict.

Since the Q do not have a fixed form, the individual figures were embodied by different actors.

The traveler

The traveler is the only known member of a species from the planet Tau Alpha C. He has the ability to travel through space and time with the help of his thoughts. He demonstrates these abilities several times on board the Enterprise NCC-1701-D by manipulating its warp drive and sometimes moving it by several million light years.

Romulan star empire

Romulans

Logo Romulan Star Empire
A Romulan

The Romulan Empire is at least partially in the Alpha Quadrant. The Romulans inhabit the system of planets Romulus and Remus (an allusion to the siblings Romulus and Remus from Roman mythology ), and various colonies. The dark planet Remus is primarily used for industrial production and raw material extraction and is therefore a working-class planet. The form of government is a parliamentary representation. The Supreme Commander is a Praetor who is regularly elected by the Senate. The military is subordinate to the strict command of the Tal Shiar secret service.

Outwardly, the Romulans are very similar to the Vulcans due to their common ancestry. They both have pointy ears and raised eyebrows on the outside. The Romulans differ from the Vulcans by their bulges on their foreheads and greener skin.

The story of the Romulans begins around 300 AD on the planet Vulkan. Due to numerous wars among the Vulcans, they were threatened with self-destruction thousands of years ago. The teachings of the philosopher Surak led the Vulcans to suppress their emotions and only allow logic. After the teachings of logic and lack of emotion began to gain general acceptance, a large group of Vulcans decided in the 4th century to leave the planet because they could not or would not identify with the dogmatic teachings of Surak. These Vulcans eventually colonized the uninhabited planet Romulus. There they called themselves Rihannsu and founded a new culture and society.

In the mid-2150s, a war broke out between the Romulans and Earth, which both powers were still waging with nuclear weapons. The decisive battle was the Battle of Cheron, in which both sides suffered such heavy losses that they could no longer afford further clashes. The armistice negotiations were conducted over subspace radio, so the two enemies hadn't even seen each other before a cloaked Romulan Bird-of-Prey destroyed several Federation outposts in 2266.

During a brief alliance with the Klingons, the Romulans came into possession of the construction documents of the Klingon cruiser type D-7, in return the Klingons received the Romulan camouflage technology. The Romulans are technically advanced and form one of the strongest factions in the quadrant. Although the Romulans are reluctant to meet with other civilizations, they re-contacted the Federation in 2360 when several colonies of the Romulan Empire and the Federation were attacked by the Borg. A lengthy phase of confrontation followed, in which both peoples resisted the attack.

Another short-term alliance was formed by Romulans at the end of the Dominion War. The war resulted in the Dominion and the Cardassians threatening to win the war against the Alliance of Federation and Klingons. The Romulans initially remained neutral even in this extremely precarious situation. The Federation's interest was to include the Romulans in the war, which they eventually succeeded in doing. After the end of the war, a phase of mutual relaxation followed, after which the Romulans withdrew again.

After the events of Star Trek: Nemesis , the situation between the Romulan Empire and the Federation seems to be improving. The Romulans are now interested in talks.

During the events in Star Trek (the 11th movie), the homeworld of the Romulans is destroyed by a supernova in 2387. How many Romulans survived this disaster is not known. The exact sidereal time is not mentioned either. One of the survivors is Nero, who flies to the past in a spaceship to get revenge on the Federation and especially Spock, whom Nero blames for the downfall of the planet Romulus. This creates a new timeline.

The Romulans are considered an isolated people who are neither interested in friendly nor in hostile relationships with other planets. They prefer to be neutral to avoid direct confrontation. Nevertheless, they are considered aggressive when it comes to defending and advancing their own interests. In tricky situations, they initially behave cautiously, but in retrospect are often willing to use force. Despite the isolation, Romulans also need contact with other civilizations in order to remain a strong power within the quadrant. The Romulan secret service Tal Shiar is therefore also strongly oriented towards espionage. Romulans are not considered communicative and their goals are often unpredictable by other powers. Due to their cloaking device, a meeting is usually surprising. A hostile intention of the Romulans is often interpreted from this. These are also the reasons for being extremely cautious when dealing with Romulans. Starfleet plans to go on alert or combat readiness in the event of contact with the Romulans.

