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• Iconian Empire
• Delta Alliance
• Federation conflicts
• Klingon conflicts
• Romulan conflicts
• Dominion conflicts
• Cardassian conflicts
• Borg conflicts
• Ferengi conflicts

Iconian War

• 1.1 Infiltration of the Federation
• 1.2 Sinister Research
• 1.3 The Hobus Incident
• 1.4 The Undine Threat
• 1.5 Conflict with the Vaadwaur
• 2.1 Battle of New Romulus
• 2.2 The Solanae Plot
• 2.3 The Emperor's Return
• 2.4 The Krenim Join the Fight
• 2.5 Battle of Iconia
• 2.6 Butterfly Effect
• 2.7 Battle of Sol
• 2.8 Midnight
• 2.9 Finding Peace

Prelude to War [ ]

Approximately 200,000 years ago , the Iconian homeworld, Iconia , was victim of orbital bombardment by several species which had rebelled against the Iconian rule. This event led to the fall of the First Iconian Empire. A little group was able to escape the planet and settled themselves on several primitive worlds because of a group of non-iconians known as the Others . For over 200,000 years, these survivors were slowly rebuilding their forces and preparing for the day when they would return to reclaim all that was once theirs. Being forgotten by time and considered nothing more than legends, the Iconians influence on other species, however, dates back to at least the early 24th century . The Iconians' goal was to destabilize diplomatic relationship and stability between governments of several galactic nations to make them unprepared and unable to defend themselves when the invasion began. Despite many, some of these events were highlighted for causing a greater historical impact. ( TNG novel : The Devil's Heart ; STO video game : The Iconian War )

Infiltration of the Federation [ ]

The Bluegill's mother creature is killed by Captain Picard and Commander Riker

In the year 2364 a neural parasite known as the Bluegill tried an outlet of the Federation by infecting Starfleet 's key leaders, thus getting control of their minds. However, this attempt was discovered by Captain Walker Keel of the USS Horatio and neutralized by the crew of the USS Enterprise -D . With the failed attempt, the Bluegill's Spawnmother sent a signal into deep space, later revealed to be a message to their masters: the Iconians. It was also discovered that the Bluegill had been genetically modified by the servitor race Solanae . ( TNG episode : " Conspiracy ")

Sinister Research [ ]

A Solanae experimenting on Enterprise Commander William T. Riker

During a mission of charting the Amargosa Diaspora globular cluster in 2369 , several Enterprise crew members were being abducted and subjected to several experiments unknowingly - later revealed to be Solanae's work. A power grid overload in Cargo Bay 4 is later revealed to be a collateral effect of a Solanae subspace pocket being formed inside the Enterprise . The crew was successful in closing the rift and the charting mission continued as planned. ( TNG episode : " Schisms ")

" Whoever it was that sent that thing was more than simply curious... " - Riker

The Hobus Incident [ ]

Romulus' destruction by the Hobus supernova

In 2387 , the star of the Hobus star system unexpectedly went supernova , sending a wave of devastation across the quadrant. This supernova was especially threatening because of its ability to transform anything it contacted into energy, which increased its power and allowed it expand. To stop the threat, Ambassador Spock planned to use red matter to create an artificial black hole that would consume the supernova's energy. However, before he could successfully carry out his mission, the supernova traveled through subspace, destroying Romulus and Remus .

Years later, an investigation was conducted into the Hobus supernova which led to a trail to Iconia itself. A Romulan Republic captain, following clues from classified Tal Shiar files, discovered a base in the remains of the Hobus system, where former Praetor Taris was discovered. Although she escaped from Hobus through an Iconian gateway , a Starfleet vessel working with a Republic agent tracked a Reman commander in Taris' employ from Hobus to a facility on Iconia, where the Starfleet captain captured Taris, and discovered evidence linking her to the Hobus supernova. Obisek , who headed the Reman Resistance also learnt that the Tal Shiar had allied themselves with the Demons of Air and Darkness . He believed that this threat remained in the shadows and intended to exact revenge on those that had driven them from their homeworld. Colonel Hakeev revealed the ties the Tal Shiar had with the Iconians on Nopada Prime along with his goal in finding ways of provoking conflict amongst various races. After Hakeev's death, a battle erupted at Brea III where Empress Sela 's flagship , the IRW Leahval , was seemingly captured by an Iconian ship that had emerged from a gateway. ( STO mission s: " Revelations ", " Taris ", " Frozen ", " Coliseum ", " Cutting the Cord ")

Following these events, Obisek wondered about the threat the Iconians posed to the galaxy. This worry was also voiced by Captain Va'Kel Shon during the Borg conference at Deep Space 9 . According to Commander Mesi Achebe, Taris seemingly managed to escape during the riot at Facility 4028 with the apparent aid of the Iconians. Investigators on New Romulus revealed the ties the planet had with the ancient Iconians. ( STO missions : " Darkness Before the Dawn ", " Second Wave ", " Facility 4028 ", " Secrets of the Ancients ")

The Undine Threat [ ]

Also in 2387, it was discovered by the Klingon Empire that Species 8472 had infiltrated most of the Alpha and Beta quadrant powers, through their infiltrator agents. During this same period, an interrogated member from Species 8472 revealed their real name to be Undine. It was also revealed that the Iconians were responsible for crossing into Fluidic Space where they attracted the Undine's attention. This chain of events saw the Undine being provoked into believing that they had faced hostility from the other universe. As such, the tripedal aliens began a campaign of infiltration and destabilization of the Milky Way Galaxy. Unknown to anyone, this all went in line with the Iconians' plans in setting the various races against one another in order to keep them all divided. ( The Path to 2409 WP , STO mission : " Fluid Dynamics ")

ESD after the Undine assault on Earth

In early 2410 , the Undine launched a massive invasion in the Alpha and Beta Quadrants. As a distraction from their main target, the Undine launched an ambush in the Sol system , while in fact pushing to destroy Qo'nos with a planet killer . This same tactic was used to attack Ferenginar , Gornar , Cardassia Prime and Andoria . Despite severe casualties as the almost complete destruction of Earth Spacedock , the invasion was neutralized thanks to the efforts of the newly formed Federation-Klingon-Romulan alliance, later becoming the Alpha Quadrant Alliance . ( STO mission : " A New Accord ")

M'Tara enters the Great Hall

When the Federation and Klingon Empire agreed to cease war after the Undine attack on Earth and Qo'noS, an Iconian entered the Great Hall through a gateway to give a cryptic warning to the newly formed alliance about things that would happen if they drew the Iconians' attention again. ( STO mission : " Surface Tension ")

" You have come further than we expected, but still you chase our shadows... We give you a single warning: Do not attract our attention again. " - M'Tara

Conflict with the Vaadwaur [ ]

With the discovery of a gateway in the center of the Solanae Dyson Sphere in 2410, the AQA began to send ships to explore the region and see how much it had changed since USS Voyager 's journey 32 years ago. During the operation, the Alliance heard rumors from several species about a threat in the quadrant, known to appear out of nowhere, leaving a trail of destruction behind. Despite not being considered a threat by the crew of the USS Voyager due to their 900-year-old technology, the Vaadwaur made an unexpected leap in technology, and threatened the security of the entire quadrant. Seven of Nine observed that not even the Borg had such powerful ships as the Vaadwaur. This was due to the fact that the Vaadwaur, seeking a way to regain their former power, had made contact with the Iconians, who gave them sufficient technology to launch a campaign of conquest throughout the Delta Quadrant. In exchange, the leadership of the Vaadwaur Supremacy was taken over by Bluegills. This meant that ultimately, the Iconians controlled the Supremacy through its Bluegill-infected leaders. As their first act after the agreement with the Iconians, the Supremacy overthrew the Krenim Imperium and subsequently the B'omar Sovereignty . ( VOY episode : " Dragon's Teeth ", STO video game : Delta Rising )

To put an end to this threat, the Alpha Quadrant Alliance started an operation to unite the Delta Quadrant species in an attempt to create a new alliance that would stop the Vaadwaur purge. Among these races were the Hierarchy , the Kazon , the Benthan Protectorate , the Borg Cooperative , the Hazari , Kobali , Talaxians and the Turei . This new coalition was dubbed Delta Alliance. Alliance operatives exposed Vaadwaur leaders as Bluegill hosts, igniting a civil war between Supremacy loyalists and Vaadwaur rebels under the command of Eldex . Delta Alliance then organized a task force led by Alliance High Command to attack in the heart of the Supremacy, Vaadwaur Prime . During the battle, Eldex's rebels joined Alliance forces, and the Delta Alliance was victorious. ( STO video game : Delta Rising , STO missions : " Revolution ", " Takedown ")

Although the Bluegills that possessed the Vaadwaur leaders were defeated, a small number of Vaadwaur ships remained loyal to the Iconians during the beginning of the war. ( STO mission : " Time in a Bottle ")

The War [ ]

On the eve of war, while following a lead by Sela, who had escaped capture, members of the Alpha Quadrant Alliance entered a Dyson sphere hidden in the Andromeda Galaxy through a gateway on Nopada Prime , where they discovered a massive Iconian invasion force inside. Also, they found Taris, whom they pursued until they caught up to her and cornered her against the edge of a building. Taris begged them to understand her actions which caused the destruction of Romulus, as well as her reasons for contacting the Iconians, wherein she thought the Iconians could somehow go back in time and undo the Hobus catastrophe. Outraged by Taris' actions, Sela insulted Taris' lack of knowledge, and then threw her off the edge. Obsessed with her homeworld's restoration, Taris hadn't discovered the simple fact that the Iconians themselves couldn't travel through time anyway because of their chroniton -based minds. After gathering as much information as they could, the Alliance team escaped, though not before the Sphere jumped to a location near the Iconia system . Upon returning to Nopada Prime, the Alliance officers discovered that Sela had traveled to a different, unknown destination. Later, over the course of the war, she sent several transmissions to the Alliance officer and revealed information about her location and her progress in bringing allies to fight the Iconians. ( STO mission : " Uneasy Allies ")

Battle of New Romulus [ ]

During a meeting between the leaders of the Alpha Quadrant Alliance in the Sol system to prepare for the imminent conflict, a Herald fleet suddenly appeared on New Romulus, signaling the beginning of the invasion. Herald forces were also sent to attack the Federation Starbase 234 , which was the only thing standing between the Iconians and New Romulus. In order to defend the Romulan homeworld, Captain Tom Paris was sent to assist the Republic with his task force alongside with the bulk of the fleet. The others were ordered to report to Starbase 234.

