(covers information from several alternate timelines)
Torture was the practice of inflicting extreme pain on a captive subject. The place where torture was carried out was often known as a torture chamber.
While the pain inflicted during torture was often physical in nature, it could also possess an emotional or mental character.
Purposes[]
Torture (or the threat of torture) could be intended to:
- Serve as an incentive to the subject towards providing information they believe their torturer desires, whether legitimate or invented
- Force the subject into an altered state of mind in which they were more likely to agree to the claims of their torturer regardless of the legitimacy or illegitimacy of those claims, as a consequence of the autonomic elevation of neurotransmitter levels
- Intimidate the subject
- Induce someone responsible for the safety of the subject to provide information desired by the torturer
- Punish the subject for disobedience or unsuccessful escape from captivity
- Condition the subject to accept the torturer's authority without question
- Please the torturer, for example, sadism
- Test the reactions or limits of the subject
Torture could be directed not only to the subject tortured, but to persons forced to watch or whom the cruelty of the act is told for any purpose described above, as well as in order to force sacrifice.
Torture was considered by some to be useful during interrogations. However, Captain Jean-Luc Picard asserted to Gul Madred that "torture has never been a reliable means of extracting information. It is ultimately self-defeating as a means of control. One wonders it is still practiced." (TNG: "Chain Of Command, Part II")
Acts of torture were in theory banned by the Seldonis IV Convention, however governments who were signatories to the treaty would often attempt to find ways around this restriction. The Cardassians were one such example, justifying their torture of Jean-Luc Picard in 2369 by claiming the treaty only applied to those acting on behalf of a treaty signatory, which Picard would not admit to doing. (TNG: "Chain Of Command, Part II")
In 2259 of the alternate reality, Nyota Uhura assured James T. Kirk that a Klingon patrol would torture, question, and kill them and the other crew members who were inside their K'normian trading ship. (Star Trek Into Darkness)
Incidence[]
Races with members known to use torture included:
- Anarchists of Tilonus IV
- Andorians
- Ardanans
- Argelians
- Bajorans (alternate universe)
- Cardassians
- Ekosians
- Humans
- Kazon
- Klingons
- Platonians
- Romulans
- Suliban
- Vulcans (alternate universe)
Torture was common in the mirror universe. In 2371, Elim Garak tortured Terran slaves in an attempt to increase the amount of ore that they processed in Terok Nor's ore processing center. Doing so, along with bribes and executing unproductive slaves, failed to increase production enough to meet quotas set by the Klingon-Cardassian Alliance. Intendant Kira Nerys suggested randomly executing workers instead. (DS9: "Through the Looking Glass")
Torture was also a common practice in Earth's authoritarian and anarchic nation states prior to the founding of the United Earth government. (TNG: "Encounter at Farpoint")
Officers of the Andorian Imperial Guard also tortured their prisoners and beat and kicked them during their interrogations. In June of 2151, Commander Thy'lek Shran tortured Captain Jonathan Archer to get information about a Vulcan listening post at P'Jem from him. (ENT: "The Andorian Incident")
In August of 2151, Matthew Ryan and the crew of the ECS Fortunate held a Nausicaan as prisoner and tortured him during interrogations to get the frequencies of the Nausicaan ship shields from him. Ryan kicked the Nausicaan into his chest with his foot. (ENT: "Fortunate Son")
As part of a bluff to the con artist Dala, Tuvok stated that torture was commonplace in Telsian prisons. (VOY: "Live Fast and Prosper")
Appearances[]
- ENT:
- "Broken Bow" – Klaang appears to have been tortured when Archer and Tucker rescue him from the Suliban helix
- "Shockwave, Part II" – T'Pol and Malcolm Reed are tortured by Silik
- "Anomaly (ENT)" – An Osaarian is tortured by Archer
- "Azati Prime" – Archer is tortured by Dolim
- "Cold Station 12" – Doctor Lucas and his assistant are tortured by the Augments
- "Kir'Shara" – Soval is tortured by Shran
- "In a Mirror, Darkly" – Terev is tortured by Major Reed, Archer and Reed are tortured by Captain Forrest, the Tholian prisoner is tortured by Phlox
- TOS:
- "Dagger of the Mind" – James T. Kirk is tortured by Tristan Adams
- "The Empath" – Leonard McCoy and James T. Kirk are tortured by Vians
- "Whom Gods Destroy" – Governor Cory and Kirk are tortured by Garth
- "The Cloud Minders" – Vanna is tortured in interrogation by Plasus despite protest by Kirk
- TNG:
- "The Mind's Eye" – Lieutenant Commander Geordi La Forge is tortured by the Romulans via his VISOR implants
- "Chain Of Command, Part II" – Captain Picard is tortured by Gul Madred
- "Frame of Mind"" – torture is used by the anti-government factions
- DS9:
- "Tribunal" – O'Brien is tortured by the Cardassians
- "The Die is Cast" – Odo is tortured by Elim Garak
- "Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges" – Luther Sloan is apparently tortured by the Romulans
- VOY:
- "Maneuvers" – Commander Chakotay is tortured by Maje Culluh and Seska
- "Equinox, Part II" – Crewman Noah Lessing is tortured by Captain Kathryn Janeway
- SNW:
- "The Broken Circle" – An unnamed Klingon is tortured by M'Benga
- Star Trek films:
References[]
- TNG: "Ensign Ro" – Ro Laren mentions that she had to watch her father being tortured by the Cardassians
- DS9: "Battle Lines" – Julian Bashir was eager to help the Ennis and Nol-Ennis to end the state of torture and reprogramming the artificial microbes so that they could die.
- DS9: "Duet" – Kira Nerys mentioned the murders and torture which happened at the Gallitep labor camp during the Occupation of Bajor.
- DS9: "The Wire" – Elim Garak explained that living on Deep Space 9 is torture for him.
- DS9: "For the Cause" – Tora Ziyal stated that Dukat informed her that his father was tortured and killed by Garak.