star trek ascendancy breen

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Review — STAR TREK ASCENDANCY Moves into the Gamma Quadrant with New Dominion War and Breen Expansions

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The team at Gale Force Nine is back with their latest addition to the Star Trek: Ascendancy tabletop game: two expansions which let players step into the role of the imposing Dominion or the enigmatic Breen Confederacy.

Debuting originally in 2016, Star Trek: Ascendancy is a 4X strategy game where you steer a galactic power to explore the  Star Trek universe, exploit its resources, expand your territory, and exterminate anyone who stands in your way. These two new releases bring the total number of player factions up to nine — plus an appropriately ‘automated’ Borg threat.

Such an extensive roster offers endless combinations of how you can battle for supremacy in the Alpha Quadrant — and with the Dominion expansion, the Gamma Quadrant as well!

The theming is strong for the reclusive Breen, who gain powerful advantages when defending their territory. Between chances to automatically destroy ships, reroll missed To-Hit rolls in combat, and deny opponents the chance to retreat from battle, the prospect of going toe-to-toe with the Breen on their home turf is a daunting one.

Players will still need to keep their weapons technology advancing steadily though, as all the advantages in the universe can still be stymied by powerful shields. And speaking of advantages out in the universe, the Breen’s new system discs offer a bevy of Culture and Open slots that offer a lot of value to savvy players while ships are exploring strange new worlds.

One-time allies of the Breen, the Dominion are not to be discounted either. This faction sports powerful combat abilities, led by their Ketracel-White ability to reroll failed attacks. The Dominion’s fleets are geared for battle as well, generating new ships while in flight and overpowering enemies with heavily-shielded armadas.

Their research opportunities highlight each of the three major components in the Dominion’s social structure: the Jem’Hadar generate Command tokens to trigger more combat rerolls, Vorta commanders help to resist Hegemony takeovers by enemy powers, and a novel mechanic allows for the Founders to infiltrate opponents’ systems and sow discord by moving ships out of position or making homeworlds easier to invade.

With the right advancements in place, the shapeshifting Founders can be very difficult to remove after they’ve infiltrated your territory and inflict costly losses — but it will take quite some time before they can put their full apparatus in place, so wise players will strike them quickly before it’s too late. The Dominion’s putative drawback, their inability to suborn another faction’s systems culturally, only means their fleets will be on the warpath all the sooner.

The arrival of the Dominion wouldn’t be complete without their native Gamma Quadrant. This expansion comes with rules for discovering star systems sequestered on the far side of the galaxy – and braving the wormhole can be added to games even without a Dominion player! The tile linking Bajor to the Idran system does a good job modeling the physical and conceptual distance that the Gamma Quadrant represents in the TV series; at the same time, it takes up a lot of real estate on the game area for relatively little value in play.

It’s perfect from a lore point of view, but if you use the Gamma rules at all you may want to leave it as a random event that might replace a phenomenon rather than forcing the Dominion player to start in their own private region.

The Dominion brings not only a new faction from beyond the wormhole, but a new game scenario: team play with the Dominion War. The rules introduce Alliance cards, which players can use to swing conflicts in their favor: deploying fleets, accelerating research, and rushing to the contested front to provide aid.

Several cards can also be used to directly assist your teammates by bolstering their forces or switching cards in your hand with theirs. This helps to add a level of meta-interaction that the alliance format otherwise reduces compared to a standard game. Conspiring with your allies to drop crucial cards beyond the normal flow of play is a nice injection of strategy and variety in what otherwise may feel like a more rote scenario.

The revised win conditions do require conquering at least one enemy homeworld, so a formidable military presence will be necessary in some aspect of your team’s plans. Turtling up and stalling for Ascendancy won’t save you, and there’s much less incentive to engage in table talk when Initiative is always random and there is no possibility of your current adversary becoming an ally of convenience in future turns: it’s a battle to the death.

