in star trek who are the breen

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The Breen were a reclusive, powerful, and warlike humanoid race native to the planet Breen in the Alpha Quadrant . Shrouded in mystery, the Breen were also one of the most underestimated races inhabiting that quadrant of space .

• 1.1 Alliance with the Dominion
• 1.2 Continued aggression
• 1.3 32nd century
• 2 Alternate timelines and realities
• 4.1 Treatment of prisoners
• 4.2 Language
• 5 Science and technology
• 6 Mirror universe
• 7 Individuals
• 8 Territory
• 9.1 Appearances
• 9.2.1 Initial references
• 9.2.2 First appearance
• 9.2.3 Interim
• 9.2.4 Return
• 9.2.5 Uncertainties and trivia
• 9.2.6 32nd century return and unmasking
• 9.2.7 Reception
• 9.3 Apocrypha
• 9.4 External links

History and politics [ ]

Historically , the Klingons were among the first to discover that the Breen did not tolerate incursions into their space. During the Klingon Second Empire , Chancellor Mow'ga ordered an entire fleet of Klingon warships to invade and conquer the Breen homeworld . The fleet never returned and was never heard from again. ( DS9 : " 'Til Death Do Us Part ")

The Romulans ' contact with the Breen led to their coining a saying: " Never turn your back on a Breen. " ( DS9 : " By Inferno's Light ")

Breen privateers during the 24th century often conducted indiscriminate raids against other Alpha Quadrant species. This included the Breen attack and capture of a Cardassian Central Command vessel , the Ravinok , in 2366 . The survivors of that attack were used for slave labor in Breen-operated dilithium mines on Dozaria . ( DS9 : " Indiscretion ")

Even by the 24th century , much was still unknown about the Breen and their government , known as the Breen Confederacy . ( DS9 : " Strange Bedfellows ", " The Dogs of War ") The Federation had limited knowledge of the Breen, however, and was aware of Breen outposts located in Sector 97 in 2368 . That same year, Starfleet feared the Breen might have attacked the science vessel SS Vico there. ( TNG : " Hero Worship ")

In 2370 , the Breen participated in a palio held at Federation space station Deep Space 3 , during which the Ferengi attempted to bribe a Breen pilot into deliberately losing the race. ( TNG : " Interface ")

In 2371 , evidence seemed to briefly indicate that the Breen may have attacked another Federation space station, the Amargosa observatory , though the true aggressors were, moments later, determined to have been Romulans. ( Star Trek Generations ) Nevertheless, by about this point, the Breen were considered one of the most warlike species known to the Federation. ( VOY : " Elogium ")

Breen in a dilithium mine on Dozaria

In 2372 , the Breen captors on Dozaria were located by Kira Nerys and Gul Dukat . Dukat stated that he didn't approve of what the Breen were doing, by employing the survivors of the Ravinok as slaves but did "admire their ingenuity." The Breen guards were ambushed by him and Kira, so that they could free one of the Breen's prisoners: Dukat's daughter , Tora Ziyal . ( DS9 : " Indiscretion ") Later that year, Breen privateers raided the Bajoran colony of Free Haven ; they were, however, successfully driven away by the USS Defiant . ( DS9 : " To the Death ")

By 2373 , the Cardassian Union maintained an embassy on the Breen homeworld. ( DS9 : " Return to Grace ") The same year, Breen settlements on Portas V , near the Demilitarized Zone , dealt with the Maquis , supplying them with cold storage units . ( DS9 : " For the Uniform ")

A Breen prisoner and a Jem'Hadar guard kill each other

Whereas a Breen individual was held captive by the Dominion at Internment Camp 371 in 2373 (before killing a couple of Jem'Hadar guards there and, in retaliation, being shot to death in that year), other species like the Ferengi had developed closer ties with the Breen by the late 24th century, as both species conducted trade negotiations in 2373. ( DS9 : " In Purgatory's Shadow ", " By Inferno's Light ", " Ferengi Love Songs ") Once, in 2374 , Ferengi engineer Rom referred to the Breen as one of the top three toughest mercenary species that he and his brother , Quark , could find (the others being Klingons and Nausicaans ). Rom suggested including the Breen in a commando team which would be sent to rescue his and Quark's mother , Ishka , who was being held prisoner by the Dominion, but Quark declined the Breen's involvement, opting for the rescue operation to be attempted by Ferengi only. Ishka's captor, Vorta clone Yelgrun , considered Breen annoying, though not as much as Ferengi. ( DS9 : " The Magnificent Ferengi ")

It was noted by Ezri Dax in 2375 , when she and Worf were captured by the Breen on the planet Goralis III , that they were a long way from Breen space . ( DS9 : " Penumbra ") The Breen interrogated Worf and Dax, but the information which the pair consequently provided was somewhat confusing. ( DS9 : " 'Til Death Do Us Part ", " Strange Bedfellows ") In Worf's opinion, the Breen were not only dangerous but also had no honor . ( DS9 : " 'Til Death Do Us Part ")

In 2380 , Lieutenant Barbara Brinson suspected Ensign Beckett Mariner of being a Breen infiltrator. ( LD : " Cupid's Errant Arrow ")

Alliance with the Dominion [ ]

Watched by Weyoun and Damar , Thot Gor meets the Female Changeling for the first time

Meanwhile, Breen representative Thot Gor had been extensively conversing over subspace with the Female Changeling , the leader of the Dominion, in discussions that she found to be particularly productive. ( DS9 : " Strange Bedfellows ") The Breen were of no personal interest to her other than the military advantage they could provide against the Federation Alliance in the Dominion War , in which the Female Changeling was determined to lead the Dominion to victory. ( DS9 : " The Changing Face of Evil ") In 2375, the Breen moved from a policy of low-level hostilities toward most other major powers to one of open warfare when they allied themselves with the Dominion as reinforcements. ( DS9 : " 'Til Death Do Us Part ", " Strange Bedfellows ") To mark the historic moment when the two parties first met in person, the Breen presented Worf and Ezri Dax as gifts to the Dominion. ( DS9 : " 'Til Death Do Us Part ")

The Breen with Damar

According to the terms of alliance , the Breen Confederacy received several planets in the Cardassian Union as compensation for joining the war. Despite being welcomed by the Female Changeling and Vorta leader Weyoun , the Breen were mistrusted by the leader of the Cardassian Union, Legate Damar , who was frustrated by the details of their treaty with the Dominion. For instance, the Breen were thereafter allowed unlimited access to the Dominion's database , whereas Damar was annoyed at them being permitted to use it at all. His frustration over how the Breen were being received led Damar to begin a Cardassian rebellion against the Dominion and enable Ezri Dax and Worf to escape back to Federation space. ( DS9 : " Strange Bedfellows ") Even for the Cardassian rebels, the addition of the Breen made the Dominion more formidable than ever. ( DS9 : " The Changing Face of Evil ")

Remains of San Francisco after the Breen attack during the Dominion War

Shortly after joining with the Dominion, the Breen attacked Earth , assaulting Starfleet Headquarters and destroying the nearby Golden Gate Bridge . Most of the Breen attack force was destroyed by Starfleet, though the majority of the damage on Earth had been done by that time.

The Breen were so secretive that the only thing Starfleet knew about them, up to then, was that they were a race of warriors , an aspect of the Breen which the Klingons learned in light of their attack on Earth, as not even the Klingons had ever attempted such a strike. Even Weyoun and Damar considered the Breen to be "full of surprises," albeit for different reasons. ( DS9 : " The Changing Face of Evil ")

Employment of a devastating Breen weapon results in the destruction of the USS Defiant

A short time later, the Breen assisted Dominion forces in breaking the lines at Chin'toka , launching a counteroffensive against the Federation Alliance there and breaking through in two places. To Rom's son , Starfleet Ensign Nog , the Breen now seemed unstoppable, though Worf refuted this opinion, believing that every foe could somehow be overcome. A major battle which followed, known as the Second Battle of Chin'toka , was won by the Dominion thanks to a unique Breen device, a kind of energy-dampening weapon which could completely drain all the main power systems of a starship . Those vessels which were destroyed by the Breen weapon during the battle included the USS Defiant . ( DS9 : " The Changing Face of Evil ") In fact, the only ship immune to the weapon was a Klingon Bird-of-Prey , the IKS Ki'tang , which serendipitously survived thanks to an adjustment the chief engineer had made to the ship's tritium intermix in the warp core . ( DS9 : " When It Rains... ") Under orders from the Female Changeling, the Breen allowed escape pods to carry Federation survivors to safety (believing they would sow fear in the enemy ranks after what they had witnessed), and the Breen were thanked for the decisive part they had served in the battle. ( DS9 : " The Changing Face of Evil ") Both this defeat and the Breen's devastating assault on Earth dealt a huge blow to the Federation Alliance's morale. ( DS9 : " The Changing Face of Evil ", " When It Rains... ") The Breen were also being used to defend numerous Dominion facilities. ( DS9 : " When It Rains... ")

Breen engineers were assigned to begin retrofitting Dominion ships with the energy-dampening weapon. The engineers were instructed to accelerate the installation program, an order that had been sent from the Female Changeling and was relayed to the engineers by Thot Pran , a Breen official. According to one report (from Kelvas V ), the Breen would start installing the weapon on Jem'Hadar fighters within a week. ( DS9 : " Tacking Into the Wind ") Although the Klingon fleet was able to make the needed adjustments against the weapon, the Federation and the Romulans were still unable to defend against the Breen. ( DS9 : " When It Rains... ", " The Dogs of War ") Hence, the Breen were prevented from acquiring final victory for the Dominion only because the Klingon vessels were present. ( DS9 : " When It Rains... ", " Tacking Into the Wind ") When the Federation finally did create a defense against the energy-dampening weapon, they forced the Dominion fleet to retreat. Thot Pran expressed an extreme distaste for surrender , and required the reassurance of the Female Changeling that, instead of surrendering, they were actually regrouping and attempting to redouble their shipbuilding and replenishment efforts. ( DS9 : " The Dogs of War ")

Thot Pran with the Female Changeling and Weyoun, reviewing plans for the forthcoming Battle of Cardassia

With the necessary countermeasures against the Breen's energy-dampening weapon obtained, the Federation Alliance was able to go on the offensive once again, choosing to try to invade Cardassia Prime itself. In hopes of raising the Breen's will to fight, the Female Changeling offered them control of Earth and Romulus if they succeeded in winning the battle. However, she then told Weyoun this was merely a political promise, designed just as motivation. While every Breen soldier on Cardassia was participating in a concerted search for Damar, the Breen, in the interest of maintaining their alliance with the Dominion, were positioned ahead of the Jem'Hadar by the Female Changeling, under pressure from Thot Pran.

During the ensuing Battle of Cardassia , the Breen were still able to inflict major casualties on the allies, even without the use of their energy-dampening weapon. Up to a third of the allies' entire fleet was destroyed during the battle, including the Romulan flagship , even though sabotage by the Cardassian rebellion resulted in the Dominion fleet being out of contact with their headquarters until midway through the battle. The Breen continued to fight for the Dominion until the end of the war, demonstrating a willingness to die for the cause which matched that of the Jem'Hadar. However, when the Cardassian forces switched sides mid-battle, the Dominion and Breen were forced to withdraw to Cardassia Prime. The Breen leaders left Dominion Headquarters in order to fight on the front lines , and both Damar and Weyoun were shot to death shortly thereafter. At the Dominion defense perimeter in orbit of the planet, the Breen were to be targeted by the Klingons, in a three-pronged attack that saw the Romulans, Cardassians and Starfleet focus on other targets.

