Bajoran The Bajorans ( also known as the " Bajora " ) were a humanoid species native to the planet Bajor in the Alpha Quadrant . The Bajorans had one of the oldest and richest cultures in the quadrant , though in the 24th century , they suffered greatly at the hands of the Cardassian Union . With their liberation from the Cardassian s and the discovery of the Bajoran wormhole in 2369 , the Bajorans were thrust onto the interstellar stage . Physiology . Bajorans resembled Human s in appearance . They were distinguished by a series of four to seven horizontal creases across their noses . ( , " et al . " ) Bajorans also featured light - and dark - skinned variants , although the dark - skinned Bajorans appeared to be a very small minority . ( ) The Bajoran heart was mirrored along a horizontal axis , unlike the Human heart , which was mirrored along a vertical axis . A puncture in the lower ventricle of the heart would cause instantaneous death . Their blood was red in color . Bajoran women gestated for only five months , forming an intricate network of blood vessels between the mother and the fetus . During the pregnancy , Bajoran women were frequently afflicted by bouts of uncontrollable sneezing , roughly analogous to Human women experiencing morning sickness during pregnancy . ( ; ) Bajorans had a lifespan of at least a hundred years ; Arbiter Els Renora stated her age to be such , though she looked and acted as a healthy 21st century Human in her seventies . ( ) Given her apparent good health , it is quite possible Bajorans lived even longer . History . Ancient Bajor . In the 24th century , Bajoran civilization stretched back more than half a million years . The ancient Bajorans were renowned for their accomplishments in science , mathematics , philosophy , and the art s . The greatest of these early Bajoran civilizations was the , which flourished between 20 , 000 and 25 , 000 years ago . During this time , magnificent cities such as B ' hala were built . The next great phase of Bajoran civilization began approximately 10 , 000 years ago , when the first of the Tears of the Prophets was discovered above Bajor . These artifacts ushered in a new era of spiritual connection with the Bajoran gods , the Prophet s . By the 16th century , the Bajorans had developed sublight space travel and were exploring their home star system with solar - sail spacecraft . Some Bajoran explorers even reached the Cardassian system , several light year s away . This period came to an end with the annexation of Bajor by Cardassia , sometime before 2319 . ( ; ) Prior to the Cardassian occupation , Bajorans followed a strict system of caste s , known as " D ' jarra s " . ( ) Cardassian Occupation . The Occupation of Bajor ( usually simply referred by to by the Bajorans as the Occupation ) was a period from 2328 to 2369 , during which the Bajoran homeworld of Bajor was under the control of the Cardassian Union . During the Occupation , the Cardassian s perpetrated a coordinated scheme of strip - mining , forced labor , and genocide across the planet . The Occupation gave rise to the fierce Bajoran Resistance , which used guerrilla and terror tactics to eventually force the Cardassians to withdraw . Many Bajorans also fled the Occupation and settled on planets all over the known galaxy . Almost everywhere , they remained separated from other peoples , living under the poorest circumstances , in refugee camps like those on Valo II . Independent Bajor . In 2369 , after forty years of terrorism by the Resistance , the Cardassians finally withdrew from Bajor . As the Occupation had left Bajor devastated and politically fragile , the newly formed Provisional Government requested Federation support . Starfleet established joint administration with the Bajoran Militia over the former Cardassian space station Terok Nor , which was renamed Deep Space 9 . Bajor also applied for Federation membership , which was accepted five years later , in 2373 . However , the Chamber of Ministers voted to defer membership after the Benjamin Sisko warned that Bajor would be destroyed , unless it stood alone . The Federation remained hopeful that Bajor would one day join . ( ) Prior to the beginning of the Dominion War in 2373 , Bajor signed a nonaggression pact with the Dominion on Sisko ' s recommendation , choosing to remain neutral . This saved Bajor from coming under the rule of another foreign power when the Dominion captured Deep Space 9 , later in the year . Bajor finally joined the fight against the Dominion in 2374 , after the Allies recaptured Deep Space 9 in Operation Return . The Bajorans continued to fight against the Dominion until 2375 , when the Treaty of Bajor was signed on Deep Space 9 . Following the war , Bajor resumed its attempts to become a member of the United Federation of Planets . ( ) Government . Following the Cardassian withdrawal from Bajor , the Bajoran Republic was set up to administer the planet and its various colonies . Bajoran politics is balanced between the secular Chamber of Ministers , led by the First Minister , and the religious Vedek Assembly , led by the kai . It is possible for one individual to be both the kai and the