Reman

The appearance of the Remans might seem scary and threatening to other humanoids. The Remans play with this fear and therefore also serve as bodyguards for senators. They are excellent warriors, courageous and loyal to their leader. In some stories, in contrast to the Romulans, the Remans are actually said to come from Romulus, where the Romulans later immigrated and the Remans enslaved and driven to Remus.

The Remans live on the dark side of Remus, the neighboring world of Romulus. There they are abused by the Romulans as slaves and serve them as workers in the dilithium mines and in arms factories. In addition, their martial skills are used in battles. In the war against the Dominion, the Remans were the stormtroopers of the Romulan Empire who served as cannon fodder. Some Remans have telepathic abilities. However, one of their greatest warlords was human. His name was Shinzon , a clone of Starfleet Captain Jean-Luc Picard .

Species 8472

Logo species 8472

"Species 8472" is a life form. The name Species 8472 comes from the Borg, who give all life forms a number. In an attempt by the Borg to assimilate Species 8472, the Federation starship USS Voyager became involved in the fighting in the Delta Quadrant when it got caught between the front lines on its way back to the Alpha Quadrant (Season 3, Episode 26, Star Trek: Starship Voyager , "Scorpio - Part 1"). The Borg had created an artificial singularity to enter the space of Species 8472.

Species 8472 comes from another dimension called liquid space and shown in green in the series. Apparently there are no stars or planets there. All your technology, the buildings and the ships are made of organic matter and are produced biogenetically. Everything that these beings need is "bred" in a rapid process. Therefore, the Borg collective tries to assimilate this species, but to no avail, as this species is immune to the Borg assimilation nanoprobes. Their assimilation could have contributed enormously to perfecting the collective. With the help of nanoprobes, which are modified by Voyager's holographic doctor, the Borg manage to avoid being destroyed by Species 8472.

Species 8472 is classified by the Borg and initially by the Voyager crew as extremely aggressive and dangerous - their goal is the complete "cleansing" of the universe of "unclean" life forms. After an attack by the Borg, they and the Federation are considered enemies. Species 8472 sees itself as perfection; ironically, it resembles the Borg.

Species 8472 can infect any living being with its cells, which then behave like a kind of virus, so that the enemy is literally eaten from within. As Harry Kim becomes infected by the cells, the doctor develops the modified nanoprobes that Janeway and the Borg successfully use against species 8472.

Captain Janeway succeeds in establishing contact with Species 8472 in the Delta Quadrant and arranging a provisional peace treaty (Season 5, Episode 4, Voyager , "In Flesh and Blood"). Prior to this meeting with Janeway, Species 8472 had prepared for a Federation invasion at a training facility simulating San Francisco .

The anatomy of species 8472 is very different from that of other species. They have three legs, their eyes are on the sides of the head. They are strong enough to tear open the outer hull of a spaceship, have enormous telepathic abilities, and can hardly be killed even with phasers. It is also mentioned that this species has 5 sexes. Species 8472 never rest and finds sleep strange.

Species 8472 technology is far superior to the Borg technology, which was also one of the reasons why the Borg have developed a great interest in it. 8472 pushed the Borg back, proving their technical superiority. 8472 sometimes seems to use non-biological substances such as metal or iron. (Seven of Nine discovers some non-biological components of the space station on their training facility in the Delta Quadrant.) Although most of 8472 appear to be aggressive warriors, there are certainly pacifists among them who want peace with other species.

Unlike most of the species in Star Trek, the members of 8472 are not played by humans but are computer generated. Similarities with the shadows and Vorlons from the competitor series Babylon 5 are by no means coincidental, as these were also developed by Foundation Imaging .

Species 8472 is later (in the online game Star Trek Online ) referred to as "Undines".

Sphere Builder

The Sphere Builders ( Sphere Builder ), or by most Xindi also protector called and worshiped as gods, are a transdimensional species that exist about the 21st century. Since they themselves are able to roughly predict the course of their own timeline - in which they wage a devastating war against the Federation in the 26th century - they incite the Xindi against humanity in the 22nd century by attacking them give false information that the people were responsible for the annihilation of the Xindi in the 26th century. So they send the Xindi off to destroy the earth and thereby prevent the foundation of the federation.

