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"I promise that I'll take care of the child... and that I'll teach him the difference between darkness and light."
– Silaran Prin to Kira Nerys, 2373 ("The Darkness and the Light")

Silaran Prin was a Cardassian servant, who cleaned uniforms for Gul Pirak during the Occupation of Bajor. He was disfigured when Pirak's house was bombed by members of the Shakaar resistance cell.

As Prin was not a member of the Cardassian military, he believed himself an innocent victim of the Bajoran Resistance's attack. He harbored a desire for revenge for a number of years, until in 2373 he began systematically murdering the members of the Shakaar cell responsible for his injury, using hunter probes he directed from his home on a planet near the Demilitarized Zone.

Quest for Revenge[]

His first victims were Latha Mabrin, whom he killed with a hunter probe hidden inside a candle holder during prayers at the Calash Monastery, and Mobara, whom Prin killed by planting a micro-explosive behind his ear as he slept. Prin then planted a Romulan remat detonator on Trentin Fala, which killed her when she was transported aboard a Starfleet runabout. After each murder he sent a message announcing it to Kira Nerys – using old recordings of her voice after heavily modifying them – whom he was saving for last because she had been the one to actually plant the bomb.

Another of Prin's hunter probes then traveled to Deep Space 9 by attaching itself to a Talavian freighter. It began scanning the station for Prin's next intended victims, Furel and Lupaza. When it detected them in Kira's quarters, it attached itself to the window and exploded, causing an explosive decompression.

Using a list of suspects gathered by Odo, Kira arrived at Prin's residence but was captured. Prin explained to her his actions, partially using a bizarre narrative, his purpose being to claim moral superiority over Kira by his careful choice of victims versus her "indiscriminate killing". Referring to Kira as a "creature", Prin spoke in a monologue, only addressing Kira directly after she accused him of being a murderer.

Due to Prin's convictions, he intended to remove the unborn Kirayoshi O'Brien from Kira's womb before he killed her. Prin agreed to sedate Kira for the procedure, not knowing that she was taking makara herbs for her pregnancy that would neutralize the sedative. Thus, Kira was able to surprise and shoot him after he released her from the restraints. (DS9: "The Darkness and the Light")

Prin's narrative to Kira[]

The creature born within the comforting anonymity of darkness, awakens in the harsh truth of daylight.
It squirms in the glare, afraid of the light that pins it to the chair like a needle through its heart.
Its heart beats faster. Panic starts to creep into its soul, does it understand?
Or is it so blinded by the light, that it can think only of returning to the velvet cloak of darkness.
No matter. Perhaps it is better that it doesn't realize how close death has come.
But, make no mistake. There is no escape, it has reached the end. And soon, it will die.
It bears its tiny fangs, hoping for a chance to strike. To sink its teeth deep into the flesh of its tormentor.
But, that chance will never come. And somewhere beneath the gleam of hatred
in those eyes lurks the certain knowledge of its impending death. And it begins to know fear.
The creature's diseased mind cannot understand its plight.
Its imagination is too limited to perceive the truth.
It cannot be saved, but there is still hope for the child. It can be taken from the womb and raised in the light.
The creature's cries grow louder, but no one can hear them!
All that remains is to bring the child into the light.
And discard the diseased carcass of the mother, before it can infect its offspring.
The creature slept. Dreaming its dark dreams and happy to be out of the light. The innocent life it held
will awaken in brilliance. And never know darkness again.

Appendices[]

Background information[]

Silaran Prin was played by Randy Oglesby.

According to the script, Silaran Prin was pronounced as "SILL-ah-ra PRIN".

"The interior set for Silaran's house was dressed with consoles seen years earlier on space station Regula I in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan." (Star Trek Encyclopedia (4th ed., vol. 2, p. 180))

External link[]

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