This has pluses and minuses for different factions; aggressive ones like Klingons and the Dominion will always have a way to deploy their strengths. Others that focus on heavy peaceful interaction — like the Ferengi (limited to only one trade agreement) or the Vulcans (who peddle their ambassadors as helpful observers across a wide area of the boards) — will find their typical playstyle somewhat hamstrung.

On the other hand, Vulcans won’t have to worry about their ‘No Lying’ edict when it’s clear that they’re going for the throat. The Ferengi ability to add spacelanes without numeric restriction may also be particularly handy in a play area that is quite crowded from the start.

Another great addition that the Alliance rules bring is the Resistance deck. In the Dominion War, there is no player elimination. When a faction has their homeworld taken over by an enemy power, they aren’t erased from the map but rather become a sort of vassal to the faction who conquered them. Sending part of their resources off, allowing free passage — and all the while, plotting a rebellion and aiding their remaining allies!

The Resistance cards take the place of the player’s Alliance cards, and allow them to strike a blow against their conqueror, build ships for themselves or an ally, and even liberate themselves outright and rejoin the game with their full regular abilities again (with or without the assistance of their allies to free their homeworld).

The chance to support the team even when your faction is all but vanquished is a terrific addition that greatly suits this style of play.

The initial setup for the Dominion War does accelerate play right to the midgame, with mature empires turning their gazes outward among the other players, who have all made first contact at the start. Full fleet and Starbase complements are available regardless of Ascendancy, and extra starting resources can quickly enable you to spread your ships far and wide.

Removing some of the randomness in initial system draws prevents any one player from being significantly set back by bad luck in dangerous phenomena or resource-poor planets; this also takes some of the thrill of exploration away — and hobbles the Federation’s perk for generating Culture from new discoveries.

There’s less time on average for Research projects to be initiated and mature without the threat of enemy ships bearing down on you, so fewer signature abilities may be brought to bear in some games.

Playing Star Trek: Ascendancy with several first-timers — but long-time board gamers — I found that it hits the sweet spot with simplicity of mechanics while it also maintains enough strategic depth to be highly replayable, which is a great combination in a game that will occupy the better part of your day.

The components in the new set maintain the excellent quality consumers have come to expect from this product line, and the spot-on theming will please any Trekkie eager to turn their eye toward a tactical take on exploring their favorite fictional universe. Pick up the Breen if you’re eager to try a tenacious and insular faction that has the bite to match their slowly-growing ambition.

You’ll want to grab The Dominion for the alliance rules alone, but there’s great value in the introduction of a new way to build your galactic map with the Gamma Quadrant and a powerful faction armed with relentless assault ships and insidious spies throwing rival empires into chaos.

The  Star Trek: Ascendancy  Dominion War game expansion set  and the Breen Confederacy player expansion set are both available in stores now, along with the base  Star Trek: Ascendancy game set.

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Star Trek: Ascendancy Breen Confederacy and Dominion War Expansions Review

Star Trek: Ascendancy is a space-themed 4X game, spanning an ever-expanding, modular map where classic Trek factions vie to become the most powerful civilization in the galaxy. The base game supports exactly 3 players, with each expansion adding the potential for one additional player. With experience, the game should take about an hour per player.

Expansions Overview:

The Breen Confederacy adds a new playable faction, the mysterious Breen, to the game and increases the potential player count by one. Probably the most obscure race available for Star Trek: Ascendancy, the Breen were featured in Deep Space Nine as secretive but powerful allies of the Dominion. Many Advancements grant special benefits when this civilization operates within Breen Territory, which includes all controlled systems connected to the Breen Home System. The Breen are Isolationists, so they can only exchange Trade Agreements with players who control a system adjacent to Breen Territory. Also, being aggressively Territorial, the Breen can reroll failed To Hit Rolls while in Breen Territory. So, for this faction, it pays to develop a well-guarded territorial stronghold, from which they can expand outward slowly and methodically, crushing opponents who dare to stray into Breen space.

