Bajorans

=Bajorans=

The Bajorans (also referred to by themselves as "Bajora") are a humanoid species native to the planet Bajor in the Alpha Quadrant. The Bajorans have one of the oldest and richest cultures in the quadrant, though in recent history they have suffered greatly at the hands of the Cardassion Union. The Cardassian Union brutally occupied Bajor, exiling many Bajorans and strip-mining away natural resources.

The Bajoran people are generally introspective, artistic, and very religious; though fiercely protective of their sovereignty. This protectiveness lead toward the formation of resistance cells during the Cardassian Occupation and strong support of the Federation during the Dominion War. Before the Cardassian Occupation the Bajorans had a rigid caste system called the d'jarra, in the d'jarra one's family determined where they belonged in social order. If on was born to nobility they had the right to rule, if one was born to a family of peasants one was destined to work in the fields. However the d'jarra was abandoned during the Cardassian Occupation in order to allow all Bajora to liberate their homeworld via combat. The Occupation almost destroyed Bajoran culture with mass deportations. Those that remained chose to ignore traditional caste distinctions to reorganize to fight the invaders. After the occupations the d'jarra was not implemented again, and Bajoran religion and culture revived around the same time that the wormhole was discovered. The wormhole was quickly declared the home of the Bajoran's ancestor Gods, the Prophets.

There are two central ideas in Bajoran religion. One is the strength and importance of the soul, or the pagh. It is the repository of one's life energy; and if you lead a pure and upright life the Prophets will bless you and strengthen your pagh. The second tenent is that Bajorans share an invisible bond with their home world. "The Land and the People are One." This belief has been stretched and altered as Bajorans began to colonize other worlds, but remains more or less in tact. This belief made it even more traumatizing to those that were deported from Bajor, and contributed to those that formed resistance cells.

The characters listed below are known civilians and Bajoran Militia officers, and are all non-player characters. The Bajorans have their own set of medals and decorations.