Jem'Hadar

Jem'Hadar

For the DS9 episode with a similar title, please see "The Jem'Hadar".

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"As of this moment, we are all dead. We go into battle to reclaim our lives. This we do gladly, for we are Jem'Hadar. Remember: victory is life."

- First Omet'iklan

A genetically engineered humanoid race from the Gamma Quadrant, the Jem'Hadar are the military arm of the Dominion and one of the most powerful military forces in the galaxy.

Physiology

Jem'Hadar are bred in "birthing chambers." Their growth cycle is accelerated, such that they reach full maturity only three days after emergence. They do not interbreed, and so their species has no females. (DS9: "To the Death")

A Jem'Hadar breeding facility is referred to in DS9: "Penumbra" as a "hatchery." This, combined with their reptilian appearance, suggests that they are hatched from eggs. Alternately, the word is simply an appropriate metaphor for a series of birthing chambers.

As infants, Jem'Hadar strongly resemble mammalian species, with a complexion resembling that of Humans; within a day of maturation, Jem'Hadar children already have advanced language skills and cognitive reasoning; as they age, their skin pales to a bluish-white, and becomes scaly and reptilian in appearance. (DS9: "The Abandoned")

Adolescent Jem'Hadar require food for nourishment. (DS9: "The Abandoned") Adult Jem'Hadar do not require sleep, and their sole source of nourishment is the drug ketracel-white, which provides the Jem'Hadar with all necessary nutrients, as well as an isogenic enzyme that has been deliberately omitted from their metabolism. As a result, all Jem'Hadar are addicted to "the white," which is regularly distributed to them by Vorta overseers. This is the Founders' means of ensuring the Jem'Hadar's loyalty to them. (DS9: "To the Death")

Without a steady supply of white, Jem'Hadar suffer withdrawal symptoms: their circulatory systems began to shut down, beginning with muscle spasms. Psychologically, they become uncontrollably violent, attacking their enemies, then their Vorta overseers, and finally each other. (DS9: "The Abandoned", "Hippocratic Oath", "To the Death", "Rocks and Shoals")

Jem'Hadar are designed to have excellent vision and strength several times greater than Humans. (DS9: "Favor the Bold") They also have the ability to "shroud" themselves, a form of camouflage that acts as a personal cloaking field," effectively hiding them and their weapons from both sensors and the naked eye. (DS9: "The Jem'Hadar", "The Abandoned") However, they must drop this effect when attacking. (DS9: "To the Death") Also, Jem'Hadar lose the ability to shroud when they are suffering withdrawal from the white. (DS9: "Rocks and Shoals"

Jem'Hadar have extremely resilient bodies, such that phaser beams on "stun" intensity have no effect on them. During the Dominion War, Federation fighters quickly learned that only lethal settings could be used to stop them. (DS9: "Rocks and Shoals")

Ronald D. Moore stated: "The [phaser] stun setting has no effect on the Jem'Hadar." (AOL chat, 1997)

After an enormous Jem'Hadar fleet was eliminated inside the Bajoran wormhole during Operation Return, the Gamma Quadrant was effectively sealed off from the Dominion forces in the Alpha Quadrant. The Dominion began to breed Jem'Hadar soldiers in the Alpha Quadrant known as "Alphas" in 2374. The Alphas' genetic and psychological profiles were designed specifically for combat in that Quadrant, and so the Alphas were regarded – largely by themselves – as being superior to original "Gamma" Jem'Hadar, so their introduction led to considerable friction with their Gamma Quadrant counterparts. The Founders believed this made them better leaders than the Gammas, though this opinion may have been revised after one of the Alphas' first missions, led by Kudak'Etan, became a disastrous failure. (DS9: "One Little Ship")

Psychology and Lifestyle

Jem'Hadar are engineered to be soldiers and ship crewers, and nothing more. Their culture shuns all forms of relaxation and recreation, on the belief that such things make them weak. (DS9: "To the Death") For the same reason, Jem'Hadar fighters, and probably other classes of Jem'Hadar starships, are not equipped with chairs. (DS9: "A Time to Stand", "One Little Ship"