first minister simultaneously , as Winn Adami was for several weeks in 2371 . ( ) Religion and spirituality . See main article : Bajoran religion Bajorans had a deeply spiritual society , and the Bajoran religion was a major unifying force on the planet ; the spiritual leader , or kai , wielded a great deal of moral and political authority , advising and influencing the planet ' s political leader , the First Minister . The kai was chosen from a council of vedek s , the title given to Bajoran religious leaders . Other religious titles were ranjen and prylar . Male and female Bajorans were equally capable of achieving any level within the religious structure , including kai , and outside their religious duties , were free to have intimate relationships , including marriage and having children , like any other Bajoran . The Bajoran religion was based upon the revelations of the Prophet s , who came to be known as timeless beings residing in the Bajoran wormhole , or as it was called by the Bajorans , the Celestial Temple . Since Starfleet officer Benjamin Sisko was the first to make contact with them , he was acclaimed by the Bajoran spiritual leadership as the Emissary of the Prophets . Part of the Bajoran religion involved the use of the Tears of the Prophets , reality - distorting energy orbs produced by the Prophets . Several of these were stolen by the Cardassians during the Occupation , though a number were recovered . Language . See main article : Bajoran language Culture and society . Bajoran culture and customs were closely tied with Bajor ' s religious beliefs . Names . Bajoran custom placed the surname ( or family name ) before the given name . Therefore , Major Kira Nerys would have been addressed as Major Kira . Bajorans considered it an honor for off - worlders to address them with the proper use of their names . Despite this , many Bajorans had accepted the distortion of their names in order to assimilate with other cultures . ( ) Childbirth . The traditional Bajoran birthing ceremony was attended by the woman ' s family and a midwife . The objective of the ritual was to induce complete relaxation through a combination of breathing exercises , rhythmic percussion music , and incense , allowing the woman to give birth without pain . However , the birth needed to take place in a certain period of time , or the level of endorphin s within the mother ' s system would build to toxic levels . When the child was born , he or she was greeted with the following words : " " Awake , child ; we await you with love and welcome you into the world . " " ( ) Funerary customs . The Bajorans generally buried their deceased in grave s marked with a decorated arch . Bajoran funeral rites could be quite elaborate ; for example , the Bajoran death chant was over two hours long . However , the preservation of the body itself was not of particular significance to the Bajorans , who believed that , after death , a person ' s " pagh " joined the Prophets in the Celestial Temple , leaving only an empty shell . To mourn the death of a loved one , Bajorans lit " duranja " lamps . ( ) Music . Bajor , as an advanced society , was well known for its music both before and after the Occupation . The Jalanda Forum was a popular performance venue . The belaklavion was a Bajoran musical instrument . Holidays and festivals . Bajorans typically clapped with their right palms on their left wrists . ( ) Parallel universes . In the mirror universe , the Bajorans were a race conquered by the Terran Empire . They were liberated by the Klingon - Cardassian Alliance and became leading members . Some , however , joined the Terran Rebellion . ( ) The Bajorans of the mirror universe did not know of the Prophets and were not a spiritual people like their primary universe counterparts . ( ) In another quantum reality , the Bajorans had overthrown the Cardassian Union prior to 2370 and had become increasingly aggressive towards the Federation . On Stardate 47391 . 2 , a Bajoran ship destroyed the Argus Array , as the Bajorans thought that Starfleet had been using it to spy on them . The next day , the same Bajoran ship attacked the under the command of Captain William T . Riker , causing damage to the " Enterprise " s power systems . The warship later disengaged after the appearance of approximately 285 , 000 near - duplicate " Enterprise " s , which appeared following a series of quantum incursion s into that reality . ( ) Technology . The Bajorans had simple holographic technology , such as the ability to hide entrances with false holographic covers . ( ) Appendices . Background information . Name and concept . The term " Bajora " can be heard in , , and but was not reused after " " s first season . It may be alternate or outdated terminology . The Bajorans were created to provide lots of conflict and drama with Starfleet . " " We wanted to create a new group of aliens which would cause [ . . . ] continuing conflict for our people to deal with , " " explained Executive Producer Michael Piller , who created the species along with fellow Executive Producer Rick Berman . ( " TV Zone " , Special # 29 , p . 