The Breen leaders witness the signing of the Treaty of Bajor

After Odo convinced the Female Changeling to surrender, the Breen and their allies stood down, finally bringing an end to the Dominion War. As allies of the Dominion, Breen representatives were present during the signing of the Treaty of Bajor . ( DS9 : " What You Leave Behind ")

Continued aggression [ ]

Despite ceasing open hostilities with other major Alpha and Beta Quadrant powers, by 2381 the Breen had made at least one incursion into the Delos system and occupied the planet Brekka . This incursion was accidentally discovered by the crew of the USS Cerritos . ( LD : " Trusted Sources ") However, it later emerged that Vice Admiral Les Buenamigo had prior knowledge of the Breen's presence on Brekka and had been setting the Cerritos up for a crisis that would "force" him to unveil the Texas -class USS Aledo . Cerritos captain Carol Freeman was outraged when she learned this, as Buenamigo's actions had needlessly put her crew in mortal danger. ( LD : " The Stars At Night ")

Before the Burn in the 31st century , there was some diplomatic contact between the Federation and the Breen, but no official contact afterwards. ( DIS : " Erigah ")

32nd century [ ]

The Breen remained antagonists of the Federation in the 32nd century, by which time the Breen Confederacy had been succeeded by the Breen Imperium . Following the death of the Breen Emperor , disparate branches of the royal bloodline began making competing claims to the throne. As a result, six primarchs of the Yod-Thot royalty cast went to war with each other for control of the Imperium, two of whom were Ruhn and Tahal . ( DIS : " Red Directive ", " Mirrors ", " Erigah ")

At some point, Tahal took over the planet Kellerun , turning it into an outpost and enslaving the Kelleruns . When some resisted, Tahal brutally executed them, only sparing Rayner out of respect for his Breen-like fighting spirit and determination. ( DIS : " Erigah ")

L'ak , one of two couriers who was searching for the Progenitors ' technology, was actually a Breen, the nephew of primarch Ruhn and a direct descendant of the deceased emperor, making L'ak the Scion of the Breen Imperium. Whoever controlled L'ak had a legitimate claim to the throne through him, but L'ak hated being the Scion and rebelled against his uncle after falling in love with Moll , resulting in the two getting an erigah placed on their heads. L'ak and Moll sought the Progenitors' technology, hoping to trade it for the release of the blood bounty , although Captain Michael Burnham warned that the Breen would be more likely to simply kill L'ak and take it for themselves. ( DIS : " Mirrors ", " Erigah ")

After Moll and L'ak were captured by the Federation, Ruhn traveled into Federation space to get them, the first time that the Breen had crossed into Federation territory since the Breen attack on Earth . Learning that L'ak was the Scion, President T'Rina of Ni'Var attempted to negotiate a deal with Ruhn to keep L'ak so that none of the Breen factions would have him, leaving Ruhn to take the throne through battle and threatening to give L'ak to Tahal otherwise. However, in a failed escape attempt, L'ak accidentally gave himself an overdose of tricordrazine and died despite the best efforts of Doctor Hugh Culber and a Breen medic. Although Ruhn threatened war against the Federation for it, planning to use his nephew's corpse to unite the Breen under his leadership, Moll revealed the search for the Progenitors' technology which could give Ruhn the power that he needed, hoping that she could use it to resurrect L'ak. With no other choice, the Federation allowed Ruhn to take Moll with him, leaving the Federation and the Breen in a race to find the Progenitors' technology. ( DIS : " Erigah ")

Alternate timelines and realities [ ]

In an alternate timeline where the USS Discovery wasn't rescued from the time cycling in time, the Progenitor technology came into the possession of the Breen, particularly Primarch Ruhn , who used it to stage a devastating attack on the Federation just a few weeks after Discovery 's rescue; Commander Rayner suggested that it had been sold to the Breen by Moll and L'ak . By 3218 , Ruhn's dreadnaught was patrolling the wreckage of the USS Federation . After learning that L'ak was a Breen himself seeking to trade the technology in exchange for his freedom, Burnham suggested that the Breen simply killed L'ak and Moll instead and took it for themselves. When Ruhn came to collect the pair from the Federation, Burnham recognized his Breen dreadnaught as the ship that she had seen in the alternate timeline. ( DIS : " Face the Strange ", " Mirrors ", " Erigah ")

Physiology [ ]

The face of L'ak in a fluid state

The face of L'ak in a solid state

In their true forms, Breen were humanoids capable of surviving in multiple environments. They also had two faces: a solid state one, where their flesh-based skin was green; and a fluid state consisting of green transulcent fluid that the Breen were taught was their true face. While L'ak argued that both were part of their true form, being half of their nature, Primarch Ruhn claimed that the Breen had evolved past their more solid state and that taking on that form just made them weak. ( DIS : " Mirrors ")

The Breen had no blood or other liquid circulatory system . ( DS9 : " In Purgatory's Shadow ") The species was one of many whose thoughts and emotions were not detectable by empathic species, such as Betazoids . ( TNG : " The Loss ") The Breen had at least two genders : male and female. ( DS9 : " Strange Bedfellows ", et al. ; DIS : " Erigah ") Breen appeared physically more resilient than most humanoids. When Worf struck a Breen, the Breen proceeded to incapacitate Worf with a neural truncheon , seemingly oblivious to the assault. ( DS9 : " 'Til Death Do Us Part ") However, they still had vital organs, at least in their solid state, and could suffer injuries that would be fatal over time if not properly treated. ( DIS : " Erigah ")

The Breen usually wore refrigeration suits . Doctor Hugh Culber discovered in 3191 that the blend of subzero gasses in the refrigeration suits provoked an immune response that was unique to the Breen. This response triggered a somatic cellular regeneration that, given enough time, could enable a Breen to heal from near-fatal wounds. Nonetheless, even by the late 32nd century , the United Federation of Planets still knew very little about Breen physiology, to the point that they couldn't even treat a wound aside from easing the Breen in question's pain. ( DIS : " Erigah ")

Even as late as the 32nd century , no one appeared to have seen a Breen outside of their suits, at least not without realizing it, as no one was aware that L'ak was actually a Breen due to L'ak never been seen using a refrigeration suit. According to Worf , no outsider had ever seen what a Breen looked like under their refrigeration suits and lived. ( DS9 : " 'Til Death Do Us Part ") Due to this, there were many rumors regarding Breen.

Even shortly before the Dominion War was concluded, their appearance remained so completely unknown to their allies that Weyoun could not avoid wondering what the Breen looked like. ( DS9 : " What You Leave Behind ") Ezri Dax once had a dream that featured a male Breen taking off his helmet to reveal he was actually Julian Bashir .

Worf firmly concluded that the species didn't have claws , although Ezri Dax wasn't sure of this belief. She, on the other hand, speculated that the Breen might be covered in fur , due to their home planet purportedly having a remarkably cold climate . ( DS9 : " 'Til Death Do Us Part ") Dukat expected Dozaria's climate would be about fifty degrees too hot for the species, so he expressed extreme surprise at finding Breen guards on that planet. ( DS9 : " Indiscretion ") However, while the intelligence reports available to Cardassian and Dominion leaders during the Dominion War reported their homeworld to be a frozen wasteland, Weyoun remarked (in his capacity as a diplomat) that the planet was really "quite comfortable." ( DS9 : " The Changing Face of Evil ")

Society and culture [ ]

The Breen commonly experienced pregnancy at a young age. ( VOY : " Elogium ") Newborn Breen were referred to as "hatchlings". ( DIS : " Erigah ")

Breen entertained and taught their offspring with nursery rhymes . A particular example of a Breen nursery rhyme was made up of a heterophonic, five-line verse with an alternating tetrameter and pentameter structure. These were nonsensical phrases, strung together because they rhymed (at least to the Breen). Breen music which accompanied this nursery rhyme was written on a Lyxian scale . ( DS9 : " For the Uniform ")

Based on how algae paste tasted, Ezri Dax humorously speculated that the Breen were "horrible cooks ." ( DS9 : " 'Til Death Do Us Part ")

Breen marriage symbols

Married Breen scarred themselves with matching symbols on their forearms . Marriage to a non-Breen was considered to be an "abomination", but even so the partners were legally entitled to stay together in life or death. ( DIS : " Erigah ")

The Breen rank structure included the title thot, which was implied to be greater than that of a Cardassian legate . ( DS9 : " Strange Bedfellows ") Other Breen worked as engineers, including at least four at the Kelvas facility . ( DS9 : " Tacking Into the Wind ") The Breen Imperium of the 32nd century was ruled by a royal caste called the Yod-Thot , which included the primarchs . Ruhn was described as being "Breen Primarch of the Sixth Flight ." ( DIS : " Mirrors ") The Breen were originally ruled by a Breen Emperor , but after the last emperor's death the disparate branches of the royal bloodline began making competing claims for the throne, resulting in a civil war between six primarchs. Ruhn's nephew L'ak was the last direct descendant of the emperor and as such, he was considered to be the Scion of the Breen Imperium. If one of the primarchs could control L'ak, they would have a legitimate claim to the throne. ( DIS : " Erigah ")

The Breen had a blood bounty called erigah which could only be released by the Breen themselves. ( DIS : " Mirrors ")

According to Commander Rayner , genocide was a necessity to the Breen and their version of the Prime Directive . ( DIS : " Erigah ")

Breen medics , at least in the 32nd century , could be distinguished by a glowing symbol in the middle of their armor. ( DIS : " Erigah ")

Treatment of prisoners [ ]

The Breen were known to use slave labor, and at least some of these slaves were captured in raids on other species. When the Breen were using Bajoran slaves to mine dilithium ore , there were always at least eight guards within the mines. ( DS9 : " Indiscretion ")

The Breen were very prudent when dealing with prisoners. When capturing prisoners, the Breen typically stunned them from long range with their disruptors , rather than approaching them and risking close combat. When Worf and Ezri Dax were discovered by the Breen on Goralis while sleeping , the Breen used this technique to subdue them. The Breen also fed their prisoners a diet of algae paste. ( DS9 : " Penumbra ", " 'Til Death Do Us Part ")

Aboard starships, the Breen typically sent in three guards at a time when they wished to remove a single prisoner from a cell that was being shared with other prisoners. Although Worf made various attempts at escape, they all failed, including an attempt to persuade the Breen guards that Ezri was sick, as well as an attempt to short-circuit the door of their cell. When Worf attempted to attack the Breen guards, they used a type of neural truncheon to paralyze him. Even after he fell to the ground, partially paralyzed, two Breen guards continued to use the truncheons on him to ensure he would not get back up, before two guards removed Ezri from the cell. ( DS9 : " 'Til Death Do Us Part ") In another incident, Worf simply showed signs of anger towards Weyoun and was again shocked by the neural truncheon. ( DS9 : " Strange Bedfellows ") On the other hand, a holographic Breen , enhanced by the Hirogen and participating in Iden's Rebellion of 2377 , once helped restrain B'Elanna Torres , but did so in a way that was relatively very careful, taking Torres by the arm to a position where a force field could be activated around her. ( VOY : " Flesh and Blood ")

To extract information from captives, the Breen used cortical implants , despite the fact that they caused extreme mental and physical side effects to the recipient, including severe pain and hallucinations . ( DS9 : " 'Til Death Do Us Part ")

Language [ ]

See: Breen language

Science and technology [ ]

Given that most known humanoid species lived on class M planets with an average temperature far above the supposed temperature of Breen, the Breen were largely thought to have had to develop refrigeration suits in order to co-exist with others. ( DS9 : " The Changing Face of Evil ") Underneath the suits, the Breen typically existed in their fluid state, believing that they had evolved beyond their solid state, although they were capable of taking on both. ( DIS : " Mirrors ") Doctor Hugh Culber discovered in 3191 that the subzero gasses in the suits provoked a unique immune response in the Breen triggering their somatic cellular regeneration . ( DIS : " Erigah ")

The Breen were known for their knowledge of sophisticated cold storage units, summed up in a statement Captain Benjamin Sisko once made: " If anyone knows how to keep things cold, it's the Breen. " ( DS9 : " For the Uniform ")

A Breen ship

By 2373 , the Breen were among multiple species known by Starfleet to use organic-based vessels . ( VOY : " Scorpion ") Some of their vessels were even believed to be fitted with cloaking devices . ( TNG : " Hero Worship ") During the mid- 2370s , Breen interceptors utilized energy-dampening weapons. ( DS9 : " The Changing Face of Evil ", et al. ) The expediency with which the Breen could mobilize large fleets of ships surprised Damar. ( DS9 : " The Changing Face of Evil ") The Breen's piloting skills likewise impressed Nog. ( DS9 : " What You Leave Behind ")

The Breen were known to use type 3 disruptors, in common with the Romulans and Klingons. ( Star Trek Generations ) The Breen also manufactured a portable hand-held cannon , the CRM 114 , which was designed to target moving objects and surface emplacements. It was among numerous weapons dealt by Ferengi arms dealer Gaila in the mid-2370s. ( DS9 : " Business as Usual ") A holographic facsimile of a pistol was almost used by the holographic Breen in Iden's Rebellion, moments prior to that Breen being deactivated. ( VOY : " Flesh and Blood ")

The Breen made use of memory-probing technology, in the form of cortical implants, and neural truncheons for subduing prisoners. ( DS9 : " Indiscretion ", " 'Til Death Do Us Part ")

By the late 32nd century , the Breen possessed massive dreadnaught -class starships which were so enormous that they massively dwarfed even the USS Federation . The dreadnaughts were the Breen's most powerful warship class. ( DIS : " Erigah ")

Mirror universe [ ]

In the mirror universe , Intendant Kira once told Benjamin Sisko that Breen icicles were warmer than Professor Jennifer Sisko . ( DS9 : " Shattered Mirror ")

Individuals [ ]

• Unnamed Breen

Territory [ ]

• See : Breen space

Appendices [ ]

Appearances [ ].

• " Indiscretion " ( Season 4 )
• " In Purgatory's Shadow " ( Season 5 )
• " By Inferno's Light "
• " Penumbra " ( Season 7 )
• " 'Til Death Do Us Part "
• " Strange Bedfellows "
• " The Changing Face of Evil "
• " Tacking Into the Wind "
• " The Dogs of War "
• " What You Leave Behind "
• VOY : " Flesh and Blood " ( hologram ) ( Season 7 )
• LD : " Trusted Sources " ( Season 3 )
• " Red Directive " ( Season 5 )
• " Under the Twin Moons "
• " Jinaal " (image only)
• " Face the Strange "
• " Mirrors "

Background information [ ]

In the final draft scripts of " Indiscretion " and " Return to Grace ", the term "Breen" was listed in the pronunciation guide, phonetically notated as "BREEN". [4] [5]

In the Norwegian language, the term "Breen" means glacier.

Some of the actors and stunt performers to have worn the Breen costumes are Cathy DeBuono , Todd Slayton , Max Omega , Wade Kelly , Dennis Madalone , and Tom Morga .