Like the Vorta, the Jem'Hadar are genetically engineered to revere the Founders as gods and to be unquestioningly loyal to them. However, this engineering was not flawless, which is why it was necessary to make them dependent on the white. When a Jem'Hadar company assigned to a Dominion science team on Vandros IV rebelled, Dominion experts nervously predicted that they could gather support from other Jem'Hadar units in the Gamma Quadrant, and effect a complete takeover of the Dominion in less than a year. (DS9: "To the Death")

Most Jem'Hadar died young in battle; as such, it was rare for them to live past 15 years of age. Few ever lived to the age of 20, and those who did were awarded the title "Honored Elders." To date, no Jem'Hadar has ever lived to the age of 30. (DS9: "To the Death")

Culture and tradition

Although the Jem'Hadar worship the Founders as gods, the vast majority of the Jem'Hadar have never actually seen a Founder, and some doubt that they even exist. (DS9: "Hippocratic Oath") Yet they have built their service to the shapeshifters into a religion, literally regarding the Founders as living gods, to the extent that the Jem'Hadar ritualistically commit suicide if they fail to protect a shapeshifter from harm. (DS9: "The Ship")

The Vorta, as the representatives of the Founders, are also given immense loyalty by most Jem'Hadar – even when such loyalty seems unwarranted. Absolute obedience from the Jem'Hadar is further guaranteed by the Vortas' control of the ketracel-white. (DS9: "The Abandoned", "Hippocratic Oath", "Rocks and Shoals")

Although the glory of the Founders means everything for the Jem'Hadar, they also show a strong sense of honor for themselves. Ikat'ika, First of Dominion Internment Camp 371 showed this, when he refused to kill Worf, even after he was ordered to by his superior Vorta. He chose rather to yield the fight than to kill Worf, saying "I cannot defeat this Klingon. All I can do is kill him, and that no longer holds my interest." He was ordered to be shot for this insubordination. This indicates that a Jem'Hadar might prefer insubordination and therefore death to doing something he considers to be dishonorable (DS9: "By Inferno's Light").

Jem'Hadar combat units follow a very specific hierarchy. Normally, a Vorta commands one or several units. Every unit contains a Jem'Hadar First, who is in command. Each Jem'Hadar after the First is also given a number rank (Second, Third, Fourth, etc.). In the event the First is killed, the Second shall take over for the First, the Third will take over Second, and so forth. Although the succeeding Jem'Hadar will take over the duties of his superior, he will only receive the higher number rank if his Vorta commander allows it. (DS9: "Hippocratic Oath", "Rocks and Shoals")

Ritual Practices

Before each battle, the following ritual is observed by the Jem'Hadar:

First: "I am [Rank] [Name], and I am dead. As of this moment, we are all dead. We go into battle to reclaim our lives. This, we do gladly, for we are Jem'Hadar. Remember - victory is life."

Jem'Hadar: "Victory is life." (DS9: "To the Death")

A similar exchange states: "Obedience brings victory, and victory is life." (DS9: "Rocks and Shoals", "One Little Ship")

When ketracel-white is dispensed, the following ritual exchange usually takes place between the Vorta overseer and the ranking Jem'Hadar:

Vorta: "[Rank] [Name], can you vouch for the loyalty of your men?"

First (or ranking Jem'Hadar): "We pledge our loyalty to the Founders from now until death."