At Starbase 234, Herald ships engaged the Alliance forces in space, while Herald forces took control of the starbase, boarding it through their gateways. In the end, Alliance efforts were not sufficient to save the starbase from the Heralds, who overran the station. Fortunately, all of the civilians and most of the crew managed to evacuate.

While Captain Paris led the fight in orbit, an Alliance admiral transported to the surface, managing to improve the situation, which had become desperate. However, as the Alliance retook control of the Hwael Ruins , another Iconian, T'Ket , arrived through a gateway and destroyed an entire group of Republic officers with only one strike. Escaping into the caves which housed the gateway on New Romulus, the Alliance admiral followed a Herald strike-force through the gateway to the Preserver Archive on Lae'nas III. Having cleared the area of Heralds, the Alliance officer woke a Preserver, asking the ancient alien for help in the fight against the Iconians. However, as the Preserver attempted to access information regarding the Iconians, another wave of Heralds distracted the Alliance team long enough for M'Tara to kill the Preserver, declaring the Iconians' right to rule. Soon afterwards, a Herald dreadnought destroyed the Archive from orbit.

Although the Heralds withdrew from New Romulus, the Alliance lost a quarter of their fleet in only one day. ( STO mission : " Blood of Ancients ")

The Solanae Plot [ ]

During the first days of the war, Captain Paris' task force, Delta Flight , alongside another Alliance ship, infiltrated in the Calbriden system . Alliance Intelligence believed the Iconian had destroyed Calbriden III to gather materials for a subspace disruption device. They intended to use this device to bring a little portion of subspace into normal space in order to bring in Solanae forces to directly aid in the Iconians' efforts. Though the team succeeded in preventing the Solanae from breaking through and recovering data on the location of a key Iconian installation, the USS Campbell was lost with all hands and the Iconians kept the upper hand in the war. ( STO mission : " Delta Flight ")

The Emperor's Return [ ]

Seven years earlier , Emperor Kahless of the Klingon Empire had departed Qo'nos, handpicking a crew from the Order of the Bat'leth for his flagship IKS Batlh . He left a message behind saying that the Klingons no longer needed his guidance and he would return when he was most needed.

As the war continued, the Alliance suffered a series of demoralizing defeats. During a covert mission deep in Iconian territory in the Dynassia system, led by a group of Klingon black op agents known as House Pegh , Emperor Kahless revealed himself to be the leader of House Pegh.

Believing that his people needed a symbol to inspire them in the difficult times of the war, Kahless challenged T'Ket to single combat. Seeing that he was unable to hurt the Iconian, Kahless' team managed to wound T'Ket by firing on her with a discharge of Omega particles. Kahless then cut off T'Ket's left arm. Though he was killed before he could deliver the final blow, and the strike force was forced to retreat, he proved that the Iconians were not invincible, thus invigorating Alliance forces. ( STO mission : " House Pegh ")

The Krenim Join the Fight [ ]

A Federation starship witnesses the construction of an Alliance-Krenim research station

Soon afterward, Alliance leadership discovered a Krenim device in the possession of a Ferengi named Qwen. Due to the fact that the Iconians had ordered the complete extermination of the Krenim, the Alliance decided that it was worth investigation, and sent representatives to procure the device. With assistance from Captain Nog of the USS Chimera , they acquired the device and then traveled to the Kyana system, where Qwen had said the device was found. Using the Krenim device, the Alliance team discovered a Krenim base hidden out of sync with normal time in one of the system's moons. While hidden in this fashion, Nog and the other Alliance captain witnessed a meeting between twelve Iconians, during which M'Tara, T'Ket, and L'Miren discuss the Alliance's unexpected resilience, highlighting the destruction of the Solanae station in the Calbriden system. T'Ket proposed the utter destruction of Alliance forces, an idea that M'Tara and L'Miren dismissed, stating that there was no pride in ruling a dead galaxy.

After the Iconians left, Krenim leader Pross re-synced the base with normal time, also revealing that they had actually hidden the entire planet. He then presents a scheme with plans for the constructions of " a wondrous vessel " which could manipulate time, capable of erasing entire civilizations like they never existed. Nog theorized that the Krenim could give the Alliance a much-needed advantage, and they ended up negotiating an agreement with the Krenim, alongside with their allies of the Zahl and the Nihydron species to fight the Iconians. ( STO mission : " Time in a Bottle ")

Battle of Iconia [ ]

Three months after the war began, the Alliance's situation had become critical. The only option left was an all-out assault on the heart of the Iconian Empire. Though the chances of success were minimal, if nothing was done immediately, the Alliance would certainly fall. To that end, the Alliance powers gathered a massive fleet in the Kyana system, and under the command of Tom Paris, attacked the Herald Sphere near Iconia. Unfortunately for the Alliance, the Herald forces were more prepared than they imagined.

As the fleet arrived in the Iconia system, distress calls began pouring from all over the system. When the Iconian flagship entered the battle through a gateway, Captain Paris' task force, Delta Flight, attempted to intercept it. After losing three ships, Captain Guroth of the IKS Kortar sent his ship on a collision course with the Iconian flagship. The impact gave the task force another chance to strike, forcing the dreadnought to retreat back through the gateway into the Herald Sphere, followed by the USS Mercury and a small Alliance battlgroup. Once there, away teams boarded the flagship to neutralize the ship's power junctions. During the operation, M'Tara was revealed to be onboard and attacked the Alliance teams. After discovering that the junctions "fed" the Iconian with energy, the group began to deactivate them one by one. In the end, M'Tara was forced to use her own essence to fight the Alliance forces. With her final breath, she summoned L'Miren and T'Ket, asking for revenge moments before she died.

After seeing that her sister was killed, L'Miren threw in her support of T'Ket in her plan to exterminate the Iconians' enemies instead of conquering them, prompting the Alliance team to beat a hasty retreat. When the surviving ships exited the Herald Sphere, they found the area littered with thousands of destroyed ships. After returning to the Kyana system, Captain Kagran , CO of the Allied forces, insisted that the Krenim temporal weapon needed to be used immediately. However, Captain Nog stated that if they used the weapon without completely understanding its power, it would result in irreversible damage to the timeline. Now, without sufficient ships, the Alliance's last hope was that the death of the Iconians' leader would weaken them, and that the Krenim temporal weapon ship could be finished as soon as possible, thus turning the tide of the war. ( STO mission : " Broken Circle ")

Butterfly Effect [ ]

With desperation mounting, final simulation testing was done to create a temporal incursion in order to stop the war or slow it down considerably. The first choice was to pluck out certain stars. What they found out was that, by doing so, it would cause the Klingon Empire to tear itself apart in civil war, the Romulans more than happy to push it further and leaving the Federation weakened so that the Dominion could conquer the Alpha and Beta Quadrants. The next choice was to set it so that the USS Voyager would be prevented from discovering the Vaadwaur, which would deprive the Iconians of a key ally. Instead, the Iconians would choose the Hierarchy leading to the dissolution of the Delta Alliance. The final choice would be to prevent the USS Yamato from discovering Iconia. While it would lead to Romulus being restored, complete with the Romulan Star Empire in control, D'Tan 's movement was also in full swing as well and they felt that the Borg nipping at their heels was a small price to pay. At Commander Tiaru Jarok 's suggestion, they would use that last option.

However, when it was performed, to everyone's horror, Romulus was reborn, but as an assimilated world in the hands of the Borg. Worse, the Borg had cloaking technology thanks to assimilating the Romulans. Beaming down to the planet, the members of the Delta Alliance participating in the incursion discovered that the Borg had assimilated a race known as the Tuterians , granting them superior tech. After dealing with Hakeev , who became Secundus of Borg, the decision was made to strike at a Borg transwarp gate to try to restore the timeline. However, damage caused by the Borg weakened the ship's temporal shielding, erasing everyone's memory of the previous timelines, as well as the continued existence of the Tuterians. Data left inside a temporally shielded computer, however, still had data from those timelines. ( STO mission : " Butterfly ")

Battle of Sol [ ]

Desperation mounted greatly within the Alliance as the Iconian forces were heading for their final target: the Sol system . One last plan was set into motion: modify the Krenim temporal weapon ship to allow it to create a time portal which would allow the Alliance to eradicate the Iconians during the bombardment of their homeworld 200,000 years ago. Despite the reservations of several Alliance captains, especially Captain Va'Kel Shon of the USS Enterprise -F , the plan was put into motion as Earth Spacedock was brought under attack.

As losing Earth would mean the fall of the Federation and consequently the Alliance, forces from three quadrants were united for their final stand for freedom. Herald ships engaged the Alliance in orbit of Mars , Jupiter Station and Earth. As the fight was growing desperate, Sela returned from her quest with a fleet of Dominion ships, stating that the Dominion knew of the Iconian threat and were more than eager to protect what they wanted. With the backup ready, the Krenim ship created the portal, and three ships managed to cross it before it collapsed, Kagran's ship, a Dominion Dreadnought carrying Sela and another Alliance starship.

