Bajoran


This article is official Star Trek canon.This article is an official Galactic Anthropology Committee Article.
Bajoran.jpg
Bajoran
Survey Data
Star System:

B'Hava'el System

Region:

United Federation of Planets

Quadrant:

Alpha Quadrant

Classification:

Class-M

First Contact:

2331

Political Information
Affiliation:

Federation Member

Capital:

Ashalla, Bajor

Political System:

Provisional

Population:

20.5 Billion

Biological Information
Type:

Humanoid

Atmosphere type:

Oxygen-Nitrogen

Development Stage:

Warp capable

Character:

Peaceful

Number of Eyes:

2

Empathic species:

No

Telepathic species:

No

[ Source ]

The Bajorans are a very artistic, peaceful, and religious people and are one of the newer members of the United Federation of Planets.

History

Bajor has a very long history, dating back hundreds of thousands of years. Not as much is known as Federation historians would like, but it is enough to keep an archaeologist busy for their entire career. The Prophets influenced much of Bajor’s history after their orbs were found by Bajorans and they began to worship them as gods. The most well-known part of Bajoran history is the Cardassian Occupation which lasted from 2319 to 2369.

Bajoran civilization stretches back a million years, long before Humans learned to make tools or to speak. The Bajorans of the ancient past were well-known for their science, art, philosophy and mathematics. The greatest of the early Bajoran civilizations is the First Republic which existed from 25,000 to 20,000 years ago. This was the civilization that built the ancient city of B’Hala, which was known for its advanced science and art at the time it existed. The city was lost to time until Captain Benjamin Sisko rediscovered it.

The next era of note in Bajoran history is 10,000 years ago when the Orbs of the Prophets were discovered in orbit around the planet. These artifacts, known to Bajorans as the Tears of the Prophets, ushered in a new spiritual awareness for the Bajoran people and a closer relationship with their gods. In the 16th century Bajorans had created sublight spacevessels equipped with solar sail technology that allowed them to explore their home system. A crew of Bajorans even made it so far as the home Cardassian system, several light-years away, and this was proven possible by Captain Sisko and his son Jake.

In 2172, or the Bajoran year 9174, one of Bajor’s greatest poets left his homeplanet in a solar vessel. Akorem Laan’s ship was damaged and he ended up in the Denorios Belt, where it entered the wormhole and he would stay with the Prophets until 2372. When he returned, it was thought that he was the Emissary as a Bajoran Vedek predicted that the Prophets would “give the Emissary back his life” after he died. It was proven that the Emissary was indeed Captain Benjamin Sisko. During the 22nd Century, Kai Taluno unknowingly reported a sighting of the Bajoran wormhole when the “heavens opened up and swallowed his ship”. No Bajoran realized what actually lay in the Denorios Belt until the 24th Century.

Despite its advancements, Bajor continued to exist in nation-states as evidenced by the Paqu-Navot Treaty of 2279, which defined the two nations’ border. Until the Cardassian Occupation, Bajorans had a caste system called D’jarras.

The Cardassian Occupation of Bajor (Simply known as the Occupation) lasted from 2319 to 2369 during which Bajor was under the control of the Cardassian Union. During the Occupation, the Cardassians had forced labor camps on Bajor in which the Bajorans strip-mined their planet for their Cardassian overseers. Genocide was also common. The treatment of the Bajoran people by the Cardassians gave rise to the Bajoran resistance, which finally succeeded in drving away the Cardassians in 2369. Some Bajorans simply left the system and settled all over the quadrant, although they remained separate from other peoples, living under poor conditions.

When the Cardassians finally left, the Bajorans set up a provisional government headed by a Chamber of Ministers, with the First Minister acting as the chair of that body. With the aid of the Federation, the Bajorans took control of the space station Terok Nor, a former refining facility in orbit of the planet, and placed it near the wormhole that had been discovered in the Denorios Belt. This put Bajor on the galactic map as a center for commerce and brought with it many jobs. The planet’s soil however had been badly damaged by the fighting and mining caused by the Occupation and the provisional government invented soil reclamators, although the supply was limited, causing fights among the farmers. Today, the soil is fertile and good for farming. Kai Winn took the first steps towards normalizing the relationship with the Cardassians in 2371.

Bajor originally applied for Federation membership in 2373, however recanted it due to the insistence of the Emissary. The two governments continued a cordial relationship until Bajor’s admittance into the Federation. Before the start of the Dominion War, the Bajoran government signed a non-aggression pact with the Dominion, allowing Bajor to avoid disaster a second time in the same century. Bajor joined the fight after Operation Return took Deep Space Nine back under the control of the Federation Alliance in 2371. Bajor became a member of the Federation shortly after the signing of the Treaty of Bajor in 2375.

