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• Genetically engineered races and cultures

Malik, an Augment

Augment , in the general sense, is the designation given to a person or group that has been biologically altered to be physically and/or mentally superior to their base species. In more specific usage, the term "Augments" is applied to the genetically-enhanced "supermen" of Earth 's Eugenics Wars , and to similarly-altered humans in the centuries after.

• 1.1 The Eugenics Wars
• 1.2 The Neyel
• 1.3 The Augment Crisis
• 1.4.1 The Second Attempt
• 1.4.2 Romulans
• 1.5 Kelvin timeline
• 1.6 24th century augmentation
• 2.1 Aegis agents
• 2.2 Early Chrysalis Project
• 2.3.1 Chen Tiejun followers
• 2.3.2.1 Ceti Alpha V children
• 2.4 Danurian faction
• 2.6 Changed
• 2.7 Arik Soong children
• 2.8 Paragon Colony
• 2.9 Empyreans
• 2.10 Herans
• 2.11 24th century
• 2.12 Children of Khan
• 3 List of known genetically engineered Romulans
• 4 Connections

History [ ]

The eugenics wars [ ].

The origins of the Augments were said to had been traced to a group of international scientists, such as Dr. Heisen , who worked during the 1960s - 1970s who had laboratories in Haiti and Pakistan as well as Chad along with their headquarters in North Yemen. These progenitors of a super race worked in the poorest countries on Earth as it was easy to bribe the officials into silence, take and hire human guinea pigs for their work. Unknown to him at the time, but Ralph Offenhouse supplied this cabal with equipment from electron microscopes to computers, drugs and even chemicals which broke export regulations and smuggling laws. ( TNG novel : Debtors' Planet , TOS - Khan comic : " Issue 1 ")

This led to the culmination of augmentation amongst the Human race through the production of the Chrysalis Project in the 20th century on the planet Earth . The goal was the creation of a race of superhuman beings, and the program was based on the previous work accomplished by the Nazis with the Lebensborn project. ( TOS novel : Star Trek: The Eugenics Wars , TOS novel : Unspoken Truth )

However, the projects goal whilst successful in breeding a superrace, they led to the creation of genetically engineered madmen that sought to dominate their non modified brethren. According to the journal of one of the scientists that were responsible for the creation of the Augments, "superior ability breeds superior ambition" . This log was written shortly before he was killed by his own creations. ( ENT episode : " The Augments ")

In 1993 , the Augments seized power within forty of the nations on the planet Earth which led to a conflict that was known as the Great Wars where they battled against normal Humans. The supermen were noted as being horrible despots that treated their unaltered human subjects as slaves and as a lower class. ( TOS episode : " Space Seed ")

Eventually, Khan Noonien Singh led a powerful group of fellow Augment warlords who formed the Great Khanate that sought to dominate their non-genetically engineered brethren. Forming the Augment Alliance , one of the chief leaders of this government was Stavos Keniclius who was second only to Khan himself. ( TOS - Strange New Worlds 9 short story : " The Rules of War ")

These augments were tyrants that devastated the world and united it against them in a conflict that would be known as the Eugenics Wars . ( TOS episode : " Space Seed ")

Despite noted for their brutality on their unaltered kin, they were noted for observing the rules of war in certain occasions as noted in the case when Keniclius negotiated a ceasefire with Nathan Archer in order to allow a school full of children to be evacuated in North Africa before resuming hostilities. ( TOS - Strange New Worlds 9 short story : " The Rules of War ")

A key conflict during this war was the Battle of the Sea of Japan where the naval vessel USS Enterprise was destroyed but not before leading a crucial victory for the governments of the world. This led to the destruction of Khan Singhs military and after the battle, the members of the Great Khanate splintered into dozens of factions that fought one another. This allowed the nations of Earth to hunt down the Augment leaders one by one which brought about an end to their tyrannical reign. ( TNG novel : Debtors' Planet )

The reign of the Augments ultimately ended in the year 1996 when they were overthrown. The last of these warlords was Khan Noonien Singh who was deposed but instead of being killed or captured; he managed to flee with eighty of his comrades in a sublight transport for parts unknown. ( TOS movie & novelization : The Wrath of Khan )

It was known that many of the 'Khans' took normal humans as spouses who in turn had children that were half augment and half human. These spouses and children would be preyed upon by society who would execute them for the crimes committed by the various supermen. However, some managed to flee with their children and went into hiding in locations such as the Sahara Reclamation Zone and Alaska. ( TNG novel : Infiltrator )

Some people and/or Augments did indeed escape Earth during and after the Wars, often ending up supporting Eugenics anyway. ( TOS comic : " Sceptre of the Sun ")

The Earth authorities were later responsible for confiscating the remaining Augment embryos and placed them into storage. By the 2130s , they were stored in an Earth Starfleet facility known as Cold Station 12 . ( ENT episode : " Cold Station 12 ")

The after effect of the Eugenics Wars led to genetic engineering being banned on the planet Earth which was one of the reasons why the first Human clone, Stavos Keniclius, was exiled from his homeworld. ( TAS episode : " The Infinite Vulcan ")

The Neyel [ ]

When the humans of the O'Neil asteroid colony were stranded far from Earth, they decided to defy Earth laws on genetic modification and began to augment themselves. This eventually led to altering themselves into a vastly different species who called themselves the Neyel . ( TLE novel : The Sundered )

The Augment Crisis [ ]

In the 22nd century a scientist, Dr Arik Soong , working at Cold Station 12 , where the 20th century augment embryos were stored, saw potential in augmentation and decided to continue the development of the program and managed to escape with several of the embryos. He raised them as his children until he was captured by United Earth Starfleet . A decade later, these children sparked the Augment Crisis that nearly incited a full-scale war between the Klingon Empire and the relatively new interstellar power of United Earth . The Augments once again attempted to make a break for power and showed that they had no trouble with committing genocide on other worlds to achieve their goals. ( ENT episodes : " Borderland ", " Cold Station 12 ")

The group eventually turned on their "father," who was attempting to modify their genes to remove their aggressive characteristics. They and the remainder of the eighteen hundred 20th century embryos were killed when the United Earth Starfleet starship Enterprise destroyed their captured Bird-of-prey . ( ENT episode : " The Augments ")

Klingons [ ]

The Klingons were both impressed and fearful of the potential of the Human augments, and were the next to experiment with augmentation. Using gene therapy based on Augment DNA they obtained from the wreckage of the Bird-of-Prey the Human Augments had commandeered, they attempted to create their own augments. Their experiments were initially successful in increasing strength and intelligence, but did have two side effects: the Klingon cranial ridges dissolved, and eventually led to an agonizing death as the subject's neural pathways degraded. One of the test subjects had Levodian flu , and the virus combined with the Augment DNA to create an airborne plague that quickly spread throughout the empire, infecting billions of Klingons and causing them to lose their ridges.

