Summary
Q is an immensely powerful god-like being with few peers, butStar Trekhas confirmed that one species is more than a match for the Continuum. In 2014’sThe Q Gambitstoryline, running throughStar Trek#35-40, the trickster dropped in on the Kelvin timeline, seeking their help in defeating the one race more powerful than the Q, and they stand revealed in issue 40.
Star Trek#40, first published by IDW, was written by Mike Johnson and drawn by Tony Shasteen. Q, trying to teach Kirk a lesson about “no-win” scenarios, creates a timeline where theFederation was overrun by the Dominion. However, Q reveals a deeper motive for his scheme: the Pah Wraiths and the Q Continuum have been at war–and the Pah Wraiths are winning.
Q secretly hoped that, somehow, the Kelvin crew would be able to help him stop them.
Q is successful in wiping out the Pah Wraiths, but only thanks to an assist from the Bajoran Prophets.
The Prophets Are Gods–And Not Just to the Bajoran People
The Prophets Have A Dark Counterpart–And They Nearly Destroyed Ben Sisko
TheStar Trekuniverse is chock-full of god-like beings, including the Q and the Bajoran Prophets. Q is the franchise’s trickster figure, and the Prophets dwell in the Bajoran Wormhole, and are venerated by the Bajoran people. The Prophets, for the most part, are benign. Despite the wormhole being their realm, the Prophets still allowed Alpha Quadrant vessels to travel through it. The Prophets, likemany otherStar Trekgods,keep themselves hidden, mostly revealing themselves to their Emissary, Ben Sisko.
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6
“Tears of the Prophets”
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“Shadows and Symbols”
“What We Leave Behind”
The Pah Wraiths are the evil counterparts to the Prophets. Introduced in the fifth seasonStar Trek: Deep Space Nineepisode “The Assignment,” the Pah Wraiths dwelled in the Fire Caves of Bajor. The ancient enemies of the Prophets, the Pah Wraiths, swore revenge on the universe. Like the Prophets, the Pah Wraiths have vast powers, including the ability to induce visions as well as possess people. InDeep Space Nine’sfinal season, a Pah-Wraith possessed Gul Dukat nearly freed the rest of the Wraiths, if not for the intervention of Sisko.
The Pah Wraiths' Just Ascended to the Top of theStar TrekFood Chain
The revelation that the Pah Wraiths may be more powerful than Q casts new light on the hierarchy of power in theStar Trekuniverse.
The revelation that the Pah Wraiths may be more powerful than Q casts new light on the hierarchy of power in theStar Trekuniverse. Q was assumed to be the most powerful, capable of creating entire timelines and traversing the multiverse at a whim. Yet for all his power, he is useless against the Pah Wraiths, which places them higher in the pecking order. Another Q-related story,The Q Conflict,hints the Prophets posed a threat to him, meaning the same can be said of the Pah Wraiths. The Pah Wraiths have the rare honor of humbling Q.
