TCMS05

HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS

BY ALEX MATTHEWS 3

BAJORAN BELIEFS AND RITUALS

BY JOSH EDELGLASS 5

COMING SOON 8

Welcome to the fifth issue of TCMS,

Firstly I would like to apologise for the lack of magazines over the

Christmas and New Year period, my laptop crashed with all files on it,

luckily I managed to get it back up and running with all files still attached.

This issue was supposed to be a holiday special and although it wasn’t

released over that period it still is, we have two articles for you, the first

being ‘Home for the Holidays’ by Alex Matthews an examination in to the

various holidays in Star Trek. The second article we bring you is ‘Bajoran,

Beliefs and Rituals’ by Josh Edelglass, which looks closer at the Bajoran side

of the holidays in closer detail.

We are aiming to get back up to date with a TCM issue due at in the next

week then three more magazines by the end of the month.

Live Long and Prosper

Richard

Trekkie Central Staff:

Writers: Heather Ashleigh; Jennifer Cole; Gerri Donaldson; Josh Edelglass; Beo Fraser; Danny

Levy; Alex Matthews; Richard Miles; Eugenia Stoypra; Sean-Paul Teeling and John Whiting.

Head Writers: Gerri Donaldson; Alex Matthews; Richard Miles and Eugenia Stoypra.

Photographers: Jennifer Cole and Richard Miles

Graphics Artists: Steve Gilson and Richard Miles; Front Cover: Richard Miles

Creative Consultants: Michael Hudson and Rick Pike.

Assistant Editors: Heather Ashleigh and Alex Matthews

Editor: Richard Miles

Special Thanks: Contributors: Josh Edelglass and Alex Matthews.

Trekkie Central Magazine and Supplemental is produced for fans by fans. This is a free to

download and view online magazine, from which no profit is made in anyway. If you see this

magazine on sale anywhere please do not purchase it as this will jeopardise feature

issue of this magazine. If you do find it on sale please inform us immediately by emailing us at

[email protected] and put

fraudulent magazine in the subject box. Many Thanks

Humanity is just one in a large number of

sentient races that exist in the world of

Star Trek, with our own individual flaws,

qualities and traditions that make us

special. With the rapid approach of

Christmas, as well as the recent

Halloween, Thanksgiving and Bonfire Night

celebrations, we take a look at how some

of these traditions and festivals are

depicted throughout the history of Trek,

and the various traditions some other

races celebrate.

Christmas has only ever been addressed

twice in canon Trek, and once in the

memorable episode Santa Q in the fanfilm

series Hidden Frontier. In the TOS episode,

“Dagger of the Mind”, Kirk reveals that he

became very well acquainted with

crewmember Dr. Helen Noel at the science

lab Christmas party. This 'friendship' is

then used against him when both he and

Noel are captured by the corrupt head of

the psychiatric facility they are visiting. It

may also be a simple coincidence that

Noel's surname is the French word for

'Christmas'... Decades later, during the

time that Picard is drawn in the Nexus

during Generations, he finds himself

celebrating Christmas with the loving wife

and family he always wanted but

sacrificed in order to have his career. The

“Santa Q” episode of Hidden Frontier once

again examines the idea of Christmas, and

actually attempts an explanation of why,

in an age where the Earth is largely non-

religious, why Christmas is still celebrated.

The reason that humanity has left behind

the religious aspects of the holiday,

but kept the idea that it is a time for family

celebration, of being with the people that you

care about.

Other holidays we celebrate today seem to

have faded into the winds of time by the 24th

century – when a holodeck character

commented to Picard that his uniform would

be a good look for Halloween; he had no idea

to what the character was referring. But the

tradition of Thanksgiving seems to have

sustained, since the Enterprise crew were

planning on celebrating it, and the actions of

young Charlie Evans, a human boy with

incredible psionic abilities, transformed the

meatloaf into the more appropriate turkey

(TOS: Charlie X). The day is still celebrated by

some people over a century later, when

Captain Sisko invited his senior staff to a

Thanksgiving dinner, which he had been

growing vegetable for months in preparation.

