Kai

The **Kai** was the spiritual leader of the Bajoran people, entrusted to serve the will of the Prophets and lead the people of Bajor in thier path. The kai was elected from among the senior members of the Bajoran clergy in the Vedek Assembly, and served for life. The kai had the highest religious authority over the Bajoran faith, rivaled only by that of the Emissary of the Prophets. (DS9: "Emissary", "The Collaborator", "Accession", "Rapture", et. al)

The traditional form of address for the kai was "Eminence." (DS9: "Life Support", "Shakaar", "In the Cards", "What You Leave Behind", et. al)

Opaka Sulan was kai during the latter years of the Occupation of Bajor, serving until several months after the Cardassian withdrawal in 2369. (DS9: "Battle Lines")

The race to find the next Kai was contentious, with Bareil Antos and Winn Adami emerging as the two strongest candidates. In 2270, Bareil was forced to remove himself from contention, in order to keep a secret about Opaka, preserving the Bajoran people's faith in her. This, effectively, handed the election to Winn, and when Bareil was killed shortly thereafter, her most vocal opponent in the Vedek Assembly was silenced. (DS9: "The Collaborator", "Life Support")

The Kai also held a great amount of political influence on the Bajoran government, and though it was discouraged for a kai to take an active political role, a kai could hold political office, even that of the First Minister, under extreme circumstances. Kai Winn attempted to do just that in the 2370s, but lost the election to Shakaar Edon. (DS9: "Shakaar")

Though she achieved her ambition of becoming kai, Winn later admitted that she never felt the touch of the Prophets herself. She continually sought her own aims, believing they were in Bajor's best interests. Her greatest achievement as kai came when she prevented the Reckoning aboard Deep Space 9, which Emissary Benjamin Sisko had been unable to stop. (DS9: "The Reckoning")

Kai Winn's faith failed her during the last days of the Dominion War, when Dukat (in Bajoran guise) led her to the *Book of the Kosst Amojan*, and she forsook the Prophets for the Pah-wraiths. In the end, however, she did repent, and helped the Emissary defeat Dukat, at the cost of her own life. (DS9: "Strange Bedfellows", "The Changing Face of Evil", "What You Leave Behind")

Following Winn's death in the Fire Caves, another race to elect the next kai began. Vedek Yevir Linjarin was an early front-runner. (*DS9* novel: *Twilight*)

In 2376, former Kai Opaka returned from the Gamma Quadrant, the field was thrown into disarray. Though Opaka refused to become kai again, her wisdom was highly sought after, and her opinion carried much weight in the public's minds and hearts. As the Vedek Assembly began their deliberations late in the year, Opaka tried to convince Vedek Solis Tendren, a prominent leader of the Ohalavaru sect, to put his name into contention. (*DS9* novel: *Fragments and Omens*)

Ultimately, neither Yevir nor Solis would prevail in the election, and Pralon Onala acceded to the position in 2377. (*DS9* novel: *Sacraments of Fire*)

In several possible futures, Kira Nerys had become kai sometime after 2395, and remained in the post until at least 2409. (DS9 documentary: *What We Left Behind*; *Star Trek Online*: *The Path to 2409*, *Victory is Life*)

## External links

* Kai article at ***Memory Alpha***, the canon *Star Trek* wiki.
* Kai article at ***Memory Beta***, the non-canon *Star Trek* wiki.
* Kai article at the official ***Star Trek Online*** wiki
* Kai article at ***Star Trek Expanded Universe***, the fanon and fanworks *Star Trek* wiki.