Bajoran

			Intelligent Lifeform Index

Bajoran
Four Letter Code	BJRN
Federation Status	Allied
Planet of Origin	Bajor
Encountered	TNG: Ensign Ro, (and throughout the DS9 series)
T/E Rating	T0/E0
Current Tech Level	K+
List of Named Bajorans
Full ILI Gallery • Permitted Species Gallery

Physiology

Bajorans physically resemble many of the other humanoid species of the galaxy, bearing a strong resemblance to Terrans and Betazoids. Their most distinguishing feature is a series of around five horizontal ridges on the bridge of the nose. Other key physiological differences include a heart that is mirrored along a horizontal axis rather than the vertical axis seen in the Terran heart, and a gestation period for Bajoran infants of only five months, accompanied by frenetic and uncontrollable sneezing rather than morning sickness.

Psychology

Originally peaceful and introverted, the Bajoran people were somewhat uninterested in contact with other species. Despite one of their solar sailing craft arriving in Cardassian space as a result of tachyon winds near the Denorios Belt, Bajorans made little attempt to explore and colonise worlds further than their own system. They were neither friendly nor unfriendly with other species, instead showing courteous hospitality to those met. However, after 40 years of occupation under the Cardassian Union, the mindset of a large proportion of the Bajoran people has significantly altered. Most tend towards being courteous and hospitable, but there are many whose attitude reflects the violation that their people suffered, leaving them quick to anger, stubborn and impulsive. Bajorans share an extremely strong bond with their homeworld. It is written in an ancient proverb that “The Land and the People are One.”

The Bajoran Icon.

Culture and Society

The Bajoran culture is widely regarded as one of the richest in the galaxy, having had around half a million years to evolve and prosper.

The Earring of Li Nalas.

Earrings

Bajoran earrings are an indication of their faith in the Prophets. They also served other purposes, for example it has been assumed that they served to signify the D’jarra of the wearer. Many Bajorans have personalised their own earrings, indeed Kira Nerys was able to identify the earring of Li Nalas after it was delivered to Deep Space Nine by the Boslic freighter captain Rionoj early in 2370.

Spring Wine.

Food

Bajorans enjoy a variety of different foodstuffs, the most popular of which are hasperat (a spicy wrapped dish resembling a Terran burrito), kava juice, and Spring Wine, a blue-hued alcoholic beverage brewed from kava.

Art & Music

Art is held in high regard in Bajoran culture, and children are taught from as young as four years old. Artists often held a high position within the D’jarra system. A popular musical instrument on Bajor is the belaklavion, which is not dissimilar to a Terran clarinet in appearance. Its timbre, however is more akin to terran panpipes. The Jalanda Forum was a popular location for musical performances and dramatic entertainment up until the Occupation. Bajoran music is largely based on quartal harmony, giving it a spacious and meditational feel.

Names

Bajorans have two names. The first is the family name, equivalent to a Terran surname. The second is a given name, equivalent to a Terran first name or Christian name. Bajorans refer to each other by their family name unless permission is given to use their given name as a form of address. For example, a Bajoran named Kenara Jor would be referred to by most people as “Kenara” and by friends and family as “Jor”.

Example of Bajoran script.

Language

The Bajoran language is written in the form of ideographs. Key words and phrases can be found by following the links below:-

Database of commonly used Bajoran words and phrases An analysis of the Bajoran language created by Deranged Nasat

D’jarras

D’jarra refers to a caste system that was in operation on Bajor during the Second Republic. Bajorans held different standings in the community based on their professions, and artists and other culturalists were held in high regard by most citizens. There is evidence to support that earrings were a symbol of D’jarra, although this is not conclusive.

Religion and Spirituality

The Bajoran spirit is referred to as the pagh, which Bajorans believe is housed within the left ear. Bajoran spiritualists are known to be able to measure the strength of a pagh by gripping the ear with their hand. Bajorans are raised to follow the will of the Prophets, who promote selfless and altruistic actions. A feature of Bajoran religion is the characteristic earring, a set of two clasps connected by a chain, worn on the right ear.

Kai Winn, spiritual leader of Bajor 2370-2375

Religious Hierarchy

The Kai is the head of the Bajoran faith, and is elected by democratic means whenever circumstances require. Vedeks serve as well-regarded spiritual leaders, and form a religious assembly that advises the Kai in important religious matters. Vedeks also have access to Orbs. Prylars and Ranjens are lower-ranked monks who often work in servitude of the Kai or of Vedeks, and also maintain the sacred libraries of the Bajoran spiritual texts. The Emissary of the Prophets, while technically not a part of this religious hierarchy, is held in extremely high reverence by the Bajoran populace, and arguably has almost the same power in the Bajoran faith as does the Kai.

Religious Titles
Kai
Vedek
Prylar
Ranjen

The gateway to the Celestial Temple.

The Prophets

Residing within the Celestial Temple, known to outsiders as the Bajoran wormhole, the Prophets experience time as a non-linear event. They are able to possess humanoid life-forms, and have described themselves as being “of Bajor”. The Bajoran people do not view the Prophets as aliens, rather as gods that guide their way of life. One of the Prophets possessed and guided Sarah, a human, into a relationship with Joseph Sisko, resulting in the conception of Benjamin Sisko, who later became the Emissary of the Prophets after discovering the Bajoran Wormhole.

