Orb Orbs , also known as Tears of the Prophets , were mysterious artifacts that originated from non - corporeal entities known as the Prophet s , who resided inside the Celestial Temple ( aka the Bajoran wormhole ) . Overview . Central to the Bajoran religion , nine different Orbs appeared in the skies above Bajor over a period of ten thousand years . According to Bajoran legend , they were sent by the Prophets to provide guidance and wisdom . Appearing as hourglass - shaped energy fields , the Orbs defied conventional scientific analysis . They produced temporary but intense metaphorical hallucinations on people in the immediate vicinity , which seemed to be a form of direct or indirect communication with the Prophets . However , only individuals whom the Prophets permitted experienced these visions . These orb experience s often provided some form of personal insight or divination into the future , and many were recorded in the form of ancient Bajoran prophecies . After an encounter with an Orb , individuals sometimes experienced continued visions known as orb shadow s . Bajorans believed that Orb shadows resulted when individuals ignored what their Orb experience had told them . As tangible objects offering communication with their gods , the Orbs were greatly treasured by the Bajoran people . The Orbs were contained inside ornate , jeweled vessels tended by monk s , safeguarded inside monasteries . A force field also protected the Orb inside its vessel . Officially , contact with an Orb required the special permission of the Vedek Assembly , although this was a rarely - followed formality . Despite their appearances , the Orbs were not purely energy fields ; they had a physical presence . An unknown Orb was damaged at some point in Bajoran history , a fragment of which served as the jewel in a bracelet . This bracelet was kept in Faren Kag ' s village on Bajor , where it was wielded by the . The Sirah used this bracelet to create a creature called the Dal ' Rok , and focus the collective energy of the villagers to defeat it . ( ) During the Cardassian occupation of Bajor , all but one of the Orbs were stolen and taken off - world for study , although the Cardassians never unraveled their purpose or function . The remaining Orb was hidden away by Kai Opaka , and later given to Benjamin Sisko , who she knew was to become the Emissary of the Prophets . The formal peace treaty signed between the Cardassian Union and the Bajoran Provisional Government in 2371 did not resolve the issue of returning the lost Orbs to Bajor , although several were returned under various other circumstances in the following years . In 2374 , a Pah - wraith carried inside Dukat entered the Celestial Temple through the Orb of Contemplation , causing all the Orbs to go dark . This led to widespread panic among the Bajorans , who believed that their gods had forsaken them . The Orbs were restored three months later by the discovery of a previously unknown tenth Orb , the Orb of the Emissary , by Benjamin Sisko on the planet . Orbs . In addition , a number of fake orbs had cropped up over the years . ( ) Appendices . Background information . In regard to why Bajorans didn ' t consult the Prophets more frequently , Ronald D . Moore commented : " " We assume that not everyone has access to the Orbs whenever they have a question about their relationships ( Shakaar was the First Minister after all , and rank hath its privileges ) and also that the messages from the Orbs are often murky or confusing and may not always provide the clearest answers in matters of the heart . " " Moore had also said that it is a " distinct possibility " that the Prophets have also sent Orbs to other races in the Gamma Quadrant . In ultimately unused dialogue from the second draft script of , exposure to Bajoran orbs was established as causing elevated levels of psilosynine . Apocrypha . In the " Deep Space Nine " book trilogy " " , the Pah - wraiths built three orbs of their own , known as the Red Orbs of Jalbador . When these three Orbs were brought together , they opened a second Celestial Temple . In the " Deep Space Nine " Relaunch novel " Avatar , Book One " , the Orb of Memory was found aboard a derelict Cardassian freighter in the Badlands . This Orb demonstrated the ability , when left open , to make all those aboard the freighter uncontrollably contemplate past events , to the point at which they completely lost track of their mission . When in close proximity it also allowed Elias Vaughn to experience the memories of the dead crew of the freighter and see a vision of Benjamin Sisko . Later , in " Lesser Evil " , the Orbs of Destiny , Souls , Truth , and Unity were returned to the Bajoran people by a joint effort between the Cardassian Oralian Way ( a religious movement ) and Vedek Yevir Linjarin . All nine orbs were later moved to Ashalla , the capital city on Bajor in " Unity " . In " Star Trek Online " , another orb is mentioned , the Orb of Possibilities . For a limited time , upon completing the 2800 Featured Series , the player could receive a shard of the orb , known as the Shard of Possibilities .