10 ) The species was therefore set up to present a different perspective that would perplex and often irritate righteous Starfleet officers such as Jean - Luc Picard . Berman and Piller deliberately created the species that way because they were seeking ways to generate conflict in , as TNG creator Gene Roddenberry had decided the Humans in the series would have evolved to a point where conflict no longer existed between them . ( " " , issue 74 , p . 12 ) The introduction of the Bajorans in " Ensign Ro " seemed to suggest that Rick Berman and Michael Piller , who wrote the episode , sympathized with the plight of the Palestinians . " " The Bajorans are the but they ' re also the Kurds , the Jews , and the American Indians , " " Piller responded . " " They are any racially bound group of people who have been deprived of their home by a powerful force [ . . . ] When you talk about a civilization like the Bajorans who were great architects and builders with enormous artistic skills centuries before humans were even standing erect , you might be thinking a lot more about Indians than Palestinians . " " ( " Cinefantastique " , Vol . 23 , No . 2 / 3 , p . 38 & 43 ) Berman , discussing " Ensign Ro " , similarly emphasized that the Bajorans were not modeled on any particular real - life group ; " " The Kurds , the Palestinians , the Jews in the 1940s , the boat people from Haiti – unfortunately , the homeless and terrorism are problems [ in every age ] . " " ( " " ) Regarding parallels between the Bajorans and real - world cultures , Ronald D . Moore commented , " " Depending on the episode , you could also call Bajor Israel , or Iran , or even America and the Cardassians could be Germans , or Russians or several other examples . While these parallels do enter our discussions and sometimes are more overt than others , we don ' t really try to make Bajor a direct analogy to any specific contemporary country or people . Blending the experiences of many Earth peoples and races into our storytelling allows us to comment on these subjects without advocating a particular political point of view , while at the same time allowing us to view the topics in a different light without the baggage of contemporary politics . " " As Bajorans are provided with much - needed blankets in " Ensign Ro " , Jonathan Frakes jokingly referred to the group as " the people who needed towels . " ( " Cinefantastique " , Vol . 23 , No . 2 / 3 , p . 43 ) Kira actress Nana Visitor believed " all Bajoran women " were " very aggressive , " " inherently " so , and compared the strong Bajoran women with the Celtic women who fought along with their men . ( ; ; DS9 Season 1 DVD special feature " Crew Dossier : Kira Nerys " ) DS9 origins . After the Bajoran backstory was originally developed by Rick Berman and Michael Piller while they wrote " Ensign Ro " , the depictions of the species continued to evolve on " Deep Space Nine " . However , Berman and Piller expected the political conflict between the Bajorans and Starfleet would be insufficient for the new series . Wanting there to also be a significant ideological gap between the two cultures , the pair of executive producers decided the Bajorans would be a deeply spiritual society . ( " " , issue 74 , p . 13 ) Noted Piller , " " [ Without ] changing the rules of the " Star Trek " universe , we ' re simply exploring the rules of another alien race and what they consider important . " " ( Hidden File 10 , DS9 Season 2 DVD special features ) Portraying the Bajorans on the series as having a highly religious culture further contrasted their society with Roddenberry ' s atheistic , secular humanism , whereas the latter attitude was evident in his view of the Federation . Piller explained , " " What we have done in creating an environment that will bring conflict to our people , which we want desperately to do , was put them with a group of aliens who are different . Giving the Bajorans a strong spiritual , mystical orb and prophet worship forces our people to deal with another alien race that is as different from us as are the Klingon s . " " ( " Cinefantastique " , Vol . 23 , No . 6 , pp . 20 & 22 ) Elaborated Piller , " " It was the perfect kind of conflict for us , because Roddenberry had presented us with a godless humanity , without conflict . The Bajorans , however , were fundamentally spiritual to provide the most possible conflict with the humanist side . The Bajorans were emotional , spiritual , independent people who followed their own code [ . . . ] They stood for so many different things and brought all sorts of story conflicts to the table [ . . . ] What I felt was perfectly justified as a writer was the exploration of spirituality through an alien metaphor , just as " Star Trek " explored every other contemporary life quality . " " ( " " , issue 74 , pp . 13 & 14 ) Specifying which members of the species had extreme zeal about their spirituality , Nana Visitor commented , " " I think all the Bajora do , not just the women . " " ( ) According to Michael Piller , Gene Roddenberry was aware of and approved of the plans which Rick Berman and Michael Piller had for the Bajorans , understanding that religion and faith would be dealt with very much in science fiction terms . ( " " , issue 74 , p . 