Jem'Hadar

A genetically engineered humanoid race from the Gamma Quadrant, the Jem'Hadar are the military arm of the Dominion and one of the most powerful military forces in the galaxy.

The Jem'Hadar's homeworld's name and location is unknown, but it is rumored among the oppressed Dominion races to be a bleak place, its sky ever under dark, roiling clouds that admit little direct sunlight. Jem'Hadar rarely sees the outside, however, for they are bred indoors and trained in elaborate arenas designed to test them against a number of threats, from deadly animals to massive enemy troop formations.

A lizard-like life form said to have originated on the Jem'Hadar homeworld has been traded in the black markets of the Alpha Quadrant, prized for its venom, which can supposedly paralyze a full-grown Klingon.

Personality

Jem'Hadar live to fight. Battle is their greatest desire, for they were born and bred for it - genetically engineered as warrior enforcers of the Dominion, the iron fists of the Founders' will. As such, they are ruthless and fight to the end, neither giving nor asking for quarter or surrender. To keep their aggression in line, the Founders watch over them through the Vorta, alien taskmasters who dole out needed nutrition in return for proper allegiance.

Given a choice between fighting and settling a matter peacefully, a Jem'Hadar will always choose the fight, unless he has orders from his unit's Vorta otherwise. Such orders override their violent urges, and are followed to the letter, for they essentially represent the desires of the Founders. While the Vorta may not be so respected as the Founders, their words are obeyed with all due respect.

Physiology

Jem'Hadar are humanoids standing somewhat taller than the average human and of wider build. Their skin is leathery gray, with many horny protrusions across the face and back. They are genetically engineered for extreme strength and durability.

For humanoids, the Jem'Hadar have an incredibly fast metabolic rate due to modifications made on their genetic structure by the Founders. The Jem'Hadar are bred in birthing chambers and have been known to be placed in stasis chambers until their awakening. Because of this, there are no sexes of the Jem'Hadar species. Sexual reproduction and the emotional attachments that accompany it would only distract them and make them weak.

A Jem'Hadar is mature within three days of leaving its birthing chamber, allowing for very rapid replacement of casualties. Within a day of maturation, Jem'Hadar children already have advanced language skills and cognitive reasoning. Adolescent Jem'Hadar require food for consumption. They mature in about two to three weeks.

Adult Jem'Hadar do not require sleep, nor do they need to eat and any form of relaxation is shunned due to the belief that it would only make them weak. The only form of sustenance required is ketracel-white, which contains a key isogenic enzyme deliberately omitted from their blood chemistry by the Founders, to ensure their loyalty. Without large quantities of it, their circulatory systems begin to shut down, beginning with muscle spasms. The drug is addictive and bolsters the Jem'Hadars' innate aggressive instincts. Some Jem'Hadar have tried to break this addiction, but as it's linked to a genetic enzyme deficiency, withdrawal is typically fatal. With the exception of ketracel-white, administered through a feeding tube in their necks, Jem'Hadar do not eat or drink and require no other form of sustenance.

Being a result of advanced genetic engineering and bred for combat, the Jem'Hadar have excellent vision. All Jem'Hadar have a built-in ability to 'shroud' themselves, a form of camouflage which effectively hides them from both sensors and the naked eye.

Most Jem'Hadar die young in battle and as such, it is rare for them to live past 15 years of age. Few ever live to the age of 20 and, those that did were considered "Honored Elders." No Jem'Hadar has ever lived to the age of 30.

Due to being cutoff from reinforcements in the Gamma Quadrant during the Dominion War, the Founders began to breed Jem'Hadar soldiers in the Alpha Quadrant known as "Alpha" in 2374. The Alphas are regarded - largely by themselves - as being superior to standard "Gamma" Jem’Hadar, but their introduction has led to considerable friction with their Gamma Quadrant counterparts. The primary difference between the two was that the DNA and psychological profile of the Alpha's are specifically designed for combat in the Alpha Quadrant. The Founders believe this makes them better leaders over the Gamma's.

Culture and Tradition

Jem'Hadar have no families, for they do not mate or breed - they are bred by the Founders at need. The closest a warrior has to a family is his unit, but even here he does not build emotional bonds, only ties of loyalty and obedience. Jem'Hadar cultures exist only to mold individual warriors into more cohesive fighting units.

Jem'Hadar "social structure" forms around units, usually consisting of 6-10 warriors, each ranked by number. A warrior follows the lead of the number preceding his, and the First follows the commands of the unit's Vorta overseer. Anything not covered in these orders is the responsibility of the Jem'Hadar First. If these orders are carried out satisfactorily, the Vorta awards the unit with a ceremonial delivery of ketracel-white, a drug Jem'Hadar need to survive, available only from the Vorta. In the event the First is killed, the Second shall take over for the First, the Third will take over Second, and so forth. Although the succeeding Jem'Hadar will take over the duties of his superior, he will only recieve the higher number rank if his Vorta commander allows it.