File:EmissaryoftheProphets.jpg

Benjamin Sisko and Vedek Winn

The Emissary

On discovering the Bajoran Wormhole along with Lieutenant-Commander Jadzia Dax in the Denorios Belt in 2369, Captain Benjamin Sisko was declared the Emissary of the Prophets by the Bajoran people. Despite developing a strong positive relationship with Kai Opaka, the contemporary leader of the Bajoran faith, Sisko initially was unwilling to embrace his role of Emissary. It was not until his belief in his position was challenged by the Prophets themselves that he began to accept his role. However, he has always acted in the best interests of the Bajoran people. While Kai Opaka embraced Sisko in his role of Emissary, her successor, Kai Winn, often treated him with jealousy and mistrust. In turn, Sisko never fully trusted Kai Winn, who eventually denounced the Prophets and aided Gul Dukat in releasing the MA:Pah-wraith:Pah-Wraiths of the Fire Caves.

Prophecies

Zocal’s 3rd Prophecy stated that only someone touched by the Prophets could find the ruins of B’hala. A prophecy subsequently translated from a tablet found in B’hala itself triggered the Reckoning, a cataclysmic battle between a Prophet and a Pah-wraith. It was written that, if the Prophet was victorious, Bajor would enter a golden age. The Reckoning never came to a conclusion however, as Kai Winn flooded the Promenade of Deep Space Nine, aboard which the conflict was taking place with chroniton radiation, which drove the Prophet and Pah-wraith out of their host bodies and forced them to abandon their duel.

An example of a Bajoran Orb.

Orbs

The Bajoran people revere artefacts that were sent to them by the Prophets, known as Orbs, or Tears of the Prophets. Many of these were lost or plundered by the Cardassians during the Occupation, however those that have been recovered are stored in shrines across Bajor, or in the Bajoran Shrine aboard Deep Space Nine. Those known to be in the possession of the Bajorans are detailed below.

The Bajoran Orbs
Orb of Prophecy & Change
Orb of Time
Orb of Wisdom
Orb of Contemplation
Orb of the Emissary

Gul Dukat as the Emissary of the Pah-Wraiths.

The Pah-Wraiths

The chronicled enemies of the Prophets, the Pah-Wraiths (Bajoran: Kosst Amogen), inhabit the fire caves of Bajor. The sacred texts explain that they once resided within the Celestial Temple, but were cast out by the Prophets due to their evil tendencies. A minority of Bajorans worship the [[MA:Pah-wraith|Pah-Wraiths as the true prophets of Bajor, denoted by an inverted Bajoran religious icon or a red earring which is worn on the left ear. In 2375, the Pah-Wraiths selected Cardassian Gul Dukat, the former prefect of Bajor during the Cardassian occupation, as their Emissary. During a battle with the Emissary of the Prophets, Dukat and the Pah-Wraiths were sealed inside the Fire Caves along with the only known means of releasing them.

Burning Renewal Scrolls at the Gratitude Festival symbolically turns problems to ash.

Religious Festivals

• Days of Atonement – a time to atone for past misdemeanours through chanting, meditation and prayer.
• Gratitude Festival (aka Peldor Festival) – a time to give thanks to the Prophets. Renewal scrolls are burned and Bajorans celebrate for a period of three days.
• Ha’mara – a day to celebrate the arrival of the Emissary of the Prophets.
• Time of Cleansing – a period of one month where Bajorans fast and abstain from worldy pleasures.

Burial Customs

The Bajorans are less concerned with interring the remains of the deceased than they are with guiding their pagh into the afterlife. A Bajoran death chant can last up to two hours to allow for the recitation of the sacred text. In addition a duranja, or funerial candle, can be lit to act as a memorial for a loved one or friend.

Militia

Bajor's equivalent to Starfleet is the Bajoran Militia. The militia contains a large number of personnel who were active during the Resistance, as well as engineers and medics. The militia is responsible for homeworld operations as well as interplanetary and spatial operations, such as some of the maintenance of Deep Space Nine.

The Bajoran military hierarchy runs as follows, from lowest ranked to highest:-

Militia Ranks
General
Colonel
Field Colonel
Major
Captain
1st Lieutenant
2nd Lieutenant

The militia operates in divisions, denoted by different coloured uniforms. Command-branch officers wear terracotta and red; security wear tan and brown; engineering and ops wear grey and either green or mauve, and medical wear blue and copper.

Command	Security	Engineering	Medical

Ships

Bajoran ships fall under three main specifications.

A Bajoran Assault Vessel.

Assault Vessels

Assault vessels are well-armed craft designed for the defense of the planet. Members of the Circle used these craft to threaten Deep Space Nine in 2370.

A Bajoran Interceptor.

Interceptors

Interceptors are smaller craft that are highly manoeuvrable and capable of atmospheric flight. Kira Nerys commanded a blockade made up of Bajoran Interceptors to prevent the Romulans from installing weapons in an alleged medical facility in the Bajoran system in 2375.

A Bajoran Freighter.

Freighters

Freighters are optimised for cargo transportation, although the government authorises off-world cargo ships to assist with commercial operations. Kasidy Yates and her ship Xhosa were enlisted in the Bajoran Ministry of Transport.

A Bajoran sub-light 2-man craft.

Other

In addition, smaller sub-light vessels were widely used during the occupation, most often holding only 2 crewmen.

Sources

• Star Trek:The Next Generation (Bajoran Episodes) and Star Trek:Deep Space Nine (Seasons 1-7)
• Memory Alpha (various pages)
• Memory Beta (various pages)
• Star Trek Customizable Card Game (Decipher Inc., 1994-2007)
• Star Trek RPG: Aliens (Decipher Inc., 2003)