14 ) Following Roddenberry ' s death , Piller explained the idea of the spiritual Bajorans , " " I don ' t think it goes against Gene . He ' s still with us [ mentally ] [ . . . ] as we think about these conceptual issues . I don ' t think it would bother him one bit . " " ( " Cinefantastique " , Vol . 23 , No . 6 , pp . 20 & 22 ) The Bajorans were made the main species aboard space station Deep Space 9 . ( ) In the official reference book " Star Trek - Where No One Has Gone Before " ( paperback ed . , p . 156 ) , the Bajorans are likened , by writer Jeanne M . Dillard , to the townspeople of Fort Laramie , with Benjamin Sisko assigned to protect them from metaphorical American Indians : the Cardassians . The prominence of the Bajorans on the space station was despite the fact only one of the lead characters , namely Kira Nerys , was Bajoran . Whereas she was planned as a traditional type of " Star Trek " character in that she would be used to explore her entire culture in general , there would always be an entire planet of Bajorans very near the station . However , Ira Steven Behr cautioned against assuming that all Bajorans were represented by Kira . ( " " , issue 74 , p . 14 ) Although it was decided that the construction of Deep Space 9 had involved Bajoran slave labor , their ideas about aesthetics didn ' t influence the design , in reality , of the facility ( unlike with the Cardassians ) . Nonetheless , the creative staff had made up their minds to turn the Bajorans into a graceful , spiritual people , attitudes expressed in other designs for the species . ( ) One of the earliest DS9 details which was revealed to the majority of s writing staff ( specifically those writers who weren ' t involved in the early development of " Deep Space Nine " ) was that the new series would largely focus on the Bajorans . ( " " , p . 222 ) Ira Steven Behr was pleased with how the Bajorans are developed in , approving of the way they are depicted as religiously unusual compared to the Federation . Behr said of the installment , " " It [ . . . ] gives a nice little feel for the Bajorans . " " ( " Cinefantastique " , Vol . 24 , Nos . 3 / 4 , p . 102 ) The nationalism evident in Bajoran characters including Kira Nerys was appealing to Quark actor Armin Shimerman , since he felt this issue was prevalent in " Star Trek " s production base of Los Angeles . " " We had our riots because neighbourhoods felt that they weren ' t getting a fair share of the wealth of Los Angeles , and there ' s the Bajorans who are fighting because they ' re not getting a fair share of what they think they deserve , " " said Shimerman . " " That ' s very intrinsic to the life we live in Los Angeles , so when it ' s represented on television , I feel for that . " " ( " Captains ' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages " , p . 55 ) Similarly , the Bajoran racism exhibited in changed Nana Visitor ' s perspective , as she had been " familiar with " the issue of racism but had " never had to deal with it in any real way . " ( " " , p . 64 ) A basis for much of what viewers later came to understand of the Bajoran political / religious system was established in DS9 Season 1 finale . Writer Robert Hewitt Wolfe suspected that some of that evolved from him having had a Catholic upbringing , though even more came from him having an interest in history . " " The system isn ' t specifically Catholic as we think of Catholicism today , " " he reasoned . " " It ' s fifteenth - and sixteenth - century Catholicism , when the pope held much more of a political office than now , and when the Medicis and the Borgias and the French kings and every other powerful family in southern Europe was fighting to get their guy to be pope . " " ( " " , p . 68 ) Ira Steven Behr offered , " " We ' re dealing with the fact that Bajor is a culture where people basically vote for their pope and sleep with their priests . I think it ' s just fascinating . " " ( " Captains ' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages " , p . 75 ) Two influential Bajoran leaders were introduced in " In the Hands of the Prophets " : Winn Adami and Bareil Antos . Shortly after Louise Fletcher was cast as Winn and not long before she introduced the role in " In the Hands of the Prophets " , a verbal guide to the Bajorans was given to her by Armin Shimerman , who was already friends with the actress . ( ) The Bajoran characters Bareil Antos and , later , Li Nalas were created in the same mold as each other ( in " In the Hands of the Prophets " and second season opener , respectively ) . They were both intended to become a recurring , strong , sympathetic Bajoran who could represent the interests of their people and be a counterpart to Sisko , standing up to him in matters of importance to the Bajorans . However , this long - term goal wasn ' t attained for either of the two Bajoran characters . ( " " , issue 74 , pp . 15 & 16 ) Further developments . The DS9 writing staff hoped to continue establishing the Bajorans in the second season of the show . " " We ' re going to do a lot of things with the Bajorans and their spiritual and political sides , " " Ira Steven Behr promised . ( " Cinefantastique " , Vol . 