The Sphere Builders are - as expressed by the name - the creators of the spheres that can be found in the whole Delphic Expansion. These spheres change the space in such a way that the sphere builders can exist, but it becomes uninhabitable for others. The Enterprise NX-01 destroys these spheres and the sphere builders cannot penetrate from their dimension. The Sphere Builders apparently cannot survive in any known form of atmosphere. Dr. Phlox's recordings of her physiology were very useful in medicine.

The Sphere Builders appear exclusively in Enterprise .

Suliban

The Suliban are a people who played a significant role in the front line of the Temporal Cold War in the 22nd century. After their homeworld was destroyed, they lived as nomads and with other peoples. Basically not further developed biologically, with the help of the future they were able to carry out genetic modifications to themselves that give them breathtaking physical abilities. Not all Suliban are "genetically improved"; in fact, these aggressive Suliban are a military sub-group, the so-called Cabal.

The Suliban only appear in Enterprise .

Talaxians

A Talaxian

Characteristic features of this species are an ocher-colored, spotted skin and a lot of hair all over the body. They are very helpful and friendly, which Voyager has often benefited from. However, they can be very effective warriors in combat. Your technique is medium to well developed. Like many species in the Delta Quadrant, they do not have transporter or replicator technology. You have a warp drive, but it cannot accelerate over Warp 6.0.

The story of the Talaxians is shaped by the war with the Haakonians. They used a weapon, the Metreon Cascade, on the Talaxian moon Rinax, making the entire moon uninhabitable. The home planet Talax surrendered unconditionally to the Haakonians to protect Talax from complete annihilation. Talaxians were allies of the Voyager spaceship by assisting the crew in the Delta Quadrant.

The best known Talaxian is Neelix . Neelix evaded military service during the war against the Haakonians and survived. In the post-war period he was a space scrap dealer until he met the Voyager. The Voyager crew benefited from his knowledge, which he had acquired through many years of trading. Eventually he was unofficially accepted on board as a cook, bartender and "moral officer". Talax is part of the Haakonian Empire.

Terran Empire

The Terran Empire is the counterpart of the Federation in the Mirror Universe founded by the "Terrans" (as people are called there). It is unknown when it originated, but the first known difference to the historical process known to us is that the first contact with the Vulcans is not peaceful, but Zefram Cochrane shoots a Vulcan and then storms the spaceship. For the next 100 years, the Empire waged war with the Klingons, Xindi, and Tholians, and subjugated the Vulcans, Andorians, Denobulans, and other peoples. The enslaved peoples later started a rebellion, which was able to achieve more and more successes by 2155. This only changed when Commander Archer took the ISS Enterprise into the Tholian-controlled space and stole the USS Defiant there. With the technology of the 23rd century he succeeded in putting down the rebellion; However, he was poisoned by Hoshi Sato, who then took command of the Defiant. When they flew back to Earth, Hoshi demanded to become the new Empress.

100 years later, contact with the Federation was made again when a transporter accident caused Kirk, McCoy, Uhura and Scott to be mixed up with their counterparts. Kirk then exerted influence on Spock, so that he could declare himself emperor of the Terran Empire with the help of the Tantalus emitter. Through reforms, he weakened the empire so much that it could finally be conquered by the Klingon-Cardassian Alliance.

Terran rebellion

The Terran Rebellion is an organization in the Mirror Universe and was founded there in 2370 by Benjamin Sisko and Julian Bashir. It is directed against the prevailing Klingon-Cardassian alliance, which the Terrans enslaved after the fall of the Terran Empire. It has numerous bases in the Badlands and was able to conquer Terok Nor in 2372. In 2375 the rebellion finally captured Regent Worf, the leader of the Alliance. The further fate is unknown.

Tholians

Emblem of the Tholians after Star Trek: Enterprise

The Tholians are a non-humanoid and withdrawn species that have only made a few appearances in the Star Trek universe and also had a few verbal mentions. Her first contact with Starfleet was in 2152; at this point they seem to be involved in the "Temporal Cold War" when Captain Archer of the Enterprise has to deal with them, which was never confirmed.

