Warning: contains spoilers forStar Trek: Defiant#18!
Whether they realize it or not, an underratedStar Trek: Voyagerspecies may have just saved the galaxy. While traveling the treacherous Delta Quadrant,Voyagerencounters a number of new species, both friendly and hostile–most falling into the latter category. The Hirogen were one such race, menacingVoyagerseveral times during their journey. Now, inStar Trek: Defiant#18,the Hirogen may have inadvertently saved the galaxy.
The Hirogen debuted in the fourth seasonVoyagerepisode “Message in a Bottle.”
Star Trek: Defiant#18 is written by Christopher Cantwell and drawn by Angel Unzueta. Worf, Ro Laren and B’Elanna Torres are on the Antaran homeworld, on the edge of the Delta Quadrant. The Romulans are coming to Antara to strip the planet of its remaining technology, andWorf must organize the agrarian inhabitantsto fight back. Not optimistic about their prospects, Worf nevertheless presses ahead. One of the Antarans takes Worf to a clearing, where two Hirogen Raiders are kept.
The ships are over a hundred years old, but are still in working condition.
The Hirogen’sStar Trek: VoyagerConnection, Explained
The Hirogen Live for the Hunt, Making Them Unlike OtherStar TrekAliens
WhenVoyagerwas thrown 75,000 light years into the Delta Quadrant, they were in completely unknown territory.Voyagerset a course for home, and right into the crosshairs of every hostile race in the Delta Quadrant. The Kazon, the Borg, the Krenim and the Hirogen all squared off withVoyagerat one point or another. The Hirogen were particularly scary. They were warp-capable, but nomadic, traveling through the galaxy hunting for pure sport. The Hirogen met Janeway and her crew often, and took them down to the wire.
One ofVoyager’sbetter developed races, the Hirogen’s single-minded pursuit of the hunt led to fascinating social mores and customs.
The glimpses of Hirogen culture and society glimpsed inStar Trek: Voyagerpaint a fascinating picture. One ofVoyager’sbetter developed races, the Hirogen’s single-minded pursuit of the hunt led to fascinating social mores and customs.Voyagertried to make breakthroughs with the Hirogen, but it would not be until the ship returned home that the Federation attempted formal diplomatic relations. As revealed inStar Trek: Picard, the two powers have come to an agreement, but only after some initial misunderstandings. While it is unlikely the Hirogenwill join the Federation,it is one less enemy they will deal with.
The Hirogen May Have Just Saved Everyone
Star TrekIs Showing the True Potential of the Hirogen
Just as the Hirogen’s culture produced unique customs, it gave birth to some fantastic technology as well, tech that just might have saved the galaxy. A Romulan invasion fleet is headed to Antara, which under normal circumstances would have spelled doom for the planet. Yet the presence of Hirogen raiders gives Worf and the Antarans an advantage they previously did not have.Star Trek: Voyagertouched on the awesome potential of Hirogen technology, and now it will be instrumental in saving an important planet, and thus the galaxy.