The Dominion War is a larger box expansion that not only adds the Dominion as a playable faction but also introduces a new gameplay variant that features alliances. The Dominion were the Big Bad throughout most of the run of Deep Space Nine , culminating in the Dominion War that spanned the last few seasons. In Star Trek: Ascendancy, the Dominion seek to infiltrate and dominate rival civilizations. Their Ketracel-White ability allows the Dominion player to use Commands to reroll failed To Hit Rolls in Space Battles and Planetary Invasions. The latter will be the Dominion’s primary means of gaining control of enemy systems as their Domination feature does not allow Cultural Hegemony attempts. Finally, the Dominion begin the game with Changeling Infiltrators on their Home System, The Great Link. These Infiltrators can be sent out to any system in the galaxy in order to further Dominion machinations. A number of Advancements provide benefits in systems with a shapeshifting Infiltrator.

This expansion also brings the Gamma Quadrant to games of Ascendancy. In Star Trek: DS9 , the discovery of a wormhole near the planet Bajor connects the distant Gamma Quadrant to the Alpha Quadrant, home of the familiar Trek civilizations such as the Federation, Romulans, and Klingons. This bridge between quadrants is represented in-game by a special dual-system tile that contains Bajor (in the Alpha Quadrant) and Idran (in the Gamma Quadrant), linked by a wormhole. Ships must exit warp at one of these systems, then spend a Command token in order to traverse the wormhole to the other quadrant. When playing with this optional variant, the Dominion player’s Home System is located within the Gamma Quadrant. Any systems that are explored in the Gamma Quadrant come from a separate stack of planetary systems and phenomena. Connections cannot be made between systems in the two quadrants, so the only means of travel between them is through the Bajoran wormhole.

Another addition to this expansion is the Dominion War variant, which introduces team play to Ascendancy. This mode requires at least four players and works best with an even number of competitors. Each civilization will be assigned to an alliance, meaning that players on the same team must work together to achieve a shared victory. Setup differs significantly for the Dominion War as each Home System will begin the game connected to four colonized systems containing preconstructed resource nodes. Then, each player’s network will be connected to their allies’ and adversaries’ networks, creating a ring of colonized and unexplored systems. Alliances follow an alternate ruleset, forbidding combat against those on your team while allowing cooperation during space battles and planetary invasions against opponents. Additionally, Alliance Cards give players access to powerful new on-going abilities and one-time effects. A game of Dominion War is won by the alliance that conquers all opposing Home Systems.

Game Experience with the Expansions:

The Breen Confederacy

Aside from the asymmetry provided by the Breen’s special abilities and playstyle, there are no new rules or mechanisms to shake up your Ascendancy games. And that’s okay. The Breen are quite fun to play, rewarding a more insular playstyle that seeks to maintain close borders and expand more gradually. Once a Breen player has built up several advancements and fleets with devastating effects, opponents will think twice about entering Breen Territory. This homefield advantage can make quick surgical strikes into adjacent systems quite lucrative for the Breen, who can retreat to their territory to weather any potential retaliation. However, the Breen don’t have great ways to generate culture, particularly if they get unlucky and don’t come across many systems that can support culture nodes in their initial explorations, making an Ascendancy victory potentially hard to come by. And since Breen fleets are most dangerous on their home turf, it can be a tall order to expect them to easily achieve a Supremacy victory by taking control of rival Home Systems. So, newer players should keep in mind that the Breen Confederacy likely won’t be the easiest faction to begin with.

The Dominion War

The Dominion are very combat-oriented, with numerous abilities and advancements that make them dangerous foes in battle. Like the Vulcans’ Ambassador mechanism, the Dominion’s Infiltrators allow a player to seed rival systems with non-combat units that can produce numerous benefits and advantages. Learning how to send out Changeling Infiltrators to the far reaches of the galaxy and orchestrate events in your favor from the Gamma Quadrant can make a Dominion player feel quite powerful.

