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[[File:Bajoran religious symbol.jpg|thumb|Bajoran religious symbol]]
:''"That's the thing about faith... If you don't have it, you can't understand it. If you do, no explanation is necessary." -Kira Nerys ({{DS9|Accession}})''
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:"''That's the thing about faith... if you don't have it, you can't understand it. If you do, no explanation is necessary.''"
  +
::- '''[[Kira Nerys]]''' ({{DS9|Accession}})
 
The '''[[Bajoran]] religion''' was centered around the [[Prophet]]s, the Bajoran name for the [[alien]]s residing inside the [[Bajoran wormhole]], which the Bajorans believed was the [[Celestial Temple]]. Bajorans thought of these aliens as [[god]]s and often prayed to them for guidance. They also believed that everything happened for a reason, as it was the will of the Prophets and that [[starship]]s were guided by the hands of the Prophets while passing the Bajoran wormhole. ({{DS9|In the Hands of the Prophets}})
   
  +
The word of the Prophets guided [[Bajor]] for tens of thousands of [[year]]s, and over the years, ten [[orb]]s, or "tears of the Prophets," had emerged from the wormhole.
The '''Bajoran religion''' is centered around the [[Prophets]], the Bajoran name for the [[alien]]s who reside in the [[Bajoran wormhole]], which the Bajorans believe is the [[Celestial Temple]]. Bajorans think of these aliens as [[god]]s, and they often pray to the Prophets and pray to them for guidance. They also believe that everything happens for a reason, as it is the will of the Prophets.
 
   
The word of the Prophets has guided [[Bajor]] for tens of thousands of years, and over the years, nine [[orb]]s, or "tears of the Prophets," have emerged from the wormhole. The spiritual leader of Bajor is the [[Kai]]. ({{DS9|Emissary}})
+
The spiritual leader of Bajor was called the [[Kai]]. ({{DS9|Emissary}}; {{VOY|State of Flux|Flesh and Blood}})
   
  +
[[Commander]] [[Benjamin Sisko]] was the first man to fly through the newly-opened wormhole. While flying through, he encountered the wormhole aliens which the Bajorans believed to be the Prophets. They spoke to him in enigmatic ways that seemed strangely wise and even prophetic. When the Bajorans learned about Sisko's experience, they identified him with their religion's [[Emissary of the Prophets|Emissary]]. For a long time, Sisko remained skeptical of who the aliens were. ({{DS9|Emissary}})
Charity, humility and faith are seen as the keys to enlightenment in the Bajoran faith. ({{DS9|Covenant}})
 
   
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The Prophets continued to talk to Sisko and guided him through the [[Dominion War]]. They were able to reach him even when he was outside of the wormhole. Eventually, Sisko learned that his mother was a Prophet. He also joined the Prophets. ({{DS9|Image in the Sand|What You Leave Behind}})
== Organization ==
 
Over the centuries, a stratified system has developed by which the Bajoran faith is organized. Although the [[Emissary]] takes precedent above all others, the [[Kai]] is the spiritual leader of Bajor, elected from and by the [[Vedek]]s in the [[Vedek Assembly]]. The Assembly rules alongside the [[Bajoran Provisional Government|provisional government]] and its [[Chamber of Ministers]]. Vedeks normally preside over religious ceremonies, assisted by [[Ranjen]]s.
 
   
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In [[2369]], Vedek [[Winn Adami]] accused [[Keiko O'Brien]] of [[blasphemy]] because of her scientific way of teaching knowledge to her [[student]]s at her [[school]] aboard [[Deep Space 9]]. ({{DS9|In the Hands of the Prophets}})
== Backgrounds ==
 
Though ever denied by producers, Bajoran religion should be a mix of fundamentalist Hebraic and Muslim (especially Shi'ite).
 