They made their first appearance in television history in the original series in the episode The Spider Web . The Tholians have a crystalline exoskeleton with six legs and can only survive long-term at high temperatures around 400 Kelvin (about 130 ° C). Their physique enables them to send out short-range communication signals and, presumably, to perceive them. Their energy network weapon, with which they can "weave" enemy spaceships into an energy network, is notorious.

In the mirror universe they tried to contact their people from the known universe from there, whereby the USS Defiant got into the mirror universe.

Vidiians

A Vidiian

The Vidiians are a people from the Delta Quadrant. In their normal state they are outwardly very human-like with a slight forehead crest. However, the entire people are affected by a disease that leads to severe disfigurement. They have sophisticated spaceships and weapon systems. The Vidiians deliberately raid other species to steal their organs and use their technology to adapt them to their own physiology. The Vidiians were freed from the Vidiian phagocytic epidemic by the "think tank" team (Star Trek Voyager: episode "Think Tank").

The Vidiians only appear in Voyager .

Xindi

In contrast to Earth, on the planet Xindus , located in an area called the (Delphic) expansion (originally " Delphic Expanse "), no single species has dominated. Rather, there are six intelligent types . However, armed conflicts led to the destruction of their own home planet by the insectoids and the reptilians, the annihilation of one of the Xindi species, and the dispersal of the surviving Xindi species. The Xindi do not use a warp drive , but a kind of hyperspace jump device called a "vortex". In addition, the Xindi are bitter enemies of the earth for a while , as they are incited against humanity by a species from the future, which the Xindi themselves mainly refer to as the protectors .

Aquarist

The aquarists are sea creatures and one of the more level-headed species. Due to the fact that they do not have to share their living space with any other intelligent Xindi species, they can and want to stay out of the conflicts of the other Xindi. The aquarists' ships are the largest and most powerful of the Xindi, heavily armored and armed. They are almost completely filled with water, but there are also dry parts in the ships where the other Xindi species can stay. They are among the Xindi species, along with the arboreal and primates, who help people stop the weapon after it was kidnapped by the reptilians and insectoids.

Arboreal

The arboreal (which translates as “tree dwellers”, cf. Latin arbor “tree”) are very similar to the earthly sloth ; they take everything calmly and do not want to rush anything, but they are open to reasonable arguments. Hustle and bustle and nervousness are alien to them. They are also reluctant to be on the aquarists' ships, as they abhor water.

Avians

The bird-like species Avianer (from English " birdlike ") has not managed to escape from the home world and is considered extinct. In the episode Der Rat ( The Council ) an avian skull can be seen, otherwise little is known about its appearance.

Insectoids

The insectoids are a very impulsive, aggressive, but not overly intelligent species that looks like a human-sized mixture of an ant and a praying mantis . They have the shortest life expectancy of all Xindi, they are only about 12 years old. Their ships are small, agile and heavily armed. Together with the Xindi reptilians, they steal the weapon that is supposed to destroy the earth in order to use it against the will of the other three Xindi species.

Primates

The primates are the most intelligent of the Xindi species. Their thirst for knowledge is more pronounced than with most Xindi, they represent the scientists of the Xindi. Degra , the designer of the weapon that destroyed the earth (should destroy, has destroyed? See temporal logic ), also belongs to this species. They are the first species that humans can convince that the protectors are deceiving them. Their ships are the smallest of the Xindi and are mainly used for defense or construction.

Reptilians

The Reptilians are reptilians who are very aggressive, but also intelligent. They are the strongest opponents of humans and also those who want to destroy the earth to the last. They represent the warriors of the Xindi, which is why most of the Xindi fighting ships come from the reptilians. After those of the aquarists, their ships are among the most powerful of the Xindi; these are heavily armored and armed and form the attackers in a fleet. Reptilians are sent back in time to get samples of all human blood types so that the bio-weapon can wipe people out in the event Degra's weapon fails. This plan is foiled by Captain Jonathan Archer.

Artificial life forms

Androids and robots

The Android Data, embodied by Brent Spiner . Spiner also played the androids Lore and B-4, as well as their creator Noonien Soong.

