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BAJORANS

Bajorans are a humanoid race, distinguished outwardly only by extra wrinkles at the bridge of the nose. The ancient Bajorans had a tremendously rich and developed civilization complete with architecture, art, philosophy and even some technology before human beings on Earth became bipedal. 

One of the Alpha quadrants more humanoid species, the Bajorans are distinguishable from humans primarily by the appearance of their nose, which is both ridged and slightly more prominent. Female Bajorans have a relatively rapid gestation period of five months, which leads to a very fast vascularisation process.

The Bajoran culture is one of the longest-lived in the alpha quadrant; their civilization flourished over half a million years ago and they first gained interstellar capacity over eight centuries ago. The dominant religion of the planet dates back some ten thousand years, and is centered around worship of the aliens living within the Bajoran Wormhole - the Bajorans refer to these entities as 'The Prophets' and to the wormhole as the 'Celestial Temple'.

The Prophets are the central figures of the Bajoran faith, transcendent entities who exist in a non-linear time frame. Bajoran faith believes the Prophets to be the embodiment of truth, who reveals their wisdom through visions given by the Orbs. The Prophets are also the ones who replenish the life force of Bajorans, the "Pagh" that allows existence.

Approximately 10,000 years ago. The first Orb, with eight others to follow, appeared in the skies of Bajor. Taken as a gift from the Prophets to endow their followers with wisdom and insight, the Orbs were traditionally housed in sacred shrines at temples and monasteries around Bajor. Each Orb has a different function. After the Occupation, only one from the original nine Orbs remained. Through the years, three have been recovered and are currently in the hands of the Bajoran people. The four Orbs are:

The Ninth Orb:  Green energy form. It places the user into a vivid distant memory.

The Third Orb:  Blue energy form. It is also known as the Orb of Prophesy and Change. It presents the user with a surrealist projection of the future, open to interpretation but usually correct in some way.

The Orb of Wisdom:  Pink energy form. Grand Nagus Zek was responsible for the restoration of this Orb to Bajorans in 2371. It forces overseen knowledge into the user's attention.

The Orb of Time:  Purple energy form. It can transfer users back or forwards in time.

Emissary is the title given to the person who would discover the Celestial Temple and speak with the Prophets, then unify the Bajoran people. Commander Benjamin Sisko was announced as the Emissary by Kai Opaka when he had just arrived at the Station. Akorem Laan briefly succeeded Sisko as the Emissary in 2372 when he was transported two centuries from his lifetime into the 24th century by the Prophets. After reinstating the unpopular D'jarra caste system, Sisko challenged Akorem, and was ultimately vindicated by the Prophets themselves. Captain Sisko is now firmly established as the Emissary of Bajor. The one upon whom the hopes of a whole world fall upon.

Ancient Bajorans lived their lives according to the d'jarra caste system. A Bajoran's social status and vocation was dictated by the d'jarra at birth and usually indicated in part within the design of the earring. Passed on for generations, the system was abandoned during the Occupation, when every Bajoran became subservient of the Cardassian Guls.

The identity of Bajorans is intrinsically connected to their earring. The designs is often deeply connected to family lineage and the archaic d'jarra, but some religious figures and Militia officers are known to change their earrings to better adapt to their line of work. The earring is most often worn on the right ear, and is usually diamide-laced birithium in substance.

More recently the Bajorans have not fared so well. The Cardassians invaded Bajor in 2328, driving much of the native population from the planet and enslaving the remainder. Bajoran culture suffered greatly during this period, with many living in squalid conditions. Despite this, the Bajorans maintained a small but aggressive resistance effort throughout the occupation and by 2369 the Cardassian government had become frustrated with the militaries inability to crush this movement. Weary of decades of terrorist activity, the Cardassians pulled out of Bajor in this year.

The Bajorans established a provisional government, and despite many difficulties they have been successful in overcoming their problems. In 2373 the Bajorans petition for Federation membership was accepted, but at the last moment they withdrew their application for religious reasons. The Bajoran government has remained politically neutral since this time.
 

Bajor is a Class-M planet located near the Cardassian border. Bajor was valued by the Cardassians for its rich natural resources. The oceans on Bajor are greener than those of Earth. Bajor has several moons, the fifth of which is a Class-M planetoid named Jeraddo. 

In 2369, shortly after the end of the Cardassian occupation, Jeraddo's molten core was tapped as an energy source for Bajor. Although this new energy source was badly needed on Bajor, tapping the core made life on Jeraddo impossible due to the toxic gases released during the procedure, making it necessary to evacuate that moon. The provisional government of Bajor applied for membership in the United Federation of Planets in 2369. The Federation Council voted in 2373 to accept Bajor's application, but the Bajoran Chamber of Ministers subsequently elected to defer admission, following the recommendation of Benjamin Sisko, the Emissary of Bajoran prophecy.

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