All of the infected Klingons would have eventually died, but fortunately for them, a cure was developed by the Klingon Antaak and Dr Phlox of the Earth starship Enterprise . Whilst the cure prevented the deaths of many Klingons, it did leave them ridgeless, an effect which would be passed onto their children. ( ENT episodes : " Affliction ", " Divergence ")

These Klingons became known as QuchHa' . ( VAN novel : Summon the Thunder )

The Second Attempt [ ]

Dozens of years later, a Klingon scientist known as Qadar attempted to create "enhanced" Klingon warriors called M'tachtar , which he re-engineered (along with himself) into a force that would be used against the Federation . He was stopped and exiled along with his warriors by his Rustaai -cousin Emperor of the Klingon Empire Grannoch . They remained on an uninhabited planet until they managed to take over the USS Enterprise under the command of Captain James T. Kirk . Qadar and his followers attempted to return to Qo'noS and take command of the Empire, but were quickly defeated. They still returned to Qo'noS, but their is fate is unknown. Presumably, they were executed for their attempted coup against the ruler of the Klingon Empire. ( TOS - My Brother's Keeper novel : Enterprise )

Romulans [ ]

The Romulan Star Empire attempted their own eugenics program in the 2260s which resulted in the Hellguard colony. When this project was considered no longer valuable, the 'rejects' were left behind. The survivors of this abandonment were rescued by Spock in 2274 . ( TOS novels : The Pandora Principle , Unspoken Truth )

Kelvin timeline [ ]

A cryotube with an augment inside

Following the Destruction of Vulcan in 2258 of the Kelvin timeline , Section 31 then started to look for ways to militarize Starfleet. One of their ships, the USS Vanguard discovered Khan and 72 of his fellow augments in cyrotubes aboard the SS Botany Bay . Khan was then surgically altered and recruited into Section 31 under alias "John Harrison". Section 31 then threatened to kill his crew if he did not cooperate with Section 31.( TOS - Khan comics : " Issue 1- ", " Issue 5 "; TOS movie & novelization : Into Darkness )

Khan then attempted to retrieve his crew, but Admiral Alexander Marcus discovered his plans. Khan then started his one-man war on the Federation in order to retrieve his crew. However, his attempt failed and he was placed back into the cryotube and sent to a asteroird facily.( TOS - Khan comics : " Issue 1- ", " Issue 5 "; TOS movie & novelization : Into Darkness ; TOS - Stranger Worlds comics : " Issues 1- ", " 6 ")

24th century augmentation [ ]

Earth's restrictions on genetic modification eventually spread to the Federation , however there were a few colonies that performed the necessary operations illegally. ( TNG episode : " Up the Long Ladder ")

This included operations that did not bestow the full "gifts" of augmentation, but rather specific aspects such as increased intelligence or improved motor skills. ( TNG episode : " The Masterpiece Society ")

Ethan Locken and Dr. Julian Bashir were two such augments. ( DS9 episode : " Doctor Bashir, I Presume "; DS9 novel : Abyss )

There was also a group of humans on the planet Hera who ignored the Federation law and routinely practiced genetic modification to a similar degree of the augmentation in the Eugenics Wars. This group called themselves Herans and believed that they were superior to "Old Humans." They planned to use a genetically engineered virus that would have converted all newborn children into augments, however, they faced a Human renegade faction on their homeworld who resisted their attempts. ( TNG novel : Infiltrator )

In 2376 , Doctor Elizabeth Lense affected a widespread, but temporary, genetic augmentation of the population of Sherman's Planet in order to combat a pandemic disease dubbed " Sherman's Plague ". This action was justified by arguing, because the population could not survive in the environment they were born into, this constituted a birth defect which could legally be treated. Though Lense herself had been suspected of being augmented years earlier, she believed the Federation's laws on genetic modification deserved review. ( SCE eBook : Oaths )

List of known genetically engineered Humans [ ]

Aegis agents [ ], early chrysalis project [ ], chrysalis project children [ ], chen tiejun followers [ ], khan noonien singh followers [ ], ceti alpha v children [ ], danurian faction [ ], changed [ ], arik soong children [ ], paragon colony [ ], empyreans [ ], 24th century [ ], children of khan [ ], list of known genetically engineered romulans [ ], connections [ ].

• Augment article at Memory Alpha , the wiki for canon Star Trek .
• 1 Ferengi Rules of Acquisition
• 2 USS Dallas (NCC-2019)
• 3 Achilles class

• Cast & crew
• User reviews

The Augments

• Episode aired Nov 12, 2004

The Augments have yet again escaped. While Dr. Soong wants to hide the embryos, Malik has an entirely different and way more cruel plan. The Augments have yet again escaped. While Dr. Soong wants to hide the embryos, Malik has an entirely different and way more cruel plan. The Augments have yet again escaped. While Dr. Soong wants to hide the embryos, Malik has an entirely different and way more cruel plan.

• LeVar Burton
• Gene Roddenberry
• Rick Berman
• Brannon Braga
• Scott Bakula
• John Billingsley
• Jolene Blalock
• 14 User reviews
• 4 Critic reviews

Top cast 23

• Capt. Jonathan Archer

• Cmdr. T'Pol

• Lt. Malcolm Reed

• Ensign Travis Mayweather

• Ensign Hoshi Sato

• Cmdr. Charles 'Trip' Tucker III

• Dr. Jeremy Lucas

• Dr. Arik Soong

• N.D. Engineer

• Klingon Com Voice

• Operations Division Ensign
• (uncredited)
• Enterprise Crewman
• All cast & crew
• Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

Did you know

• Trivia This three-part story arc established that in the 22nd century, genetic engineering was completely banned on Earth after the Eugenics Wars, even for genetic research which could be used to cure critical illnesses. At the end of the story, Archer expresses his hope to Dr. Soong that research into genetic engineering that could cure life-threatening diseases would actually be resumed. According to Dr. Bashir in Doctor Bashir, I Presume (1997) , by the 24th century genetic engineering was indeed used by that time to treat serious medical conditions, though trying to genetically engineer Humans with "superior" abilities was still banned.
• Goofs The Universal translator does not translate the Klingon word Qapla' when the Klingon patrol ends the transmission with Enterprise.

Dr. Arik Soong : [Upon hearing a message from Archer, whom Soong was told was dead] He sounds pretty confident for a dead man.