Androids are human-like machines. They first appeared in the Star Trek universe in the 23rd century. On its travels, the USS Enterprise NCC-1701 under Captain Kirk repeatedly encounters androids that were built by extraterrestrial peoples. In the 24th century, Noonien Soong was the first person to develop androids. At the Omicron Theta colony, he first created the three androids B-4, Lore and Data based on his own image, and later an android modeled after his wife Juliana. Data is later used on the USS Enterprise NCC-1701-D. There he develops another android, which he calls Lal, based on his own positron brain. Lal takes on the appearance of a human woman, but dies after a short time from the failure of her neural network. In the Delta Quadrant, the USS Voyager encounters two groupings of androids, the Automatic Personnel Units, originally developed by the Pralor and Cravic peoples for warfare. After a peace agreement, however, they wiped out their builders and carried on the war.

Even less sophisticated machines can develop their own consciousness. In the 23rd century, the USS Enterprise NCC-1701 encounters the two space probes Nomad and V'Ger, who have developed consciousness through the collision with an alien probe or through reprogramming by a machine civilization. In the 24th century, microscopic robots, so-called nanites, developed into artificial life forms on the USS Enterprise NCC-1701-D. Even with some Exocomps, newly developed maintenance drones, Commander Data can demonstrate a simple awareness.

Holograms

Robert Picardo embodied the USS Voyager's medical holographic emergency program

Originally, holograms are mere projections of light and force fields. However, with the increasing complexity of their programming, they too became partially conscious in the course of the 24th century. This happened first on board the USS Enterprise NCC-1701-D with a simulation of the Sherlock Holmes opponent Professor Moriarty and later, as a result of its continuous operation, with the medical-holographic emergency program of the USS Voyager. In the Delta Quadrant, the Lokirrim developed sentient holograms, as did the Hirogen through further development of Voyager's holo technology. In both cases, the holograms rebelled against their creators. Vic Fontaine , a hologram on Deep Space Nine, was programmed with its own consciousness from the start.

See also

literature

  • Stephan Berreth, Christopher Witte: collective of enemy images. The Borg as the ultimate challenge. In: Kai-Uwe Hellmann , Arne Klein (eds.): "Unendliche Weiten ..." - Star Trek between entertainment and utopia , Fischer Taschenbuch Verlag, Frankfurt / M. 1997, pp. 72-79. ISBN 3-596-13579-6
  • Nina Rogotzki, Thomas Richter, Helga Brandt et al. (Ed.): Fascinating! Star Trek and the Sciences Ludwig Verlag, Kiel, 2003. ISBN 3-933598-25-7 and ISBN 3-933598-70-2
  • Sebastian Stoppe: A Transhumanist Leviathan? The Borg as an emotionless dystopia in Star Trek . In: Working title - Forum for Leipzig PhD students, Vol. 3 (2011), Issue 2, pp. 69–82 on wissens-werk.de ( Memento from March 28, 2016 in the Internet Archive )
  • Sebastian Stoppe: On the way to new worlds. Star Trek as a political utopia. Büchner Verlag, Darmstadt 2014, ISBN 978-3-941310-40-7

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. Ralf Bendrath: Future of Privacy - Future of Network and Society, in: Bettina Sokol (Ed.): Personality in the Network: Security - Control - Transparency, Düsseldorf: LDI North Rhine-Westphalia 2008, pp. 91-108 (PDF; 180 kB)
  2. ^ The Star Trek author Robert Hewitt Wolfe: "Ferengi is, after all, the Persian word for foreigner, particularly for European" (Cinefantastique, Vol. 27, No. 4/5, p. 114)
  3. Ferengi , from memory-alpha.fandom.com, accessed May 13, 2019
  4. Events from the movie Star Trek: First Contact
  5. ? Vulcan Salute Emoji. In: Emojipedia . Retrieved October 26, 2017 (English).
  6. Nina Rogotzki, Thomas Richter, Helga Brandt et al. (Ed.): Fascinating! Star Trek and the Sciences. Ludwig Verlag, Kiel, 2003. ISBN 3-933598-25-7 or ISBN 3-933598-70-2 , pages 205 ff
  7. ^ Romulan Bird of Prey in Star Trek Wiki Memory Alpha
  8. Spaceship Enterprise 1x14: Spock under suspicion (original title Balance Of Terror )