Midnight [ ]

Kagran arrived first, and two weeks later Sela and the other allied ship appeared over Iconia, two hours before the orbital bombardment. Reuniting with Kagran, they observed the ancient Iconians, only to find them to not be what they expected. The Iconias were actually a peaceful race, even having their own version of the Prime Directive to protect lesser species from technology that was too advanced for them. They also collected the knowledge of everything their people were in a device called the World Heart , which they considered their most precious possession. Resenting the Iconians' policy of restricting access to their technology, the "lesser" races who desired it, as the Iccobar and the Dinasians , launched a massive joint fleet to invade the planet.

Realizing that the description of the Iconians being an aggressive, warlike species was actually a myth, and they had done nothing to deserve annihilation, the allied group decided to aid the past versions of M'Tara, L'Miren and T'Ket and other eleven Iconians in trying to escape, certain that they were doing the right thing. However, as the Iconians attempted to escape to Dewa III through one of their portals, Sela, vowing to complete the original mission, opened fire, killing two of the Iconians and crippling L'Miren. Taking the World Heart from L'Miren, Sela prepared to kill them all for what happened to Romulus before Kagran stopped her. As T'Ket left, she vowed to destroy Sela's people for her treachery. Shaken by this, Sela came to realize that the real cause for the Hobus supernova and the destruction of Romulus was her fault.

Finding Peace [ ]

Having the World Heart, the trio returned to the present and one of the allied captains hailed L'Miren's flagship, calling for a cease fire and presenting the World Heart. Brought to the flagship, L'Miren realized that the captain was indeed one of the Others , the ones who saved the Iconians in their darkest hour. Realizing that their people's enemies could have defeated them but instead shown compassion and helped them, L'Miren and the other Iconians stood down, though T'Ket refused, vowing to keep fighting even if she had to do so alone. With the World Heart in her possession, L'Miren agreed to stop the fighting on the condition that the Alliance was to avoid Iconia and that, perhaps in another millennium or two, the Iconians would be cleansed from those vengeful feelings which had blinded her people for so long. The Iconians then returned to Iconia to begin the process of rebuilding their once mighty civilization, ending one of the most devastating conflicts in all of galactic history. ( STO mission : " Midnight ")

• 1 Ferengi Rules of Acquisition
• 3 Achilles class

Story Arc: Iconian War

• VisualEditor

The Iconian War story arc is a chain of cross-faction missions available to all factions.

Everything has changed when, after 200,000 years of absence, an Iconian appeared on Qo'noS and killed the whole Klingon High Council , warning the forces of the Beta Quadrant to not attract their attention again. "Demons of Air and Darkness" were no longer a myth - the threat they posed became real and an invasion was imminent.

Now the Iconians are here with a huge army of Heralds at their disposal. Through their use of gateway technology, the whole quadrant could fall in a matter of seconds. Now is the time to unite old friends and enemies, put differences aside and work together to stop their advance. Conventional tactics won't work; only ingenuity and great sacrifice may help win the battle. Even that might not be enough to win the war.

List of missions [ | ]

Related content [ | ], iconian resistance reputation [ | ].

Time Limited Events [ | ]

The following events were connected to Iconian War story arc:

• Delta Recruitment : Various Account-Wide Rewards

As part of the event, players could create a Federation , KDF or a Republic character and become Delta Recruits. During the tutorial mission, a future version of the player's character would come to the past to warn of the impending conflict and give instructions on how to prepare for it.

By completing the objectives handed by the Tesseract Communications Receiver , players could unlock various account-wide rewards, such as reputation marks, dilithium ore, starship traits, space & ground devices, a photonic bridge officer, etc.

The rewards are currently unavailable to players who didn't participate.

Task Force Operations [ | ]

Notes [ | ].

• Accompanying the storyline around the Iconians, a series of short blog posts called Tales of the War was published on the official Star Trek Online web page over the course of several months in 2015.

See also [ | ]

• Season Ten: The Iconian War
• 2 Typhoon Class Battleship
• 3 Playable starship

• More to Explore
• Series & Movies

Published Jan 4, 2019

Alien Races without Faces

StarTrek.com

The Star Trek universe proves rich with a tapestry of alien species, cultures, planets, delicacies and more that find themselves mentioned in dialogue without being seen on screen. References to some of these races tend to stand out, either due to entire episodes being dedicated to them or the implication that they might be politically significant. An examination of the details surrounding some of these species establishes an opportunity to learn more about these mysterious societies.

The Iconians rank as the most-prominent example of such species, as two entire storylines focused on their culture and superior technology. The Star Trek: The Next Generation episode " Contagion " dealt with the discovery of Iconia and the puzzle of the Iconians' fate, while Star Trek: Deep Space Nine 's " To The Death " followed a joint Federation-Dominion mission to prevent rogue Jem'Hadar from harnessing an Iconian gateway. The episodes established two major facts about the race -- the Iconians possessed the ability to travel between planets through advanced gateways and became extinct due to an assault on their homeworld. Those that eradicated the Iconians referred to them as conquerors and 'Demons of Air and Darkness' who enslaved entire worlds with their gateways. However, Captain Picard noted the possibility that misunderstandings and paranoia caused the enemies of the Iconians to destroy them.

So, who was correct? Iconian probes did cause the destruction of the U.S.S. Yamato and endangered the Enterprise-D and a Romulan warbird commanded by Taris. Yet the series of events could easily be seen as a misunderstanding, a simple incompatibility between computer systems. The probes did not carry sophisticated defense systems necessary for a weapon of war to protect itself. The gateway's operational center resembled a transporter room, and the small nature of the gate hardly allowed for a large, surprise invasion. Even if a potential attack involved a network of gateways, logic dictates each gate needed to be sufficient to allow a sizeable strike force through. In addition, a race of conquerors requires occupying forces for newly acquired territories, but the evidence of a focused orbital bombardment suggests the Iconians mostly stayed close to home on Iconia. Nothing about the Enterprise-D's visit to the planet indicated an intentional assault on the crew, so it seems as if Picard's rationale for a misconceived species carries the most intellectual weight.

Following a distress call from Delta Rana IV, the Enterprise-D arrived to find the colony wiped out in TNG episode " The Survivors ." Kevin Uxbridge, a powerful member of the Douwd race posing as a human, eventually explained that a warship belonging to the Husnock species murdered the innocent inhabitants. In a fit of rage, Uxbridge killed every Husnock in existence with a single thought. Kevin described the Husnock as "a species of hideous intelligence who knew only aggression and destruction." It is possible that his emotional state over his wife's death influenced the statement, but Uxbridge seemed to be of sound mind during his confession. Prior to their extinction, the Husnock population numbered over fifty billion individuals, so a belligerent species of that magnitude represented a significant threat in the region. While genocide, even of a fictitious alien race, can never be justified, Uxbridge most likely saved the Federation and other governments from future conflicts with the Husnock.

In the classic DS9 episode " The Way of the Warrior ," Worf considered leaving Starfleet and suggested he may find employment with the Nyberrite Alliance. Miles O'Brien noted the distant location of the Alliance, and Worf mentioned the organization maintained a fleet of cruisers. Since Worf, a Klingon serving in Starfleet, believed the Nyberrites would welcome him, the Alliance clearly had no qualms with either the Federation or members of the Klingon race. Were the Nyberrites a species, or a group of diverse worlds similar to the Federation? The manner in which Worf described the Nyberrite recruiting process seemed reminiscent of the French Foreign Legion, a force made of volunteers from different nationalities. Worf's sense of honor and duty also provides a positive impression of the Alliance, as affiliating himself with a disreputable entity does not fit with Worf's character.

The Tzenkethi species fought at least one conflict with the Federation, and a Changeling infiltrator attempted to incite a new Federation-Tzenkethi war in the DS9 episode " The Adversary ." Given the U.S.S. Defiant's proximity to Tzenkethi space, the region must be located near Deep Space 9. The Tzenkethi's ability to hold their own in previous battles against the Federation and the Dominion's belief that a new flare-up with the species would occupy Starfleet indicate that the Tzenkethi have a sizable military, similar to the Cardassian Union of the early 2360s. Captain Sisko did not seem fond of the Tzenkethi autarch, suggesting the possibility that hostility toward the Federation remained confined to the Tzenkethi leadership rather than average citizens.

After rendezvousing with the U.S.S. Equinox in the Star Trek: Voyager episode " Equinox ," Captain Janeway learned that Captain Ransom's crew encountered the Krowtonan Guard soon after being brought to the Delta Quadrant by the Caretaker. Ransom stated the Guard claimed the Equinox violated Krowtonan space and attacked the Federation vessel when it refused to turn back. Ransom's tendency to play loose with the facts calls his account into question, and his open admission that he purposely violated the Guard's territory indicates the Krowtonans may not have been as hostile as he claimed. The only certainties known about the Krowtonan Guard include their relatively close proximity to the Kazon and their technological ability to effectively engage a Federation Nova-class starship. The notion that the Kazon never mentioned the Guard as a threat in the region lends credence to the idea that the Krowtonan Guard may not have been the hostile, expansionist power described by Captain Ransom.

In the Voyager episode " Endgame ," Captain Janeway learned of the existence of the Fen Domar from the future version of herself. In an alternate timeline, the Fen Domar inflicted serious damage to U.S.S. Voyager. From this limited information, it can be determined that the Fen Domar operated tactically proficient starships and did not take kindly to Janeway's diplomatic overtures. Since the alternate Voyager encountered the Fen Domar several years after the Hirogen and Borg it faced in the series' seventh season, but prior to arriving near Romulan space in the Beta Quadrant, the Fen Domar's territory must be located somewhere between the regions controlled by those species. Depending on their proximity to the Borg, Hirogen, Romulans, and any other potentially malicious powers, the Fen Domar's possession of advanced starships to protect their borders seems logical.