24 , Nos . 3 / 4 , p . 108 ) Bajoran politics were featured in a trilogy of episodes which opened season two of DS9 – namely , , , and . René Echevarria later cited the length of the trilogy as having made viewers feel they were uninterested in Bajoran politics . ( " Captains ' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages " , p . 97 ) A Season 2 episode which demonstrates the plight of the Bajorans was , in which their argument for refusing the Skrreea a home on Bajor was meant to be portrayed sympathetically . " " The Bajorans [ . . . ] have a very serious problem , " " Michael Piller mused about the episode . " " They have an economy that is broken and problems of their own , and how do you take care of a whole new group of people when you need to take care of yourself ? " " ( " Captains ' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages " , p . 66 ) In second season installment , Bareil Antos and Winn Adami were pit against each other , in an election to determine the Kai of Bajor . By having Winn be elected , the writers made it clear she wasn ' t represented by only a handful of Bajorans but was instead being supported by a substantial collection of the race . " " There had to have been many people like her , " " Ira Behr speculated . ( " " , issue 74 , pp . 16 - 17 ) Ira Behr was pleased with the development of the Bajorans in the second season of DS9 . At the end of that season , he summarized , " " In the course of the year we ' ve made the Bajorans much more interesting than they were in the beginning of the series . " " ( " Cinefantastique " , Vol . 25 / 26 , No . 6 / 1 , p . 98 ) During the final couple of seasons of " The Next Generation " , the TNG writing staff was encouraged to bring Bajoran characters aboard the " Enterprise " . This was an attempt to essentially reinforce the reality of " Deep Space Nine " and help weave the fabric of the " Star Trek " fictional universe together , though the TNG writers obviously also had to avoid contradicting what was being established on DS9 . ( audio commentary , TNG Season 7 Blu - ray special features ) The Bajorans had to keep being developed on DS9 , even after TNG ended , when DS9 Season 3 started . " " The Bajorans aren ' t going anywhere , " " recognized Ronald D . Moore , who joined the DS9 writing staff in the third season , " " so that always has to keep moving along storywise . " " ( " Captains ' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages " , p . 78 ) However , intellectual and philosophical stories regarding Bajoran religion and politics were generally not embraced by viewers of DS9 . ( " " , p . 158 ) In fact , market research conducted by Paramount indicated that narratives focusing on Bajoran politics were least interesting to fans of the show . René Echevarria observed , " " I guess the feeling is that there is so much to read about , do you need to see made - up political situations unfolding ? A lot of people just don ' t have the interest . " " ( " Captains ' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages " , p . 97 ) As a result of Bajoran politics seeming unpopular , Paramount and the DS9 producers opted to concentrate less on those matters . ( " " , p . 244 ) In the original version of season three episode , something miraculous and joyful happened for the Bajorans , as had been prophesied . ( " " , p . 211 ; " Captains ' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages " , p . 92 ) Pointing out one motive for producing the installment , Ron Moore stated , " " We wanted to do a Bajoran - oriented show . " " ( " Captains ' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages " , p . 92 ) René Echevarria observed that – by changing the prophecy into one of doom and making it so that Sisko , motivated by his duty to Starfleet , wanted to still proceed with a plan that could trigger the prophecy – the Bajorans were put in conflict with Sisko . ( " " , p . 211 ) Once Hilary J . Bader pitched a story that served as the genesis for subsequent third season installment , Ron Moore made the Bajorans a feature of the episode . " " After Hilary ' s pitch , " " Moore remembered , " " I wrote up a memo that said , ' Let ' s make this about the Bajorans . " " ( " Captains ' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages " , p . 96 ) The Bajorans were additionally featured in , two episodes later . In that installment , they were partly based on Mexicans during the Mexican Revolution . ( " Captains ' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages " , p . 97 ) At one early point of the story ' s development , the Bajorans were depicted as having recently rediscovered a massive library or museum which they were putting efforts and funds into reopening for the first time since the Bajoran Occupation . ( " Captains ' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages " , p . 97 ; " " , p . 