The Gamma Quadrant mechanism itself is a nice option to add to games of Star Trek: Ascendancy, further pushing the modularity and variability of the space exploration system. The introduction of this galactic bottleneck pushes players to adapt their strategies of expansion to account for the threat of allowing the Dominion player to turtle up in the relative safety of the Gamma Quadrant. While a rival’s presence in one of the systems bordering the wormhole doesn’t preclude ships from traveling through, control of Bajor will likely be heavily contested in a game containing the Gamma Quadrant. This relatively simple alteration to the way that the galactic map operates in Ascendancy is a refreshing change-up to a core mechanism of the game.

But it’s the Dominion War variant that provides the greatest divergence in gameplay and has the most potential to inject novelty into your game of Star Trek: Ascendancy. Having the players divided into teams dramatically changes how you must go about playing the game. As part of an alliance, you’re tasked with cooperating and combining resources with other players in order to pursue a common goal. Personally, I enjoy the addition of this optional mode of play, and it’s certainly thematic in the context of Star Trek, where alliances such as those between the Federation and Klingons or the Dominion and Cardassians factor heavily into numerous storylines.

Aside from team dynamics, this variant also significantly alters the overall style of play that is likely to develop in a game of Ascendancy. Since all Home Systems begin the game linked to one another, exploration tends to be somewhat de-emphasized (particularly if you’re running out of table space). Each player’s Home System will already be connected to at least four colonized systems, so there’s less of a need to spread out early in order to build up your empire. Overall the Dominion War is a very combat-focused game mode. For those players who prefer the battle-intensive aspects of Star Trek: Ascendancy, this variant encourages you to cry “Havoc,” and let slip the dogs of war as fast as possible.

Where the Dominion War perhaps becomes bogged down is the Conquest mechanism, which introduces a lot of peripheral rules and flotsam to the gameplay. It’s obvious that the developers needed a way to deal with the possibility that player elimination could make the game fairly one-sided once an alliance successfully takes out one of their adversaries. It’d likely be a doomed slog for the team down a player and no one would have any fun, especially the eliminated player. However, I’m not convinced that the convoluted rules governing how a conquered faction must subsequently play the game were the best choice. In any case, playing as a conquered civilization is fairly uninteresting as you can’t engage anyone in combat and your production is severely hampered. You’ll basically just be playing Resistance cards and hoping that you get the chance to liberate yourself through a Rebellion.

Final Thoughts:

Both expansions bring plenty of variety and the potential for new experiences to your games of Star Trek: Ascendancy . For fans of the game, there’s no reason not to get both, particularly if you’re a completionist and/or just want to have as many faction options as possible for your group to choose from. For DS9 fans in particular, these expansions are a must as they allow you to traverse the Bajoran wormhole, explore the Gamma Quadrant, and play out the Dominion War .

If you’re only looking to add one more expansion, then it’s more about what you want out of the new purchase. Obviously, the Dominion War has more to offer in terms of additional gameplay variants. So, if you’re looking to spice up your Ascendancy plays, that’s the expansion to add. But if you just want another race to play or need the components to add one more player, the Breen Confederacy has all you need at a slightly lower price point. And for all you Breen fans out there, it’s a no-brainer, right?

The Breen Confederacy Expansion

Misses: • More obscure Trek race might not excite everyone • Can be a tough faction to play

The Dominion War Expansion

Misses: • Dominion War Conquest rules feel clunky and unexciting

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Star Trek Ascendancy Player Expansion: Breen Confederation

Purchase options and add-ons, about this item.

• Everything needed to add the Breen Confederacy, and another player, into games of Star Trek: Ascendancy.

Discover new star systems.

Encounter new cards..

• Additional space lanes and resource nodes included.

Not a stand-alone game. Requires Star Trek: Ascendancy.