• Connections Referenced in Inglorious Treksperts: The Best of All Worlds: Trek's Greatest Seasons w/ Michael Sussman (2022)
• Soundtracks Where My Heart Will Take Me Written by Diane Warren Performed by Russell Watson Episode: {all episodes}

User reviews 14

• Aug 23, 2019
• November 12, 2004 (United States)
• United States
• Official Site
• Paramount Studios - 5555 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA (Studio)
• Paramount Network Television
• Paramount Television
• See more company credits at IMDbPro

Technical specs

• Runtime 43 minutes
• Dolby Digital

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Superhuman: The Augments of Star Trek

We take a closer look at several genetically-enhanced characters and what makes them all so memorable.

SPOILER WARNING: Discussions for Star Trek: Strange New World Season 2's second episode, "Ad Astra per Aspera"!

Interested in the evolution of Augments? This week's episode of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds brings to trial Una Chin-Riley's status as an Augment. From Khan Noonien Singh to Dr. Julian Bashir to Dal R'El, there have been several genetically-enhanced characters throughout Star Trek 's history, which we dive into in this clip from the most recent segment of The Ready Room .

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds streams exclusively on Paramount+ in the U.S., U.K., Australia, Latin America, Brazil, South Korea, France, Italy, Germany, Switzerland and Austria. In addition, the series airs on Bell Media’s CTV Sci-Fi Channel and streams on Crave in Canada and on SkyShowtime in the Nordics, the Netherlands, Spain, Portugal and Central and Eastern Europe. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is distributed by Paramount Global Content Distribution.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds: Augments, Illyrians and the Eugenics Wars

Why first officer Una Chin-Riley was on trial, and how it links all the way back to Khan Noonien Singh.

Warning: Spoilers ahead if you haven't watched "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" season 2, episode 2, " Ad Astra per Aspera ".

From original series two-parter "The Menagerie" to "The Next Generation" classic "The Measure of a Man", "Star Trek" has always loved a courtroom drama. "Ad Astra per Aspera" continues the tradition, as USS Enterprise first officer Una Chin-Riley (aka Number One) goes on trial.

Her crime? Nothing more than being an Illyrian, a species whose penchant for genetic modification puts them at odds with Federation laws preventing anyone from tinkering around with their DNA.

Una's predicament has its roots in the story of the infamously wrathful Khan Noonien Singh, and also ties into plotlines explored in "Deep Space Nine", "Enterprise" and "Picard". It's also certain to have further implications for "Strange New Worlds," so here's everything you need to know about Augments, Illyrians and the Eugenics Wars. 

Why is Una on trial in "Strange New Worlds" season 2? 

Simply because of who she is and where she comes from.

In season 1 episode "Ghosts of Illyria " confirmed that the USS Enterprise's highly respected first officer is an Illyrian, a species whose use of genetic modifications contravenes long-standing Federation laws. These rules would have prevented her from serving in Starfleet, so she's kept her heritage hidden throughout her career.

Although Captain Pike opted to keep Number One's secret when he learned the truth about her origins origins, someone else spilled the beans, leading to Una's arrest in season 1 finale 'A Quality of Mercy '. 

During the trial, it was revealed that it was actually Una who'd reported herself to the authorities in the hope that her case might help the blinkered Starfleet authorities understand Illyrians a better. She also wanted her crew to know her for who she really was, and to finally feel safe. Her counsel, Neera Ketoul (a fellow Illyrian), successfully argued that Pike was effectively granting Una asylum from persecution by allowing her to remain on the Enterprise, and the charges against her were dropped.

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What is an Illyrian?

Although Una looks human, Illyrians are a different species entirely, hailing from the Delphic Expanse that was also home to "Star Trek: Enterprise" antagonists the Xindi. 

Rather than trying to adapt new worlds to suit their needs, the Illyrians use genetic modification techniques to adapt their bodies to new, often hostile environments – Una's augmentations give her superhuman healing abilities, as well as the ability to literally light up a room. 

This penchant for fiddling around with DNA means that their appearance can vary greatly, ranging from the human-like Una, to subtly webbed hands and feet, and the sort of lumpy-foreheaded alien look that's a mainstay of the franchise. 

Have we always known that Una is an Illyrian?

Number One’s first appearance in original "Star Trek" pilot "The Cage" (made in 1965) didn't tell us much (if anything) about her backstory, and there was little to make us suspect she was an alien – indeed, back then the ship's extra-terrestrial quotient effectively consisted of Mr Spock. 

However, legendary "Trek" writer DC Fontana did allude to Number One's origins in non-canonical 1989 novel "Vulcan's Glory", where Pike explained that, "Some officers have a difficult time dealing with the fact that she is a genetically perfect being. On her planet, Illyria, excellence is the only criterion that is accepted."

This relatively obscure piece of "Trek" lore has subsequently been reinvented and retconned into official canon.

Why does Starfleet have an issue with Illyrians?

It's not so much the Illyrian people as their penchant for genetic modification, a practice that was made illegal in the wake of the Eugenics Wars that ravaged Earth in the late 20th century and early 21st century.  

What were the Eugenics Wars?

When a group of 20th century scientists successfully engineered a group of men and women who were stronger, faster and more intelligent than your average human, they didn't account for one important detail – these so-called Augments had a massive superiority complex that resulted in an unstoppable desire to conquer and subjugate ordinary homo sapiens. The most famous/infamous of these superhumans, a certain Khan Noonien Singh, came to rule a quarter of the Earth, across Asia and the Middle East. 

"Trek" history is a little fuzzy on the subject of whether the subsequent Eugenics Wars were fought between the Augments themselves, or by ordinary humans looking to overthrow their GM overlords. Either way, we do know that millions of people died, and that much of the planet was laid to waste in a conflict that subsequently escalated into a fully blown World War III. 

With Augments blamed and ostracized for the near-destruction of Earth, the authorities moved to ban all genetic engineering on humans – a resolution that remained in place for centuries.

When exactly did the Eugenics Wars take place? 

That's a good question. While various "Star Trek" movies and TV shows have alluded to the 21st century being a post-apocalyptic wasteland – and Khan's first appearance in original series episode "Space Seed" dated the Eugenics Wars between 1992-96 – this doesn't tally with "Star Trek: Picard" season 2's extended stay in a very normal 2024 or, indeed, the real world. 

But we wonder if the "Trek" chronology might be going through a bit of subtle retconning to make the timeline a little more plausible. Data's "ancestor" Adam Soong pulling out a file labelled "Project Khan" (dated 1996) in the "Picard" season 2 finale certainly suggests Khan could have been born later than we originally thought – unless, of course, the file refers to a plan to replicate a whole new generation of superbeings from Khan's "superior" DNA.

And tweaks like this seem entirely justified as the franchise evolves – as regular ’90s scripter Ronald D Moore put it to Cinefantastique, "What looked like the distant future in 1967 [when 'Space Seed' was broadcast'] is not so distant any more. I don't blame them for not having the foresight to see that in 30 years this would be important in the series."