First Contact

Federation contact with the Bajorans came when Bajorans left their home system as refugees during the Cardassian Occupation of Bajor. It is unknown which ship met them first, but they generally did not cause problems with the Federation citizens. A few of them even entered Starfleet.

Government

The government is run by a Chamber of Ministers, run by the First and Second Minister who are elected from among the Chamber. The rest of the ministers are numbered in order of seniority. However, they do not have total rule. They are assisted by the Vedek Assembly, headed by the Kai.

Physiology

Bajorans appear mostly human except for four to seven horizontal ridges on their noses. The top of the ridges can either have one ridge going straight up from the middle of the nose, or two ridges extending over the eyebrows. Skin tones vary from light to dark, although the dark toned ones seem to be in the minority. The Bajoran heart is mirrored horizontally where the human heart is mirrored vertically. A stab into the lower ventricle is an instantly fatal wound. Their blood is red. Bajorans live over 100 years, possibly longer. An arbiter said she was 100 years old, however she looked as active as human would in their early seventies

As with most species, Bajorans have two genders, male and female, and Bajoran women carry their children for a term of 5 months due to the intricate network of bloodvessels between mother and child. Bajorans have a heightened sense of smell, but expecting mothers are prone to bouts of uncontrolled sneezing. The traditional Bajoran birthing ceremony is attended by the mother’s family and a midwife. The purpose of the ceremony is to induce complete relaxation through percussion music and breathing exercises, allowing the woman to give birth without pain. If the mother does not give birth within a given amount of time, the endorphin levels will climb to toxic levels.

Society

Bajorans are a very peace-loving people, although many of them have short tempers and a hatred of all things Cardassian. This hatred is understandable as their people were enslaved by the Cardassian Union for a period of no less than 50 years. It is not easy to gain a Bajoran’s trust, but once you do, they trust you implicitly. They are also a very religious people, having a deep-seated reverence for their gods, whom they call the Prophets. They are perhaps alone in that they know that their gods exist, although many of the other races throughout the Federation just refer to them as “wormhole aliens”.

Religion

Bajoran religion centers around the Prophets, or their gods, that are in fact aliens that live in the Bajoran wormhole, known to Bajorans as the Celestial Temple. They are said to speak through Pagh-tem-far, or sacred visions, and through the Tears of the Prophets, also known as Orbs of the Prophets.

Bajorans believe in fate and that everything happens because the Prophets will it. They have a spiritual leader similar to the Catholic Pope known as the Kai. The Kai interprets the will of the Prophets and is assists by various clergy members. Unlike Catholicism, Bajorans do not prevent their clergy from having families.

The Emissary of the Prophets was a human, named Captain Benjamin Sisko. It was discovered that the Prophets even arranged his birth. The Bajorans accepted him as their Emissary due to the fact that he was the first person to travel through the Celestial Temple and that the Prophets spoke to him even when he was not in the temple. For a long time, Sisko remained skeptical but eventually accepted it and the Prophets guided him through the Domionion War in an effort to save Bajor.

Charity, humility, and faith were seen as the keys to enlightenment by the Bajoran faith

The organization of the Bajoran faith is as follows:
Kai
Vedek Assembly from which the next Kai is chosen.
Ranjens
Common Bajorans

The Kai and the Vedek Assembly assist the Chamber of Ministers in the running of Bajor.

Celebrations and Rituals: Death Ritual Bajorans were buried in the ground with an arch to mark their graves. Ahn-kay ya, ay-ya vasu. Coh-ma-ra, di-nay-ya.. Bajoran death chant, repeated over and over again for approximately three hours.

Raka-ja ut shala morala... ema bo roo kana... uranak... ralanon (NAME)... propeh va nara ehsuk shala-kan vunek ...

(do not let him walk alone... guide him on his journey... protect... the one named (NAME)... take him into the gates of heaven... ) Duranja lamp prayer for the recently deceased (the translation comes from the script).


Gratitude Festival A festival in which prayer scrolls are handed out to all Bajorans. They write all their problems onto the scrolls and are burned in one of the sacred fires so their troubles are symbolically burned to ashes in order to focus on the good things in their lives and be grateful for what they have. It is also known as the Peldor Festival and dates back to 17600 BC. One material burned in the sacred fire is Bateret leaves.

Tesra Peldor impatri bren. Bentel vetan ullon sten.. Presiders address at the Gratitude Festival.

Peldor Joi Traditional greeting during the Gratitude Festival.