Initial references [ ]

Ira Steven Behr once described the Breen, considering the references to them on Star Trek: The Next Generation , as "sort of a running joke" in TNG. ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion  (p. 277)) Marco Palmieri similarly reasoned that contemplating all the canonical facts about Breen biology is " enough to give the impression that as each new tidbit about the Breen was being conceived, little thought was given to the composite picture being created. And it may well be that this is exactly how the Breen started. " ( Star Trek Magazine  issue 156 , p. 49)

The first evidence of the Breen was in the TNG Season 4 episode " The Loss ", in which Data , during a meeting of the USS Enterprise -D 's senior staff , mentions the Breen as one of "many races that are not empathically detectable." Both in that episode and the next installment to mention the Breen, TNG Season 5 's " Hero Worship ", the Breen are cited as a possible culprit by Data, firstly in regard to Deanna Troi losing her empathic Betazoid abilities and secondly concerning the destruction of the SS Vico . In both cases, the Breen are found not to be the cause.

Jeri Taylor proposed exploring the Breen in an ultimately abandoned season finalé that would have ended TNG Season 6 . [6] [7] In a memo which initially outlined the story (a document which was sent from Taylor to Michael Piller on 21 January 1992 ), the Breen were described as "a bellicose, brutal species who inhabit a distant but expanding empire." In the narrative, a Breen delegation was to be met and escorted to Earth by the Enterprise -D, formally establishing diplomatic relations between the Breen and the Federation. Although the Federation had long been happy that the Breen lived far from Federation space and had been expecting the species to be adversarial, the Breen had recently made the first tentative step toward establishing ties with the Federation. The unpleasantness of the species, however, became apparent to the Enterprise -D crew when the two groups met. They arranged an initial joint mission, whereby Starfleet scientists were sent on a Breen vessel to investigate a recently discovered phenomenon, but the ship suddenly vanished without explanation. In response, the Breen volatilely accused the Enterprise of being duplicitously responsible for the ship's disappearance, but the Enterprise then discovered the Breen ship, caught in an anomaly, and attempted to rescue it, the Starfleet crew jeopardizing their own vessel in the process. Jeri Taylor was of the opinion that using the story as an opportunity to introduce the Breen as a new adversary "would infuse new energy into the 7th season ." [8] In a revised version of the plot (relayed by Taylor to Piller in a memo dated 16 February 1992 ), she suggested that the Breen delegation meet with the starship Indiana , under Riker 's command, rather than the Enterprise , though the latter still undertook the rescue attempt (much to Riker's chagrin). When Riker opted to go to the aid of the Enterprise while it was endangered due to the anomaly, the Breen were unsettled by this decision. The volatile Breen were thereafter encountered by Captain Picard , when he came aboard the Indiana , moments before he was blown out of the ship, through a rupture in its hull, and out into space. [9]

Although the Breen and their involvement in the palio on DS3 are discussed as essentially smalltalk between Picard and Vice Admiral Marcus Holt in TNG Season 7 entry " Interface ", the Breen's function as suspects was not finished. They weren't referenced at all in the first draft script of Star Trek Generations , despite being mentioned on-screen in the final version of that film , wherein Riker cites them as potentially responsible for the attack on the Amargosa observatory, though this is later determined not to have been the case.

First appearance [ ]

When the DS9 writing staff required a villain for DS9 Season 4 episode "Indiscretion", an opportunity to physically depict the Breen presented itself. " We just struck on the idea to use the Breen, " stated Robert Hewitt Wolfe . ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion  (p. 277))

In the script of "Indiscretion", the Breen were described as " tall, well-armed humanoids in dark, armored pressure suits which protect them from [...] harsh atmosphere. " [10]

The hidden manner in which the Breen were portrayed – fully clothed, wearing masks and helmets – was influenced by the fact "Indiscretion" came very soon after episodes which featured large numbers of Klingons and Jem'Hadar (namely, " The Way of the Warrior " and " Hippocratic Oath " respectively). " I wasn't really in the mood to come up with a new alien race, " explained Ira Steven Behr. " So I said, 'Let's not see them. Let's just put them in costume because they normally live in the cold.' " ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion  (p. 277)) An additional motive for Behr deciding that the Breen should appear in fully enclosed costumes was that this would cut down on make-up expenses. ( Star Trek: The Official Starships Collection , issue 69, p. 17)

When the Breen helmets were being designed for "Indiscretion", it was decided that they would give viewers the suggestion of a snout, like that of an Arctic Wolf . ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion  (p. 277)) Terry J. Erdmann recalled about the Breen, " They were never supposed to be important at all, so when the wardrobe department first made Breen costumes, they were kind of simple; they just made a mask and put them on some guys who were going to stand in the background. " ( Star Trek: The Magazine  Volume 1, Issue 17 , p. 93)

Interim [ ]

The word "Breen" was listed in the pronunciation guide for the final draft script of DS9 Season 5 installment " Let He Who Is Without Sin... ", which noted that it "rhymes with 'green'." However, the term wasn't actually used anywhere else in that teleplay. [11]

The Breen were not referenced in the first draft script of fifth season outing " For the Uniform ", despite the species being talked about in the final version of that episode.

In the first draft script of DS9 : " Sons and Daughters ", the Breen were referenced, by Jake Sisko , as having fought Bel Torthap , a writer whom Jake respected. This reference to the species lasted at least two versions of the first draft script: the original (dated 1 July 1997 ) and a revision (dated 8 July 1997). However, the Breen weren't mentioned at all in the final draft of the script for "Sons and Daughters" (issued on 11 July 1997). [12]

Thus, as of the start of DS9 Season 6 (in September 1997 ), the show's writing staff didn't have any plans to feature the Breen in the series. However, Ronald D. Moore didn't rule out such a possibility, remarking, " We could explore them in the future. " ( AOL chat , 1997 )

Mentioned above , a Breen named " Aaioa Uree " was originally to have appeared in DS9 Season 7 outing " Field of Fire ", but this idea was ultimately scrapped.

At the start of a nine-episode arc that was designed to bring an end to Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , the Breen were brought into the Dominion War by the show's writers. Thus, the species went from having been used only "a handful of times" prior to DS9 Season 7 to becoming "major players" (as worded by First Assistant Director B.C. Cameron ) in the first of those installments, " Penumbra ". Their introduction into the conflict was motivated by the writers feeling sure that the Breen would heighten the stakes of the war. ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion  (pp. 685 & 702)) Christopher L. Bennett observed that there was probably an additional reason why the Breen were introduced into the Dominion War. " I think the main reason for bringing in the Breen, " he said, " was to establish that the Dominion saw Cardassia as disposable – not the partners they'd promised, but just a stepping-stone toward their conquest of the quadrant, to be tossed aside as soon as they'd outlived their usefulness (if you'll pardon the mixed metaphor). It was a motivator for Damar's – and Cardassia's – journey toward rebellion. " [13] As the writing staff didn't have the entire war worked out when they brought the Breen into it, they were uncertain how much would ultimately be learned about the Breen in the series. ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion  (p. 685)) Nonetheless, the Breen ended up as the last major villains to be introduced in DS9. Also, the fact that so little had been established about them, thus far, gave Designer John Eaves a feeling of particular freeness while designing the Breen ship, for "Penumbra". ( Star Trek: The Official Starships Collection , issue 69, pp. 10 & 11)

The DS9 writing staff wanted to make the Breen seem highly mysterious. " We wanted to give these guys something special, " commented Ira Steven Behr. " I couldn't make them the toughest guys in the galaxy – that's the Jem'Hadar. Or the most arrogant guys – that's the Cardassians. Or the most untrustworthy guys – that's the Vorta. So we decided to make them the most mysterious guys in the galaxy, with voices that really grate on the audience. " Behr has also said that the Breen's distinctive, scratchy voice, which was first spoken in " 'Til Death Do Us Part ", was inspired by the guitar feedback on Lou Reed 's album Metal Machine Music . ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion  (p. 703))

When they decided to bring the Breen back, DS9's creative staff had to reuse the same costumes which had already been created for the species. " One day, the wardrobe department gets this call. 'Guess what? We're going to use the Breen,' " Terry J. Erdmann related. " Well, those masks that those poor actors are wearing have a long bill on the front, with only a tiny hole at the end for them to breathe. They snap on to the back, so they are difficult to put on and off, and the eye holes were in the wrong place, so they really couldn't see. But these almost unusable costumes were established, so they were stuck with them. " ( Star Trek: The Magazine  Volume 1, Issue 17 , p. 93) Not only did the costumes hamper breathing and seeing (the latter of which caused background extra Wade Kelly, when B.C. Cameron asked him to walk across a room, to repeatedly stumble noisily on set, during production on " Strange Bedfellows "), but wearing them also brought a host of other problems too. B.C. Cameron pointed out, " They're wearing big, clumsy boots, and their outfits are layered like an armadillo, making it very hard for them to move. " Regarding the difficulties of using the Breen helmets, Steve Oster explained, " They're held together with magnets and they fall off any time someone bumps them. And before we redesigned them, the switches for the little blinky lights were on the inside of the helmet. " This meant the helmets had to be removed from the actors every time the lights needed to be turned on. " And for some reason we never did figure out, " continued Oster, " the nine-volt batteries only lasted minutes before they burned out. " Thot Gor actor Todd Slayton considered "the biggest problem with the Breen mask" was the tiny hole for breathing, which he estimated was about eight inches away from the wearer's nose. He also noted that the viewing lens in the mask often steamed up quite quickly. ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion  (p. 702))

During the course of writing the Dominion War, the DS9 writers were very intent on establishing the Breen as extremely formidable, tough aliens. This inspired the introduction of the Breen energy-dampening weapon and the destruction of the USS Defiant , in " The Changing Face of Evil ". ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion  (p. 693))

The final Breen to be depicted (in live action) was the holographic individual in VOY : " Flesh and Blood ". The final draft script of "Flesh and Blood, Part I" called for multiple holographic Breen to appear in the episode, although only one is present in the final version.

Uncertainties and trivia [ ]

Ultimately, Deep Space Nine never made clear how the Breen actually looked inside their costumes. Whereas First Assistant Director Lou Race "always" suspected the Breen looked similar to Donald Duck (owing to the beak-like part of their helmets), Make-Up Supervisor Michael Westmore admitted that he wasn't really sure how they looked. However, he also reflected, " I actually had an unused head in the lab that would have been great. I thought we could put a little bit of a snout onto it, so we could justify the snout on the helmet. But we never had the opportunity to show one of them. " ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion  (pp. 701-702))

It was also left unclear whether anyone had ever seen a Breen and survived the experience. In "'Til Death Do Us Part", Worf states, " No one has ever seen [a Breen] and lived to speak of it. " However, "Indiscretion" implies that Kira and Dukat must have gotten a look at a pair of Breen whose uniforms they stole. Compounding the continuity problem, Kira is implied as having dispatched another Breen, again for his uniform, in DS9 series finalé " What You Leave Behind ". In hindsight, Ronald D. Moore regarded this continuity glitch as one of numerous frustrating details that, due to their sheer quantity, the creative team hadn't managed to keep track of. On the other hand, Ira Steven Behr proposed an in-universe explanation, saying, " There's nothing in those helmets. I don't think there's a guy in there, which is something we never got around to saying. " After a pause, he added, " Or maybe there's a little slug, some tiny little creature in there. I never wanted them to be humanoid in any way. " ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion  (p. 702)) Despite this, not only did the aforementioned script of "Indiscretion" regard the Breen as "humanoid" but so do the reference works Star Trek Encyclopedia  (3rd ed., p. 54) and Star Trek: Star Charts (p. 35) as well as the StarTrek.com database entry about the species. [14]

The model for the Breen helmet closely resembles a Ubese Bounty Hunter suit that Princess Leia wore to Jabba the Hutt 's Palace in Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi . [15]

32nd century return and unmasking [ ]

Glenn Hetrick of Star Trek: Discovery expressed an interest in the Breen appearing in that series without their masks. Hetrick commented, " No one in the universe, as per Worf, has ever seen what they look like under the refrigeration suits. So, that is definitely – as many times as I can put it forth – I want to get one of those refrigeration suits off and see what the Breen look like. " [16]

Carlos Cisco lobbied hard for the Breen to appear in DIS Season 5 . " The Breen were one of my strongest pushes for the season. Early on a couple of us who were really into the lore were asked for ideas on the season big bads and [staff writer] Eric [Robbins] was pushing for the Vidiians and I was like we should do the Breen.” Because, A: They’re not going to have horrible makeup, and B: We can just put a bunch of big guys in suits and they don’t need to talk. Being mindful of the COVID protocols , the suits and masks would be really great. And then there were all the possibilities for the Breen because in every season Discovery is trying to do something we have never seen before. And getting to unmask the Breen was a really big privilege. "

Regarding their appearance, Cisco said, " I don’t remember where in the process we landed on “gelatinous” but when we hit the art team with that they came back to us with deep sea fish like the Barreleye Fish with a see-through head. We got really excited about that. So we started talking about what is this species? Why do they wear the suits? So, the thing we landed on is they have this soft gelatinous form and also a hardened form. Our thinking was that the Breen came up on a very harsh planet with a harsh environment. So they developed a way to protect themselves which was hardening their outer shell into basically a skin, but that takes an immense amount of concentration and energy, making them slower, more sluggish, less intelligent, basically. Over time, they compensated for that by creating the refrigeration suits. Then culturally, it became anathema for them to display that solid face, especially to outsiders, because it was essentially a sign of weakness. " [17]

Reception [ ]