Are there any other Augments in "Star Trek" lore?

"Trek" has explored the implications of genetic manipulation on several occasions. The most famous example was arguably "Deep Space Nine" medic Dr Julian Bashir, who was shocked to learn that his father had played around with his DNA when he was a kid, with the aim of making him less of a disappointment. While Bashir Sr was never going to win dad of the year, the augmentations to his boy resulted in enhanced mental agility, super-fast reflexes and improved hearing. Despite the Federation's ban on such modifications, Bashir was allowed to remain in Starfleet when his dad agreed to go to prison for his crimes.

Related: Best Star Trek Deep Space Nine Episodes

"Enterprise" also ventured into GM territory, with a plot line about another of Data's ancestors, Arik Soong, set out to prove that Augments wouldn't automatically grow up to be bad 'uns like Khan. 

Soong's work was later adapted by Klingons looking to make Augments of their own. Their plan backfired, however, proving lethal until Dr. Phlox engineered a cure that – conveniently for overall continuity – gave a group of Klingons the smooth-foreheaded appearance they had in the era of the original series. When Worf told his confused DS9 crewmates "We do not discuss it with outsiders" in classic flashback episode "Trials and Tribble-ations", this anomaly was what he was talking about.

And Una's shipmate, La'an Noonien Singh, is a descendant of Khan. She lives in fear that genetic modifications may suddenly manifest themselves, making her a danger to the Enterprise crew.

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Richard's love affair with outer space started when he saw the original "Star Wars" on TV aged four, and he spent much of the ’90s watching "Star Trek”, "Babylon 5” and “The X-Files" with his mum. After studying physics at university, he became a journalist, swapped science fact for science fiction, and hit the jackpot when he joined the team at SFX, the UK's biggest sci-fi and fantasy magazine. He liked it so much he stayed there for 12 years, four of them as editor. 

He's since gone freelance and passes his time writing about "Star Wars", "Star Trek" and superheroes for the likes of SFX, Total Film, TechRadar and GamesRadar+. He has met five Doctors, two Starfleet captains and one Luke Skywalker, and once sat in the cockpit of "Red Dwarf"'s Starbug.  

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• Edit source

Khan Noonien Singh in 2285 , the Augment tyrant and last vestige of the Eugenics Wars.

The term augment describes a certain type of genetically engineered humanoid . These augments had both physical and mental advantages over their unaltered counterparts. ( ENT : " Borderland ")

The Project Chrysalis team, headed by Dr. Sarina Kaur , started working on genetic engineering on Earth in the 1970s . Gary Seven and Roberta Lincoln destroyed the project. ( Star Trek: The Eugenics Wars )

The augments became reality sometime before 1993 . Their enhancements included strength five times greater than a normal human 's, doubled lung efficiency and doubled intelligence. An aggressive and arrogant personality was also typical. 22nd century geneticist Dr. Arik Soong later determined defective genomes caused a propensity for augments to be violent and aggressive. ( ENT : " The Augments ")

The Eugenics Wars started in 1993 with augments fighting humans in over 40 Earth nations . The Wars lasted until 1996 , with the last augment removed from power being Khan Noonien Singh . Despite this, at wars' end, over eighty augments could not be found, including Khan. ( Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan ) The augments left various booby-traps world-wide, killing or severely injuring tens of thousands of people. ( Star Trek: The Prospect Chronicles ; Star Trek: The Cantabrian Expeditions ) All remaining augment embryos were collected and placed into cold storage. By the 2130s , they would be stored off-world. ( ENT : " Cold Station 12 ")

Dr. Stavos Keniclius, a scientist involved in the Eugenics Wars.

The United Nations banned genetic engineering, with clone Stavos Keniclius exiled and other scientists who created the augments fleeing. ( TAS : " The Infinite Vulcan "; Infiltrator )

Malik in 2154.

In the 2130s , Cold Station 12 's medical director Arik Soong stole several augment embryos and raised the children as his own. He was captured and charged with the crimes but never divulged the whereabouts of the embryos. By 2154 , the augments were fully grown and nearly started a war between Earth and the Klingon Empire . Soong helped the Earth Starfleet vessel Enterprise track the augments, originally betraying the Enterprise crew and escaping with the augments. Witnessing the augments brutality, Soong soon felt powerless, but his augments' destructive nature led them to commit suicide instead of being captured. Soong gave up genetics. ( ENT : " Cold Station 12 ", " Borderland ", " The Augments ")

See also: Augment Crisis

A Klingon prisoner infected with the Augment virus.

The Klingons also created augments as a knee-jerk reaction to Earth's escaped augments, using several human augment embryos for their experiments. Unfortunately, the augment genetics, combined with Levodian flu , mutated and created a deadly airborne plague . The plague's main distinguishing feature was collapse of the forehead ridges on infected Klingons, making them appear more human. While a cure was found, millions of Klingons were now more human in their appearance and called QuchHa' . ENT : " Afflication ", " Divergence "; DS9 : " Trials and Tribble-ations "; Star Trek: The Original Series ; Summon the Thunder )

Khan Noonien Singh in 2267.

Khan and his augment followers resurfaced in 2267 in deep space aboard a sleeper ship . Khan attempted to commandeer the USS Enterprise but failed, and James Kirk offered them exile on Ceti Alpha V . The offer was accepted. ( TOS : " Space Seed ") Ceti Alpha V became a hell six months later when its neighboring planet exploded and destabilised the planet's orbit. The planet went from paradise to hell, killing most of the augments.

Nearly 20 years later , Khan escaped and attempted to gain revenge, but he and his followers died in the process. ( Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan )

By the 24th century , genetic modification was still banned by the Federation . Illegal operations still took place to enhance some parts of humans and others. ( DS9 : " Doctor Bashir, I Presume? ", " Statistical Probabilities ", " Chrysalis "). Genetic modification of Betazoids , such as Grimaud . As a result, he had enhanced telepathic abilities, which he could not always control. ( Star Trek: Lambda Paz : " Midnight Ride , " Religion To Do Good ")

Unsanctioned augmentation experiments were also performed on some of the children of Enclave J-12 , including Cody Sinclair . ( Star Trek: Pendragon )

Known Augments [ ]

• See: Augments

External links [ ]

• Augment article at Memory Alpha , the canon Star Trek wiki.
• Augment article at Memory Beta , the non-canon Star Trek wiki.
• 2 Thomas Crowe
• 3 Levex Ixen

Augment is a term used to describe a group of genetically engineered Humans created by advances in DNA resequencing in the mid 20th century. In the 22nd century, Klingons created their own Augments using the original augmented Human DNA.