These prominent examples represent only a handful of the many species mentioned throughout Star Trek whose faces are never seen. The extensive information about the Iconians makes it easier to hypothesize about that race, but the potential exists to extrapolate cultural details about each of the aforementioned societies. With the upcoming debut of Star Trek: Discovery promising to introduce aliens old and new, maybe we will learn more about these species and, quite possibly, have a glimpse at their elusive faces. Jay Stobie is a science fiction writer who admits he has a perfectly normal obsession with Star Trek. He can be found on Twitter at @CaptStobie.

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An Iconian in 2410

The Iconians were an ancient and highly advanced civilization that was thought destroyed approximately 200,000 years ago by orbital bombardment of their homeworld , Iconia . ( Star Trek: The Next Generation )

• 2.1 Star Trek: Hidden Frontier
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• 3 External links

Summary [ ]

All over the galaxy, remnants of the Iconians remain in temples, murals, and the gateways. Ancient texts called the Iconians "Demons of Air and Darkness", who were said to have the ability to appear at will on far-flung planets without the use of starships . In the 24th century , it was discovered that the Iconians used a network of gateways that made this instantaneous transport possible. Through the gateways, Iconian influence spread at least as far as the Gamma Quadrant , and probably further. ( TNG : " Contagion ", DS9 : " To the Death ")

In the early 25th century , the Iconians were discovered to be behind several plots against races in the Alpha Quadrant , including being the causes of the destruction of Romulus and driving the Undine and Tholians against the Klingon Empire and the Federation . In the Delta Quadrant , the Iconians were hinted at being behind the Blugill infection of the Vaadwaur leadership in an effort to define them as a feared power. ( Star Trek Online )

History [ ]

Star trek: hidden frontier [ ].

In the 2370s , the USS Angeles discovered a lost Iconian colony on the planet Ayre . Most of the inhabitants, descendants of the original Iconian diaspora, had left long ago, but one remained behind as a Guardian. He awoke from stasis when the Breen triggered the planet's automatic defenses and destroyed them. Identifying himself as Rayvan , he assisted the Angeles and her crew in defeating another Breen incursion and destroyed Ayre so that its technology could not fall into the wrong hands. He left aboard the Angeles and eventually took up residence on Deep Space 12 . ( Voyages of the USS Angeles : " Last of the Iconians ", HF : "Enemy Unknown, Part Two" )

Star Trek: Unity [ ]

The Iconians were also known as Guardians, Time Lords, Ancients, and Oq'rat"jahm, in their native language. They were an incredibly advanced society of beings made up of several humanoid and non-humanoid races, which eventually became so attuned to temporal mechanics that they evolved into a higher plane of existence, actually becoming part of the fabric of time and space. Before fighting in the Time War and mutating through biological weapons into corrupt and unstable warriors, they were the dominant part of a vast, peaceful extra-galactic alliance also involving the Preserver race. Those Guardians that remained in corporeal form were the mysterious ancient progenitors that seeded the Milky Way Galaxy with humanoid life.

Star Trek: Helen [ ]

When the USS Helen became trapped in the Triangulum Galaxy , they made contact with a species called the Pasori, who worshipped a sect of Iconians that had come to the Gamma Quadrant of the Triangulum Galaxy prior to the bombardment of Iconia. According to the local mythology, these Iconians had come bringing knowledge and technology to the inhabitants of the Triangulum Galaxy and established themselves as peacekeepers among the factions of the Galaxy.

Following the bombardment of Iconia, the surviving Iconians arrived in Triangulum. There was a period of war between the two groups of Iconians that pushed the more peaceful faction almost completely out of that area of space, forcing them to settle on Tomek Dai, a Rogue Planet that served as their stronghold world. At an unknown point in the last 200,000 years, the Iconians left the Triangulum Galaxy to parts unknown.

Star Trek: Constance [ ]

One faction of Iconians was a ruthless race that conquered planets and species during their reign over this area of the galaxy until the bombardment of their homeworld. Rumors started circulating in 2409 that they were starting to return to the Alpha Quadrant and were involved with the destruction of Romulus and Remus.

External links [ ]

• Iconian article at Memory Alpha , the canon Star Trek wiki.
• Iconian article at Memory Beta , the non-canon Star Trek wiki.
• 2 Levex Ixen

• Races of the Milky Way Galaxy
• 1989 Debuts
• Video Game Species
• Aliens Portrayed by Lani Minella
• Species with Hexnocular Vision
• Bipedal Species
• Hyper Advanced Aliens
• Ancient Species

Iconian (Star Trek)

Even long after their disappearance, the Iconians left a lasting cultural influence in the development of other civilizations. Believed by some to be a myth, their existence has nevertheless been accepted as fact by 24th century historians. The Iconian language was discovered by Jean-Luc Picard and Data to have been the progenitor of at least three other languages. The location of Iconia was lost to history until Captain Donald Varley discovered it to be located in the Neutral Zone between Federation space and Romulan territory. Similarities in the cultures of at least three systems in this sector can be explained away as the result of Iconian influence.

Legend portrays the Iconians as warlike conquerors, referred to as Demons of Air and Darkness , which could travel to other worlds without spaceships. This was due to their advanced technology, which enabled them to open up gateways to distant locations from their homeworld. Their technology also included probes that could infect alien computers with devastatingly destructive malware.

Despite their great power, Captain Jean-Luc Picard wasn't convinced that the Iconians were hostile, and wondered about how much of the demonic image might have originated from the biased accounts of their enemies.

Appearances [ ]

• Star Trek: The Next Generation , s02e11, "Contagion" (1989) (Mentioned only)
• Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , s04e23, "To the Death" (1996) (Mentioned only)
• The Iconians never appeared onscreen in canon, but are featured prominently in the multiplayer game Star Trek Online .
• 1 Xenomorph
• 3 Pleiadian

• Cast & crew
• User reviews
• Episode aired Mar 18, 1989

Encountering the superior technology of a very ancient race creates system malfunctions for a doomed Federation starship, for the Enterprise, and for an eavesdropping Romulan warbird. Encountering the superior technology of a very ancient race creates system malfunctions for a doomed Federation starship, for the Enterprise, and for an eavesdropping Romulan warbird. Encountering the superior technology of a very ancient race creates system malfunctions for a doomed Federation starship, for the Enterprise, and for an eavesdropping Romulan warbird.

• Joseph L. Scanlan
• Gene Roddenberry
• Steve Gerber
• Patrick Stewart
• Jonathan Frakes
• LeVar Burton
• 20 User reviews
• 9 Critic reviews

Top cast 19

• Captain Jean-Luc Picard

• Commander William Thomas 'Will' Riker

• Lieutenant Geordi La Forge

• Lieutenant Worf

• Counselor Deanna Troi

• Lieutenant Commander Data

• Wesley Crusher

• Doctor Katherine Pulaski

• Capt. Donald Varley

• Sub-Cmdr. Taris

• Ensign Williams

• Chief Miles O'Brien

• Enterprise Computer
• (uncredited)

• Operations Division Officer
• Ensign Bennett
• All cast & crew
• Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

Did you know

• Trivia The first time that Picard orders "Tea. Earl Grey. Hot." from the replicator. Due to ship-wide malfunctions, that order is unsuccessful.
• Goofs Doctor Pulaski has to explain the concept of a splint to a fellow doctor when the Enterprise's computers start malfunctioning. Given that Starfleet Academy requires its cadets to learn how to survive in a wilderness with minimal technology, it seems odd that Starfleet Medical wouldn't require its medical students to learn low-technology medical techniques.

[the Enterprise goes through a series of system failures while facing a Romulan battle cruiser]

Wesley Crusher : Sir, the shields are back up.

Commander William T. Riker : Impeccable timing!

Wesley Crusher : Sir, the shields are back down.

Ensign Williams : Phaser banks are down.

Wesley Crusher : Shields are back up.

Counselor Deanna Troi : In another time and place, this could be funny.

Commander William T. Riker : Status of torpedo banks?

Ensign Williams : They're down too.

Commander William T. Riker : [frustrated] If it should become necessary to fight, could you arrange to find me some rocks to throw at them?

• Connections Featured in Star Trek: The Next Generation: The Enemy (1989)
• Soundtracks Star Trek: The Next Generation Main Title Composed by Jerry Goldsmith and Alexander Courage

User reviews 20

• anarchistica
• Mar 23, 2020
• March 18, 1989 (United States)
• United States
• Official site
• Paramount Studios - 5555 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA (Studio)
• Paramount Television
• See more company credits at IMDbPro

Technical specs

• Runtime 46 minutes
• Dolby Digital

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Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan's Behind-The-Scenes Challenges Included Toxic Memos From Gene Roddenberry

French philosopher Roland Barthes' 1967 essay "The Death of the Author" argues the literary theory of separating the meaning of a work from the author's intention, essentially allowing for a reader's personal interpretation to supersede it. Given the plethora of disparate voices seen today, made up of professional critics as well as average audience members, this theory has generally become widely accepted, at least within reason. It's a much easier thing to do when it comes to television and film, given the fact that, auteur theory aside, these are artistic mediums brought to life by dozens or hundreds of people, and not just one.

Yet pushing past the clearly stated intentions of the originator of a work can be daunting, especially when that creator seems to change their mind about what those intentions are over time. This is exactly the situation that Nicholas Meyer, Harve Bennett, and the rest of the people who crafted "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan" found themselves in with "Star Trek" creator Gene Roddenberry while making their film in the early 1980s. Although the Roddenberry of the original "Star Trek" TV series may have been perfectly fine with what Meyer and Bennett wanted to do with the film, the Roddenberry post-"Star Trek: The Motion Picture" was a different man, and had grown to believe that "Star Trek" should be trekking in a different direction than where it was going with others at the helm.