   
  +
[[Space station]] Deep Space 9 also had a place in the Bajoran religion as the "gateway" to the Celestial Temple. ({{DS9|The Reckoning}})
== Important Figures ==
 
  +
 
Charity, humility, and faith were seen as the keys to enlightenment in the Bajoran faith. ({{DS9|Covenant}})
  +
 
=== Organization ===
 
Over the centuries, a stratified system had developed by which the Bajoran faith was organized. Although the [[Emissary of the Prophets|Emissary]] took precedence above all others, the [[Kai]] was the spiritual leader of Bajor, elected from and by the [[vedek]]s in the [[Vedek Assembly]]. The Assembly ruled alongside the [[Bajoran Provisional Government|provisional government]] and its [[Chamber of Ministers]]. Vedeks normally presided over religious ceremonies, assisted by [[ranjen]]s.
  +
 
=== Important figures ===
 
*[[Opaka|Kai Opaka]]
 
*[[Opaka|Kai Opaka]]
 
*[[Winn Adami|Kai Winn]]
 
*[[Winn Adami|Kai Winn]]
Line 19: Line 27:
 
*[[Benjamin Sisko]]
 
*[[Benjamin Sisko]]
   
== Religious Traditions and Celebrations ==
+
=== Religious traditions and celebrations ===
 
*[[Bajoran death chant|Death chant]]
 
*[[Bajoran death chant|Death chant]]
 
*[[Bajoran Gratitude Festival|Gratitude Festival]]
 
*[[Bajoran Gratitude Festival|Gratitude Festival]]
*[[Bajoran Days of Atonement|Days of Atonement]]
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*[[Days of Atonement]]
 
*[[Bajoran Time of Cleansing|Time of Cleansing]]
 
*[[Bajoran Time of Cleansing|Time of Cleansing]]
   
== Related Topics ==
+
== Related topics ==
*[[Borhyas]]
+
*[[Borhya]]s
  +
*[[Prophet]]s
*[[Prophets|The Prophets]]
 
 
*[[Bajoran prophecy]]
 
*[[Bajoran prophecy]]
 
*[[Bajoran temple]]
 
*[[Bajoran temple]]
 
*[[Kai|Kai of Bajor]]
 
*[[Kai|Kai of Bajor]]
 
*[[Cult of the Pah-wraiths]]
 