• 2.1 The Eugenics Wars
• 2.2 Soong's Augments
• 2.3 Klingon Augments
• 2.4 The Return of Khan
• 3 Post-Eugenics Augments
• 4 Known Augments

The Augments were designed to be remarkably agile, five times as strong and twice as intelligent as a normal Human, resistant to sickness and with enhanced senses, possessing heart muscles twice as strong and lung efficiency fifty percent better. They also had twice the average lifespan, and developed at a rate one and a half times faster than unaugmented Humans. Even their resistance to directed energy weapons was improved, as it took multiple shots with a phaser or a phase-pistol to stun one. They were even capable of resisting a Vulcan nerve pinch and mind meld .

Along with their superior abilities, there was a defect in their genome: the original Augments were aggressive, arrogant and ambitious, with a diminished sense of morality. One of the scientists behind their creation said, " Superior ability breeds superior ambition. " Doctor Arik Soong later theorized that a defect in the genomes of the Augments created a malformation in the base-pair sequences that regulate the neurotransmitter levels in their brains , causing them to be highly prone to aggression and violent behavior, and considered fixing this defect before incubating some embryos.

The Eugenics Wars

In 1992 , the Augments born around the late 1950s seized power in over forty nations on Earth , leading to the conflict known to them as the "Great Wars," as they battled among each other and with "normal" Humans. The Augments were mostly horrible despots, treating their subjects like slaves.

The Augments were finally overthrown in 1996 ; the last to be deposed was Khan Noonien Singh . After the end of the war some eighty Augments were unaccounted for, including Khan. Earth authorities collected the remaining Augment embryos and placed them into storage; by the 2130s they were stored on the Earth Starfleet facility. As a result of the Wars, genetic engineering was banned on Earth; scientist Stavos Keniclius who planned to clone Augments to create a master race of peace keepers, was exiled from the planet.

Soong's Augments

In the 2130s , Arik Soong , senior medical director of Cold Station 12, managed to steal several Augment embryos from the facility, which he took to the Trialas system , where he raised the resulting children as his own. A decade later he was captured by Earth forces, but refused to disclose what had happened to the embryos.

In May 2154 the answer to this puzzle was discovered when Soong's Augments, led by Malik , seized control of a Klingon Bird-of-Prey, jettisoning its crew into space. The Klingons recovered these bodies, and discovering the Human DNA on them, threatened war. nterprise was launched to the Borderland to find these Augments and bring them back to Earth, and Arik Soong was recruited to assist the ship in doing so.

Unfortunately, Soong managed to escape on Verex III and rejoin his Augments, who then planned to use their Bird-of-Prey to free the thousands of other embryos on Cold Station 12. All of these Augments were killed when Malik destroyed their Bird-of-Prey to avoid capture. Soong, who "defected" to Enterprise , decided afterwards to switch his focus to cybernetics .

Klingon Augments

After the Augment crisis, the Klingons attempted to create their own augments to combat the Humans, believing that Humans would place Augments on their ships and put the Klingons at a severe disadvantage, despite Vulcan's assurance that Earth had banned such genetic enhancement decades ago. They were able to retrieve multiple embryos left over in the debris of the Augment Bird-of-Prey and implemented their DNA in certain Klingons. However, due to the aggressiveness of Augment DNA, the cranial ridges started to dissolve and the Klingon Augments completely lacked ridges on their foreheads.

These subjects did gain increased strength and intelligence, but they died when their neural pathways degraded. Unfortunately, one of the subjects was suffering from Levodian flu , which was modified by the Augment genes to become a deadly, airborne plague that spread throughout the Empire . An early symptom of this plague caused victims to lose the ridges on their foreheads and to look more Human. Other symptoms included irregular heartbeat, chest pain, and tingling in the cranial ridges.

A cure was eventually created by Phlox which halted the virus in the first stage, retaining the changes in appearance but with no enhanced strength, speed, or endurance. This left millions of Klingons without their ridges, an alteration that was even passed on to their children, though it was hoped that one day gene therapy would be developed to reverse the effects. The effects of this virus were reversed in at least part of the population by the 2270s .

The Return of Khan

The fate of Khan and his Augments remained unknown until 2267 , when the USS Enterprise , NCC-1701 discovered the SS Botany Bay , a DY-100 -class sleeper ship . Aboard the ship was Khan and 72 of his fellow Augments (twelve had died due to stasis unit failure in the interim). At first the Enterprise crew was unaware of the true identity of Khan, but when it was discovered, Khan attempted to take the ship, though he ultimately failed.

Enterprise commanding officer James T. Kirk generously offered Khan and his followers voluntary exile to the uninhabited Class M planet Ceti Alpha V , and Khan accepted. ( Template:TOS ) Unfortunately, six months later the nearby planet Ceti Alpha VI exploded, causing the orbit of Ceti Alpha V to shift, which devastated the planet's environment. The dominant remaining lifeform was the Ceti eel , which claimed many of Khan's followers.

In 2285 , Khan seized control of the USS Reliant , intending to use it to destroy Kirk in revenge for what had happened to him and his people. In the end, Khan died when Reliant was destroyed by the detonation of the Genesis Device after a heated battle in the Mutara Nebula .

Post-Eugenics Augments

Earth's restrictions on genetic modification eventually spread to the Federation, however there were a few colonies that performed the necessary operations illegally. This included operations that did not bestow the full "gifts" of augmentation, but rather specific aspects such as increased intelligence or improved motor skills. Dr. Julian Bashir was one such augment.

Known Augments

• Khan Noonien Singh - Warlord (Eugenics War-era)
• Bashir, Julian - Chief Medical Officer, Deep Space Nine (Post-Eugenics)
• Sarina Douglas (Post-Eugenics)
• Jack (Post-Eugenics)
• Patrick (Post-Eugenics)
• Lauren (Post-Eugenics)
• Jennifer Braggins - First Officer, USS Gettysburg CA-1863 (Created with both Eugenics War-era and Post-Eugenics techniques)
• None Species
• Alpha Quadrant Species
• Alien Species

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Template:Multiple

Khan Noonien Singh in 2285 , the Augment tyrant and last vestige of the Eugenics Wars

Template:Aquote The term Augment was used to describe a group of genetically engineered Humans created by advances in DNA resequencing in the mid 20th century . In the 22nd century , Klingons created their own Augments using the original augmented Human DNA.

• 2.1 The Eugenics Wars
• 2.2 Soong's Augments
• 2.3 Klingon Augments
• 2.4 The return of Khan
• 3 Known Augments
• 4.1 Appearances
• 4.2 Apocrypha
• 4.3 External link

Khan lifting Pavel Chekov with one hand

The Augments were designed to be remarkably agile, roughly five times stronger and more durable than an average Human, resistant to sickness and with enhanced senses, possessing heart muscles twice as strong and lung efficiency fifty percent better. Their blood contained platelets capable of regenerating from any disease or toxin, which could be used to cure or revive medical subjects via transfusion .