In short, he believed it should've been going his way. Years before he eventually succeeded in getting the franchise to follow his direction with the birth of "Star Trek: The Next Generation," Roddenberry had some choice words for the creatives in charge of "Khan," and as Meyer recently revealed, they weren't particularly nice words.

Meyer 'blacked out' Roddenberry's vitriolic memos to him

By all accounts, the making of "The Wrath of Khan" was not the smooth sailing experience one might hope for (although, when compared to the grief involved in making "The Motion Picture," perhaps it seems rosy). In a recent interview with TrekMovie , Meyer recalled how he had to write a shooting script for the film in just 12 days to keep everything on schedule (especially the visual effects work from ILM) and make the already-planned release date of June 4, 1982. After "shooting in the day and editing all night," as he described it, the final cut of "The Wrath of Khan" just barely made it to the finish line intact. That it was any good, let alone the best "Star Trek" movie ever made, is nothing short of a minor miracle.

Given this tumultuous schedule, it's no surprise that Meyer's memory of everything that went down while making the film is hazy some 42 years later. It seems that the film's generally positive reception and hugely influential legacy have allowed Meyer to mostly remember all the good aspects of making the movie, especially how ecstatic many audiences were upon seeing the film for the first time. What Meyer didn't recall until this interview was that he'd had a bitter feud with Roddenberry during the film, albeit one that seemed to play out wholly in memos:

"...people asked me for years what was my interaction with Gene Roddenberry. And I said, well, you met him. You had to shake his hand and so forth, but he wasn't part of making the movie, which was certainly true. But when I went back to my alma mater, the University of Iowa in Iowa City, I went to the library where they have all my papers, and I was stunned to see an exchange of memoranda between me and Gene Roddenberry that I had totally blocked out. Once I read them, I understand why I blocked them. It was very toxic, very venomous. He hated the script. I guess I didn't know any better, so I was intemperate. I responded intemperately. And I had just blocked all memory of this."

How Wrath of Khan gave Star Trek fans what they needed, not what they wanted

A breakdown of exactly why Roddenberry was so upset over the script for "The Wrath of Khan" can be found in this piece by /Film's Witney Seibold , suffice to say that Roddenberry wasn't pleased with the more adventure-oriented direction the film went in. As I mentioned earlier, this would likely not have been a problem for Roddenberry during the making of the TV series, and for a couple of reasons. For one, numerous episodes of the show were very adventure-oriented, including "Balance of Terror," which, like "Wrath of Khan," was directly inspired by 1957's "The Enemy Below." For another, Roddenberry hadn't yet fallen under the influence of the massive throng of Trekkers (Trekkies if you're nasty), "Star Trek" fans and their groups who were an influential part of keeping the series on the air and bringing it back to life.

We know now, in 2024, how damaging fandoms can be to art and culture; if nothing else, they're a sterling example of why art should never be made by committee. Back in the '70s and '80s, however, they were a relatively new influence, demonstrating to studios and creators alike how they could help make or break a franchise. With all the discussions Roddenberry had with these fans, he began to get the notion that "Star Trek" should distinguish itself from genre traditions, using its built-in concept of a utopian, progressive future society to further ideas of conflict avoidance, diplomacy, collaboration between groups, and so on. These are all noble goals, but they don't easily make for good drama. While Roddenberry's vision of a new "Star Trek" would eventually become better honed, allowing for the franchise to thrive to this day, it had some growing pains, felt most keenly during the making of "The Motion Picture" and "Khan."

What Meyer, Bennett, and the rest of the makers of "Khan" were doing was following some of the core tenets of drama, making creative decisions that only sounded potentially dissatisfying on paper but, when executed on the level of greatness ( as they ended up being ), turned out fantastic. Chief among these decisions was the death of Spock (Leonard Nimoy), a choice that Roddenberry tried to stoke the fires of fandom against, but which proved to be an iconic moment in "Star Trek" and film history. What the lesson of "Death of the Author" really is doesn't involve a "right" or a "wrong" interpretation of a work. Instead, it's about freeing oneself from objectivity in art: you never know for sure until you try it for yourself.

To the Death (episode)

• 1.2 Act One
• 1.3 Act Two
• 1.4 Act Three
• 1.5 Act Four
• 1.6 Act Five
• 1.7 Log entries
• 2 Memorable quotes
• 3.1 Story and script
• 3.2 Production and broadcast
• 3.3 Reception
• 3.4 Continuity
• 3.6 Remastered version
• 3.7 Video and DVD releases
• 4.1 Starring
• 4.2 Also starring
• 4.3 Guest stars
• 4.4 Special guest star
• 4.5 Uncredited co-stars
• 4.6 Stunt doubles
• 4.7.1 Iconian gateway images
• 4.7.2 Defiant turbolift display
• 4.8 External links

Summary [ ]

Dax and Chief O'Brien are sitting in the mess hall aboard the USS Defiant discussing Molly 's habit of coming to sleep in bed with her parents as Dr. Bashir gets a drink and approaches their table. Unknowingly, Bashir sits in Commander Worf 's favorite chair, and when advised to choose a different seat by both Dax and O'Brien, chooses to remain in the chair. Worf then enters the mess hall, gets an extra-large prune juice from the replicator , and walks towards his favorite chair. He slows for a moment when he sees Bashir in it, but only completes the distance to the table and silently waits while looking at him. Pretending to have just noticed him, Bashir holds the look for a few moments, then with amusement politely relinquishes the chair to the commander. Worf thanks him but just as he is sitting down, a red alert sounds and all senior staff are called to the bridge by Captain Sisko , where they find out that Deep Space 9 has been attacked and an upper pylon has been destroyed.

Deep Space 9 missing Upper Pylon 3

On the attacked portion of the station, a panicked Quark is running through the corridors looking for his brother Rom who was doing work on one of the upper pylons and finds out that he is fine and working with the damage control teams headed by Kira Nerys . Sisko then arrives demanding to know what happened, and Odo reports that a Jem'Hadar strike team beamed in from a civilian transport , set off a bomb in Upper Pylon 3 before the crew could respond, stole some items from the science labs and left through the wormhole . So far, eighteen people are confirmed dead with thirty-one missing and over a hundred injured. They left only forty-five minutes ago, meaning their ion trail can still be detected. Deciding that the Jem'Hadar must pay for this unprovoked attack, Sisko decides to leave immediately and pursue them. Bashir stays behind to assist the wounded, including Kira, nursing an injury to her right arm, while Odo leaves with the rest of the Defiant crew.

Act One [ ]

" These people saved our lives. " " And for that, we shall take advantage of their mistake. "

The Jem'Hadar used a magneton pulse to hide their trail, and the Defiant has trouble locating them, but stumbles upon a badly-damaged Jem'Hadar attack ship on the verge of exploding. Worf notes that the Jem'Hadar that attacked the station came from a civilian transport and not an attack ship, so this can't be the same group. Sisko has the surviving crew beamed aboard the Defiant without their weapons, which consists of six Jem'Hadar soldiers and their Vorta commander, Weyoun , who orders his men to stand down and asks for a word in private with Sisko.

In the Defiant 's mess hall, Weyoun says that their ship was attacked by the same Jem'Hadar who attacked Deep Space 9. These Jem'Hadar are renegades, and Weyoun has been tasked with eliminating them, but he needs Sisko's help. Sisko is incredulous, saying that the Dominion could send a fleet of warships to eliminate the renegades, but Weyoun says they simply don't have the time. Several months ago, a Dominion science team discovered the remains of an Iconian gateway on a remote outpost world, Vandros IV . Unfortunately, the science team's Jem'Hadar guards rebelled and seized control of the gateway. Weyoun guesses that the equipment stolen from Deep Space 9, such as EPS power stabilizers , microfusion initiators , and photonic amplifiers could be used to repair the gateway – which, if made operational, could enable the renegades to teleport, instantaneously, to any world or solar system in the galaxy . Dominion experts have already predicted that if the renegades convince the rest of the Jem'Hadar to revolt, they could take over the entire Dominion in less than a year.

Though moved, Sisko claims that that isn't his problem, but Weyoun begs to differ: if the Jem'Hadar seize control of the Dominion, they will almost certainly declare war on the Federation, and with the gateway, they could invade any Alpha Quadrant world at will, even if the wormhole were shut down. Sisko is shaken, but still not entirely convinced. He asks why the Founders cannot simply order the renegades to stand down – since, after all, obedience to the Founders has been genetically hard-wired into the Jem'Hadar's genetic make-up. Weyoun, shifting uneasily, admits that the degree of the Founders' control over the Jem'Hadar has been "somewhat overstated," but insists that the Dominion is, and will always be, stable. Sisko, after considering the threat the gateway poses to both their sides, reluctantly agrees to help Weyoun destroy it and kill the rebel Jem'Hadar.

Act Two [ ]

Aboard the bridge, Sisko informs his staff about their mission. Worf interjects that he was part of the away team from the USS Enterprise that discovered the Iconian homeworld in the Romulan Neutral Zone and was forced to destroy the gateway they found there to keep it out of the hands of the Romulans – so Worf fully appreciates the danger the gateway poses. Dax and O'Brien express some unease about working with Weyoun's Jem'Hadar, especially since they are as likely to revolt if they learn about the gateway, which could help liberate their entire race. For that reason, Sisko warns, they have to keep it a secret from them.