*[[Cult of the Pah-wraiths]]
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  +
== Background information ==
  +
[[Michael Piller]] was happy with how Bajoran religion was established on ''[[Star Trek: Deep Space Nine]]''. "''I think that the idea of the Prophets, the prophecies and the Orbs takes ''[[Star Trek]]'' into the metaphysical world for the first time,''" he commented. "''I think this is something that [[Gene Roddenberry|Gene [Roddenberry]]] would have loved, had he lived to see it [....] We had a very, very good time exploring that, and I think that we were one of the very few television shows that ventured into spiritual, religious areas. But of course, as long as time has existed, stories about spiritual pursuits, Bible stories, have been great storytelling. And it gave us great themes to explore.''" (Hidden File 10, [[DS9 Season 2 DVD]] special features) Even though the Bajoran religion was a contrast to Roddenberry's beliefs (as he was an atheistic, secular humanist), Piller not only expected Roddenberry wouldn't be opposed to the invention of Bajoran religion, he also noted, "''He's still with us [mentally] [...] as we think about these conceptual issues.''" (''[[Cinefantastique]]'', Vol. 23, No. 6, p. 20)
  +
  +
[[Ira Steven Behr]] appreciated how Bajoran religion was depicted as unusual, compared to the majority of the Federation, in [[DS9 Season 1]] installment {{e|The Storyteller}}. (''[[Cinefantastique]]'', Vol. 24, Nos. 3/4, p. 102) Bajoran spirituality was further explored in first season finale {{e|In the Hands of the Prophets}}. "''I think it enables us, as a specific television series, to explore the Bajoran spiritual life, which we haven't done too much of,''" opined Behr. Regarding how Bajoran religion was developed in "In the Hands of the Prophets", Michael Piller said, "''You start to deal with religion in school, school prayer, the Scopes Monkey Trial, and fundamentalism, and it's very thought provoking.''" Behr expected the Bajoran religion could be written as clashing with the scientific Federation outlook in subsequent episodes "for quite some time." (''[[Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages]]'', p. 56) Indeed, the DS9 writing staff intended to explore the religious aspect of Bajoran culture more in the show's [[DS9 Season 2|second season]]. (''[[Cinefantastique]]'', Vol. 24, Nos. 3/4, p. 108)
  +
  +
The intellectual and philosophical subject matters in Bajoran religion were generally not embraced by viewers of DS9. (''[[Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion]]'', p. 158) Writing about Bajoran religious issues was therefore a struggle, as [[Ronald D. Moore]] explained; "''Anything having to do with Bajoran religion is always kind of difficult to make interesting and exciting for the audience.''" (''[[Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages]]'', p. 115)
  +
  +
A DS9 episode which deals with Bajoran religion was [[DS9 Season 3|Season 3]]'s {{e|Destiny}}. René Echevarria commented, "''It's really interesting regarding the Bajoran religion [...] [and Kira's] beliefs.''" (''[[Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages]]'', p. 92)
  +
  +
The producers again explored Bajoran religious and spiritual issues in {{e|Accession}}, an installment of [[DS9 Season 4]]. "''Every once in a while we've got to revisit that Bajoran religion and make sure that everyone knows that we still care. This was our episode for that purpose,''" recalled [[Robert Hewitt Wolfe]]. (''[[Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages]]'', p. 116) Ira Steven Behr noted, "''Because of the Bajoran religion, it was a heady show.''" (''[[Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion]]'', p. 320) The staff writers were able to write "Accession" because they ignored Paramount having advised them that such issues were not what the DS9 audience wanted to see episodes about, though the creative team received no complaints about the installment. (''[[Cinefantastique]]'', Vol. 28, No. 4/5, p. 55) Still, writing the Bajoran religious and spiritual matters into the episode was considerably difficult. (''[[Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages]]'', p. 115)
  +
  +
By midway through the fourth season, Kira actress [[Nana Visitor]] was aware of the Bajoran religion undergoing upheaval. "''There's no question that there's some sort of corruption in the Bajoran religion right now,''" she said. "''It's a big political mess, which makes sense considering that Bajor is still coming out of having been under the Occupation.''" (''[[The Official Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Magazine]]'', Vol. 16, p. 45)
  +
  +
When {{DS9|The Assignment}} was in early development, a Bajoran religious holiday was to have been established, celebrated with a party. This idea later became a [[birthday party]], however. (''[[Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion]]'', p. 389)
  +
  +
Much to the surprise of Ira Steven Behr, Bajoran religious aspects of [[DS9 Season 5]] outing {{e|Rapture}} proved popular with fans. "''They really seemed to take to this, to the spirituality, the faith,''" Behr related. "''There's such a lack of faith in today's society. We're all so desperate to find something to believe in. This is the episode that made me realize just what we had created, in terms of the Bajoran faith and the Emissary. I knew that it was going to become a more and more important part of the show, and that a part of the audience was going to love it.''" (''[[Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion]]'', p. 405)
  +
  +
By having a member of the [[Cult of the Pah-wraiths]] stab Sisko in {{e|Image in the Sand}}, the DS9 writing staff intended to say something about Bajoran religion in general. Explained Ira Behr, "''We wanted to show that, like war, religion can be a dangerous thing. We'd spent six years portraying the Bajoran religion, celebrating it, in a way, and establishing that there is something greater than technology. And that's good. But [faith] can be subverted very easily.''" (''[[Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion]]'', p. 597) Winn actress [[Louise Fletcher]] agreed, "''The definition of their religion was handed down by mortals to the Bajorans [....] In the hands of a ruthless leader, the will or the words of the Prophets can be perverted or twisted. The people don't have a bible. There's no written word; everything is very hi-tech.''" ({{STM|34|50}})
   