244 ) " " That ' s prompting the rebellion , " " explained Ron Moore , " " because the farmers are angry that their needs are not being met , but people are putting all this money and effort into raising these old libraries . Who cares about culture when it ' s food on the table ? " " However , the writers found portraying the Bajorans with such concerns wasn ' t working , until the creative team realized they could have the species becoming officially led ( temporarily ) by Kai Winn . " " If it ' s the Kai and Kira and Shakaar , then the players are all in place finally , " " Moore related . The writers endeavored to make sure the viewpoints of Kira and Shakaar were comprehensible and acceptable . ( " Captains ' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages " , pp . 97 - 98 ) There was also potential for a romance between those two Bajorans , so the episode ' s script included " " a couple little subtle beats to play , just to see if we could gain some chemistry between the actors , " " recalled Moore . " " And it seemed to work . " " ( " " , p . 244 ) The Bajorans were focused on to a deliberately lessened degree in DS9 Season 4 , which Nana Visitor correctly predicted beforehand . " " I felt there would [ . . . ] probably be less of a focus on Bajoran activity , " " she admitted , " " and I understood that was the point . " " ( " " , p . 256 ) However , the writers began to feel that they hadn ' t , for quite a while , updated developments for the Bajorans and some of the issues they were facing on Bajor , a concern that influenced the writing of fourth season outing . ( " Captains ' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages " , p . 113 ) In " Crossfire " , the relationship between Kira Nerys and Shakaar Edon becomes more intense . Shakaar actor Duncan Regehr cited the deepening of their connection as an example of a Bajoran development that was basically human . " " Bajorans are not Human beings , obviously , but they do have certain Human - like transformations that they tend to go through , " " he pointed out . " " I think you saw the beginnings of that in ' Crossfire ' , when you could tell there was an attraction between Shakaar and Nerys . " " ( " Warrior Without a War " , " " , No . 11 ) The Bajoran society was further developed in , a later fourth season DS9 episode . After the writers thought up the idea of an Emissary of the Prophets who was not pre - established Emissary Benjamin Sisko arriving via the wormhole , the writing group devised many permutations of the story in which they pondered the political ramifications for the Bajorans . The writers decided to have the aliens return to an old Bajoran caste system called " D ' jarra " . " " It ' s [ . . . ] the first time in a while that you actually feel that the Bajorans are kind of alien rather than just being people with bumps on their heads , " " commented Robert Wolfe . " " The idea that a whole society would say , ' OK , I ' m going to quit my job and do something completely different because this guy says I should , ' makes them alien and not human . That was what we were going for . " " ( " Captains ' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages " , pp . 115 & 116 ) René Echevarria believed a scene which proved especially insightful regarding the Bajorans was one in which Kira Nerys hesitantly applauds the newly arrived Emissary , Akorem Laan , declaring the restoration of the caste system . " " That just told you everything you needed to know about the Bajorans , " " Echevarria said . ( " " , p . 320 ) Nana Visitor was aware of the Bajoran civilization continuing to change . " " We ' re continually discovering things about [ . . . ] Bajorans , so it ' s really the political and religious elements that are in flux , " " she observed . ( ) When DS9 ' s fourth season was just about to end , the writers aimed to concentrate more on the Bajorans in DS9 Season 5 . ( " " , p . 357 ) When portraying the murder of a series of Bajoran former resistance fighters in season five ' s , the DS9 writing staff wanted to make the Bajoran victims increasingly significant to main character Kira Nerys , culminating in the deaths of her friends Furel and Lupaza . ( " " , p . 412 ) Ira Behr imagined that , by the time of fifth season installment , the Bajorans would have bubble gum cards of space station DS9 ' s senior staff ( if not the facility ' s entire crew ) and would hold Kira Nerys personally in high acclaim . " " They can ' t identify with the Emissary , " " Behr speculated . " " He ' s too mystical . And he doesn ' t look like one of them , he doesn ' t have a ridge on his nose . So popular opinion is likely to seize on the Bajoran standing next to him in all the pictures . ' Who ' s she ? She ' s doing all these great things . She ' s saved our planet . " " ( " " , p . 442 ) By the start of DS9 Season 6 , there was observable positivity towards the Bajorans in " Star Trek " s fanbase . " " There are fans that like the Bajoran shows , " " Ira Behr pointed out . In an which was suggested for DS9 ' s sixth season , Bajoran children kept appearing on space station Deep Space 9 . During the Occupation , the Bajorans had mistakenly believed a particular Cardassian scientist was performing deadly medical experiments on them , though he had actually been sending Bajoran children into the future ; those who appeared on the station did so as the result of his actual efforts . Even though this story didn ' t go ahead , it preceded the making of sixth season ' s , in which Bajorans do appear . ( " " , p . 