The writers of Star Trek: The Official Starships Collection (issue 69, pp. 16 & 17) approved of the Breen. They regarded them as "vitally important to the Dominion War" and further remarked, " Despite the hazards of the costume, the Breen proved a tough and formidable adversary that ratcheted up the threat to the Federation in the final months of the Dominion War. Without them, the final story arc would not have been so tense and compelling. "

Marco Palmieri wrote, " You have to hand it to the Breen: For a civilization that started out as a sometimes-mentioned but never seen running gag on The Next Generation , they eventually came incredibly close to handing the Founders a decisive victory in the Dominion War. Along the way, the Breen not only destroyed the Starship Defiant , they succeeded where no other enemy empire had before: attacking Starfleet Headquarters on Earth. Even the Klingons had reason to fear them [...] [considering] an Imperial fleet sent to conquer the Breen homeworld was never heard from again. That's not a bad résumé as Star Trek villains go. " ( Star Trek Magazine  issue 156 , p. 48)

Gary Russell cited the Breen as his favorite race. ( Star Trek Monthly  issue 30 , p. 63)

Apocrypha [ ]

In the novel Zero Sum Game , the Breen are revealed to be comprised of several different species, with "Breen" as the name of a society, rather than a single species. The primary reason for this is to judge individuals on their skills and abilities rather than their physical appearance. In reality, however, this approach was taken by Zero Sum Game author David Mack because he believed that trying to reconcile all the canonical "facts" about the Breen's physiology would otherwise be impossible, as he thought there were too many discrepancies. ( Star Trek Magazine  issue 156 , p. 50)

Among the species in the Breen Confederacy mentioned in Zero Sum Game , only four were mentioned by name and described in some detail, and an additional fifth species was described in the novel Plagues of Night . Two more species were named in the novels Disavowed and The Hall of Heroes . They include:

• The Silwaan ( β ) , a humanoid species and a founding species of the Confederacy, who possessed (in the case of the character Chot Nar) bronze-tinted skin , white hair , and jade-colored eyes .
• The Fenrisal ( β ) , a furred , lupine humanoid species whose snouted facial structure served as the inspiration for the archetypical Breen helmet design.
• The Paclu ( β ) , a large, powerful humanoid species who often served in the Confederacy military thanks to their strength. They are noted to possess four-lobed brains that make their minds difficult to read, as well as an unspecified number of hearts .
• The Amoniri ( β ) , a humanoid species whose bodies possessed no blood and evaporated when exposed to normal M-class atmospheres, requiring them to wear actual refrigeration suits to function outside of their regular environment. They also served commonly in the Confederacy military alongside the Paclu.
• The Vironat ( β ) , a humanoid species with cleft arms and legs with highly accurate sensory organs located along their lengths that granted them exceptional tactile abilities, making them highly effective engineers. The enhanced sensory abilities of the species also rendered them prone to motion sickness .
• The Silgov ( β ) , a humanoid species that can easily mingle among the peoples of the Federation. Author David Mack has said that this is actually a mistake, which is meant to refer to the Silwaan. [18]
• The Kalystarians ( β ) , a humanoid species with no nose and a pale, scaly complexion.

The Breen were members of the Typhon Pact, an alliance of several powers antagonistic towards the Federation, which allied them with the Romulans, the Tholians , the Gorn , and the Tzenkethi .

Decipher 's Star Trek Roleplaying Game supplement Aliens explained the discrepancy over whether anyone had seen a Breen and lived by establishing that the Breen disintegrate upon exposure to atmosphere .

The video game Star Trek: Conquest features Breen as one of the people groups which players can assume the role of. Of the three types of commanders available – attack, defense, and movement – the Breen only have defense (2) and movement (1) available.

In Star Trek Online , the Breen were the main antagonists in a short episode arc. During the arc, the Breen invaded Deferi ( β ) space, hoping to acquire Preserver ( β ) technology.

External links [ ]

• Breen at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• Breen at Wikipedia

Star Trek: 10 Things We Now Know About The Breen

Green-eyed monster or great big softie? What's beneath the mask of Star Trek's coolest species?

We wanted to give these guys something special. I couldn't make them the toughest guys in the galaxy — that's the Jem'Hadar. Or the most arrogant guys — that's the Cardassians. Or the most untrustworthy guys — that's the Vorta. So we decided to make them the most  mysterious  guys in the galaxy.

10. Not To Be Indiscreet, But May I Have Your Helmet?

I wasn't really in the mood to come up with a new alien race. So I said, 'Let's not see them. Let's just put them in costume because they normally live in the cold.'

Jack Kiely is a writer with a PhD in French and almost certainly an unhealthy obsession with Star Trek.

Star Trek: Who Are The Breen?

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Originally meant to be just a one-off species of the Star Trek franchise, the Breen were first mentioned in the fourth season of Star Trek: The Next Generation in 1990. Even though they were referenced in several other episodes from then on, they did not actually appear on-screen until the episode "Indiscretion" of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine in 1996.

The writers admitted that they had previously used the name "Breen" whenever they needed a random alien species for a storyline. Hence, not much was known about them up until much later on. So, who exactly are the Breen, and where do they fit into the expansive universe of Star Trek ?

RELATED: Star Trek: Exploring The Deep Space 9 Problem

What Do the Breen Look Like?

There is a lot of speculation on what these bloodless creatures actually look like, as the Breen are always seen in environmental suits that cover them from head to toe. It is suggested that this is because their home planet experiences extremely low temperatures. During the Dominion War, the Dominion and Cardassian leaders receive intelligence reports that describe the Breen planet as "a frozen wasteland." However, the Vorta field supervisor Weyoun describes it "quite comfortable" later on.

The Breen’s suits feature metal armor and a detachable and 'vented snout,' giving the impression they are a snouted species. The top of the helmet has a visor that either glows green, or has green and red lights on it. The suits are of two types: a standard suit that most of the Breen wear, and a more elaborate suit worn by Thots, the authority figures of the Breen Confederacy. (The Thots are comparable to the Legate of the Cardassian military in terms of rank, according to the Cardassian leader Damar.) With distinct gold lines running across the helmet, this decorative suit reinforces the elevated status of the Breen leaders.

They are also more resilient than other humanoids. For example, when a Breen is struck by the Klingon warrior Worf , the Breen seems to be completely unaffected by the attack and proceeds to assault him instead. The Klingons have famously coined the phrase: "No one has ever seen [a Breen] and lived to speak of it." This is partially in reference to the fact that Breen are extremely territorial; a fleet of Klingon warships had been sent to conquer their home world during the Klingon Second Empire, which never returned and was never heard from again.

The Breen also have an unusual and incomprehensible speech, further adding to their mysterious image. The scratchy, electronic warbles cannot even be deciphered by the universal translator, which is not the case with most of the other species in the franchise. Empathic species such as Betazoids are also unable to sense the Breen’s feelings and emotions, much like the Ferengi .

What Role Did the Breen Play in the Dominion War?

The Dominion, a planetary alliance in the Gamma Quadrant , came into conflict with the Alpha Quadrant powers, ultimately leading to the Dominion War seen throughout much of the Deep Space 9 series. Although the Breen have never been inclined to make political alliances, the writers felt that their involvement could heighten the stakes of the war. Thus, talks with the Female Changeling, the head of the Dominion, led to Breen leader Thot Gor agreeing to provide reinforcements in 2375. The Dominion were interested in the Breen’s military weapons , and made a deal with them: they would hand over the control of several Cardassian and Federation planets once the war was won. However, it is later implied that this was a false promise.

To honor their partnership, the Breen ‘gifted’ Worf and the Deep Space 9 counselor Ezri Dax to the Dominion. They went on to win the Second Battle of Chin'toka, after destroying most of the ships that belonged to the Federation and causing major damage to Earth. A highly advanced weapon called the energy dissipator, which can drain a starship’s power systems, enable the Breen’s victory. Only the Klingon’s ship turned out to be immune to the device, while the rest were defeated.

The growing relations between the Breen and the Dominion caused the Cardassian Union, another major ally, to become bitter. Cardassian leader Damar was not pleased with the terms of the alliance between the two parties, which gave the Breen full access to the Dominion’s database — which wasn't permitted to the Cardassians. This turned out to be one of the major reasons why Damar eventually chose to switch to the other side and lead a rebellion to free Cardassia .

This major development, combined with the fact that the Federation have created a defense against the energy-dampening weapon, led to power shifts in the war. Thot Pran, who succeeded Thot Gor as military commander, asked the Female Changeling for confirmation that the Dominion were not surrendering, but strategizing for another attack instead. This, once again, showcases how the Breen are ruthless fighters. The Romulans, much like the Klingons, have a saying regarding this race: "Never turn your back on a Breen." This is demonstrated when a captive Breen takes a disruptor from the holster of a guard when his back is turned, and uses it to kill two guards at once.

In the Battle of Cardassia, the Breen fought on the front lines, even ahead of the tough and devoted Jem'Hadar forces of the Dominion. They proved to be a tough adversary for the Federation once again. Even though they lost the war, the story arc could not have been as compelling without their formidable strength and their willingness to die for the cause till the very end.

As allies of the Dominion, the Breen are present at the signing of the Treaty of Bajor. Though their status after the war has not been discussed in any later media, the treaty has no implications regarding the Breen, seemingly leaving them in the clear.

MORE: Star Trek: What Happened To The Dominion After The War?

• Movies & TV

Star Trek Finally Revealed What The Breen Look Like Under The Mask

Contains spoilers for "Star Trek: Discovery"

Just because Starfleet's directive is to seek out new life and civilizations doesn't mean that life always wants to be sought out. Such is the case with the enigmatic Breen, a xenophobic warrior race first mentioned in the Season 4 "Star Trek: The Next Generation" episode "The Loss" that became one of the most enduring unsolved mysteries in "Star Trek."

The Breen are referenced several more times throughout that series and "Star Trek: Voyager," with each mention adding equal parts intrigue and insight to fans' knowledge of the mysterious race. But Breen-curious fans eager to finally meet the long-hyped race were sorely disappointed at their first on-screen appearance in the "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" episode "Indiscretion." Although the episode featured the reclusive figures prominently, the Breen appear with helmets and environmental suits hiding their true forms — an outfit they would rock in subsequent appearances.

But those decades of suspense finally paid off in a huge reveal in the Season 5 "Star Trek: Discovery" episode "Mirrors" — even if fans had to wait until the 32nd century to learn what the Breen really look like. As revealed through the character of rebel Breen L'ak (Elias Toufexis), the unmasked Breen are gelatinous greenish humanoids with icy eyes who tend to solidify after a few moments of exposure to the air. And if L'ak is any indication, they're not the worst-looking aliens in the universe — at least when they're in their solid form. 

Read more: Star Trek Stories That Are Actually Horrifying

The Mysterious Breen Physiology

Viewers learned many details about the Breen physiology through throwaway "Star Trek" dialogue. In "The Loss," a "Next Generation" episode that finds Troi (Marina Sirtis) temporarily losing her empathic abilities, Data (Brent Spiner) reveals that the Breen are a rare example of a race that is undetectable to empaths — a trait beneficial to a reclusive species. Data later considers the Breen as possible culprits for an attack on a Federation ship in "Hero Worship," citing the Breen's nearby outposts, cloaked vessels, and similar battle tactics. In the "Deep Space Nine" episode "In Purgatory's Shadow," Bashir (Alexander Siddig) hints at the Breen's gelatinous physiology, noting that the species does not have blood.

Other details that are revealed through the series suggest that there's a certain degree of myth and misinformation surrounding the species. In "Indiscretion," Gul Dukat (Marc Alaimo) referred to the Breen homeworld as a "frozen wasteland," noting that the dilithium-rich desert planet Dozaria would have been "about fifty degrees too hot for them." But this is contradicted in "The Changing Face of Evil" with Weyoun's (Jeffrey Combs) revelation that intelligence reports calling their homeworld a frozen wasteland are incorrect as the planet is actually "quite comfortable."

In the "'Til Death Do Us Part," Trill Ezri Dax (Nicole de Boer) speculates to Worf (Michael Dorn) about the species' appearance. While Ezri hypothesizes that the Breen might be "all furry" since Breen is said to be a cold planet and shares a dream that they have large claws, Worf has only one concern — how dangerous and intolerant of other species the Breen are. According to Worf, the Breen were responsible for the disappearance of an entire fleet of Klingon ships foolishly intent on conquering their homeworld.

The Breen Anatomy Was Inspired By A Deep Sea Fish

With all the mystery surrounding the Breen physiology, it's that much more frustrating when the species finally makes an appearance in the franchise only to be covered in head-to-toe gear. But there's a canonical reason for that, as Weyoun points out in "The Changing of Face of Evil" — they're in refrigeration suits, although the purpose for the Breen wearing them is not revealed until "Star Trek: Discovery," when we learn that these suits allow them to interact with normie humanoids without solidifying out of a fluid state ("Mirrors"). One of the best things about the big Breen reveal is that viewers had a chance to get to know a Breen before learning that's what he was. Although first introduced in the "Discovery" episode "Red Detective," L'ak's race and troubled history as a rebel Breen is unmasked in "Mirrors."

