Tzenkethi The Tzenkethi were a warp - capable civilization native to the planet Tzenketh . They were led by a ruler known as the Autarch . ( ) History . In the mid - 24th century , the Tzenkethi fought a war with the United Federation of Planets . Among the starship s involved was the , under the command of Captain Leyton , who had fought against a number of Tzenkethi raider s . ( ) In late 2371 , a Founder posing as Federation Ambassador Krajensky informed Captain Benjamin Sisko that the current Autarch had been deposed . He ordered the to the Federation - Tzenkethi border to reinforce the Federation presence to the new leading faction . However , the entire mission had actually been engineered by the Dominion in an attempt to incite another war between the two powers ; there never was a " coup d ' etat " . After his identity was exposed , the Changeling commandeered the " Defiant " and attempted to attack a Tzenkethi settlement on M ' kemas III , though he was stopped before the " Defiant " reached the planet . ( ) Appendices . Background information . . The pronunciation of their species ' name was " TSEN - keth - i " ( " ts " as in " tsar " ) . Robert Hewitt Wolfe said , in , that he thought he had named the Tzenkethi by combining the name Kzinti ( from Larry Niven ' s race of aliens that appeared in the episode ) with Tsankth , after a race from the " RuneQuest " and " HeroQuest " RPGs . Wolfe also said he did not picture them as cat s like the Kzinti , but as being like the from Jack L . Chalker ' s novels . He saw the Tzenkethi as being " heavily - armored lizard things . " According to " " ( p . 36 ) , the Tzenkethi government was named the Tzenkethi Coalition . The capital of the Coalition was located in the Tzenketh planet ary system . This system consisted of a primary and at least one planet . The primary was named Tzenketh . This was a with a magnitude of + 9 . Apocrypha . Tzenkethi were also referred to in the novel " Articles of the Federation " . They join the , an alliance of non - Federation powers , in the novel " A Singular Destiny " . Several Tzenkethi characters appear in the " " novel " Rough Beasts of Empire " . In these novels , they are described as being humanoid in shape , and extremely attractive to many different races . Because of their internal biology which is effectively various fluid - filled sacs , they have a very fluid movement . Their skin pigmentation apparently ranges across the entire visible spectrum , in addition to having a slight phosphorescent glow . Bioluminescence is also common on the Tzenkethi homeworld . The later " Typhon Pact " novels " Plagues of Night " , " Raise the Dawn " , " Brinkmanship " , the eBook " The Struggle Within " and the DS9 novels " The Missing " and " Sacraments of Fire " also feature Tzenkethi characters . The Tzenkethi are mentioned in the " Star Trek Online " mission " Echoes of Light , " designed by concept artist Hector Ortiz , based on Wolfe ' s initial description . While investigating the seemingly barren planet of Draconis III , the Lukari captain Kuumaarke realizes that a protomatter bomb was set off here and it was of Tzenkethi design . When this is told to Admiral Jorel Quinn , he admits displeasure at this and is seeking both diplomatic and military solutions . The Tzenkethi become the primary antagonists of the " New Frontiers " story arc , starting with the mission " Of Signs and Portents " , where they are detonating protomatter bombs on numerous inhabited planets in the Alpha Quadrant , and it is eventually revealed in a later mission , " Melting Pot " , that they are trying to combat a race called the Drantzuli . " Scylla and Charybdis " reveals that the Drantzuli are a caretaker race who have brought back the Hur ' q . It is ultimately revealed that the Tzenkethi admiral who was leading the attacks refused to talk to the Federation , Klingon Empire or Romulan Republic because of their stances - the Federation would have been too unwilling to risk other races , the Klingons would have relished the chance of combat and they outright dismissed the " weak " Romulans .