548 ) During early development of DS9 Season 7 episode , Bajorans were considered to be the opponents of the Federation in a baseball game featured in the installment . However , they were replaced by Vulcan s . ( " " , p . 610 ) While the story for was being crafted , the idea that a group led by Dukat would be Bajoran was thought up by René Echevarria . Ira Behr initially responded that the idea of making the followers Bajoran was " the most ridiculous thing I ' ve ever heard . " Once Echevarria replied by establishing that he intended the group to be the Cult of the Pah - wraiths , though , the idea of them being Bajoran didn ' t seem as preposterous to Behr and was accepted by all the other DS9 staff writers too . ( " " , p . 632 ) In DS9 series finalé , the show ' s writing staff wanted to reflect on the Bajorans ' hatred of Cardassians , by having Martok speculate that the Bajorans would regard the virtual annihilation of Cardassian civilization as " poetic justice . " " " That ' s something we wanted to remind the audience about , " " noted Ira Behr . ( " " , p . 709 ) Makeup . Michael Westmore ' s inspiration for the Bajoran makeup came from Rick Berman , who , after hiring Michelle Forbes to play Ro Laren on TNG , told Westmore , " " We ' ve hired a pretty girl and I want to keep her that way . Think of something that we can take and make her look a little alien , and still get the idea she ' s from another planet , but she ' s still gorgeous . " " ( " Michael Westmore ' s Aliens : Season One " , DS9 Season 1 DVD special features ) Westmore agreed . " " Part of the reason the Bajoran makeup ' s so . . . spare , " " explained René Echevarria , " " is because [ . . . ] he said , ' Well , this is a pretty gal ; I don ' t wanna cover up her face with putting some elaborate prosthetic on her forehead . " " ( audio commentary , TNG Season 7 Blu - ray special features ) Considering how he could give the Bajorans a subtle alien appearance , Michael Westmore thought about adding a prosthetic make - up appliance to either the forehead , the end of the nose , or the cheeks . " " The most logical place to have worked this out , " " he said , " " was right down the center [ of the face ] [ . . . ] because from a distance , even , you might not even see [ such a small detail there ] . " " ( " Michael Westmore ' s Aliens : Season One " , DS9 Season 1 DVD special features ) Westmore added , " " I ended up sculpting a little nose as something we could possibly use and that ' s what they went with . " " ( " TV Zone " , Special # 34 , p . 12 ) The Bajoran nose design was partly " influenced " by Dave Rossi , who had accidentally damaged the original plaster casts by strapping them down on his bicycle while transporting them between Michael Westmore and Rick Berman . Westmore repaired the damage and used some of the indentations caused by the strap to add to the design . ( ) For the Bajorans ' introduction in , the wrinkles on the nose prosthetics were relatively very small . In later appearances , the Bajoran nose wrinkles became bigger , especially for the vedeks . ( " Michael Westmore ' s Aliens : Season One " , DS9 Season 1 DVD special features ) There were intentional variations with the Bajoran nose design at the time " Deep Space Nine " began . When interviewed during the making of DS9 pilot episode , Michael Westmore stated , " " I vary the Bajorans by the rings that run across the nose . Some of them have four , five or even six , so I can change that pattern around a bit . " " ( ) Regardless of the size of each nose piece , however , the Bajorans still had to look as if they belonged to the same species as one another . " " There was a special technique for sculpting these noses [ . . . ] and no matter the nose , " " said Westmore , " " whether it was a small nose for a female or a large nose for a vedek priest , they all had the same style of sculpture to them . " " ( " Michael Westmore ' s Aliens : Season One " , DS9 Season 1 DVD special features ) When Nana Visitor was auditioning for the role of Kira Nerys , the idea of the Bajoran make - up was introduced to her . ( " Cinefantastique " , Vol . 23 , No . 6 , p . 38 ) She later remembered , " " Rick Berman told me , ' At least the prosthetic is one of the least we have . " " ( " Cinefantastique " , Vol . 23 , No . 6 , p . 38 ) Visitor was relieved by the news that the Bajoran makeup was one of the most minor in the series . ( ) " " I said , ' What prosthetic ? " " she continued . " " And he said , ' It ' s nothing . It ' s just a small elephant nose that you wear . ' He had me going for five seconds . " " ( " Cinefantastique " , Vol . 23 , No . 6 , p . 