 
{{pna-incomplete}}
 
{{pna-incomplete}}
   
  +
[[de:Bajoranische Religion]]
 
[[Category:Academic disciplines|Religion, Bajoran]]
 
[[Category:Academic disciplines|Religion, Bajoran]]
 
[[Category:Religions|Bajoran religion]]
 
[[Category:Religions|Bajoran religion]]

Revision as of 00:51, 31 August 2015

Bajoran religious symbol

Bajoran religious symbol

"That's the thing about faith... if you don't have it, you can't understand it. If you do, no explanation is necessary."
- Kira Nerys (DS9: "Accession")

The Bajoran religion was centered around the Prophets, the Bajoran name for the aliens residing inside the Bajoran wormhole, which the Bajorans believed was the Celestial Temple. Bajorans thought of these aliens as gods and often prayed to them for guidance. They also believed that everything happened for a reason, as it was the will of the Prophets and that starships were guided by the hands of the Prophets while passing the Bajoran wormhole. (DS9: "In the Hands of the Prophets")

The word of the Prophets guided Bajor for tens of thousands of years, and over the years, ten orbs, or "tears of the Prophets," had emerged from the wormhole.

The spiritual leader of Bajor was called the Kai. (DS9: "Emissary"; VOY: "State of Flux", "Flesh and Blood")

Commander Benjamin Sisko was the first man to fly through the newly-opened wormhole. While flying through, he encountered the wormhole aliens which the Bajorans believed to be the Prophets. They spoke to him in enigmatic ways that seemed strangely wise and even prophetic. When the Bajorans learned about Sisko's experience, they identified him with their religion's Emissary. For a long time, Sisko remained skeptical of who the aliens were. (DS9: "Emissary")

The Prophets continued to talk to Sisko and guided him through the Dominion War. They were able to reach him even when he was outside of the wormhole. Eventually, Sisko learned that his mother was a Prophet. He also joined the Prophets. (DS9: "Image in the Sand", "What You Leave Behind")

In 2369, Vedek Winn Adami accused Keiko O'Brien of blasphemy because of her scientific way of teaching knowledge to her students at her school aboard Deep Space 9. (DS9: "In the Hands of the Prophets")

Space station Deep Space 9 also had a place in the Bajoran religion as the "gateway" to the Celestial Temple. (DS9: "The Reckoning")

Charity, humility, and faith were seen as the keys to enlightenment in the Bajoran faith. (DS9: "Covenant")

Organization

Over the centuries, a stratified system had developed by which the Bajoran faith was organized. Although the Emissary took precedence above all others, the Kai was the spiritual leader of Bajor, elected from and by the vedeks in the Vedek Assembly. The Assembly ruled alongside the provisional government and its Chamber of Ministers. Vedeks normally presided over religious ceremonies, assisted by ranjens.

Important figures

Religious traditions and celebrations

Related topics

Background information

Michael Piller was happy with how Bajoran religion was established on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. "I think that the idea of the Prophets, the prophecies and the Orbs takes Star Trek into the metaphysical world for the first time," he commented. "I think this is something that Gene [Roddenberry] would have loved, had he lived to see it [....] We had a very, very good time exploring that, and I think that we were one of the very few television shows that ventured into spiritual, religious areas. But of course, as long as time has existed, stories about spiritual pursuits, Bible stories, have been great storytelling. And it gave us great themes to explore." (Hidden File 10, DS9 Season 2 DVD special features) Even though the Bajoran religion was a contrast to Roddenberry's beliefs (as he was an atheistic, secular humanist), Piller not only expected Roddenberry wouldn't be opposed to the invention of Bajoran religion, he also noted, "He's still with us [mentally] [...] as we think about these conceptual issues." (Cinefantastique, Vol. 23, No. 6, p. 20)