In his quarters, Sisko summons First Omet'iklan , the Jem'Hadar commander. Omet'iklan makes no secret of his contempt for the Federation, but agrees that that dislike is trumped by his duty to punish the renegades. Sisko makes clear that, for the duration of the mission, Omet'iklan and his men are under his command, not Weyoun's. Omet'iklan appears to accept this, but adds, ominously, that after the mission is completed, " we shall see. "

There is a joint briefing in the mess hall. Since the ziggurat that the renegades are using as a base (where the gateway is housed) is composed of solid neutronium , it cannot be destroyed from orbit with quantum torpedoes , which means they have to do it "the hard way," with a ground assault. Omet'iklan reports the number of the renegades as around 150, and several of the Starfleet officers remark that they don't like the odds. When Worf remarks that silencing all nine guards outside the ziggurat before one of them raises the alarm will be difficult, the Jem'Hadar Second , Toman'torax , taunts him that the much-touted Klingon bravery is a sham, and he will look forward to the day when the Dominion invades the Klingon Empire and massacres its people. Worf launches himself at the Jem'Hadar, but the two are pulled apart by Sisko and Omet'iklan.

Act Three [ ]

During a simulated assault Dax, O'Brien, Odo and Worf storm into main engineering (acting as their "objective"), neutralize two Jem'Hadar guards and prepare to set simulated explosives. However, they hesitate, the room isn't secure as they have not found and incapacitated the third guard they were expecting. As they look for him the lights blink on, signifying that, had that been real, the room's auto-defense systems would have engaged and vaporized them all. Omet'iklan reveals there was no third guard, as nothing is certain in battle and if the crew can't secure the room, then they should detonate the explosives then and there to ensure success. Obviously, the crew aren't thrilled about the prospect of possibly having to sacrifice themselves on the mission. He, Sisko, and Weyoun enter a turbolift , Omet'iklan insisting that their mission cannot succeed as long as the Federation's officers value their lives over success. Sisko disagrees, saying that a healthy fear of death does wonders for keeping officers on their toes. Omet'iklan recommends that the Jem'Hadar train in mixed teams with the Defiant 's crew, but Weyoun starts to overrule him (concerned for the secrecy of their objective). Omet'iklan interrupts, informing Weyoun that he and his men know all about the gateway. Weyoun may believe that the Jem'Hadar's loyalty is bought with deceptions and "the white ," but the truth is that their loyalty to the Founders is inherent, unwavering, and stronger than the Vorta's ever will be. If the renegades disagree with this, then they deserve death. Sisko agrees that mixed teams will be used, but makes clear that he does not intend for this to be a suicide mission .

A short time later, Dax is put off by a Jem'Hadar, Virak'kara , assigned to her squad, who has been staring at her while she has been piloting the Defiant for two hours, trying to learn more about her "patterns." Conversing with him, Dax learns some new (and unsettling) facts about the Jem'Hadar's way of life:

• They are bred in "birthing chambers" (and for that reason, their species has no females) and their growth cycle is such that they reach maturity and are ready to fight within three days;
• They do not sleep, eat, or engage in any kind of recreational activity; and
• Because of the frequency with which they are deployed in battle, their lifespans are extremely short; no Jem'Hadar has ever reached the age of thirty, and those that reach age twenty are considered " Honored Elders "; Virak'kara himself is only eight, and appears stunned when Dax casually mentions that she's over three hundred.

She shares these findings with Worf and O'Brien over a meal, and they are further disturbed to witness another one: Weyoun is eating by himself in a corner, when the Jem'Hadar enter with his white dispenser, and he grudgingly interrupts his meal to unlock it and pass out their next dosage.

After this is done, Toman'torax swaggers over to the officers' table and threatens O'Brien, starting a fight with Worf which quickly escalates into a massive brawl between the Starfleet officers and the Jem'Hadar before Sisko and Omet'iklan arrive and break things up. Both Worf and Toman'torax admit to starting the fight, with the Second admitting that he was insubordinate and deserved punishment. Omet'iklan executes his Second on the spot by breaking his neck, expecting Sisko to administer a similar punishment to Worf. The captain punishes Worf by confining him to his quarters while not on duty before angrily ordering the other officers to clear the room. Omet'iklan coldly chides Sisko, disagreeing openly on maintaining discipline with his officers. The First tells the commander of the mission that he is weak and that he should have been killed in the place of Worf, and that when the mission is over, Omet'iklan will make sure that he does.

Act Four [ ]

Weyoun confronts Odo in a hall and tells him that his people still love him, and that they want him back. Odo says that he does not love them back, and that he does not want to return.

As the Defiant approaches Vandros IV, O'Brien is recording a farewell message for his wife and daughter . He confides to Dax that it is the eleventh time he has done so, and every time he does, he is afraid that it will be the message they end up hearing. Dax assures him that her many years of experience tell her that he will die of extreme old age, peacefully in bed, and surrounded by loving friends and relatives. Then she adds that she will file his farewell message along with the one she has recorded to her mother, "just in case."

Before going to his quarters as ordered, Worf approaches Sisko in engineering and warns him to stay on the ship during the battle, so Omet'iklan cannot make good on his threat to murder him. Sisko declines, and Worf tells the captain to be watchful, "reassuring" him that, even if Omet'iklan succeeds in killing Sisko, Worf will make sure he does not live long enough to boast about it. In response, the captain smiles slightly and says that he is "very comforted" by Worf's "reassurance."

The crew with the Jem'Hadar

As the Defiant is approaching the planet, O'Brien hands out phaser rifles to the crew and reluctantly to the Jem'Hadar. Sisko tells the strike force to prepare to beam down, but Omet'iklan tells him to wait, and intones a Jem'Hadar battle chant, ending, " Remember: victory is life. "

On the planet, the teams are approaching the ziggurat, when Omet'iklan angrily whispers that they have been betrayed, their weapons have been sabotaged. The Defiant officers check their weapons, and also find them non-functional. Dax theorizes that the gateway is generating some kind of dampening field . At that moment, several Jem'Hadar materialize and ambush the crew with melee weapons .

Act Five [ ]

The team overpowers the Jem'Hadar, losing two Defiant crewmen in the process. Omet'iklan guesses that, without energy weapons or the element of surprise, Sisko will abort the mission. Sisko says, " Guess again! ", picks up a kar'takin, and leads the team towards the ziggurat.

The teams storm into the ziggurat, killing several of the renegades, until O'Brien, Sisko, and Omet'iklan reach the chamber where the gateway is. After they kill the two Jem'Hadar on guard, O'Brien starts to set the explosives (which have a chemical backup detonator unaffected by the gateway's interference).

Sisko notices a decloaking Jem'Hadar lunging at Omet'iklan and pushes him out of the way, receiving a wound in his arm for his trouble. Omet'iklan is stunned that Sisko would risk his life to save his, even after being threatened. They all exit the ziggurat and make their way to a safe distance by the time the bombs explode.

With the gateway destroyed, their phasers are functional again. Weyoun beams down with a Defiant security officer and offers his congratulations to everyone and asks to inspect the remains. Instead, Omet'iklan turns his rifle on the Vorta and vaporizes him for questioning the Jem'Hadar's loyalty to the Founders.

There is a tense moment, as the Defiant crew and the Jem'Hadar stand off against each other, but Omet'iklan lowers his weapon, saying that there has been enough killing for one day. He announces that he and his men will stay on the planet to hunt down and kill the remaining renegades. Sisko wishes him luck, but Omet'iklan warns him that, though they fought well together, they will be enemies the next time they meet. With that, the Jem'Hadar cloak and vanish and the weary Starfleet officers beam back aboard the Defiant .

Log entries [ ]

• Captain's log, Deep Space 9, 2372

Memorable quotes [ ]

" Has anyone seen my brother Rom?! He told me he was gonna be working on one of the upper pylons today! " " He's fine, I saw him with one of the damage-control teams on Level 5. " " Oh, what a relief... Wait 'til I find him, I'll kill him for scaring me like this!! "

" A Klingon. " " And the traitor. The Founders will be pleased. "

" Omet'iklan, control your men. These people saved our lives. " " And for that we shall take advantage of their mistake. "

" Couldn't the Founders just order them to surrender? From what I know, the Jem'Hadar have been genetically-engineered to obey them?! " " The Founders' ability to control the Jem'Hadar has been somewhat... overstated. Otherwise we never would've had to addict them to the white. " " Sounds like the Dominion isn't quite as stable as you'd like us to believe. " " The Dominion has endured for two thousand years, and will continue to endure long after the Federation has crumbled into dust ... but we'll leave that to history. "

" So let me get this straight, we're going to work with the Jem'Hadar fight the Jem'Hadar? "

" There'll be a joint briefing session at 1900 hours. " " Followed by a get-to-know-you buffet at 1930. " " And I forgot my dress uniform . "

" I was on the mission that discovered the Iconian homeworld. We were forced to destroy the Gateway we found there rather than let it fall into the hands of the Romulans, and Starfleet Command supported our decision. "

" Get back to your stations or go to your quarters. Either way, I want this room cleared. NOW!"

" It is as you said. The Klingon will to fight pales in comparison to our own. " " Yes. He has the look of a warrior, but the heart of a coward. "

" No sleep, no food, no women – no wonder you're so angry. After thirty or forty years of that, I'd be angry, too. " " No Jem'Hadar has ever lived thirty years. " " How old are you? " " I am eight. " " I would have guessed at least fifteen. " " Few Jem'Hadar live that long. If we reach twenty, we are considered honored elders. ...How old are you? " " I stopped counting at three hundred. " " You don't look it. " " Thank you. "

" First Omet'iklan, can you vouch for the loyalty of your men? " " We pledge our loyalty to the Founders, from now until death. " " Then receive this reward from the Founders, may it keep you strong. "

" It is our duty to punish those who would break their vow of loyalty. " " Are you accusing me of something? " " It is not for us to accuse a god of betraying heaven. The gods themselves will sit in judgment over you. "

" I am First Omet'iklan, and I am dead. As of this moment, we are all dead. We go into battle to reclaim our lives. This we do gladly, for we are Jem'Hadar. Remember, victory is life. " (in unison) " Victory is life. " " Such a delightful people. "

" I am Chief Miles Edward O'Brien. I'm very much alive and I intend to stay that way. " " Amen. Let's get it done! "

Background information [ ]

Story and script [ ].