In a TrekMovie.com interview, episode co-writer Carlos Cisco called the opportunity to expand the Breen lore with a long-awaited peek under the helmet "a really big privilege." According to Cisco, after the writers initially pitched a gelatinous form, the art team drew inspiration from the translucent-headed barreleye fish."We got really excited about that," Cisco added. Like the deep sea-dwelling fish, the writers imagined the Breen as a species that evolved in a harsh environment. "So they developed a way to protect themselves which was hardening their outer shell into basically a skin," Cisco continued, "but that takes an immense amount of concentration and energy, making them slower, more sluggish, less intelligent, basically." After the Breen eventually developed refrigeration suits, they used them to protect their solid form, which they perceived as beneath their more evolved natures.

Read the original article on Looper

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• Memory Beta articles sourced from RPGs
• Memory Beta articles sourced from games
• Memory Beta articles sourced from video games
• Memory Beta articles sourced from Star Trek Online
• Breen starship classes
• Memory Beta articles sourced from short stories
• Memory Beta articles sourced from reference works
• Memory Beta articles sourced from novelizations
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• Humanoid species
• Races and cultures
• Alpha Quadrant races and cultures
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• View history
• 1.1 Subsidiary species
• 1.2 Biology
• 1.3 Culture
• 1.4.1 Starships
• 1.5.1 Early contact with other races
• 1.5.2 23rd century
• 1.5.3 24th century
• 1.5.4 The Dominion War
• 1.5.5 25th century
• 1.5.6 32nd century
• 1.5.7.1.1 Postwar
• 1.5.7.1.2 Typhon Pact
• 2 Known individuals
• 3.1.1 Appearances
• 3.1.2 References
• 3.2 External links

History and specifics [ ]

Subsidiary species [ ].

Starfleet Intelligence analysts concluded in 2382 that Breen society might be comprised by members of as many as a dozen species, all of which were thought to be humanoid , and which appeared to be of typical humanoid height and build. ( ST - Typhon Pact novel : Zero Sum Game )

As of April 2382 in the First Splinter timeline , Starfleet was aware of at least four subspecies, the Amoniri , Fenrisal , Paclu , and Silwaan . ( ST - Typhon Pact novel : Zero Sum Game )

Another of the Breen species were the Vironat . ( ST - Typhon Pact novel : Plagues of Night )

Biology [ ]

Very little is known about the Breen. They are thought to be humanoid , as they appear to be of typical humanoid height and build, though Ezri Dax speculated that they had a wolf-like appearance. ( DS9 episode : " Strange Bedfellows ")

Xenologists speculated that the Breen could be a silicon-based lifeform . No one has seen the Breen outside of their sealed, refrigerated suits of armor; it is said that those who have, did not live to tell of it. ( DS9 episode : " Strange Bedfellows ")

Since it had been reported that the Breen homeworld was a frozen wasteland, it was thought that the refrigerated suits were intended to keep them comfortable in warmer alien climates, though Weyoun once mentioned that Breen is "actually quite comfortable", leaving the purpose of their suits a source of speculation. ( DS9 episode : " The Changing Face of Evil ")

It was speculated that the Breen body may be composed of ammonia and gelatin, which are held together in freezing temperatures but evaporate in warmer temperatures. Evaporation upon contact with warm temperature would account for why Gul Dukat and Major Kira failed to report on the Breen appearance after stealing the suits of two Breen guards. ( DS9 episode : " Indiscretion ")

They likely have a skeletal structure but, as they have no blood, contain few organs. The internal structure of the Breen body is said to consist of layers of gelatin-filled chambers, with the gelatin serving a similar function to blood, as it transfers chemicals vital for bodily functions. Therefore, when a Breen sustains an injury, a layer of gelatin will clot around it and seal the wound, which will leave a scar if left untreated. ( Decipher RPG module : Aliens )

The Breen are often regarded as ruthless and devoid of humanoid compassion, a depiction that is augmented by their lack of blood. During the Dominion War, their unprecedented attack on Starfleet Headquarters was seen as a symbol of their ferocity. The Romulans have a saying: "Never turn your back on a Breen" ( DS9 episode : " By Inferno's Light ").

Like the Ferengi, the Breen were immune to telepathy. ( TNG episode : " The Loss ", DS9 episode : " In Purgatory's Shadow ")

This resistance to telepathic intrusion had led many to speculate that the their brains were multi-lobed, thus preventing any such technique from working. ( Decipher RPG module : Worlds )

It was not until 2382 that definitive information was obtained relating to the Breen and their biology. Initially it was believed that the Breen were a single race; however, as detailed by Sarina Douglas and Julian Bashir , the name Breen is a name taken on by the member species of the Breen Confederacy. It has been claimed that the individual races (the Amoniri , Fenrisal , Paclu , Silwaan ) take on the singular name and the concealing uniforms in order to prevent any biases and prejudices to interfere with the development of their society. The uniform design has been designed to support the distinctive features of the individual races. ( ST - Typhon Pact novel : Zero Sum Game )

Culture [ ]

Breen doing business with the Ferengi.

Little was known about the race as they tended to keep to themselves. What was known was that they were both secretive and aggressive, though it must be stated that they did not exalt violence for its own sake and that it was aggression that served a purpose. Furthermore, they were known to intentionally keep their motives and feelings hidden from other races which, when combined with the fact that they cannot be sensed by Betazoids, further adds to the mystery of the Breen. Common speculation among other races was that the Breen were more open to their own kind but this was never confirmed. Their spoken language (at least to non-Breen) sounds like uncomprehensive static, although this electric chatter is understood by Vorta and Founders .

Members of this race were not excessively individualistic and were in fact commonly encountered in groups. Furthermore, the level of secrecy that they have maintained about their society and homeworld hints at a high level of clan cohesion or possibly even a government structure. This form of society has yet to produce any form of rebel that was willing to break the silence about their customs, culture or homeworld. When alone, Breen tend to act unpredictably, with displays of neurosis due to the fact that they are working apart from their group. While this hinted that Breen are incapable of working alone, xenologists have stated that this behavior may in fact be faked in order to produce the illusion of such traits in order to fool other races. ( Decipher RPG module : Aliens )

The Breen were disliked by the Romulans , who had a saying: "Never turn your back on a Breen" . ( DS9 episode : " By Inferno's Light ")

The nature of why the Romulans distrust the Breen so much remains unknown. They, however, earned this reputation through their opportunistic tendencies of preying on the conflicts of other species while at the same time, rarely interacting directly. This was because they wished to profit on such activities which included slavery . ( Decipher RPG module : Aliens , DS9 episode : " Indiscretion ")

Ultimately, the Breen acted for their own self-interest and thus engaged in ruthless actions without caring for other species. Their motivations for doing so were always a secret and the Breen never revealed what their next actions were going to be. ( Decipher RPG module : Worlds )

What was known about the Breen race was that they tended to act out of their own self-interest with little weight placed on the hardships by those that stand in their way. They appeared callous to the suffering of others and in fact do not heed calls for aid unless there was something to gain from such an endeavor; be it monetary, technology or simply territory. ( Decipher RPG module : Aliens )

While the Breen were quite capable of acts of deceit, Elias Vaughn thought it unlikely they would attempt to build up a military presence in hiding-as it did not fit with their cultural psychology. ( DS9 - Avatar novel : Book One )

It's known that they are not above using others in their schemes where the relationship was that of a pawn rather than a partner. Regional conflicts among other empires was noted to result from Breen provocation, with the race being blamed for activities that they themselves have not committed even. ( Decipher RPG module : Aliens )

Their society also was believed to contain some aspects of a manifest destiny. ( TNG novel : The Buried Age )

Though elements of their society remain a mystery, it was known they possessed two genders and that it was typical for them to bear children at a young age. The reason for this puzzled xenologists who conclude that the Breen possibly suffer from a high mortality rate and that they encourage this behavior in order to ensure their population remains at a steady level. Another theory was that they had a shorter lifespan compared to Humans and simply reached maturity quicker. However, the truth of the matter continues to be unknown. ( DS9 episode : " For the Uniform ", VOY episode : " Elogium ")

The Breen were politically nonaligned and did not take part in official treaties or alliances, though their representatives on occasion visit certain diplomatic gatherings. However, the selection process of which gathering they do attend was a mystery to other races. What was determined, however, was that they seek to gather information in such meetings, not to participate in them. The fact that they do not appear to be an expansionist race has meant that other races typically leave the Breen alone.

The government itself appeared to resemble a form of primitive tribalism, except that all Breen were a member of the same tribe. Members were noted to form into groups where different individuals assume different roles on a voluntary basis rather than an autocratic dictate. Their leaders rule as long as their groups allow them to do so. Their starship tactics follow a similar role, with each vessel seeming to possess a high degree of autonomy. These ships appear to only work with others through mutual consensus or agreed-upon tactics. ( Decipher RPG module : Aliens )

The Breen employ slave labor , capturing and enslaving many Deferi citizens. ( DS9 episode : " Indiscretion "; STO mission : " Breen Invasion ")

Those Breen in command of starships were referred to as masters instead of the commonly used captain . ( ST - Typhon Pact novel : Plagues of Night )

Technology [ ]

Breen warship in a battle with Starfleet.

Breen refrigeration suits appear to be of military issue, as they have different designs to signify various ranks. Command officers wear golden lining on the shoulders and arms, as well as distinctive gold stripes that run down the center of the top of the helmet and down the top of the "snout" section of the helmet.

Their technology consisted of an element of biotechnology that was based on the algae on their homeworld. The Breen learned to manipulate the algae's genetic structure and use it to create biomaterials with special properties such as metal, plastic, silicon as well as other such substances. Such a key trait meant that every Breen vessel included its own hydroponics bay where damage components could be regrown. ( TNG module : Star Trek: The Next Generation Core Game Book )

Breen ground troops make extensive use of Cryogenic weaponry. Breen refrigeration suits may be capable of firing a "cryo beam" from a helmet-attached emitter. Breen starships use polaron weapons and transphasic torpedoes . ( STO video game : Star Trek Online )

The Breen were also known to use type-3 disruptors . ( TNG movie : Generations )

Starships [ ]

• Breen fighter ( TNG - Strange New Worlds 9 short story : " Home Soil ")
• Bleth Choas -class fighter ( STO episode : " Breen Invasion ")
• Plesh Brek -class frigate / heavy raider ( STO episode : " Breen Invasion ")
• Breen destroyer ( TNG novel : Immortal Coil )
• Chel Grett -class cruiser (a.k.a. Gor Taan -class, Warship -class, Breen battlecruiser ) ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 7)
• Reikin -class fast-attack cruiser ( ST novels : Section 31 , Disavowed )
• Sarr Theln -class carrier ( STO episode : " Breen Invasion ")
• Rezreth -class destroyer ( STO episode : " Breen Invasion "

History [ ]

Early contact with other races [ ].

During the 22nd century , the Breen were largely confined to their own home system with few forays being outside their region of space due to refrigeration technology being too primitive to allow them to survive on other worlds. ( Decipher RPG module : Aliens )

The Vulcan race were aware of the existence of the Breen before the year 2155 , though the Vulcan Security Directorate knew little beyond the fact that they made use of disruptor technology, and kept to themselves. ( ENT novel : Kobayashi Maru )

The Breen also had early contact with the Ferengi , and were responsible for selling that race modern warp drive technology. ( ST - New Worlds, New Civilizations short story : " A Dry Day on Ferenginar "; DS9 reference : Legends of the Ferengi )

The two races became regular trading partners, with the Breen purchasing iced tube grubs , frozen icoberry juice , and snow-themed holographic programs from the Ferengi Alliance . ( DS9 reference : Legends of the Ferengi )

In the time of the Second Klingon Empire , Chancellor Mow'ga sent a fleet into Breen space to conquer the race, but they were never heard from again. ( DS9 episode : " 'Til Death Do Us Part ")

23rd century [ ]

By the 23rd century , the race had improved their environmental suits to the point that they had the capacity to travel far greater distances. It was during this period that the race offered their services to other governments that required covert agents or mercenaries. Despite this expansion into space, the Breen generally kept to themselves, with the Federation not being aware of the existence of the species. ( Decipher RPG module : Aliens )

The Romulans made first contact with the Breen in 2268 and were soon using them in covert operations and illegal work. ( Last Unicorn RPG module : All Our Yesterdays: The Time Travel Sourcebook )

First contact between the Breen and the Federation came in 2275 when the Andorian crewed starship USS Eagle encountered a Breen Confederacy ship on routine patrol. Captain Igrilan Kor reported that the Breen were peaceful though somewhat withdrawn. However, the uncertainty in his report meant that further diplomatic overtures were not conducted. ( Decipher RPG module : Worlds )

While the Federation avoided contact with the Breen, a minor clash erupted between the two in 2283 . ( Last Unicorn RPG module : All Our Yesterdays: The Time Travel Sourcebook )

During this time, the Breen made a reputation for themselves in both the Alpha and Beta Quadrants by working as mercenaries, pirates as well as freebooters. They were considered valuable hired help as well as fearsome brigands who were augmented by the use of cloaking technology as well as other advanced forms of weaponry. ( Decipher RPG module : Worlds )

24th century [ ]

In the 24th century , they had fully developed the means to join the galactic community but remained inscrutable with their goals being enigmatic to other empires. They tended to enter specialized markets to leverage skills in intelligence work, mining and technology that dealt with survival on colder environments. The Federation had become fully aware of this empire's existence and recognized that they had developed several technologies like the disruptor from trade with the Romulans or other races. ( TNG movie & novelization : Generations )