The festivities of other religions have also

survived into the 24th

century, such as the

Hindu Festival of Lights, known as “Diwali” was

celebrated on the Enterprise-D in 2367,

whereas the Polish tradition of the Mazurka

Festival, a celebration of folk dance and music,

was celebrated on the New Berlin colony in

2354, attended by Benjamin and Jennifer

Sisko, and their friends Cal and Gretchen

Hudson.

There are also new festivals and celebrations

that mark how much the times have changed

over the course of the last several hundred

years, including First Contact Day and

Federation Day.

First Contact Day was a holiday celebrated to

honor the flight of the Phoenix and first

contact with the Vulcans on April 5, 2063. On

Earth, children get the day off from school, a

fact Captain Janeway remembered was really

the only way they used to celebrate it. (VOY:

"Homestead") Federation Day is a day of

celebration commemorating the founding of

the United Federation of Planets.

A card game called "Federation Day" poker

existed in the 24th century, in which "2"s,

"aces", and "6"s were wild, since the

Federation was founded in 2161 (TNG: "The

Outcast").

The Klingons are a race known for the warrior

skills, but they also hold a reverence for

tradition and festivities, which has been seen

in much detail in the various shows. One such

holiday is the Day of Honour, and on this day,

a warrior evaluates his or her deeds for the

past year to see whether he has been

honorable. It is customary to serve Rokeg

blood pie on this day, and the traditional

ceremony on the Day of Honor includes

eating the heart of a sanctified targ, drinking

mot'lach from the Grail of Kahless, enduring

the ritual of twenty painstiks, engaging in

battle with a bat'leth master, and traversing

the sulfur lagoons of Gorath. (VOY: "Day of

Honor")

Another celebration where Klingons honour

their past is the Kot'baval Festival which

celebrates and honors Kahless the

Unforgettable's defeat of the tyrant Molor in

single combat using a bat'leth. That legendary

sword would eventually come to be known as the Sword of Kahless. (TNG: "Firstborn")

Much of the Klingon lifestyle is celebrated

in a more ceremonial style, as being seen

as a warrior, is almost a religion in itself.

Klingons moved past religion very early on

in their past, with the actual slaying of their

Gods, allowing them to take control of

their own lives. Ceremonies such as the

Age of Ascension, the Rite of MajQa, and

the Right of Vengeance are examples of

how even though the Klingons have left the

idea of a deity behind, the warrior lifestyle

is still very much steeped in religion. The

Age of Ascension is the time when a

Klingon child officially becomes a warrior,

with the first Rite of Ascension being taken

by the age of 13, in order for a Klingon

youth to declare his intentions to become a

warrior (TNG: "Firstborn"). The final

initiation ceremony involves the use of

painstiks, as the celebrant walks along a

line of warriors, intoning: "Today I am a

warrior. I must show you my heart. I travel

the River of Blood." The anniversary of the

event is a day of ritual and celebration.

(TNG: "The Icarus Factor") The Rite of

MajQa is a Klingon ritual that involves

lengthy meditations in the Caves of

No'Mat. The ritual is generally undertaken

for the first time at a young age. The

participant in the ritual seeks to gain a

vision of his past or future, visions of family

are considered particularly powerful and

important (TNG: "Birthright, Part I"). The

Right of Vengeance is a traditional Klingon

matter of honor that is claimed when a

Klingon seeks revenge against another. In

2367, after Duras had killed K'Ehleyr,

Lieutenant Worf claimed Right of

Vengeance against Duras and killed him in

hand-to-hand combat. (TNG: "Reunion")

According to renowned Klingon

commander and warrior Kor, "A Klingon

who denies himself the Right of

Vengeance is no Klingon at all." (DS9:

"The Sword of Kahless")

Even a race as driven by logic as the

Vulcans still honour their own emotional

past with a variety of traditions. The Tal-

Shanar is a Vulcan spiritual practice that

they rarely allow outsiders to see {ENT:

Cold Front), whereas Kal Rekk is a

holiday observed on the planet Vulcan.