Vorta: "Then receive this reward from the Founders. May it keep you strong." (DS9: "To the Death", "Rocks and Shoals", "Favor the Bold")

Jem'Hadar Firsts were also capable of distributing the white among those under their command. By 2374, Alpha Jem'Hadar no longer recited the ritual dispersal statement, as they believed they demonstrated their loyalty by their actions, not their words. (DS9: "One Little Ship")

See also:

• Jem'Hadar ranks
• Dominion history
• Dominion philosophy

Technology and Equipment

• Uniforms: Jem'Hadar uniforms allow their wearers to be almost completely unaffected by many forms of anti-personnel force field. (DS9: "The Jem'Hadar")
• Weaponry: Jem'Hadar carry plasma weapons in both rifle and pistol sizes, which contain anti-coagulants that are designed to slowly kill their enemies if the energy discharge does not. The weapons have at least three settings: they are able to stun, deliver a generally lethal pulse laced with the anti-coagulants, or fire a more powerful pulse capable of vaporizing a humanoid target. (DS9: "The Search, Part I", "The Ship", "Change of Heart", "By Inferno's Light")

The Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Technical Manual claims that the Jem'Hadar pistol and rifle weapons have only a single setting, and this is a lethal pulse. This is entirely inconsistent with what has been seen in the series. In "The Search, Part I", Major Kira most definitely takes a direct hit to the chest from a Jem'Hadar weapon on a stun setting. Lethal to semi-lethal pulses that leave behind anti-coagulants have been seen in episodes such as "The Ship", "Change of Heart" and "The Siege of AR-558". A higher setting was seen to vaporize humanoid targets, such as Jem'Hadar and Breen, in "By Inferno's Light".

• Melee Weapons: In close quarters, Jem'Hadar prefer the kar'takin. (DS9: "To the Death", "Sons and Daughters"). They also carry combat knives. DS9: "To the Death", "The Siege of AR-558"

See also

• Jem'Hadar fighter
• Jem'Hadar battle cruiser
• Jem'Hadar battleship

Individuals

• List of Jem'Hadar

Appendices

Appearances

• DS9:
  • "The Jem'Hadar" (Season 2)
  • "The Search, Part I" (Season 3)
  • "The Search, Part II"
  • "The Abandoned"
  • "Hippocratic Oath" (Season 4)
  • "To the Death"
  • "Broken Link"
  • "The Ship" (Season 5)
  • "In Purgatory's Shadow"
  • "By Inferno's Light"
  • "Ties of Blood and Water"
  • "Blaze of Glory"
  • "In the Cards"
  • "Call to Arms"
  • "A Time to Stand" (Season 6)
  • "Rocks and Shoals"
  • "Sons and Daughters"
  • "Behind the Lines"
  • "Favor the Bold"
  • "Sacrifice of Angels"
  • "Statistical Probabilities"
  • "The Magnificent Ferengi"
  • "One Little Ship"
  • "Change of Heart"
  • "Tears of the Prophets"
  • "Image in the Sand" (Season 7)
  • "Shadows and Symbols"
  • "The Siege of AR-558"
  • "Penumbra"
  • "'Til Death Do Us Part"
  • "Strange Bedfellows"
  • "The Changing Face of Evil"
  • "When It Rains..."
  • "Tacking Into the Wind"
  • "Extreme Measures"
  • "The Dogs of War"
  • "What You Leave Behind"
• VOY: "Flesh and Blood" (hologram)

Background

• When designing the look of the Jem'Hadar, makeup supervisor Michael Westmore was told to "design something that was tough, that they could shoot at but they couldn't hurt, they were indestructible, as an army they were unstoppable, and they would have thick skin." Westmore based the basic design on a rhinoceros skin, but also incorporated elements from dinosaur skin, and he has compared the top of the Jem'Hadar head to a triceratops. (Michael Westmore's Aliens: Season 5, DS9 Season 5 DVD special features).
• The sculptures for the Jem'Hadar were created by makeup artists Kevin Haney and Mark Shostrom.
• Two special effects face make-up lots for a Jem'Hadar was sold off on the It's A Wrap! sale and auction on eBay [1] [2] as well as a special effects gloves lot [3], a prop pistol [4], and a knife. [5]

Apocrypha

In the Deep Space Nine relaunch, Odo sends Taran'atar, a Jem'Hadar free of the addiction to ketracel-white, to live on Deep Space 9 to foster understanding of the Dominion.

External links

• Template:NCwiki
• Jem'Hadar at Wikipedia