Kazon

In the Star Trek universe, prior to the arrival of Voyager in the Delta Quadrant, hostilities between the Trabe and the Kazon led to the Trabe keeping them subjugated. Violence between the Kazon was encouraged to limit the risk of them rising up against the Trabe.[5] Before being conquered by the Trabe, the Kazon were the most advanced society in the quadrant.[26] On stardate 2346, Jal Sankur united the sects into the Kazon Order or the Kazon Collective to overthrow the Trabe.[3][5][26] The Kazon stole the Trabe's technology and ships and, rather than settle on a new homeworld, became a nomadic species. After achieving independence from the Trabe, the Kazon continued to fight among themselves for control of resources and technology.[3][5]
In Star Trek: Voyager, the Kazon are known under the collective title of the Kazon Order, but the species are also separated into various sections.[27] While the official Star Trek website lists the Kazon as having eighteen sects,[27] the episode "Initiations" represents the number of sects as highly unstable and changing every day.[28] Only eight groups were named in Star Trek: Voyager: Kazon-Halik, Kazon-Ogla, Kazon-Oglamar, Kazon-Relora, Kazon-Nistrim, Kazon-Mostral, Kazon-Hobii, and Kazon-Pommar.[29] The sects are portrayed as "blood enemies" who rarely make attempts at diplomacy or forge alliances.[28] At the time that Voyager passed through Kazon-occupied space, the Kazon-Ogla and Kazon-Relora were the most powerful of the eight, controlling the most members and ships.[4] A Kazon who does not belong to a sect is viewed as a "Goven" or an outcast.[27] The title "first maje" is used to reference the leader of a sect.[1] The political structure of the Kazon is built around "political killings inside the sects as well as between sects",[28] with peace perceived as an impossible construct.[30]

Culture and technology

During Star Trek: Voyager, Kazon society was represented as patriarchal as males reacted negatively to orders from women.[4][5] Kazon women are never shown on the series, and are only referenced through dialogue by the Kazon men.[28] Young Kazon males are raised as warriors, undergoing a rite of passage ritual to earn their adult names. The honorific title "Jal" given to a young Kazon male marks their transition into adulthood; it is given either when the boy kills an enemy in battle or dies in battle.[3][26] Those who fail this rite of passage are punished either by execution or public shaming.[28] Fathers and sons are expected to have an emotionally distant relationship, with any signs of affection between them being considered shameful.[3]
Scholars Christina Niculescu and Yonit Nemtzeanu analysed Kazon culture to explore political correctness and themes of racial prejudice in Star Trek: Voyager. They determined that the Kazon are characterized as primitive/inferior, savage, and criminal, and argue that the Kazon's appearance and behavior were designed to elicit a negative response from the audience. They described the Kazon's clothing as resembling that of guerrilla warriors, and their hair and faces as "wild" and "threatening". Though the Kazon are not shown as having a standing army, they are defined as a militaristic society. Niculescu and Nemtzeanu noted that the Kazon dialogue is marked by its frequent use of violent language.[28] According to Seska, Kazon medicine is rudimentary and "primitive".[11] Even though the Kazon are the only classified species that the Borg refuse to assimilate, Janeway included in her reports that they are a "tricky and dangerous foe".[17]
In Star Trek: Voyager, the Kazon's military focus is heavily contrasted with the humanistic United Federation of Planets.[28] Through the resources taken from the Trabe, the Kazon possess energy weapons, primarily phasers and tractor beams, and deflector shields. They are unaware of transporters and replicators until their first meeting with Voyager's crew.[31] The Kazon are primarily shown using one of two types of spacecraft: raider ships and carrier vessels. The raider ships are considered minor threats by Voyager's crew, but the carrier ships are viewed as more dangerous.[5][9] Even though the Kazon's weapons are inferior to those on Voyager, the Starfleet crew's inability to resupply leaves them vulnerable to attacks.[32] The Kazon vessels are visually represented as "dark, strictly functional" and without "any of the embellishments known from the bright, slick Federation ships". The ships are adorned with only the skulls and trophies of conquered enemies.[28] In Star Trek Online, players can use the Kazon heavy raider and have access to its bridge. The MMORPG's official website promotes the craft's greatest strength as "its maneuverability and versatility". The site also mentions that the Kazon have improved their technology since their encounter with Voyager by scavenging more advanced materials from other species