Kal Rekk, to the Vulcans, is a day of

atonement, solitude and silence. (VOY:

"Meld"). But other traditions have been

left to the ages, such as the Rumarie, an

ancient pagan holiday that was last

observed during the 14th century AD,

and was once described as a festival "full

of barely clothed Vulcan men and

women, covered in slippery Rillian

grease, chasing one another." (VOY:

"Meld")

These kinds of traditions illustrate that

even though cultures may been

separated by dozens of light-years, we

all have something to unite us in

common ground, as well as show how

much a race has evolved from its earliest

days, but letting go of the trappings of

our past, but embracing the more

important points the past may have

taught us.

Over the course of the seven seasons of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, we learned a great deal about the culture

and belief system of the people of Bajor. Indeed, the Bajorans are probably the most fleshed-out of all the

myriad alien cultures introduced in the various Star Trek series (except perhaps for the Klingons).

The Prophets

The Bajoran belief system centers around

their belief in, and worship of, the

Prophets. These non-corporeal beings,

referred to by Federation personnel as the

wormhole aliens, dwell in the Bajoran

wormhole (called the Celestial Temple by

the Bajorans) and exist outside of linear

space-time. This enables them to have

access to both the future and the past,

and the Prophets have revealed glimpses

of both to many Bajorans over the

millennia. Several ancient Bajorans wrote

down these visions, in what the Bajorans

now refer to as their Sacred Texts. Over

the course of the seven seasons of Deep

Space Nine, Federation Commander (then

Captain) Benjamin Sisko was granted a

number of these visions.

The Orbs

Over the millennia, the Prophets sent

several mysterious Orbs to the Bajoran

people. These orbs, called Tears of the

Prophets by many Bajorans, seem to be a

vehicle for the Prophets to communicate

with the Bajorans. During the series, we

saw many instances in which characters

looked into the orbs and received visions.

In the pilot episode, “Emissary,”

for example, Jadzia Dax

looked into the orb while

studying it for Starfleet,

and had a vision in which

she re-lived her joining

with the Dax symbiont.

More often, the visions

were less linear. In

“Collaborator,” we saw

numerous instances in

which Vedek Bareil saw

cryptic images that hinted

at his coming trials (the

exposure of his alleged

collaboration in the Kendra Valley

massacre that resulted in the

deaths of many Bajorans,

including Kai Opaka’s son). In

“Rapture” these visions were

referred to as “Pagh’tem’far”

(although it is possible

that term was

only used in

reference

to visions granted without exposure

to an orb).

Bajoran Religious Hierarchy

The Bajoran religion is headed by a

Kai, who functions as a spiritual

leader for the Bajoran people. The

Kai is elected by, and serves as the

head of, the Vedek Assembly. This

Assembly consists of numerous

vedeks (the exact number was never

stated on the show) who gather on a

regular basis to discuss and make

decisions on various religious issues.

This is a separate organization than

the Bajoran political ruling body

(referred to throughout most of DS9

as the Provisional Government as the

Bajorans struggled to get back on

their feet after the lengthy Cardassian occupation.)

The position of Vedek is a role of

great significance within the Bajoran

religion (although it is unclear if all

vedeks are automatically members

of the Vedek Assembly. One might

assume that only certain Vedeks

become members – by election? – to that

leadership body.) Below the rank of

Vedek is the position of Ranjen. There is

also the position of Prylar, which by all

indications is the head of a Bajoran shrine

or temple.

While much Bajoran worship is centered

around gatherings for prayer services in

local temples, it also seems customary for

Bajorans to have small shrines, called

Mandalas, in their own homes. These

circular objects, adorned with candles and

incense, are also used for prayer.

Bajoran Lifecycle Events

As most cultures have (both in Star Trek

and in “real life” here on Earth!), the

Bajorans have developed a number of

rituals and customs surrounding their

lifecycle events.