Ira Steven Behr appreciated how Bajoran religion was depicted as unusual, compared to the majority of the Federation, in DS9 Season 1 installment "The Storyteller". (Cinefantastique, Vol. 24, Nos. 3/4, p. 102) Bajoran spirituality was further explored in first season finale "In the Hands of the Prophets". "I think it enables us, as a specific television series, to explore the Bajoran spiritual life, which we haven't done too much of," opined Behr. Regarding how Bajoran religion was developed in "In the Hands of the Prophets", Michael Piller said, "You start to deal with religion in school, school prayer, the Scopes Monkey Trial, and fundamentalism, and it's very thought provoking." Behr expected the Bajoran religion could be written as clashing with the scientific Federation outlook in subsequent episodes "for quite some time." (Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages, p. 56) Indeed, the DS9 writing staff intended to explore the religious aspect of Bajoran culture more in the show's second season. (Cinefantastique, Vol. 24, Nos. 3/4, p. 108)

The intellectual and philosophical subject matters in Bajoran religion were generally not embraced by viewers of DS9. (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion, p. 158) Writing about Bajoran religious issues was therefore a struggle, as Ronald D. Moore explained; "Anything having to do with Bajoran religion is always kind of difficult to make interesting and exciting for the audience." (Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages, p. 115)

A DS9 episode which deals with Bajoran religion was Season 3's "Destiny". René Echevarria commented, "It's really interesting regarding the Bajoran religion [...] [and Kira's] beliefs." (Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages, p. 92)

The producers again explored Bajoran religious and spiritual issues in "Accession", an installment of DS9 Season 4. "Every once in a while we've got to revisit that Bajoran religion and make sure that everyone knows that we still care. This was our episode for that purpose," recalled Robert Hewitt Wolfe. (Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages, p. 116) Ira Steven Behr noted, "Because of the Bajoran religion, it was a heady show." (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion, p. 320) The staff writers were able to write "Accession" because they ignored Paramount having advised them that such issues were not what the DS9 audience wanted to see episodes about, though the creative team received no complaints about the installment. (Cinefantastique, Vol. 28, No. 4/5, p. 55) Still, writing the Bajoran religious and spiritual matters into the episode was considerably difficult. (Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages, p. 115)

By midway through the fourth season, Kira actress Nana Visitor was aware of the Bajoran religion undergoing upheaval. "There's no question that there's some sort of corruption in the Bajoran religion right now," she said. "It's a big political mess, which makes sense considering that Bajor is still coming out of having been under the Occupation." (The Official Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Magazine, Vol. 16, p. 45)

When DS9: "The Assignment" was in early development, a Bajoran religious holiday was to have been established, celebrated with a party. This idea later became a birthday party, however. (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion, p. 389)

Much to the surprise of Ira Steven Behr, Bajoran religious aspects of DS9 Season 5 outing "Rapture" proved popular with fans. "They really seemed to take to this, to the spirituality, the faith," Behr related. "There's such a lack of faith in today's society. We're all so desperate to find something to believe in. This is the episode that made me realize just what we had created, in terms of the Bajoran faith and the Emissary. I knew that it was going to become a more and more important part of the show, and that a part of the audience was going to love it." (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion, p. 405)

By having a member of the Cult of the Pah-wraiths stab Sisko in "Image in the Sand", the DS9 writing staff intended to say something about Bajoran religion in general. Explained Ira Behr, "We wanted to show that, like war, religion can be a dangerous thing. We'd spent six years portraying the Bajoran religion, celebrating it, in a way, and establishing that there is something greater than technology. And that's good. But [faith] can be subverted very easily." (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion, p. 597) Winn actress Louise Fletcher agreed, "The definition of their religion was handed down by mortals to the Bajorans [....] In the hands of a ruthless leader, the will or the words of the Prophets can be perverted or twisted. The people don't have a bible. There's no written word; everything is very hi-tech." (Star Trek Monthly issue 34, p. 50)

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