XENOLOGY: JEM'HADAR

Genetically engineered warrior species from the Gamma Quadrant. The Jem'Hadar functioned as the army of the Dominion, controlled by the Founders through the Vorta. They were first encountered in 2370, by personnel from station Deep Space 9. Jem'Hadar live for combat. Before going into battle, Jem'Hadar conduct a ritual ceremony in which they proclaim, "I am dead. As of this moment we are all dead. We go into battle to reclaim our lives. This we do gladly because we are Jem'Hadar. Remember, victory is life." .Genetically engineered by the Founders, Jem'Hadar lack a vital isogenic enzyme (known as ketracel-white, or simply white) needed for survival. The Founders use this chemical dependence to maintain control over the powerful Jem'Hadar. The Jem'Hadar receive this drug through special supply tubes implanted in their necks. Since the Jem'Hadar were directly controlled by the Vorta, most Jem'Hadar spent their entire lives without seeing a Founder. To them, the Founders were almost a myth of god-like stature. A Founder was aboard a Jem'Hadar warship that crash-landed on Torga IV on stardate 50049.3. The Jem'Hadar that came to rescue him failed and later committed suicide for having allowed the Founder's death. Jem'Hadar do not eat, because the white is the only thing they need for nutrition. Relaxation would only make them weak, so they don't sleep. Jem'Hadar are bred in birthing chambers, so there is no need for females or sexual reproduction. They mature at a rapid rate and are able to fight within three days of emergence. Few live 15 years, and no Jem'Hadar has ever reached 30 years of age. If they manage to reach 20, they achieve the status of "Honored Elder." If the Jem'Hadar are ruthless to their own, they are even more so to those who they oppose. When the inhabitants of a planet in the Teplan system resisted Dominion rule in 2172, the Jem'Hadar made an example of them by infecting the planet with a deadly disease known as the blight. SEE: Teplan blight. Standard Jem'Hadar occupation tactics require at least 27 soldiers to be stationed inside a base camp at all times, with nine patrolling the perimeter. In 2371, Starfleet learned more about the Jem'Hadar from a member of that species found as an infant on Deep Space 9. This young individual grew at an accelerated rate, advancing in years both physically and intellectually. In late 2371, the Jem'Hadar demonstrated their awesome destructive power when a fleet of 150 Jem'Hadar fighter craft ambushed some 20 Romulan and Cardassian ships attacking the Founders' homeworld in the Omarion Nebula. In 2372, two Jem'Hadar ships disrupted a trade conference among Federation, Ferengi, and Karemma delegates held aboard the Starship Defiant. The Jem'Hadar ships were destroyed, and the crew of the Defiant rescued the Karemman ship's crew.