In “The Begotten,” we saw parts of the

Bajoran birthing ritual. As Kira Nerys gave

birth to her child (actually the son of

Miles and Keiko O’Brien – long story!),

she was attended by a Bajoran midwife.

The midwife’s role seemed primarily to be

to relax Kira, as Bajoran women are only

able to give birth when they are able to

attain complete relaxation. The midwife

(and any family members present) used

incense and a small hand-held drum-like

instrument, presumably to help calm the

mother. It is unclear if the midwife was a

religious figure – she was not garbed as a

Vedek or a Ranjen, although she did

proclaim a blessing after the child was born:

“Awake child, we await you with love and

welcome you into the world.”

The episode “Accession” included a brief

mention of the Itanu ceremony, for when a

Bajoran child reaches the age of fourteen.

In “Fascination,” we learned that when a

Bajoran is engaged to be married, it is

customary to give one’s partner a betrothal

bracelet. (In that episode, Vedek Bareil gave

such a bracelet to Jadzia Dax while under

the influence of Lwaxana Troi’s telepathic

projections.) In “Accession,” Benjamin Sisko

was asked to recite a marriage blessing, to

ensure good fortune for the newly-engaged

couple. In “A Call to Arms” we also saw

some of the traditional blessings recited at a

Bajoran marriage (in that case, the marriage

of the Bajoran Leeta to the Ferengi Rom).

We have also seen some examples of

Bajoran death and mourning

rituals. In the TNG episode

“The Next Phase,” the

Bajoran Ensign Ro

described a Bajoran

death chant that is over

two hours long. Following

the death of Shakaar,

Major Kira lit a ceremonial

lamp (a Deranya) and

said prayers in memory

of Shakaar. Comments by

Major Kira in other episodes

indicated that the Bajorans

do not have elaborate burial

rituals, as they believe that a

dead body, bereft of a pagh (spirit

/life-force), is but a shell. The

previously mentioned episode “The

Next Phase” also gave us our first

mention of a Boryhas, a ghost or

spirit. (The extend to

which most

Bajorans

believe

in ghosts or an after-life is unclear.)

Bajoran Festivals

Over the years of Deep Space Nine we have

also seen many glimpses of a variety of

Bajoran festivals.

Time of Cleansing – The Bajoran Time of

Cleansing occurs for a full month once a

year, in which all Bajorans fast and abstain

from other pleasures and comforts. (In the

episode “Bar Association,” Quark lamented

at the effect this extended ritual was

having on his profits.)

Gratitude Festival – This festival of Thanks-

giving was mentioned several times over

the course of the series. One of the

centerpiece rituals is for Bajorans to write

their problems on a ceremonial scroll,

which they would then burn. In “The

Nagus,” Ben Sisko remarked on his plans to

visit Bajor with his son Jake to attend the

Festival. In the aforementioned episode

“Fascination,” a celebration of the festival

was held on Deep Space Nine. The festival

also played an important part in the

episode “Tears of the prophets.” In that

episode we witnessed Bajorans greeting

one another with the phrase “Peldor Joi.”

The Days of Atonement – A period of

self-reflection, for which many

Bajoran monks prepare with prayers

and reflection, mentioned in “The

Darkness and the Light.” The episode

did not state specifically the length of

this festival.

Ha’mara – In “Starship Down,” Major

Kira revealed the existence of a new

Bajoran holiday, celebrating the arrival

of The Emisary.

The above listed festivals and rituals

are only a small part of the rich

Bajoran religion that played such a

large part in the ongoing story of Star

Trek: Deep Space Nine. This society,

for whom their belief system and their

culture was so strongly intertwined,

proved to be a fascinating and

engaging addition to the fabric of Star

Trek. Writers of comics and novels

have continued to further develop the

Bajoran rituals and beliefs, and that

will no doubt continue.

Peldor Joi!

By Joshua M. Edelglass

www.MotionPicturesComics.com

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