They also had twice the average human lifespan. Even their resistance to directed energy weapons was improved, as it took multiple shots with a phaser or a phase-pistol to stun one. They were even capable of resisting a Vulcan nerve pinch and mind meld . ( TOS : " Space Seed "; ENT : " Borderland ", " Cold Station 12 "; Star Trek Into Darkness )

The intelligence of an Augment was exemplified by how, within a year of being awakened in the alternate reality , Khan Noonien Singh was already capable of designing entire advanced systems of mass destruction, including the USS Vengeance , its advanced beam and missile weaponry, a propulsion system that enabled the interception of a ship while in warp, and torpedoes capable of eradicating large portions of a planet. He was able to do this despite having only outdated three-hundred-year-old technical knowledge, before being put in stasis. The ability to learn all of the latest technologies, beyond many post-doctoral qualifications, is a testament to how their artificially augmented superhuman intelligence was beyond the reach of even the most intelligent Humans. ( Star Trek Into Darkness )

Despite their superior abilities, there were major defects in their genome as the Augments were belligerent, arrogant and ambitious, with a diminished sense of morality. One of the scientists behind their creation said, " Superior ability breeds superior ambition. " Doctor Arik Soong later theorized that a defect in the genomes of the Augments created a malformation in the base-pair sequences that regulate the neurotransmitter levels in their brains , causing them to be highly prone to aggression and violent behavior, and considered fixing this defect before incubating some embryos. ( ENT : " The Augments ")

History [ ]

The eugenics wars [ ].

Dr. Stavos Keniclius , a genetic engineer involved in the Eugenics Wars

In 1992 , the Augments born around the late 1950s seized power in over forty nations on Earth , leading to the conflict known to them as the Eugenics Wars , as they battled among each other and with "normal" Humans. The Augments were mostly horrible despots, treating their subjects like slaves . ( TOS : " Space Seed "; Star Trek Into Darkness )

The Augments were finally overthrown in 1996 ; the last to be deposed was Khan Noonien Singh . After the end of the war some eighty Augments were unaccounted for, including Khan. ( ENT : " The Augments "; Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan ) Earth authorities collected the remaining Augment embryos and placed them into storage; by the 2130s they were stored on the Earth Starfleet facility Cold Station 12 . ( ENT : " Cold Station 12 ") As a result of the Wars, genetic engineering was banned on Earth; scientist Stavos Keniclius who planned to clone Augments to create a master race of peace keepers, was exiled from the planet . ( TAS : " The Infinite Vulcan ")

Soong's Augments [ ]

Malik in 2154

In the 2130s , Arik Soong , senior medical director of Cold Station 12, managed to steal several Augment embryos from the facility, which he took to the Trialas system , where he raised the resulting children as his own. A decade later he was captured by Earth forces, but refused to disclose what had happened to the embryos. ( ENT : " Cold Station 12 ")

In May 2154 the answer to this puzzle was discovered when Soong's Augments, led by Malik , seized control of a Klingon Bird-of-Prey jettisoning its crew into space. ( ENT : " Borderland ") The Klingons recovered these bodies, and discovering the Human DNA on them, threatened war. Template:NX was launched to the Borderland to find these Augments and bring them back to Earth, and Arik Soong was recruited to assist the ship in doing so.

Unfortunately, Soong managed to escape on Verex III and rejoin his Augments, who then planned to use their Bird-of-Prey to free the thousands of other embryos on Cold Station 12. ( ENT : " Borderland ") All of these Augments were killed when Malik destroyed their Bird-of-Prey to avoid capture. Soong, who "defected" to Enterprise , decided afterwards to switch his focus to cybernetics . ( ENT : " The Augments ")

See also: The Augment Crisis

Klingon Augments [ ]

A Klingon prisoner infected with the Augment virus

After the Augment crisis, the Klingons attempted to create their own augments to combat the Humans, believing that Humans would place Augments on their ships and put the Klingons at a severe disadvantage, despite Vulcan's assurance that Earth had banned such genetic enhancement decades ago.

They were able to retrieve multiple embryos left over in the debris of the Augment Bird-of-Prey and implemented their DNA in certain Klingons. However, due to the aggressiveness of Augment DNA, the cranial ridges started to dissolve and the Klingon Augments completely lacked ridges on their foreheads.

These subjects did gain increased strength and intelligence, but they died when their neural pathways degraded. Unfortunately, one of the subjects was suffering from Levodian flu , which was modified by the Augment genes to become a deadly, airborne plague that spread throughout the Empire . An early symptom of this plague caused victims to lose the ridges on their foreheads and to look more Human. Other symptoms included irregular heartbeat , chest pain, and tingling in the cranial ridges.

A cure was eventually created by Phlox which halted the virus in the first stage, retaining the changes in appearance but with no enhanced strength, speed, or endurance. This left millions of Klingons without their ridges, an alteration that was even passed on to their children, though it was hoped that one day gene therapy would be developed to reverse the effects. ( ENT : " Affliction ", " Divergence "; DS9 : " Trials and Tribble-ations "; TOS et al. ) The effects of this virus were reversed in at least part of the population by the 2270s . ( Star Trek: The Motion Picture )

The return of Khan [ ]

Khan Noonien Singh in 2267

The fate of Khan and his Augments remained unknown until 2267 , when the USS Enterprise discovered the SS Botany Bay , a DY-100 -class sleeper ship . Aboard the ship was Khan and 72 of his fellow Augments (twelve had died due to stasis unit failure in the interim). At first the Enterprise crew was unaware of the true identity of Khan, but when it was discovered, Khan attempted to take the ship, though he ultimately failed.

Enterprise commanding officer James T. Kirk generously offered Khan and his followers voluntary exile to the uninhabited Class M planet Ceti Alpha V , and Khan accepted. ( TOS : " Space Seed ") Unfortunately, six months later the nearby planet Ceti Alpha VI exploded, causing the orbit of Ceti Alpha V to shift, which devastated the planet's environment. The dominant remaining lifeform was the Ceti eel , which claimed many of Khan's followers.

In 2285 , Khan seized control of the USS Reliant , intending to use it to destroy Kirk in revenge for what had happened to him and his people. In the end, Khan died when Reliant was destroyed by the detonation of the Genesis Device after a heated battle in the Mutara Nebula . ( Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan )

In 2258 of the alternate reality , Admiral Template:Alt begun a Militarization conspiracy . He sought and discovered Botany Bay , revived Template:Alt and using his crew as leverage, recruited him into Section 31 . Khan served Marcus under the identity of John Harrison. Marcus believed Khan's savage brilliance was required for an inevitable conflict with the Klingon Empire . In 2259 , after Khan thought Marcus had executed his crew, he went rogue and put his crew inside 72 advanced long-range torpedoes , but these were apprehended by Marcus. The Admiral covertly had them loaded to the USS Enterprise with orders to fire them against Khan, but things went differently. The true nature of the torpedoes was discovered when Template:Alt and Template:Alt attempted to diffuse and examine one.