Some units are grouped together into battalions, led by a single Vorta. These generally consist of 36 soldiers in four units of nine soldiers each. When occupying enemy territory or guarding a base, one unit of nine soldiers patrols the perimeter while the other units take up stations inside.

Unlike similar races with violent tendencies, the Jem'Hadar do not exalt their aggression into a matter of glory or honor. Their warrior ways simply are what they are - the very core of their being, regardless of cultural mores, the sole reason and purpose of their existence, the means by which they serve the Founders, viewed by the Jem'Hadar as gods.

Rituals and ceremonies are sparse and short, consisting usually of promotions or demotions, handed out almost at a whim by Vorta overseers. Death is common, and the dead are not mourned. If they died in battle, they are lucky and their lives are not celebrated or dwelt upon. If they died outside of battle, through disease or ill happenstance, they are considered shameful and forgotten as quickly as possible. Either way, the dead are not honored or remembered.

Battle is the only place for Jem'Hadar mysticism, including the pre-battle sermon

"I am [Rank] [Name], and I am dead. As of this moment, we are all dead. We go into battle to reclaim our lives. This, we do gladly, for we are Jem'Hadar. Remember - victory is life."

The rest of the unit then respond:

"Victory is life."

This chant reminds them of their purpose and grounds them in their instincts: to fight to the bitter end, no matter the cost. They will willingly and without a moment's hesitation five their lives for a Founder.

A similar exchange states: "Obedience brings victory, and victory is life."

Although the Jem'Hadar worship the Founders as gods, the vast majority of the Jem'Hadar have never actually seen a Founder, and some doubt that they even exist. Yet they have built their service to the shapeshifters into a religion, literally regarding the Founders as living Gods, to the extent that the Jem'Hadar ritualistically commit suicide if they fail to protect a shapeshifter from harm.

The Vorta, as the representatives of the Founders, are also given immense loyalty by most Jem'Hadar - even when such loyalty seems unwarranted. Absolute obedience from the Jem'Hadar is further guaranteed by the Vorta's control of the ketracel-white. The Jem'Hadar prefer a kar'takin for close combat.

The dispersal of Ketracel-white has a ritual statement, spoken between the Vorta and the First. The Vorta presents the vials of white and asks:

"[Rank] [Name], can you vouch for the loyalty of your men?"

The First responds:

"We pledge our loyalty to the Founders from now until death."

The Vorta then replies:

"Then receive this reward from the Founders. May it keep you strong."

The greatest feat is to reach old age without being considered a coward. Those Jem'Hadar unlucky enough to be assigned endless guard duties, with no opportunity for combat, are considered truly miserable and wretched. They will grow old without scars and will pray for death long before it comes. A Jem'Hadar who feels old age coming on, with the loss of physical capabilities, will attempt to be assigned a combat mission, hoping to die in battle rather than in bed. The Vorta can be excessively cruel by denying them this. If no battle opportunities exist, the Vorta may allow members of the elder's own unit to turn on him, but this is rare, for it risks losing warriors in their prime if the old one's advanced skills manage to take one or two soldiers with him.

Rivalries between units are forbidden, although rivalries between the Vorta commanders often cause their Jem'Hadar soldiers to pick up a degree of enmity against another unit. This is strongly discouraged by the Vorta leadership and the Founders, but it occurs nonetheless. In matters of importance, however, such rivalries are forgotten in favor of battle against a greater enemy.

Jem'Hadar speak their own tongue, a greatly modified form of their native language, developed before the Founders took control of their race's evolution. It is a simple language, composed mainly of short commands, with a huge vocabulary of battle words referring to tactics and maneuvers for which no words exist in many other languages.

Jem'Hadar First's were also capable of distributing the white among those under his command. By 2374, Alpha Jem'Hadar no longer recited the ritual dispersal statement, as they demonstrate their loyalty by their actions, not their words.

Technology

The uniforms Jem’Hadar soldiers wear allow them to be almost completely unaffected by many forms of anti-personnel forcefield. Their energy weapons contain anti-coagulants that are designed to slowly kill their enemies if the energy discharge did not. The rifle and pistol weapons used by the Jem'Hadar have at least three settings, able to stun, deliver a generally lethal pulse laced with the anti-coagulants, and a more powerful pulse capable of vaporizing a humanoid target.

Reference(s)

• Bridges, Bill, et al. Star Trek Roleplaying Game Book 5: Aliens, Decipher, 2003. ISBN: 1582369070.