Marriage Ceremony Jia'kaja, tre'nu'tol'a rem... La'por i'lanu kos... I'nar tan'a'tali nor.... Prayer to the prophets asking for protection or favor. Zhia'kaluh tar'eh anu suur... te'von, aka'lu rez... ka'vor,mat'ana kel.. Marriage blessing by the Emissary. Boray pree hadokee. Tolata impara boresh. Preeya (GROOM'S NAME), Preeya (BRIDE'S NAME), abrem varo atel.. Traditional marriage blessing used in conjuction with a simple ceremony.


lata impara no takash... with humility and gratitude, we accept this gift... Veshanoo yavar ha iktasho... the sacred Orb of Prophecy. Orb blessing prayer.


Time of Cleansing Celebration in which Bajorans fast and abstain from all worldly pleasures.


Various prayers (Prayer leader) Tera dak ihsehelm ran embah... (ALL) de-ram ta-MEEN! Chanted by Kai Winn and fellow Bajorans in the hours before the Reckoning.

Meeh rak Dorah Pah-wran... Ee-toi... Velah-slah... Pah-wran amar... Pah-wran Evak-too... Ancient Bajoran chanted by a Pah-wraith Cult Bajoran Assassin to Benjamin Sisko, before attempting to kill him Tarna pur-ono ull-kess pah-ran. lano ka'la bo'shar lanu. Meek rak dorrah Pah-wran... Yelim cha ono kosst amojan... shay ta-hel ter-rah no'vala de-ram... aka'lu far che... Chants from the Book of the Kosst Amojan .

Language

The Bajoran language is composed of symbols written with thick lines. The symbols are ideographic. A large number of symbols can be used in eight different ways if one were to rotate them or flip them. The language is usually written horizontally, right to left, but can be written vertically, top to bottom. Ancient Bajoran symbols translate into two nearly identical modern symbols.

  • Amoran - banished
  • Balik(am) - "go away" or "get lost!", written and pronounced like the filipino word for "go back", which would also fit as a translation as seen on the scene
  • Bantaca - name for a traditional spire made out of thousands of interlocked stones, marked with the coordinates of the town or city they represent
  • Boryhas - term for ghosts or spirits of the dead
  • D'jarras - ancient Bajoran caste system
  • Duranja - lamp for the dead: candle suspended by chains from four pillars
  • Ha'dara - Home of light
  • Ha'mara - religious festival to celebrate the arrival of the Emissary
  • Itanu - ceremony carried out when a child reaches the age of fourteen
  • Kejal - freedom
  • Kosst - to be
  • Pagh - the life energy or soul of a person
  • Pagh'tem'far - a sacred vision granted by the Prophets
  • Peldar Joi - greeting used during the Gratitude Festival
  • Shawn - swamp, rhymes with Irish name Seán

Food

  • Alvas
  • Bajoran Shrimp
  • Deka tea
  • Foraiga
  • Groat cake
  • Hasperat
  • Hasperat Souffle
  • Jumja Stick
  • Jumja Tea
  • Kava
  • Kava Juice
  • Katterpod
  • Klavaatu
  • Koganka Pudding
  • Larish Pie
  • Mapa Bread
  • Moba Fruit
  • Palukoo
  • Rekja
  • Springwine
  • Tuwaly Pi
  • Veklava

Science and Technology

Bajorans have simple holographic technology, like the ability to disguise entrances as walls or pools of water. As far back as the 1500s, they had the use of solar sail technology that allowed them to explore space. Their soil reclamators allow them make land that is toxic suitable for farming again. They had warp vessels in the 2370s, and since entering the Federation, have come to be on par with other Federation members. However, despite having access to replicator technology, they still have fresh food when they can.

Military

Bajor had in the past made war upon itself as late as the 23rd Century. However, during the Cardassian Occupation, Bajorans formed a resistance that later became the Bajoran Militia after the end of the Occuaption. Upon their entrance to the Federation, they have become on par with other Federation worlds and are now part of Starfleet. The planet is policed by the Bajoran Militia.

Miscellaneous Information

Bajorans have earrings that are worn at the lobe of the right ear with a chain that attaches at the upper part of the cartilage of the ear. The earring various from family to family, with those from former upper D’jarras having larger ones, as well as the Kai and Vedeks. Even though the caste system is gone, the earrings remain on their right ears as the left ear is gripped by a member of the clergy to read someone’s pagh, or spirit.

Bajorans clap their hands differently than most species. They clap by slapping the back of their hand to their palm.

Bajorans only have two names, a given name and a family name. The family name precedes the given name. For instance, if a man from the family Jiro was named Inas, his name would be said Jiro Inas.