Khan orchestrated a bombing in London and attacked Starfleet Headquarters . He eventually murdered Marcus and crashed the severely damaged USS Vengeance into San Francisco . Template:Alt and Template:Alt apprehended Khan and he was placed back into suspended animation along with the rest of his crew. ( Star Trek Into Darkness )

Known Augments [ ]

• See: Category: Augments
• See: List of unnamed Augments

Appendices [ ]

Appearances [ ].

The term "Augment" itself was only used in the 22nd century episodes of ENT . The term was only known to have applied to those whose DNA was genetically engineered in the 20th century . The following episodes featured Human Augments:

• " Borderland "
• " Cold Station 12 "
• " The Augments "
• " Affliction "
• " Divergence "
• TOS : " Space Seed "
• TAS : " The Infinite Vulcan "
• Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
• Star Trek Into Darkness
• Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
• Star Trek: New Horizons

Apocrypha [ ]

Greg Cox ' The Eugenics Wars novels depict the Augments as being created via in vitro fertilization . The Rise and Fall of Khan Noonien Singh, Volume One states Khan was born in 1970 .

In contrast, the Khan comic book series written by Mike Johnson depicts the Augments as children who were kidnapped and subjected to tests, where their genetic code was overwritten by DNA synthesized by their captors. The comic, a tie-in to Star Trek Into Darkness , is closer to the timeframe given by the film for the Augments' date of birth.

External link [ ]

• Augment article at Memory Beta , the non-canon Star Trek wiki.

de:Augment fr:Amélioré it:Potenziato

• 1 Invincible class
• 2 William V of the United Kingdom
• 3 Achilles class

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Star trek's greatest augment easily tops khan.

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Ghosts Season 4 Story Update: Showrunners Confirm One Spirit Won't Discover Their Powers In New Episodes

Zack snyder gives twilight of the gods season 2 update after season 1's big ending, ryan murphy's new american crime story spinoff about aaron hernandez continues rotten tomatoes streak.

Warning: SPOILERS for Star Trek: Prodigy Season 1, Episode 18 - "Mindwalk" Dal R'El (Brett Gray) is the most evolved Augment Star Trek has ever seen, and Star Trek: Prodigy' s teenage Captain is far superior to Khan Noonien Singh (Ricardo Montalbán). Dal discovered he was genetically engineered when the USS Protostar's teenage crew visited the laboratory of Dr. Jago (Amy Hill) in the Romulan Neutral Zone. Dal and his friends were stunned to learn that the purple teen was a product of eugenics by followers of the 22nd-century genetic scientist Dr. Arik Soong (Brent Spiner) from Star Trek: Enterprise .

Khan is Star Trek's original Augment . Unfortunately, Khan is the standard by which all genetically engineered people are judged by the United Federation of Planets. In the 1990s, Khan was the most feared, powerful, and ruthless of the genetically engineered 'supermen' who ruled much of Earth. Khan fled the planet in 1996 after the Eugenics Wars and spent 300 years in cryo sleep before he was awakened by Captain James T. Kirk's (William Shatner) USS Enterprise. In two different power grabs, Khan proved he was a threat to the entire galaxy before his demise. Over a century after Khan's death, he still has a deleterious effect on the lives of Augments in Star Trek.

Related: Star Trek's Khan Is Still Causing A Starfleet Tragedy

Dal Is A Far More Evolved Augment Than Khan

As an Augment, however, Star Trek: Prodigy 's Dal R'El leaves Khan in the dust. Using hybrid speciation, Dal's creators cross-bred the Protostar's Captain with a total of 26 different species. Dal's genetic cocktail includes the physical traits of humans, Klingons, Vulcans, Tellarites, Andorians, and even proto-Organians. As such, Dal has abilities he is only just becoming aware of. A dermal implant from Dr. Jago that activated his dormant genes briefly gave Dal morphing abilities, increased agility, psychic powers, and the emission of a viscous substance. In Star Trek: Prodigy episode 18, Dal used his Vulcan telepathy to accidentally switch bodies with Admiral Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew).

Compared to Dal, Khan is a caveman, albeit a super smart and physically powerful one. Khan was many times more intelligent, stronger, and more durable than a normal human. Khan was also a brilliant strategist, and he was a quick learner, as he was able to take over Kirk's Starship Enterprise just by reading its technical manuals. What set Khan apart, however, was his savagery and ruthlessness, although there was also a streak of proud nobility within him. Yet Khan is a relatively one-dimensional human Augment who lacks Dal R'El's myriad abilities.

Janeway Confirmed Dal Can't Join Starfleet Because He's An Augment

What Dal doesn't yet know, however, is that Khan's legacy of evil directly impacts his future. When Admiral Janeway's mind was in Dal's body, and she came to understand that he is an Augment, Janeway confirmed to Dal's friends that he can never join Starfleet. Thanks to Khan, genetically engineered people remain banned by the Federation. Dal is an Augmented orphan from the Delta Quadrant who isn't even a Federation citizen. As such, Dal's chances of realizing his dream of becoming a Starfleet Officer seem tragically nonexistent.

When Star Trek: Deep Space Nine 's Dr. Julian Bashir (Alexander Siddig) was revealed to be an Augment, his father went to prison in his place in order to save Julian's Starfleet career. A similar drama is playing out in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds where Lt. Commander Una Chin-Riley (Rebecca Romijn) was arrested by Starfleet for lying about the fact she is a genetically-engineered Illyrian. Dal's prospects for a life as a Starfleet Officer appear bleak in Star Trek: Prodigy , and the reason why can be traced directly back to Khan, the bane of all Augments.

More: Star Trek's New Holodeck Episode Homages TNG's Data & Picard

Star Trek: Prodigy Season 1 streams Thursdays on Paramount+.

• SR Originals
• Star Trek: Prodigy

Reputation Levels

Augment credits, recruit chests.

Augment is going to be very useful to you throughout the game. At early levels, it gives you daily officer shards which will be hugely beneficial for your crewing, especially below decks. Later, it will give you a steady stream of officer xp and transporter shards as you max them out. In addition, this store gives you access to the always rare independent credits.

When you first get the store, you will start collecting Botany Bay shards. This will lead you to the ship, which excels at mining data. After that, it's basically just maintaining your levels of data and collecting all the rewards every day.