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Little is known about the secretive Breen, not their appearance, and not even whether they are a single species or several species working together. Intensely territorial, the Breen annihilated the Klingon fleet sent to conquer them, leaving the Klingons no wiser as to who or even what they were facing. As the Romulans say, “Never turn your back on a Breen.” This set includes everything you need to add the Breen to your games of Star Trek: Ascendancy: 10 New Exploration Cards, 10 New System Discs, including Breen. 30 Breen Ships with 3 Fleet Markers & Cards, 10 Breen Control Nodes, 15 Breen Advancements, 3 Breen Trade Agreements, Breen Turn Summary Card, Breen Command Console with 2-sliders, 19 Resource Nodes, 76 Tokens & 27 Space Lanes

From the manufacturer

Additional space lanes and resource nodes also included.

Breen confederacy player expansion: everything needed to add the breen confederacy, and another player, into games of star trek: ascendancy., what's in the box, looking for specific info, customer reviews.

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Star Trek Ascendancy: Breen Confederacy & The Dominion War Expansions — Gale Force Nine

• March 21, 2022

Breen Confederacy

Star Trek: Ascendancy — Breen Confederacy Publisher: Gale Force Nine Item Code: GF9ST041 MSRP: $40 Releases August 27, 2022

The Dominion War

Star Trek: Ascendancy — The Dominion War Publisher: Gale Force Nine Item Code: GF9ST037 MSRP: $50 Releases August 27, 2022

The Bajoran-Idran Wormhole Systems and the Gamma Quadrant System Discs allow you to add the Gamma Quadrant to your games. The Dominion War variant changes the playing field by dividing the civilizations into two rival Alliances.

Pre-order with your PHD Account Manager today!

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Gale Force Nine Announces Two Star Trek Ascendancy Expansions The Dominion War and Breen Confederacy

March 12, 2022 – Publisher Gale Force Nine has announced Two Star Trek Ascendancy Expansions The Dominion War and Breen Confederacy. The epic strategy game and massive tv/film property rights users originally released the base Star Trek Ascendancy game in 2016. This will be the 6th and 7th expansions for that base game.

The game so far has successfully allowed you to boldly go where no one has gone before. Star Trek: Ascendancy — a board game of exploration, expansion and conflict between the United Federation of Planets, the Klingon Empire, and the Romulan Star Empire — lets you control the great civilizations of the Galaxy, striking out from your home worlds to expand your influence and grow your civilization.

Will you journey for peace and exploration, or will you travel the path of conquest and exploitation? Command starships, establish space lanes, construct starbases, and bring other systems under your banner. With more than 200 plastic miniatures and 30 star systems representing some of the Star Trek galaxy’s most notable planets and locations, Star Trek: Ascendancy puts the fate of the galaxy in your hands.

The Dominion War and Breen Confederacy expansions each bring something new to this already robust gaming universe.

SEE ALSO: Gale Force Nine Announced New Dune Board Game From The Creators of Cosmic Encounter | New Prehistoric Worker Placement Board Game Tusk! Coming From Gale Force Nine | Gale Force Nine Announces New Doctor Who Board Game Don’t Blink

Star trek ascendancy – the dominion war expansion.

Changelings known as the Founders established the Dominion in Gamma Quadrant millenia ago. Through their Vorta commanders and Jem’Hadar super soldiers, the Founders rule as gods, bringing order to the galaxy. The discovery of the Bajoran Wormhole brought this ancient civilization onto conflict with the more youthful civilizations of the Alpha Quadrant.

This set includes everything you need to add the Dominion and Gamma Quadrant to your games of Star Trek: Ascendancy and to play the Dominion War variant. 

• 20 New Exploration Cards
• Bajoran-Idran Wormhole Systems Piece
• 16 Gamma Quadrant System Discs, including
• The Great Link
• 30 Dominion Ships with 3 Fleet Markers & Cards
• 10 Dominion Control Nodes
• 15 Dominion Advancements
• 3 Dominion Trade Agreements
• Dominion Turn Summary Card
• Dominion Command Console with 2 sliders
• 19 Resource Nodes
• 76 Tokens & 27 Space Lanes
• 5 Dominion Infiltrator Figures
• 8 Alliance Selection Cards
• 50 Alliance Cards
• 30 Resistance Cards

Star Trek Ascendancy – Breen Confederacy Expansion

Little is known about the secretive Breen, not their appearance, and not even whether they are a single species or several species working together. Intensely territorial, the Breen annihilated the Klingon fleet sent to conquer them, leaving the Klingons no wiser as to who or even what they were facing. As the Romulans say, “Never turn your back on a Breen.”