38 ) Visitor was alarmed , during this short time , by the thought that she would have to wear an elephant ' s trunk . Despite ultimately not being required to wear one of those , she recalled that her first few weeks of playing Kira nonetheless involved a lot of Bajoran makeup . ( ) Once Nana Visitor started playing Kira but had an accident that caused minor injury to her back , she was tended to by an ER doctor whose prognosis was influenced by the fact Visitor was in full Bajoran make - up and costume at the time , despite the actress believing her wound wasn ' t serious . " " The doctor said , ' Well , in that case , I think we better get you to X - Ray right away to check out that broken nose . ' He was a good emergency room doctor , but didn ' t know Bajorn anatomy as well as Bashir , " " quipped Visitor . ( " Cinefantastique " , Vol . 24 , Nos . 3 / 4 , p . 103 ) In fact , the doctor was under the impression that the apparent injury would make medical history . Visitor had to finally tell him her " nose " was a prosthetic one , which dismayed the doctor . ( , " Deep Space Nine Chronicles " , DS9 Season 4 DVD special features ) Because each of the actors cast as Bajorans had to have their individual nose piece applied each day , the DS9 makeup department had to have enough makeup artists to put on all the prosthetic appliances . ( " The " Deep Space Nine " Scrapbook " , DS9 Season 1 DVD special features ) Putting on a Bajoran nose piece took " around a half an hour , " in the words of Michael Westmore . ( " The " Deep Space Nine " Scrapbook " , DS9 Season 1 DVD special features ) According to Frances Praksti , the Bajoran nose prosthetic " took about an hour " to be applied , however , and was extremely comfortable to wear thereafter . ( " Captains ' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages " , pp . 51 - 52 ) Nana Visitor ' s usual Bajoran make - up required around an hour and a half or two hours to apply . ( " " , p . 178 ; ) Armin Shimerman once described the Bajorans as " the ones with those cute washboard noses . " ( , " Deep Space Nine Chronicles " , DS9 Season 4 DVD special features ) Several Bajoran nose special effects applications were sold off on the It ' s A Wrap ! sale and auction on eBay . Trivia . The oval - shaped Bajoran symbol was designed by Nathan Crowley and Doug Drexler . " " My contribution , " " offered Michael Okuda , " " was that I saw that particular pattern on one of Nathan ' s set drawings as a floor plan , and I said , ' That will be our Bajoran symbol . ' And then Doug took that basic thing and refined it . " " The emblem subsequently became a hallmark of Bajoran design and was represented many times on " Star Trek : Deep Space Nine " , such as in the architecture of some Bajoran homes and on the Bajoran combadge s . ( " Star Trek - Where No One Has Gone Before " , paperback ed . , p . 183 ) Herman Zimmerman referred to the Bajoran symbol as " rather egg - shaped " and " reminiscent of the orb s . " ( ) A large version of the Bajoran symbol was created as a backlit by Denise Okuda , for Deep Space 9 ' s Bajoran temple in . ( " Section 31 : Hidden File 01 " , DS9 Season 2 DVD special features ) When John Eaves designed the Reckoning Tablet for , the Bajoran symbol provided a basis for it , though Eaves redesigned the tablet as an ancient representation of the usual Bajoran symbol . ( " " , p . 568 ) A crowd of Bajorans had to be depicted in , about which David Livingston noted , " " We had thirty extras . " " ( " Captains ' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages " , p . 51 ) He also stated , " " There were a lot of people – not enough people , actually . " " ( " " , p . 48 ) For the foreground of a matte painting of Bajor in , Illusion Arts , Inc . staff were filmed as Bajorans , strolling along a path . ( " Cinefantastique " , Vol . 25 / 26 , No . 6 / 1 , p . 72 ) Two similarly miniaturized - on - screen Bajorans , Dekon Elig and Ches ' sarro Seeto , were " played " by Visual Effects Producer Dan Curry . For the former role , Bajoran nose wrinkles were digitally added by DS9 Scenic Artist Doug Drexler . ( " " , p . 25 ) Scenes featuring Bajorans were often accompanied by a " Bajoran hand flute , " which was actually a custom - made electronic wind instrument ( EWI ) . " " I ' ve developed my own theory of the Bajoran culture , " " announced Composer Jay Chattaway , " " and whenever there ' s a sensitive scene about the Bajorans , the EWI is there . " " ( " " , p . 412 ) Apocrypha . According to the DS9 Pocket Books novel " Warpath " , the Bajora were an " ethnic subgroup " who " " became a nation - state , and eventually dominated the planet culturally and economically , subsuming other ethnic identities . Thousands of years later , despite the persistence of regional and ethnic variation among the people of Bajor , they now share a common identity as Bajorans . " " James T . Kirk made first contact with the Bajorans during the five - year mission of the , according to the novel " Allegiance in Exile " . The Bajorans join the Federation in the novel " Unity " , set in 2376 . In " Star Trek Online " , Bajorans are a playable species for Starfleet player characters and bridge officer s , with an inherent bonus to heals and regeneration . The game ' s chronology states that they renewed their application to join the Federation in 2384 , and became full members in 2393 . A Bajoran candidate , , came in third in the 2392 Federation presidential election and was given a post in Aennik Okeg ' s cabinet .