However, it was concluded that the mysterious insular species were neither a threat or potential ally. ( Decipher RPG module : Aliens )

In 2328 , the Federation constructed Deep Space 3 to monitor the Breen and those species that resided in their space. ( Last Unicorn RPG module : Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Core Game Book )

Relations between the Federation and the Breen were described as tenuous at best by the year 2360 . ( TNG novel : The Buried Age )

During Benjamin Sisko 's time on the USS Saratoga , the starship encountered a hostile Breen ship near Guldammur IV . In a plan devised by Sisko and Zar , a narrow-gauge phaser spread was fired from the weapons of the Saratoga , making several small gaps in the Breen's shields. This allowed the Saratoga crew to beam unwanted items into the Breen's weapon banks, clogging them and leaving the Breen unable to fire. ( DS9 novel : Saratoga )

In 2366 , the Breen attacked the Ravinok and forced it to crash on Dozaria . The Bajoran and Cardassian survivors were forced to mine dilithium for the Breen. ( DS9 episode : " Indiscretion ")

Following the discovery of this incident, the Cardassian government was unwilling to open a potential conflict with another power as they were already engaged in conflict with the Federation. Thus, the Cardassian Central Command registered a diplomatic protest to the Breen over the attack on the Ravinok , though they later let the matter go when the Breen chose the ignore it. ( Decipher RPG module : Worlds )

In 2372 , Breen privateers were operating near Bajor . ( DS9 episode : " To the Death ")

Some years prior to 2377 , Captain Marcus Refelian distinguished himself in defending a group of Federation colonies from attacks by Breen raiders. ( TNG video game : Away team )

The Dominion War [ ]

At some point in 2374 , the USS Enterprise on one of its first mission's encountered a Breen destroyer commanded by Thot Vog who intended to attack the Starfleet vessel. However, he was convinced to withdrawn after a speech by Rhea McAdams after she explained the destructive power of quantum torpedoes . ( TNG novel : Immortal Coil )

The Dominion made attempts to forge an alliance with the Breen as early as 2374. It was the possibility of finding themselves on the same side as the "accursed" Breen that made the Romulan Star Empire reticent to ally itself with the Dominion. ( DS9 episode : " The Magnificent Ferengi ", ST short story : " Blood Sacrifice ")

At the same time, the Federation was engaged in talks, and by 2375 , Starfleet Admiral Marcus Holt reportedly made some progress in improving Federation/Breen relations. ( Last Unicorn RPG module : Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Core Game Book )

San Francisco following the Breen attack.

However, in the same year, the Confederacy allied themselves with the Dominion in the Dominion War and shortly after launched an attack on San Francisco on Earth . ( DS9 episodes : " Strange Bedfellows ", " The Changing Face of Evil ")

This was a surprise to many military strategists, as the Breen were considered strategically unimportant, even though their fleet strengths had never been charted, the ferocity and boldness of the attack caused Klingon General Martok to mention that even his people had never attempted such a move. ( Decipher RPG module : Aliens )

Thot Pran led the Breen forces at the Battle of Cardassia . However, after the Cardassians broke ranks with the Jem'Hadar and began fighting alongside Federation Alliance forces, the Breen ships fled from the battle and retreated back into their space. ( DS9 episode : " What You Leave Behind ")

Following the signing of the Dominion War Accords , the Federation Alliance were put under pressure from the Cardassians who demanded war reparations for the Breens involvement in the conflict. Ultimately, the Cardassians were forced to settle for less than they had desired, and payments continued to reach Cardassia by way of the Cardassian representative on Breen. ( Decipher RPG module : Worlds )

25th century [ ]

In 2409 , Breen forces attacked the Deferi in search of artifacts left by the Preserver for use as weaponry. Their efforts, led by Breen commander Thot Trel, were foiled by both Starfleet and Klingon forces in the region. ( STO - Cold War missions : " Cold Comfort ", " Cold Case ", " Cold Storage ")

32nd century [ ]

By 3191 , the Breen were ruled by the Breen Imperium and they were hunting Moll and L'ak , the latter of whom was a Breen with an eirgah , a blood bounty on him. ( DIS episodes : " Red Directive ", " Under the Twin Moons ", " Jinaal ", " Mirrors ")

Alternate realities [ ]

First splinter timeline [ ], postwar [ ].

The Breen continued to be a source of some concern following the war. In April 2376 the USS Enterprise -E was sent to investigate the Badlands for a Klingon reported Breen presence. Nothing was found and Elias Vaughn thought it unlikely the Breen would build up a military presence in hiding, though it was consistent with other, need-to-know only, reports he had received not long before. ( DS9 novel : Avatar, Book One )

Cole of Section 31 told Julian Bashir several weeks later that he thought it likely the Breen would be watching the Federation's borders and would make raids when they found a weakness. However, Cole also told Bashir he thought the Breen could be useful in fighting off a future Borg attack. ( DS9 novel : Abyss )

An unusual amount of Breen activity was detected along the Federation-Cardassian border near Starbase Deep Space 10 in mid 2377 . They were briefly considered as possible culprits in a series of malfunctions that had plagued the station, but eventually ruled out. ( CoE eBook : Troubleshooting )

In 2379 , a contingent of Starfleet Special Operations personnel was able to capture a Breen vessel in the Ravanar system , although their actions were officially denied by the Federation Security Council . Ambassador Worf was able to obtain these schematics to trade to Imperial Intelligence agent Lorgh in exchange for blackmail information against Klingon Councilor Kopek . ( TNG - A Time to... novel : A Time to Kill )

Typhon Pact [ ]

In 2381 , there were fears that the Breen might get involved in a possible Romulan Civil War following the devastation and death of Praetor Shinzon of Remus . ( TOS novel : Captain's Blood ) During the Borg Invasion , the Ferengi Alliance , acting on behalf of the Federation, hired a large number of Breen warships to assist in the defense of the Azure Nebula , precluding the possibility that the Tholian Assembly would hire them to attack the weakened Federation. Unfortunately, every Breen ship was destroyed by a Borg armada of over 7,000 cubes ( ST - Destiny novel : Mere Mortals )

After learning of the behind-the-scenes deal-making, the Confederacy joined with the Tholians, along with four other local powers, to form the Typhon Pact . ( ST novel : A Singular Destiny )

In 2382 , the Breen accepted a mission on behalf of the Pact and sent an operative to Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards to capture data pertaining to the quantum slipstream drive . The Breen were soon after contracted to build the first Typhon Pact prototype slipstream vessel . The lead researcher of the project, Thot Keer, intentionally withheld information from the other members relating to the drive's development in order to promote the Breen to a level of authority within the Pact as equals to the Romulans. Shortly before the initial trials, however, the prototype, its designer, and all information relating to the project was destroyed. ( ST - Typhon Pact novel : Zero Sum Game )

Known individuals [ ]

• Masked Breen

Appendices [ ]

Appearances and references [ ], appearances [ ].

• DS9 episode : " Indiscretion "
• DS9 episode : " In Purgatory's Shadow "
• DS9 episode : " By Inferno's Light "
• DS9 episode : " Penumbra "
• DS9 episode : " 'Til Death Do Us Part "
• DS9 episode : " Strange Bedfellows "
• DS9 episode : " The Changing Face of Evil "
• DS9 episode : " Tacking Into the Wind "
• DS9 episode : " The Dogs of War "
• DS9 episode : " What You Leave Behind "
• DS9 - Strange New Worlds V short story : " Fear, Itself "
• TNG - Cold Equations novel : The Persistence of Memory
• TNG - Cold Equations novel : Silent Weapons
• VOY episode : " Flesh and Blood " (hologram)
• LD episode : " Trusted Sources "
• DIS episode : " Red Directive "
• DIS episode : " Under the Twin Moons "
• DIS episode : " Face the Strange "
• DIS episode : " Mirrors "
• ST - Typhon Pact novel : Zero Sum Game
• ST - Typhon Pact novel : Plagues of Night
• ST - Typhon Pact novel : Raise the Dawn
• ST - The Fall novel : A Ceremony of Losses
• ST - Section 31 novel : Disavowed

References [ ]

• TNG episode : " The Loss "
• TNG episode : " Hero Worship "
• Star Trek Generations
• DS9 episode : " To the Death "
• DS9 episode : " For the Uniform "
• DS9 episode : " The Magnificent Ferengi "
• DS9 novel : The Never Ending Sacrifice
• VOY episode : " Elogium "
• VOY novel : Fusion
• VOY - Myriad Universes - Infinity's Prism novella : Places of Exile
• DSC episode : " Rubicon "
• PIC novel : Stardust City Rag

External links [ ]

• Breen article at Memory Alpha , the wiki for canon Star Trek .
• Breen (Star Trek) article at Wikipedia , the free encyclopedia.
• 1 Ferengi Rules of Acquisition
• 2 Odyssey class
• 3 Akira class

Den of Geek

Star Trek Discovery Season 5 Episode 7 Review: Erigah Reveals New Breen Secrets

A political and surprisingly enjoyable hour sees the Federation face off against the Breen and sets Star Trek: Discovery up for its endgame.

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This Star Trek: Discovery review contains spoilers.

After a couple of extremely mediocre installments (particularly given that this is the show’s final season), Star Trek: Discovery bounces back to excellent form with “Erigah,” a tense and surprisingly political hour that finally gives the season-long Progenitors clue hunt some higher and more immediate stakes. It also doesn’t hurt that it’s the first episode in ages that’s had genuine tension—sorry, “Whistlespeak,” we all knew nothing was actually going to happen to Tilly—and a plot that wasn’t immediately predictable from the jump. 

Look, I still don’t care all that much about the desperate interspecies Romeo & Juliet vibes this show seems to want to believe Moll and L’ak possess, but unlike the clunky flashback hour that broke down their backstory , “Erigah” makes the wise decision to turn their relationship into a political flashpoint that wraps in multiple characters and story arcs. The Breen make for a genuinely interesting enemy, given how little we know about their species and culture, Rayner’s constant combativeness is given an intriguing new context, and even though Saru’s stuck on some offscreen diplomatic mission, T’Rina still gets to be her most impressive, commanding self as the leader the Federation clearly deserves. What’s not to love?

The premise is fairly straightforward: The Discovery captures Moll and L’ak thanks to an S.O.S. message begging for help on a courier-only frequency. L’ak is grievously injured and Culbert’s not sure if they’ll be able to save him, given how little they know about Breen physiology. The crew hightails it back to Federation HQ to fetch a cryo device that will hopefully lower his temperature enough to allow him to heal naturally. Breen have some regenerative abilities, who knew? They arrive to find a Breen dreadnought headed their way and one of their ruling Primarks insistent that the new prisoners be turned over so that the titular erigah—or blood bounty—on the pair can be fulfilled. Diplomatic tension predictably ensues. 

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Like “Face the Strange,” “Erigah” is also an episode that treads water when it comes to season 5’s overarching plot. The Discovery crew spends most of the episode trying to figure out where the final clue is hidden and almost all of its action takes place in orbit around Federation Headquarters. Yet, thanks to the capture of Moll and L’ak and the subsequent arrival of a massive Breen battleship, the hour still feels as though it’s moving the story forward in a way that its predecessor did not. There’s plenty to side-eye when it comes to Moll and L’ak’s choices: Their initial decision to flee the I.S.S. Enterprise two episodes ago, the fact that their actions since then appear to have involved little more than watching L’ak bleed to death, their determination to flee the Discovery despite Michael repeatedly proving their willingness to help them. But at least this time their actions have actual consequences and will undoubtedly cause ripples that will resonate through the rest of the season. 

L’ak’s death by way of accidental overdose was genuinely surprising, and while I certainly don’t put it past Discovery to find a way of somehow reviving him, either through the application of the Progentors’ supposed all-powerful technology or a heretofore unknown bit of Breen biological regeneration magic, he’s much more interesting as a political pawn than he ever was as Moll’s wayward love. The direct descendant of the dead Breen emperor, the squabbling Primarks are all eager to use him to justify their claims to the throne in their ongoing succession wars, his uncle most of all, and they’re determined to reclaim him from Federation custody. What follows is a remarkably entertaining bit of political brinksmanship that sees T’Rina, Vance, and Burnham face off against a squad of very creepy Breen soldiers threatening war if their demands aren’t met. 

Tara Rosling doesn’t get enough credit for her performance as T’Rina, but she’s at her absolute best here, showing off both the Vulcan president’s smarts and her spine of steel as she faces down a dangerous enemy she knows almost nothing about without flinching. If this series doesn’t end with her somehow renouncing her role on N’Viar to lead the entire Federation instead I’ll be so upset. (The fact that T’Rina can apparently translate Breen is hot, is what I’m saying.) But it’s Callum Keith Rennie who steals much of this episode, as Commander Rayner finally gets his turn in the Talking About Feelings chair, and shares the horrific backstory of his family and homeworld of Kellerun, which suffered under Breen occupation for years. 

Because Rayner is who he is, the story is fairly matter-of-fact, though its details remain horrific. He’s the only member of his family who survived an attempted uprising against them and knows firsthand about the Breen’s capacity for violence and sheer determination to get what they want. It’s an infodump that explains so much about who Rayner is—why he doesn’t trust the Breen and why he believes in action over negotiation. Rennie’s performance throughout this episode is impressive, as he captures Rayner’s fear-tinged insistence that the Federation should attack while it has the chance, to his vaguely self-loathing boast that the reason a Primark kept him alive was because he fought with a Breen-like relentlessness. It’s a shame we’ll only get to spend a single season with this character because he’s really grown on me over the past seven episodes.