• According to Robert Hewitt Wolfe , "To the Death" was written specifically to give the Jem'Hadar more depth; " Our intention was to show that the more you learn about them, the less you want to be around them. If you meet the Borg on a one-on-one basis, they're kind of cuddly, and when you get to know the Klingons , they're not so scary anymore. But the Jem'Hadar, when you really get to know them, are damn scary guys. " ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion , p. 347)
• Robert Hewitt Wolfe also had another intention for the depiction of the Jem'Hadar in this episode. Wolfe commented, " We wanted to spend some time with some Jem'Hadar who weren't screwed up, because the two times we spent any time with the Jem'Hadar was the kid who is so young and doesn't know what he's feeling (' The Abandoned [!] ') and also the ones in ' Hippocratic Oath [!] '. So we wanted to show what a functional Jem'Hadar society is, because we know so much more about them than anyone does and we wanted to get some of that information out there so the audience could understand them a little better. It seems that the more you learn about the Klingons, the less scary they are. The more you learn about the Cardassians , the less scary they are in some ways. What we want with the Jem'Hadar is that the more you learn about them, the more scary they are. These are not the kind of guys you want to party with. " ( Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages , p. 120)
• The writers considered multiple possible missions for Starfleet and the Jem'Hadar to undertake in this installment. Robert Hewitt Wolfe commented, " When we talked about doing 'To the Death', we talked about twenty different missions the Jem'Hadar could go on with Starfleet. One of the missions we talked about is that they have to go and kill Gowron , because they find out he's a renegade shapeshifter. We played with that for quite a while and it didn't come together, so we went back to the original story. " ( Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages , p. 121) The plot idea which was discarded for inclusion in this episode ended up inspiring the season finale, " Broken Link ".
• According to the script, when Weyoun "claps" Odo on the shoulder, he infected him with a virus that presents itself in "Broken Link" and necessitates his return to the Great Link (although the way the scene is filmed, it does not allow the "clap" to be seen on screen). ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion - A Series Guide and Script Library ) This means that, as of this point, Odo is infected with two viruses: one by Section 31 and one by the Founders . One may assume the Section 31 virus was dormant during Odo's return to the Great Link at the end of the season. Although this has been labeled a false rumor by Ronald D. Moore, ( AOL chat , 1999 ) it is actually written in the script.
• In the script, Bashir orders Tarkalean tea with "brescha" fruit at the start of the episode. ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion - A Series Guide and Script Library )

Production and broadcast [ ]

• This episode marks the first appearance of Weyoun ( Jeffrey Combs ) in the series. Of the character, Combs said, " Weyoun is the snake of the universe. He's the smiling car salesman who'll tell you anything to make you feel as if you're the most important thing in his life just to get you to buy his product. " Combs commented that he based the performance on a scene in Stanley Kubrick 's 1975 film Barry Lyndon , where two characters are being really formal and nice to each other, showing perfect etiquette, but under the surface, it is obvious they despise each other. The character of Weyoun was written to be a one-show character, but the producers were so impressed with Combs, and the character got such a strong reaction from the fans, that they decided to bring him back in season 5 , inventing the concept that the Vorta routinely clone themselves to explain it. According to Ira Steven Behr , " [In] multitalented Jeffrey Combs, we finally had a Vorta who sold the Vorta. " ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion , p. ? )
• Jeffrey Combs assumed, since Weyoun is killed at the end of this episode, that this would be the only installment to feature the character. He considered it "the coolest thing" that the character who killed Weyoun was played by much-revered actor Clarence Williams III . ( What We Left Behind )
• "To the Death" was the fifth episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine that LeVar Burton directed and the first of his five to feature the Jem'Hadar. Burton commented, " I had to look at previous episodes to understand who they were and what their relationship to the Founders is. " Burton decided that Clarence Williams III would be an excellent choice to play the role of Omet'iklan . Burton commented, " He's an old friend of mine, but we'd never worked together before. This was just an opportunity to say, 'Hey, CW, you want to come and do this thing?' " ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion , p. 348)
• Both LeVar Burton and First Assistant Director B.C. Cameron found directing the episode extremely difficult. Burton commented, " We had a day of location shooting that was my worst day as a director, because there was so much work and so little time. There was a huge number of people on location, including all the Jem'Hadar who require makeup and two major fight sequences to stage. All were elements that felt like they conspired to just bite me in the ass. " Cameron commented, " LeVar and I went out to Griffith Park 's bird sanctuary the night before and walked the sets. I remember thinking, 'There's no way we're gonna get all this work done.' We had twenty-five Jem'Hadar stuntmen who had three o'clock makeup calls. We spent the whole day at the top of the bird sanctuary, and the only way up and down was by golf cart. The cast trailers and the honeywagon were way down below. So if anyone went down, we had to wait and wait to get them back up again. Logistically, it was a nightmare. " ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion , p. ? )
• An error led to the staff confusing the Iconians with the Tkon Empire from TNG : " The Last Outpost " and so graphics for the set were designed around the Tkon. The error was noticed a day before filming began and new, corrected graphics were completed in time for the episode. ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion , p. 348)
• This episode was cut for violence, a first for the series and perhaps for Star Trek itself. According to Ira Steven Behr , forty-five seconds of hand-to-hand combat was cut prior to the episode being screened. This displeased Behr a great deal; " That really hurt the show. We built up to this battle and now it's just perfunctory. The fans who wrote letters on the internet saw that the rhythms were thrown off. " Similarly unimpressed was Stunt Coordinator Dennis Madalone ; " In the first edited version, fifty-two Jem'Hadar had been killed. Dax had killed ten and Sisko had killed seven. But when the censors got hold of it, they took out over thirty-two Jem'Hadar deaths. " ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion , p. ? ) The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) cut a further five seconds (specifically to remove the sound of a neck being broken) and rated the episode 15 .
• Terry Farrell was fine with the cuts, commenting, " I killed so many Jem'Hadar warriors that they had to cut some of it out. I think I killed more of them than Worf did. At one point, I had three on my sword. I said to Dennis Madalone, our stunt coordinator, 'Maybe this is too much.' He said, 'No, no, no. You're Dax.' Then Rick Berman called and said, 'You know there's this one part where you're holding back three Jem'Hadar. I thought that was a little much. I hope you don't mind that I cut it.' I didn't mind at all because it was completely unrealistic. If I can't beat Worf, there's no way that I'm beating three Jem'Hadar at once. " ( The Official Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Magazine  issue 18 )
• This episode was filmed after " The Quickening " but aired the week before.

Reception [ ]

• Ira Steven Behr commented, " Thirty-two seconds of violence was cut out. Lots of violence between Jem'Hadar and Federation people. Thirty-two seconds of nothing but action, and I wish it had happened. It kind of restored my faith in the Jem'Hadar, and I think it really makes them interesting. I thought Clarence Williams was good; we finally had Jeffrey Combs back. I thought it really filled in a lot of the Dominion backstory. It was really a tense little episode. I just wish it had been thirty-two seconds longer. " ( Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages , p. 120)
• Ronald D. Moore commented, " The only criticism that I have about ["To the Death"] is that I wish we had been able to get the location that we used for ' The Quickening [!] ' and use it there, because that was a tremendous location. A lot of production value, and it looked wonderful. 'To the Death' was much smaller, not quite as sweeping. I liked Clarence Williams III , I always have, and I thought he really personified the Jem'Hadar for the first time in a way that the audience could grab onto. The Jem'Hadar in a lot of episodes tend to bland out. Sometimes its hard to differentiate between them and [Williams] brought something to that performance that made him at least stand alone among the race. Also, chopping and hacking has always been one of my favorite things. Not since ' Blood Oath [!] ' has there been so much chopping and hacking ". ( Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages , p. 120)
• René Echevarria commented, " A hugely important episode for us, and I think we learned some really fascinating things about the Jem'Hadar. It was a show that I was very sceptical of, wondering what we were going to do for three acts on the Defiant with the Jem'Hadar. Robert and Ira were saying, 'We'll find stuff,' and they really did find some great, fascinating stuff about them. Finally we fleshed them out in a believable way that's a really important building block. " ( Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages , p. 120)
• Dennis Madalone commented, " This episode should have been the biggest action show ever. We had all the manpower and LeVar [Burton] got it all on film. We made it violent and rich just like ' Battle Lines [!] ' and ' Blood Oath [!] '. " ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion , p. 348)

Continuity [ ]

• According to Kilana , Weyoun managed to file a report on Sisko after this encounter that described him as " direct ." ( DS9 : " The Ship "). It is unclear how or when Weyoun transmitted his report to the Dominion since he was killed by Omet'iklan in this episode.
• This episode featured the second Iconian gateway after its introduction in TNG : " Contagion ". Some of the places shown in the Iconian gateways are Starfleet Command, Paris, Earth, and Bajor. Worf refers to the events from "Contagion", mentioning that Starfleet Command supported Captain Picard 's decision to destroy the gateway on Iconia .
• This is the first appearance of the Vorta since " The Search, Part II ", the second episode of the third season .
• In " The Dogs of War ", Weyoun 8 euphorically claims that " the Dominion hasn't surrendered in battle since it was founded ten thousand years ago . " This seems to contradict Weyoun 4 in "To the Death", who states, " The Dominion has endured for two thousand years. " That number seems to align with the Female Changeling , who later comments, in " What You Leave Behind ", that the Jem'Hadar had been the Dominion's first line of defense for two thousand years .
• Jeffrey Combs ( Weyoun ) and Brian Thompson ( Toman'torax ) later appeared in ENT : " Babel One ", " United ", and " The Aenar " together, playing Commander Shran and Admiral Valdore respectively.
• Cirroc Lofton ( Jake Sisko ) does not appear in this episode.