This set includes everything you need to add the Breen to your games of Star Trek: Ascendancy:

• 10 New Exploration Cards
• 10 New System Discs, including Breen
• 30 Breen Ships with 3 Fleet Markers & Cards
• 10 Breen Control Nodes
• 15 Breen Advancements
• 3 Breen Trade Agreements
• Breen Turn Summary Card
• Breen Command Console with2 sliders

Source: https://startrek.gf9games.com/Home/tabid/56/entryid/175/Default.aspx

Are you excited for the new two Star Trek Ascendancy Expansions The Dominion War and Breen Confederacy? Let us know in the comments below!

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Star Trek Ascendancy Unofficial Complete Rulebook

What is the ucr, :down download pnp :down, :bolt read the rules :bolt, version history, future history, :down old versions :down, questions feedback.

• View history

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
• 3 Physiology
• 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 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 ")

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 . ( DIS : " Red Directive ")

The Imperium was ruled by a royal caste called the Yod-Thot , which included the primarch . ( DIS : " Mirrors ")

It was later revealed that L'ak , one of two couriers who was searching for the Progenitors ' technology, was actually a Breen and the nephew of primarch Ruhn . As L'ak had an erigah on him, he 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 ")

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, 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 , Breen ships were 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. ( DIS : " Face the Strange ", " Mirrors ")

Physiology [ ]

The face of Primarch Ruhn in a fluid state

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 one gender : male. ( DS9 : " Strange Bedfellows ", et al. )

The Breen constantly wore refrigeration suits . 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 ") 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 , and the Female Changeling, on one occasion, commented to Weyoun that under Thot Pran's helmet was "a braver man than you." ( DS9 : " 'Til Death Do Us Part ", " What You Leave Behind ")

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 ")

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 ")

By 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 despite L'ak never using a refrigeration suit. In their true forms, Breen were green humanoids capable of surviving in multiple environments. They also had two faces: a solid state one and a fluid state that the Breen thought of as 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 ")

Society and culture [ ]

The Breen commonly endured pregnancy at a young age. ( VOY : " Elogium ") They 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 ")

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 primarch . Ruhn was described as being "Breen Primarch of the Sixth Flight." ( DIS : " Mirrors ")

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

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. However, if the Breen homeworld was temperate, as stated by Weyoun, then their reason for wearing refrigeration suits , if they were environmental suits at all, was much more mysterious. ( 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 ")

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 ")

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". [2] [3]

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 . [4] [5] 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 ." [6] 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. [7]

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. " [8]

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. [9]

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). [10]

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. " [11] 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, it was 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. [12]

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 . [13]

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)

Glenn Hetrick of Star Trek: Discovery has 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. " [14]

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. [15]
• 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

Den of Geek

Star Trek Just Addressed One of Deep Space Nine’s Biggest Unanswered Questions

The Star Trek: Discovery episode "Mirrors" includes a HUGE reveal about the Breen, an odd alien species from Deep Space Nine.

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This Star Trek: Discovery article contains spoilers.

“I wonder what the Breen look like under those helmets?” asks Ezri Dax in the Deep Space Nine season seven episode “‘Till Death Do Us Part.” That’s a strange question, given that Ezri and Worf had been captured by the Breen and interrogated for some time. But despite their close and uncomfortable contact with the hostile alien species, neither hostage learned much about them.

“They say no one has ever seen one and lived to speak of it,” Worf answers.

Ezri continues in her usual lighthearted manner. “Maybe they’re all furry. It’s supposed to be very cold on Breen.”

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“One thing is certain.”

“They’re horrible cooks?”