In the end, Moll uses her marriage bond to force the Breen to take her with them despite their obvious loathing of her, telling them about the existence of the Progenitors’ technology and promising it can help her uncle-in-law claim the throne. That she’s plotting something is obvious, that Michael’s guessed rightly she’s hoping whatever ancient power the Progenitors had can somehow bring her dead husband back even more so. 

But that’s a problem for another week, when the hunt for the final clue sounds like it’s going to take us to an ancient space library dedicated to protecting knowledge. The revelation that the hint pointing to the final clue is some sort of high-tech library card is the sort of Star Trek nerdiness I love, and maybe we’ll finally get some answers about whatever this thing is we’ve been chasing all season actually is .

Lacy Baugher

Lacy Baugher is a digital producer by day, but a television enthusiast pretty much all the time. Her writing has been featured in Paste Magazine, Collider,…

Star Trek: Discovery Reaches Into Deep Space Nine To Make The Breen Scary Again

Shields up! This article contains spoilers for the latest episode of "Star Trek: Discovery."

Everything old will eventually become new again. Of all the various traditions and tropes upheld by "Star Trek" over the decades, perhaps none ring quite as true as that maxim. Don't believe me? Well, in just the last few weeks alone, this final season of "Discovery" has circled back to one of the most famous episodes of "The Original Series" ever made , gone out of its way to  pick up a loose plot thread from "The Next Generation,"  and even drop the biggest reveal of them all: The Breen are back and as deadly as ever. For such a forward-looking enterprise (pun insufferably intended), there's no doubting the fact that the past has always played an integral role in the beloved sci-fi series.

This week's episode of "Discovery" does nothing to contradict that ongoing trend ... but, in this case, it'd be a mistake to confuse nostalgia with navel gazing. While episode 5 finally gave us a look beneath the helmets of the franchise's most mysterious villains , episode 7 (titled "Erigah") goes even further and makes established canon feel frighteningly relevant. For the first time since "Deep Space Nine" and its galaxy-spanning Dominion War, "Star Trek" finally gives us a reason to fear the Breen all over again.

The Breen tilted the scales in Deep Space Nine

"Never turn your back on a Breen," Commander Rayner (Callum Keith Rennie) ominously quotes early on in the episode. As it turns out, this isn't just a Romulan (and admittedly xenophobic) saying well known throughout the galaxy — it's the "Discovery" writers' cheeky way of quoting a line directly from an episode of "Deep Space Nine," which was the first "Trek" series to establish the fearsome alien species as a new threat arriving late in the game of the raging Dominion War . Hidden in the Alpha Quadrant, it was the Klingons who initially discovered to their peril that even their warmongering ways were no match for this then-unknown species. By the time the Breen Confederacy allied themselves with the Dominion (already made up of the Changelings, Cardassians, Jem'Hadar, and other powerful enemies), many considered this the final blow to the Federation's hopes for victory — and for good reason.

Only known to Starfleet as a formidable group of warriors, the secretive Breen proved to be even more dangerous than anyone could've imagined by packing a decisive one-two punch. As befitting their mysterious identities hidden underneath such imposing helmets, the aliens soon left their mark on the war by launching a shocking offensive against Earth and striking at the very heart of Starfleet Headquarters — an act that not even the Klingons had ever dared attempt. The implementation of a new Breen weapon capable of destroying starships with ease (including the fan-favorite USS Defiant) in a subsequent battle only further added to their mystique. Although their forces were ultimately repelled, the symbolism of their incursions affected morale throughout the quadrant and effectively set the stakes for this new wild card.

By the events of "Discovery," it's safe to say the Breen's reputation precedes them.

Star Trek: Discovery makes the Breen scary again

Don't let appearances deceive you. Despite their distracting similarities to the bumbling Boushh bounty hunters of "Star Wars,"  the Breen remain a force to be reckoned with — and our main characters on "Discovery" are painfully aware of that fact, as they repeatedly allude, in haunted whispers, to what happened "the last time" they encroached on Starfleet space. The impending Breen threat is complicated by their attempts to recover L'ak (Elias Toufexis) under the pretenses of fulfilling their blood oath against him. In actuality, the Breen primarch (who also happens to be L'ak's uncle) needs him in order to secure the order of succession and wield enough influence to stave off several other primarchs competing for the throne.

Yet all this pales in comparison to the possibility that they could recover the Progenitor technology that the Discovery crew have been so desperate to track down, thus fulfilling the disturbing vision of Starfleet's complete destruction at the hands of the Breen in the future glimpsed by Captain Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) and Rayner in "Mirrors." Even for casual fans who may not have brushed up on their "Deep Space Nine" trivia, the haunted references to their actions during the Dominion War hundreds of years prior combined with their imposing visual design and that of their starship (which noticeably dwarfs any of Starfleet's counterparts) hints at what they're capable of achieving. But it's  Commander Rayner's backstory as a Kellerun survivor of Breen oppression that adds a personal dimension to these antagonists.

The final season of "Discovery" always needed a worthy foe to end things with a bang, and it appears we've received exactly that by digging into "Trek" past to make the Breen scary again.

New episodes of "Discovery" stream on Paramount+ every Thursday.

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Star Trek: Discovery - The Face of the Breen

Both faces are a part of them.

SPOILER WARNING: This clip contains spoilers for Star Trek: Discovery Season 5's "Mirrors"!

In this clip from Star Trek: Discovery 's Season 5 episode, "Mirrors," L'ak confronts his uncle, the Breen Primarch, about the nature of Breen faces.

Star Trek: Discovery Seasons 1-4 are streaming exclusively on Paramount+ in the U.S., the UK, Canada, Switzerland, South Korea, Latin America, Germany, France, Italy, Australia and Austria. Seasons 2 and 3 also are available on the Pluto TV “Star Trek” channel in Switzerland, Germany and Austria. The series streams on Super Drama in Japan, TVNZ in New Zealand, and SkyShowtime in Spain, Portugal, Poland, The Nordics, The Netherlands, and Central and Eastern Europe and also airs on Cosmote TV in Greece. The series is distributed by Paramount Global Content Distribution.

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• May 11, 2024 | Interview: Elias Toufexis On Making Star Trek History Playing L’ak And Nerding Out In ‘Discovery’

Preview ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Episode 508 With New Images And Clip From “Labyrinths”

| May 13, 2024 | By: TrekMovie.com Staff 41 comments so far

The fifth and final season of Star Trek: Discovery continues on Thursday with the eighth episode, and we have details, new photos, and a clip WITH SPOILERS .

Episode 7: “Labyrinths”

The eighth episode of the season, “Labyrinths,” was written by Lauren Wilkinson & Eric J. Robbins and directed by Emmanuel Osei-Kuffour. The episode debuts on Paramount+ on Thursday, May 16.

When Captain Burnham is trapped within a “mindscape” designed to test her worthiness to retrieve the Progenitor’s powerful technology, Book, Rayner, and the crew of the U.S.S. Discovery must hold off the Breen long enough for her to escape.

Co-showrunner Michelle Paradise previously teased this episode saying, “Oh, just an incredible gorgeous location, incredible scope and a singular journey for Burnham.”

UPDATE: Efrosian!

The episode includes an Efrosian character, as confirmed in the comments below by co-writer Eric J. Robbins:

She is indeed Efrosian — I’m a big fan of STVI. I hope you all enjoy the episode, it’s a fun one. Our director Emmanuel knocked it out of the park!

Elena Juatco as Hy’Rell in Star Trek: Discovery, episode 8, season 5, streaming on Paramount+, 2023. Photo Credit: Marni Grossman /Paramount+

NEW photos:

Tony Nappo as Primarch Ruhn (Michael Gibson/Paramount+)

Sonequa Martin-Green as Burnham (Marni Grossman /Paramount+)

Dorian Grey as Lt. Arisar (Michael Gibson/Paramount+)

Episode trailer

CHECK BACK LATER.

You can see a clip from “Labyrinths” from the latest episode of The Ready Room below …

The fifth and final season of  Discovery debuted with two episodes on Thursday, April 4 exclusively on Paramount+  in the U.S., the UK, Switzerland, South Korea, Latin America, Germany, France, Italy, Australia, and Austria.  Discovery also premiered on April 4 on Paramount+ in Canada and will be broadcast on Bell Media’s CTV Sci-Fi Channel in Canada. The rest of the 10-episode final season will be available to stream weekly on Thursdays. Season 5 debuted on SkyShowtime in select European countries on April 5.

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I guess Hy’Rell is a Efrosian.

Interesting. I was thinking Klingon.

Why not both? Maybe she’s half-Klingon, half-Efrosian…

Same.. I couldn’t tell if it was Klingon ridges or not. Wait… did I just racially profile a character over ridges and hair?

We definitely need to see 32nd century Klingons before the show is over. As much as I’l like a STIV deepcut, I hope she’s Klingon…

we will, some stunt guys leaked it before the season started said they’d be playing Klingon and Breen soldiers

She is indeed Efrosian — I’m a big fan of STVI.

I hope you all enjoy the episode, it’s a fun one. Our director Emmanuel knocked it out of the park!

That’s cool!

Woohoo!! I’m excited for this episode. Awesome to see an Efrosian again after all of this time!

My money is on Klingon…… Change the Hy to L and you have L’Rell.

Should be Klingon.

Er, a Discovery writer just told us here that she’s Efrosian.

Cool that one of the writers replied and let us know.

Brave soul to post on a trek site though. We can be a rowdy bunch at times.

I always loved the Efrosian in Voyage Home. “Here it comes now-”

Great voice on the actor, Nick Ramus, who I’m just learning was a member of the Blackfoot tribe.

Wow, I always thought he was an *Asian* Indian.

Same here, though with all the makeup it was hard to tell.

Looks like Ramus was in quite a few westerns. He passed away in 2007, age 77.

“…singular journey for Michael” this whole show has been only about Michael.

the only parts of this season i’ve enjoyed are Moll / L’ak and the Breen

“ this whole show has been only about Michael”

Just because you don’t like an African-American woman in the lead role doesn’t make this true.

Saru for example has had a major character arc over the course of the series. If you don’t see that, you can’t be helped. Also Culber/Stamets have gone through major, even soap opera level of stories with their relationship.

You could criticize the series for being too much about the characters. But the series being about the main character is a silly criticism. Or can I see your criticism about Kirk doing everything in TOS? Would like to see a link to that.

And before you come with the trite “but we don’t know nothing about the bridge crew!11!”: Tell me the names and character arcs of the people working in Ops of Deep Space Nine. I’ll wait (actually I won’t, I have better things to do).

If you don’t like a black woman lead, just say so.

This comment right here is why it is so difficult to get people to take actual issues around racism and misogyny serious.

Jan, your comment is completely unwarranted. Nothing in Sean’s comment suggested a racial component to his critique. I dislike the entire series as a matter of fact. Not because of the genders, racial origins or personal lives of the characters depicted or the cast – I just don’t like it Especially compared with Strange New worlds. An apology is in order.

Where did you get a racial dislike from what he said? All he said was “this whole show has been only about Michael” which is accurate (also the way the show was designed from Day 1, but I don’t see where he’s disputing that). So not sure where this criticism is coming from. I’ve been very critical of the character, but it has nothing to do with her race… I don’t think she has been written very well. My dislike of how they’ve written her has nothing to do with who is playing her. Sonequa is a wonderful actress and has elevated the writing because of it. The fact is, she and the character deserve better than they’ve gotten. Knock on wood, so far this season she has been written much better, where her character is concerned. None of that has anything to do with her race. But I have to defend Sean here, because I just don’t see where you get that from anything he said, and it’s unfair of you to project that on to anyone without knowing.

Wow, I just realized something beautiful. All the five clues are hidden within the worlds of all five classic legacy shows.

Fred, the Soong-type android = TNG Trill = DS9 ISS Enterprise = TOS Denobulan weather station = ENT Badlands = VOY

Well spotted!

Whoah, I really like this. Nice catch! That’s awesome!

Awesome observation Garth!

Excellent catch!!

I wonder if Hy’Rell is even a real person. The uniform looks very 23rd/24th century. Maybe it’s a projection of what Burnham expects to see.

Re: a closed thread below:

There’s a solid case to be made that Discovery has focused primarily on one character more than any Trek show before it.

Sure, the other shows sometimes gave the captain more attention than other characters (although I’d argue that Spock, Data, Worf, Kira, the Doctor, Seven and T’Pol often had the spotlight), but Discovery has been The Michael Burnham Show from the get-go, by design.

Nope. Solid character arcs for Saru, Stamets, Culber, even Book and Adira… Michael is the lead character but not to an extend any of the other characters get sidelined…

I think that’s true of any show centered around one central character. With TOS, there was the Troika of Kirk, Spock, Bones, all others were support with some occasional focus on them. Disco is no different, it’s just much more focused on one person, rather than a triumvirate.

I think the issue is the low episode count per season and length of time between seasons, combined with Discovery’s identity crisis and needing to reinvent itself every season, that prevents any meaningful connections to any of the supporting characters. The show was designed to be about Burnham’s journey, even if they seemed to be in a rush to shorten that journey by making her captain as fast as possible in my opinion.