Persis was a Human Augment , a product of 20th century genetic engineering , who was brought to life by Arik Soong in 2134 . She and the rest of her "brothers" and "sisters" were raised by Soong on the planet Trialas IV , participating in classroom -like sessions taught by Soong. When Soong was captured and incarcerated for the theft of the Augment embryos in 2144 , Persis and the other Augment children were left to survive on their own on Trialas. ( ENT : " Borderland ", " Cold Station 12 ")

Persis chose to become the consort of the Augment leader, Raakin , taking the strongest for herself. However, she later fell in love with Malik and, following the latter's takeover of a Klingon Bird-of-Prey , Persis assisted Malik in the plot to rise against Raakin. Persis persuaded Raakin to make the first move against Malik, who was then able to plan ahead by sabotaging Raakin's weapon and gathering followers to trap their former leader. Persis regretted the betrayal and apologized to Raakin before Malik killed him, claiming it as an "act of mercy". ( ENT : " Borderland ")

Afterward, Persis led an assault on Enterprise NX-01 to rescue Soong, who was being held in the Earth vessel's brig . Although she was shot by a particle rifle during the assault, she only held back for a moment before continuing. After releasing Soong, Persis and the other Augments returned to their stolen Bird-of-Prey with their "father" and set a course for Cold Station 12 to retrieve the 1,800 additional Augment embryos remaining in cold storage. ( ENT : " Borderland ", " Cold Station 12 ")

After Soong and the Augments took over the Denobulan medical shuttle Barzai , Persis co- piloted the ship and used its security codes to gain access to Cold Station 12. Persis then boarded the station and subdued the station's two security guards , allowing Soong and the other Augments to capture the station. While Soong and Malik attempted to retrieve the code for the stasis chamber from Dr. Lucas , Persis witnessed Malik's blatant disobedience towards Soong. Afterward, she watched as Malik selected several pathogens to take with them as "insurance", and was ordered to load the containers carrying the pathogens onto the Barzai . ( ENT : " Cold Station 12 ")

Malik fatally stabs Persis.

After the embryos were retrieved and brought aboard the Bird-of-Prey along with the pathogens, Malik asked Persis to assist him in taking command from Soong, whom Malik believed was inadequate to lead the Augments. Persis reluctantly agreed, believing Malik would kill her otherwise. Soong was locked in his quarters . Persis however, later released her "father" and helped him escape from the ship, disabling the internal sensors to prevent Malik from realizing an escape pod was missing. However, Malik knew Persis was responsible for helping Soong escape. Persis attempted to defend herself with a Klingon d'k tahg , but she proved no match for Malik, who was able to take the weapon away and stab her with it. As Persis died, Malik proclaimed he would miss her, and stole her last breath with a kiss. ( ENT : " The Augments ")

The adult Persis was played by Abby Brammell . Her child counterpart was played by an uncredited actress . Persis may have been named after late Star Trek: The Motion Picture actress Persis Khambatta . ( citation needed • edit )

In the final draft script of "Borderland", Persis was described thus; " She radiates mind-numbing sensuality coupled with fierce intellect. " She was also scripted to be slightly younger than Raakin. In the final draft script of "The Augments", Persis was to have died next to a bulkhead, though she dies on the floor in the final version of the episode.

• 2 Daniels (Crewman)

Patton Oswalt Just Made Star Trek’s Most Beloved Aliens Terrifying

The trouble with hive minds.

You can’t keep a good tribble down. The adorable but troublesome fuzzballs reproduce so quickly that even if you get rid of one, about a thousand will take their place, and they’ve been making Star Trek stories funny and weird since their 1967 debut in “The Trouble With Tribbles.” Since then, the franchise has used tribbles sparingly, and usually as a quick Easter Egg or punchline rather than a serious plot point.

But an under-the-radar Star Trek story just revealed a shocking new detail about tribbles. And once you know what that detail is, you’ll be surprised that it’s taken this long to think up. Spoilers ahead for IDW’s Star Trek #500 comic book.

In a special 500th anthology issue of IDW’s ongoing Star Trek comic book series, a new story called “I Knew You Were Tribble When You Walked In” tells the story of the tribbles in “The Trouble With Tribbles” from the point-of-view of the little critters themselves.

The tribbles have a hivemind!

The story, co-written by Jordan Blum and Patton Oswalt, is just a few pages long. We start with the perspective of one tribble and quickly learn that it has a thing for Captain Kirk. In its mind, this tribble refers to Kirk as “my golden beloved.”

But that’s not all. When the little tribble can’t find Kirk, it uses “my hive mind network” to locate him, which means the tribble’s consciousness can transfer to all tribbles. At one point, it describes itself as “everywhere,” and we see various scenes from the episode, as well as Deep Space Nine’s time travelers, Captain Sisko and Lt. Dax, when they dropped by in the 1996 episode “Trials and Tribble-ations.” The tribbles aren’t exactly ageless, but their telepathic network does seem to rival Trek’s other famous hivemind race; the Borg.

This makes perfect sense when you think about it. The tribbles are depicted as highly sensitive, and though not complex creatures, they do seem to behave with some shared purpose. And now, assuming this comic is low-key canon, we know that their shared goals are thanks to the fact they all can move their minds between one another at will.

In Deep Space Nine , Worf said the tribbles were once considered an ecological blight, and that the Klingon Empire had regarded them as mortal enemies. This hivemind detail makes that plot point make a little more sense. Not only can these tribbles become obsessed with human beings (again, this one is hot for Kirk), but they can also all decide to feel the same thing simultaneously. Like hunger for Klingon crops.

They may look cute, but don’t let your guard down.

In the Short Treks 2018 episode “The Trouble With Edward,” we learn that Lt. Larkin (H. Jon Benjamin) was at least partially responsible for genetically modifying the tribbles to make them breed at exponential rates. This retcon, however, doesn’t exclude the tribbles secretly being telepathic or part of a hivemind. In fact, what “I Knew You Were Tribble When You Walked In” asserts is that we’d have no way of knowing what tribbles were thinking because their language and thoughts are all internal.

Although Spock held several tribbles in the classic episode, it doesn’t seem like he ever mind-melded with them. If Spock had telepathically linked with the tribbles, then everything about how that episode plays out would have to be changed. And while Spock probably would’ve favored trying to find a way to live with the tribbles, their hivemind abilities might have freaked Kirk out regardless of how cute they are.

While this new story should be read with a sense of tongue-in-cheek zeal, the ending does show the tribbles' fate. They’re beamed onto the episode’s Klingon ship, where they seem to connect with one Klingon officer. We know the tribbles and the Klingons didn’t team up after this moment, but if they had, they probably could’ve conquered the galaxy.

Star Trek #500 is in comic book stores now and available for digital purchase.

• Science Fiction