“They are dangerous,” responds Worf, with even greater gravity than the Klingon usually assumes. “They do not tolerate incursions into their space. During the Second Empire, Chancellor Mow’ga sent a fleet of Klingon ships to conquer their homeworld, and they were never heard from again.”

Until today, that bit of dialogue encapsulated everything that Trekkies knew about the Breen. First mentioned in The Next Generation, the Breen appeared most prominently in the final season of Deep Space Nine , in which the Breen presented a threat that undid whatever gains the Federation had made in the Dominion War.

When the Dominion first entered the Alpha Quadrant through a wormhole from the Gamma Quadrant, they threatened to immediately overwhelm the Federation. As a result, the Federation had to align with longtime antagonists the Klingon Empire and the Romulan Star Empire. That confederation was more than a match for the Dominion/Cardassian alliance, but then the Dominion upped its hand by enlisting the terrifying Breen. It would take a miracle for the Alpha Quadrant forces to win. Fortunately, the Federation had a miracle on its side in the form of the Prophets (and the morally flexible Section 31 ) and won the war.

The Breen rarely appeared after Deep Space Nine concluded, and it’s easy to see why. They felt like they came from another universe, even moreso than the alien oddities that often appeared on Star Trek . With their monocular helmets and gravelly, indistinguishable voices, they felt like something out of Star Wars — specifically, they felt like riffs on Princess Leia’s bounty hunter disguise at the start of Return of the Jedi . Although they get a couple of nods in Voyager and, of course, Lower Decks , the Breen were largely relegated to a handful of non-canon novels.

That is, until the Star Trek: Discovery season five episode “ Mirrors .” In that episode, we finally learn that L’ak, a courier who has been chasing past Discovery in a search for Progenitor tech with his partner Moll, is a Breen who doesn’t wear helmet that hides his face, showing us for the first time what the species actually looks like under the armor. That’s a surprise because L’ak appeared to be just a regular green-skinned alien, a little lizard-esque in appearance, almost like a Reptilian Xindi from Enterprise .

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In fact, “Mirrors” does a lot more than just show us the face of the Breen. We also learn more about their culture, getting a sense of why they refuse to use a Universal Translator in conversation with other races and of their political system. In a move that recalls another Star Wars property, The Mandalorian , the Breen consider their helmets their true faces, and in fact have a transparent look when they remove that helmet.

But as L’ak makes clear, the Breen have the capacity to change, something hinted by the warmth and softness performer Elias Toufexis brings to his imposing character. Not only has L’ak made his skin non-translucent, but he’s adopted Federation Standard (aka English) and moved beyond his hierarchical culture.

Those changes are a good thing, because the Breen have always created problems for Star Trek canon. As many fans have noted, although Worf insisted that no one had seen the Breen under their costumes, Kira and others stole Breen uniforms to move behind enemy lines at one point on the series. They must have gotten a glimpse of the Breen then, right?

For Ronald D. Moore , one of the key creatives during the ’90s Star Trek era, that’s not necessarily the case. “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,” Moore said in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion . “Or maybe there’s a little slug, some tiny little creature in there. I never wanted them to be humanoid in any way.”

“Mirrors” goes against Moore’s wishes then, but that shouldn’t be too much of a surprise. Discovery started its life by radically altering the Klingons. Looks like it will be ending its life by radically altering the Breen. But this time, it’s for the better.

Star Trek: Discovery is streaming now on Paramount+.

Joe George | @jageorgeii

Joe George’s writing has appeared at Slate, Polygon, Tor.com, and elsewhere!

Star Trek Just Quietly Brought Back Deep Space Nine’s Most Underrated Villains

Never turn your back on a Breen.

One of the deadliest alien species in all of Star Trek has never been fully revealed. After an offhand reference in The Next Generation , the Breen appeared in the Deep Space Nine episode “Indiscretion,” encased in suits that felt like they borrowed from Princess Leia’s bounty hunter disguise in Return of the Jedi. The Breen are infamous but seldom seen, a tradition which Star Trek: Discovery is subtly rebooting in Season 5.