Remastered version [ ]

• Remastered scenes from the episode are featured in the documentary What We Left Behind .

Video and DVD releases [ ]

• UK VHS release (two-episode tapes, CIC Video ): Volume 4.12, 28 October 1996

This was one of only two volumes of DS9 (the other being 4.10) to receive a 15 certificate , due to the level of violence.

• As part of the UK VHS collection Star Trek - Greatest Battles : 16 November 1998
• As part of the DS9 Season 4 DVD collection

The Region 2 and Region 4 release of this episode recuts the moment where the First breaks the neck of the Second as a punishment. Instead of seeing the actual breaking, a shot of Worf is shown. The sound of the bone breaking is also removed.

Links and references [ ]

Starring [ ].

• Avery Brooks as Captain Sisko

Also starring [ ]

• Rene Auberjonois as Odo
• Michael Dorn as Lieutenant Commander Worf
• Terry Farrell as Lieutenant Commander Dax
• Colm Meaney as Chief O'Brien
• Armin Shimerman as Quark
• Alexander Siddig as Doctor Bashir
• Nana Visitor as Major Kira

Guest stars [ ]

• Brian Thompson as Toman'torax
• Scott Haven as Virak'kara
• Jeffrey Combs as Weyoun 4

Special guest star [ ]

• Clarence Williams III as Omet'iklan

Uncredited co-stars [ ]

• Patti Begley as Bajoran officer
• Chuck Borden
• Ivy Borg as Rita Tannenbaum
• Tory Christopher
• Brian Demonbreun
• Kathleen Demor as operations officer
• Andrew DePalma as Jem'Hadar
• Chris Doyle as Jem'Hadar soldier
• Maria Dykstra as Bajoran security deputy
• Terry Green as operations lieutenant
• Leslie Hoffman as operations ensign
• Randy James as Jones
• Mark Lentry
• Ken Lesco as operations officer
• Scott Leva as Ramirez
• Irving Lewis
• Chuck Madalone
• Dennis Madalone
• Angus McClellan
• Bill Thomas Miller as command officer
• Laurence Rosenthal
• Chuck Shanks
• Steph Silvestri as operations officer
• James Lee Stanley as Bajoran security deputy
• Chester E. Tripp III as operations lieutenant
• Brian J. Williams as renegade Jem'Hadar
• Jem'Hadar soldiers
• Jem'Hadar rebels

Stunt doubles [ ]

• Brennan Dyson as stunt double for Michael Dorn
• Tom Morga as stunt double for Scott Haven
• Patricia Tallman as stunt double for Terry Farrell ( deleted scene )

References [ ]

200,000 years ago ; 4th century ; 2364 ; 2369 ; ability ; absolute ruler ; accusation ; addiction ; Ahjess ; Alpha Quadrant ; Amen ; away mission ; Bajoran ; Bajoran wormhole ; battle drill ; bearing ; birthing chamber ; Breen ; chief of staff ; Civilian transport ship ( transport ship / civilian transport ); company ; confined to quarters ; Constable ; cranial meninges ; dampening field ; Dax, Lela ; Deep Space 9 levels ; Dominion ; Dominion history ; Dominion Intelligence ; egg laying ; empire ; EPS power stabilizer ; executive officer ; explosive device ; fear of death ; Federation President ; female ; field supervisor ; Free Haven ; freedom ; garrison ; god ; guard duty ; heart ; heaven ; Honored Elder ; Iconia ; Iconian ; Iconian gateway ; ion trail ; " in comparison "; insurrection ; interstellar empire ; Jem'Hadar ; Jem'Hadar warship ; Kar'takin ; ketracel-white ; Klingon ; Klingon Empire ; magneton pulse ; mek'leth ; microfusion initiator ; neutronium ; new plan ; O'Brien, Keiko ; O'Brien, Molly ; photonic amplifier ; pediatric medicine ; phaser rifle ; privateer ; proprietary rights ; prune juice ; psychographic profile ; quantum torpedo ; red alert ; renegade ; Rom ; Romulans ; search and destroy mission ; security detail ; senior staff ; short-sightedness ; sleep ; social graces ; staring ; strike team ; suicide mission ; traitor ; transporter ; transporter bay ; transporter protocol 5 ; unit ; Vandros IV ; warrior ; Weyoun 4's attack ship ; ziggurat

Iconian gateway images [ ]

Bajor ; Cardassia Prime ; Dozaria ; Earth ; Paris ; Starfleet Headquarters ; Volan III ; Volan III moon

Defiant turbolift display [ ]

antimatter injection reactor ; antimatter pod ; bridge ; brig ; cargo bay ; computer core ; crew mess ; crew quarters ; deflector control ; deuterium fuel storage ; docking port ; emergency battery ; emergency manual monitor ; engineering support ; environmental support ; escape pod ; fire control ; first aid station ; gndn monitor ; impulse engine ; landing gear ; lateral sensor ; maintenance ; navigational deflector ; phaser coil ; photon torpedo launcher ; power distribution ; power transfer tunnel ; ptc monitor ; sensor module ; shuttle access ; sickbay ; transporter room ; waste management

External links [ ]

• " To the Death " at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• " To the Death " at Wikipedia
• " To the Death " at MissionLogPodcast.com
• "To the Death" script at Star Trek Minutiae
• " To the Death " at the Internet Movie Database
• 2 Daniels (Crewman)
• 3 Rules of Acquisition

Screen Rant

Star trek: discovery's spock replacement reversed the vulcans' most iconic trait.

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Saru’s Star Trek: Discovery Promotion Makes Him Even More Like Spock

Star trek: discovery’s captain burnham opening starfleet academy is ironic, patrick stewart & star trek legends bring discovery’s sonequa martin-green to tears with touching tributes.

Star Trek: Discovery had a replacement for Spock (Leonard Nimoy, Ethan Peck) that changed the Vulcans' most memorable trait. The task of reviving the Star Trek television universe was difficult, and Star Trek: Discovery attempted to delicately balance the new and the old. Star Trek: Discovery works as both a prequel and a sequel to Star Trek: The Original Series and introduces new faces while still honoring classic characters. Star Trek: Discovery 's characters even traveled through time, ending up in the distant future and setting up a brand new Star Trek adventure where no one had gone before.

A main ship other than another version of the Starship Enterprise gave Star Trek: Discovery an exciting edge, and most of the USS Discovery's crew was introduced for the first time – but Star Trek: Discovery still played homage to its Star Trek predecessors. A new species was quickly introduced called the Kelpiens, represented by Discovery's First Officer, Commander Saru (Doug Jones). The Kelpiens mirror Star Trek 's most iconic species, the Vulcans, by inverting their famous suppression of emotions. Saru and Spock (Leonard Nimoy, Ethan Peck) share similar traits but end up serving as fascinating opposites.

Saru & The Kelpiens Are Emotionally Open (Unlike Star Trek's Vulcans)

Star trek: discovery flipped the original series' iconic vulcan trope.

Saru is the first Kelpien in Star Trek , which is fitting – he's also the first Kelpien to leave his home planet and, naturally, the first Kelpien to join Starfleet. In Star Trek: Discovery season 1, we learn that Kelpiens are an extremely empathetic species with a fine-tuned sense of danger. Saru explains that his people have evolved to sense the coming of death. Although Star Trek: Discovery season 2 would disprove the Kelpien belief that they were born to be prey, their empathy was very real. Their empathy is what makes the Kelpiens the perfect reflection of Vulcans.

Vulcan emotions are actually stronger than human feelings.

Vulcans are popularly viewed as an emotionless species, and indeed, sometimes Vulcans were Star Trek villains . However, Vulcan emotions are actually stronger than human feelings, so they mastered logic and reason and learned to suppress their enormous sensitivities. Kelpiens did something similar, but in the opposite direction – after learning their threat glands could be removed without harm, many Kelpiens, including Saru, developed the freedom to live without constant fear by better feeling other emotions . Feeling these emotions more freely aided Saru in better, and more fairly, serving the USS Discovery in times of trouble.

How Saru & Spock Serve As Parallels In Their Respective Star Trek Shows

Star trek finds balance by featuring kelpians and vulcans.

Instead of providing strictly logical – and sometimes cold – assessments like Spock did to his fellow Star Trek: The Original Series characters , Saru gave Captain Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) and the Star Trek: Discovery crew more emotionally driven advice. As a former Science Officer, Saru became a Spock-like figure on the USS Discovery's bridge , providing expertise in less-known topics without relying too much on rationality. Saru's place as the captain's right-hand makes him even more similar to Spock, who served Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) throughout their iconic Starfleet careers.

Saru has always been the Spock to Burnham's Kirk, and his promotion in Star Trek: Discovery season 5 makes him even more like TOS' beloved Vulcan.

In their respective Star Trek TV shows , both Saru and Spock are rule-abiding first officers, always slightly reluctant – but still willing – to do anything for their captains. Their personalities mirror each other perfectly. Saru is an empathetic Kelpien who feels deeply for his crew and others , and he always has a kind word or helpful suggestion for the issue at hand. Spock serves his crew differently by providing them with logical solutions and ensuring they're safe through scientific breakthroughs. Saru and Spock, who later became Starfleet Captains themselves, mirror each other and connect Star Trek: Discovery to Star Trek 's original canon.

Star Trek: Discovery

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