Star Trek Admits One of Its Godly Aliens Were (Accidentally) Made By a Captain

Warning: contains spoilers for Star Trek #28!

Star Trek just admitted that one of its god-like species may have been (accidentally) created by Captain Sisko. After witnessing the death of the universe, Sisko has been thrown back in time to Bajor’s distant past, as seen in Star Trek #28. While there, Sisko helps forge the Bajoran culture–but in the process, he may have helped give birth to one of the most evil, god-like races in the Star Trek universe.

Star Trek #28 is written by Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly and drawn by Tess Fowler. The issue recounts Sisko’s first 200 years on prehistoric Bajor. At this time, the Bajorans were still an agrarian-based society. Furthermore, the Bajorans did not practice the religion they would come to be known for. Sisko lives among them, helping steer their culture in a better direction.

Unfortunately, Sisko’s work is almost derailed by Bajorans who worship their own selfish desires.

These Bajorans, who are called the Pah-Wraiths, almost destroy Sisko and his followers, but he manages to bring them to his side–for now.

The Pah-Wraiths, Star Trek's Evil Ghosts, Explained

The Pah-Wraiths Cut a Path of Evil Across the Star Trek Universe

The Prophets, the non-corporeal species venerated by the Bajorans, were usually depicted on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine as aloof, but ultimately well-meaning. The Prophets’ non-linear nature put them on a level far above the Bajorans, or many other species, giving fans the perception that they were distant from their adherents. On the flip side of the Prophets were the Pah-Wraiths. Non-corporeal like the Prophets, the Pah-Wraiths were evil, and actively sought to destroy Bajor, and ultimately, all creation. The Pah-Wraiths resided in the Fire Caves of Bajor, and were regarded as nothing more than a folk tale.

However, Sisko and the Deep Space Nine crew would soon learn the Pah-Wraiths were very real. In the fifth season episode “The Assignment,” the Pah-Wraiths take possession of Keiko O’Brien, and try to use her as an instrument of murder and destruction. Later in the show’s run, they would possess Gul Dukat, the former head of Deep Space Nine. Dukat, who had already had a psychotic break over his daughter’s death, was easy pickings for the Pah-Wraiths. Under their influence, he murdered Jadzia Dax and nearly killed Ben Sisko as well.

The Origin of the Pah-Wraiths Was Never Revealed

The Pah-Wraiths Were Responsible for Many Deaths, Including Jadzia Dax

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine did not reveal much about the Pah-Wraiths, or their origin. The Pah-Wraiths were said to have once resided in the Celestial Temple with the Prophets, but were kicked out for their evil ways. The story parallels the Biblical account of a war in Heaven and Satan’s expulsion from it. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine was the first Trek show to examine religion in a more nuanced and balanced way, and the stories of the Bajoran Prophet and the Pah-Wraiths held a mirror to many of Earth’s religions.

While Deep Space Nine did not reveal the Pah-Wraiths’ origin, it did not skimp on showing their evil ways. In addition to the aforementioned killing of Jadzia Dax, the Pah-Wraiths tried to kill Ben Sisko, as seen in Deep Space Nine’s final episode “What We Leave Behind.” The Pah-Wraiths sought to destroy the wormhole and Bajor, and they were successful in completing the corruption of Bajoran spiritual leader Kai Winn. While Winn was controlling, she still worshiped the Prophets like other Bajorans, but the Pah-Wraiths finally led her astray, and they killed her when she realized what she had done.

The Pah-Wraiths Origin Story Has Far-Reaching Implications for the Star Trek Universe

Were the Prophets Mortal Once Too?

Now, Star Trek #28 may have just revealed the origin of the Pah-Wraiths, and it raises more questions about them than it answers. If the account presented in Star Trek #28 is true, and not a vision solely within Sisko’s mind, then the Pah-Wraiths were once regular, mortal Bajorans. The issue states they formed as a reaction to Sisko’s teachings, carrying out acts of murder and terrorism, and they looked to their own “pagh” (a Bajoran religious concept) instead of Sisko. They are clad in all black, giving them an imposing aura.

If the Pah-Wraiths truly began life as mortals, this upends a lot of what Star Trek fans know about not only the Wraiths, but the Prophets too. Both the Prophets and the Pah-Wraiths were non-corporeal on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Deep Space Nine never revealed the Pah-Wraiths' origin, but it never disclosed the Prophets’ either. If the Wraiths were once mortal, then it stands to reason the Prophets themselves may have been once as well. The question of how the Prophets (and the Pah-Wraiths) evolved to their current state will play out in future issues of Star Trek.

Another curious point raised by Star Trek #28 is Sisko’s seeming alliance with the Pah-Wraiths. The issue shows one of them attacking Sisko in his temple retreat, only for him to deescalate the situation. On a later page, a representative of the Pah-Wraiths is part of Sisko’s council. This development squares easily with what fans know of the Pah-Wraiths: that they were once part of the “Temple” (the Bajoran wormhole) but were expelled. The mercy Sisko showed the Pah-Wraiths proved to be one of his biggest blunders, one that would haunt him in his own time.

Star Trek #28 is on sale now from IDW Publishing!