The Berman era shows had more episodes to include the supporting cast than the new era of Trek does and there wasn’t that long of a wait between seasons to forget about what happened before.

You’re contradicting yourself. All of the other live action shows had as their primary focus the person in command as well. No exceptions. Yet Discovery sets off some people. Gee, what is the obvious difference between Discovery and all other live action Trek…..

Please don’t try to continue a contentious topic that we closed for a reason.

Dorian Grey chose a good role. No way he sees the portrait through that helmet.

Ha! But that was Gray. :-)

He’s good, he won’t see it burn either.

The production is amazing. That efrosion looks terrific. Wow! The make up artists and the costume designers are fantastic and deserve awards.

Perhaps it is just me, but I was thinking — not for the first time in modern Trek — that the latex on the Efrosian looks very latex-y, not like natural skin. I had the same reaction to Sneed in Picard and sometimes to Saru, especially this season.

An Efrosian, cool. Shout out to Mel Efros, the namesake and creator of the design.

Chris Pine got his movie-star education from Denzel Washington

The director, cowriter, and star of "Poolman" reflects on his rise through Hollywood's ranks, from his rom-com days to playing Captain Kirk.

"Is this on camera?" Chris Pine asks me as we stare at each other through the magic of Zoom.

Sporting a graying beard, perfectly combed shoulder-length hair, and a loose-fitting yellow and white cardigan, Pine certainly appears camera-ready. But once I tell him that video won't be recorded, he slouches back in his chair, seemingly pleased that he can keep a toothpick dangling from his mouth during our conversation.

Whether he's playing the handsome leading man in a rom-com or an intensely focused franchise star, Pine has the uncanny ability to adapt into the movie star that's needed at any particular moment. And right now, with the cameras not technically rolling, he doesn't have to be one at all.

Pine didn't want to be a movie star growing up, either. A third-generation actor, he first avoided going into the family business. As a die-hard Yankees fan thanks to his East Coast-raised father, a teenage Pine dreamed of becoming a professional baseball player like his idol, Yankee great Don Mattingly.

When that phase passed ("Kids were starting to pitch faster," he said), he dabbled in theater. But it wasn't until he returned home from a stint studying abroad in the UK during college that he decided to pursue acting in earnest.

"It wasn't a passion," Pine says. "It's something that I found."

But the childhood memories of both his parents struggling to find work as actors stayed with him. His mother, Gwynne Gilford, eventually gave up acting to become a therapist. Though his father, Robert Pine, is still working as a veteran character actor best known for playing Sergeant Getraer on the late-1970s hit series "CHiPs," he was keeping the family afloat gig by gig during Pine's childhood.

Those Hollywood anxieties are present in Pine's directorial debut, "Poolman," in theaters Friday. Though the film is hardly autobiographical — Pine stars as a burnout pool cleaner in LA who's trying to uncover a city scandal — his character gets support from two parental figures in his life, who are struggling showbiz types played by Danny DeVito and Annette Bening.

"There's a scene at the end when Danny's character, Jack, says that his agent finally called back and offered him a sitcom for $75,000 an episode, and he turned it down," Pine says. He looks down in his lap, almost reliving what he's describing. "And Annette's character has a conniption fit."

Pine finally looks up.

"That's my childhood," he continues. "The dream was for my father to get a television show that paid $70,000 an episode, and that would finally get us out of financial distress."

With a filmography that charts an impressive ascension from heartthrob to the face of IP-fueled blockbusters to prestige fare, it's safe to say that distress is now behind him.

In Business Insider's latest Role Play interview , Pine discusses why he refuses to watch some of his rom-coms, learning how to be a movie star via Denzel Washington, and the untimely end of the "Wonder Woman" franchise.

On hating working at restaurants and refusing to watch his old rom-coms

Early Chris Pine is a trip to watch. You played a hard partier in an episode of "E.R." You cried in front of David Caruso in "CSI: Miami." At that time in your life, were you just going after anything?

Fuck yeah! Don't be a waiter. Actually, I was a host at a restaurant and just hated it. Could not have hated it anymore. I was not a people person. It was all about just getting work.

You started getting noticed thanks to romantic comedies — "Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement," "Just My Luck," "Blind Dating" — would you watch any of those titles now? Like, if you're in a hotel room flipping through the channels and it comes on.

I mean, not a chance. And that's for most of my films. It's too difficult because then you're thinking, "God, why did I fucking do that?" Or "Why did they pick that take?"

What I will say, though, is I get more people coming up to me about "Princess Diaries 2," and I think that's because it's played for so many generations of young girls now. So that's a trip.

On being comfortable playing Captain Kirk — by movie No. 3

Playing Captain Kirk in the "Star Trek" movies must have been daunting — not only were you taking on an iconic IP, but the actor who originated the character, William Shatner, is still so synonymous with Kirk. Were you ever comfortable in that role?

It's interesting. Karl Urban decided to go head first into McCoy because Karl loved "Star Trek." With Spock, you have to do Spock-like things, plus Zach [Quinto] kind of looked like Leonard [Nimoy]. And then Kirk is a tricky one. You are the lead of the band of characters, so you don't want to occupy too much space. It's fine if they are doing a thing, but you don't want to. And J.J. [Abrams] never asked me to do a thing, though I did do little nods to Shatner because it was fun.

But I would say I felt most in his shoes in the third movie. By that point, I think I mellowed into it and didn't feel like I was trying too hard.

Has the ship sailed to do Kirk again?

I honestly don't know. There was something in the news of a new writer coming on board. I thought there was already a script, but I guess I was wrong, or they decided to pivot. As it's always been with "Trek," I just wait and see.

On getting a crash course in being a movie star from Denzel Washington and playing a 'non-charming' leading man

"Unstoppable" is the moment, I feel, where you're not fucking around anymore. Tony Scott, working across from Denzel Washington —

Youth really is wasted on the young [ laughs ]. It's such an awesome moment. It's one of the biggest films of the year; all the lights are shining on you, all the possibility of you being able to do whatever you want. I really wish I took more effort to enjoy that moment. 

I was reading a lot of scripts at the time, and I was on a plane when I read this one. And I didn't want to like it because it's a train. It's like, what is my job in this fucking film? The train is going to explode and then it's not. You know exactly what is going to happen.

But Mark Bomback wrote this incredible script, and I was on the plane, and I couldn't stop reading it. I would push it away — No. Buuut. No, nope. Buuut. I just could not turn away from it. Plus, Tony Scott was a god to me. He'd done "Days of Thunder" and "Top Gun," and then you add into that mix Denzel, plus that it's a two-hander that takes place in one location. From an acting class standpoint, I'm getting paid a lot of money to learn at the feet of one of the best who has ever done it. It was out of control cool. I learned more from that set about what it means to be a movie star than probably anything else. 

Before "Hell or High Water," you'd worked with Ben Foster in "The Finest Hours." How much of the praise you received for that movie do you attribute to the comfort you two had in working together?

I think it's more than that. Taylor [Sheridan] wrote a banger script. That script is one of the five best scripts I've ever read in my entire life. So you have the writing. Then you have David [Mackenzie] coming off of making "Starred Up," which is an incredible film, and then you have the Jeff Bridges of it all.

I think I held my own there, but you have these two incredibly dynamic actors: Jeff is the legend, and Ben is a caged animal of an actor. I had a lot of fun because up until that point, I hadn't played a closed-off, non-talkative, non-charming leading man. So I was really stoked to take that on. I think it was all the pieces coming together, not just one thing.

On turning down 'Wonder Woman' twice before director Patty Jenkins convinced him by bringing up 'Casablanca'

By the time you did the "Wonder Woman" franchise, you had done your fair share of blockbusters. Was there a moment in filming the first movie when you realized this one was different than the others?

I got pitched the film and didn't want to do it. Patty came on board and I still didn't want to do it. I had no interest in playing the boyfriend, and it sounded like second fiddle. Then, in talking to Patty, the way she described it was, "Forget the superhero of it all, this is a romance, this is "Casablanca," that's the movie I want to make." And I was like, oh, now that is very cool, because when had you seen a superhero film that was a love story, ultimately? That had nothing to do with blowing shit up.

For me, the pivotal moment is the scene on the tarmac; it's "Casablanca" by a different name. So when I saw that film, man. Film is not an actor's medium, it's a director's and editor's medium, and shit can go wrong really fast, and that was a movie where you're in the theater and you get lost in it. You forget you're in it. That's when you know it's gold.

Do you or Gal Gadot or Patty feel that there's unfinished business with the franchise not doing a third movie?

Me? No. Homie is dead. Steve is gonzo. It would be ridiculous to try to bring me back.

I'm stunned that they said no to a billion-dollar franchise and decided to pivot elsewhere. I don't know what the reasoning was behind that; it's above my pay grade, but Wonder Woman is an incredible character, and Patty is such a thoughtful director. Even think of "Wonder Woman 1984" — that's a blockbuster movie that is a hero's journey not about revenge. I mean, wow. People poo-pooed it, but wow!

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

"Poolman" is in theaters May 10.

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Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 Returning Cast & New Character Guide

When star trek: discovery ends, i'll miss tig notaro's jett reno the most, strange new worlds could have the answer to a big star trek: discovery mystery.

WARNING: Contains SPOILERS for Star Trek: Discovery season 5!

• The replacement for the spore drive, the pathway drive, may never be explained in the final episodes of Discovery season 5.
• The focus in the last three episodes should be on securing the Progenitors' treasure and defeating the Breen, not introducing new technology.
• Starfleet replaced the spore drive due to lack of navigators, leading to the development of the pathway drive.

Star Trek: Discovery teased an exciting new replacement for the spore drive, but with only three episodes left to go, this new technology may never be explained. Discovery season 5, episode 1, "Red Directive" revealed that Commander Paul Stamets (Anthony Rapp) was mourning the closure of his spore drive program, abandoned in favor of an alternative warp drive replacement. The USS Voyager-J replaced Discovery's spore drive with the pathway drive, which it had been testing since Discovery 's season 4 premiere. This created the possibility of seeing the pathway drive in action later in Discovery season 5.

However, with seven episodes down, the USS Voyager-J is yet to make an appearance in Star Trek: Discovery season 5 . In Discovery season 5, episode 7, "Erigah", written by M. Raven Metzner and directed by Jon Dudkowski, a fleet of four Starfleet ships protected Federation Headquarters from the Breen Imperium. The Voyager-J was not among these ships, presumably because the Federation wanted to protect the pathway drive from falling into the hands of the Breen Imperium. As Discovery only has three episodes left before it ends for good, time is running out for the show to reveal Starfleet's spore drive replacement.

As Burnham seeks the universe's greatest treasure in Star Trek: Discovery season 5, she'll need help from a host of new and returning characters.

Star Trek: Discovery’s Spore Drive Replacement May Not Be Explained By The Series’ End

As Star Trek: Discovery season 5's treasure hunt builds to its climax, it doesn't feel like there will be much room to introduce another starship into the mix. The focus in Discovery 's final three episodes should be on securing the Progenitors' treasure, defeating the Breen, and wrapping up the overall stories of the show's lead characters. A diversion to visit the USS Voyager-J to explain how a pathway drive works would be an unnecessary distraction that would kill the pace of Discovery season 5 .

It was revealed earlier in Star Trek: Discovery season 5 that Lt. Commander Nilsson (Sara Mitich) transferred from the USS Discovery to the USS Voyager-J.

What's more likely is that the USS Voyager-J and the pathway drive were potential set-up for the abandoned Star Trek: Discovery season 6. As Discovery season 5 wasn't expected to be the show's finale, it's possible that the writers' room was planning to ditch Discovery's spore drive altogether in season 6. When Discovery season was canceled, so too were any tentative plans for the story of season 6, and the potential to explore how a pathway drive works. This means that Star Trek: Starfleet Academy is now the most likely show to explore Starfleet's latest innovation in starship propulsion .

Why Starfleet Replaced Star Trek: Discovery’s Spore Drive

Ultimately, Starfleet replaced the spore drive because it was an incredibly complex piece of technology that required several moving parts . The horrific fate of the USS Glenn in Star Trek: Discovery season 1 revealed that spore drives need a navigator who could accurately steer the ship through the complex mycelial network. Without a skilled navigator, a ship with a spore drive could spin out with catastrophic consequences for its crew. Stamets was trying to fix this navigation issue between Discovery seasons 4 and 5, but was unable to crack it before Starfleet shuttered the project.

The dilithium shortage caused by The Burn led Starfleet to explore alternatives to warp travel in the 32nd century to reduce their reliance on the mineral.

Stamets' Tardigrade DNA enables him to pilot the USS Discovery through the mycelial network, but there's a lack of other viable navigators. The only other candidate was Cleveland Booker (David Ajala) whose empathic gifts as a Kwejian enabled him to interface with the mycelial network. However, due to the destruction of his home planet in season 4, he's one of the last of his kind, vastly reducing Starfleet's available candidates for spore drive navigators. With so few navigators, Starfleet opted to go with the pathway drive, which it's hoped will appear in a future Star Trek show following the end of Star Trek: Discovery .

Star Trek: Discovery season 5 streams Thursdays on Paramount+

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Star Trek: Discovery is an entry in the legendary Sci-Fi franchise, set ten years before the original Star Trek series events. The show centers around Commander Michael Burnham, assigned to the USS Discovery, where the crew attempts to prevent a Klingon war while traveling through the vast reaches of space.