Amid an episode about time jumps and flashbacks to the beginning of the series, Discovery quietly snuck the Breen in and positioned them as possibly the most important factor in the fate of Star Trek’s future. Here’s why the Breen matter, and how this comeback could expand on the canon laid down by Deep Space Nine almost three decades ago. Spoilers ahead for Star Trek: Discovery Season 5, Episode 4, “Face the Strange.”

Who are the Breen?

A member of the Breen in Deep Space Nine.

The Breen began life as a random, hostile race tossed around in dialogue only. In 1990, in the TNG episode “The Loss,” Data lists alien races who “are not empathically detectable,” including the Breen. In the 1994 film Generations , when Riker and Worf investigate an observatory that’s been raided by people using a “type-three disruptor,” Riker notes only three alien races could be suspects: “Romulan, Breen, and Klingon.”

While TNG was still airing, writer Ira Steven Behr described the Breen as a “running joke” since they never appeared. Although TNG writer Jeri Taylor wanted to reveal the Breen for a storyline in TNG’s sixth season in 1993, it wasn’t until 1995, in DS9 Season 4, in the episode “Indiscretion,” that the Breen actually showed up in those iconic helmets. As DS9 went on, the Breen became major players in the Dominion War, and were responsible for attacking Starfleet Headquarters on Earth in 2375, seriously damaging the Golden Gate Bridge in the process.

The Breen are Back in the 32nd Century

Rayner is a member of another deep-cut DS9 species, the Kelleruns.

Mentioned offhand in the Discovery Season 5 debut episode, “Red Directive,” the Breen became a big deal in the time-jump episode “Face the Strange.” After being hit by a temporal weapon called a Time Bug, Burnham and Rayner find themselves jumping to different moments in time aboard the USS Discovery. This takes them to the pivotal moment where Discovery jumped to the future at the end of Season 2, as well as all the way to very early in Season 1, before Burnham gained the trust of the crew.

Burnham and Rayner also end up in 3218, which Rayner notes is “almost 30 years in the future” from their current home timeline. In this future, Discovery’s friendly AI Zora is alone on the ship and tells Burnham and Rayner, “You all died years ago.” Zora then reveals the Breen destroyed the entire Federation.

Zora explains the Breen weaponized the secret Progenitor tech and “launched a devastating attack” on the Federation. Rayner suggests the Breen must have been “Moll and L’ak’s highest bidder,” meaning that in one timeline, the mercenaries Starfleet is so keen to apprehend sold what they found to the Breen.

The future Burnham and Rayner see echoes what actually happened in Deep Space Nine , when the Breen decimated Starfleet and the Federation way back in 2375. While the good guys recovered then, the Federation and Starfleet are on shakier ground in the 32nd century of Discovery post-Season 3.

As of Episode 4, Discovery still hasn’t revealed what the Breen look like under those helmets. But by introducing this doomsday outcome for the Federation, Discovery has made one thing very clear for the rest of Season 5. The Breen are back, and this time, they may truly live up to their deadly reputation.

Star Trek: Discovery streams on Paramount+.

• Science Fiction

Star Trek: Discovery Finally Gave Us A Closer Look At The Franchise's Most Mysterious Villain

Warning: This article contains spoilers for the latest episode of "Star Trek: Discovery."

"Star Trek" might represent an idealistic vision of a bolder and brighter future, but the last few seasons of "Discovery" have proven that there will always be bad guys with a penchant for muddying up those ambitions in unexpected ways — even in the 32nd Century. While the Borg, Romulans, and the warlord Khan often have a stranglehold on the title of "Best 'Trek' villains," one alien species in particular has remained shrouded in mystery for decades. First mentioned in foreboding whispers in "The Next Generation" and finally seen in the flesh (well, so to speak) in "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine," the Breen have played a significant role throughout the franchise in the years since ... yet Trekkies still had to wait until now to actually see what lies underneath their distinctive helmets.

The advantage of never showing us a Breen's face, as it turns out, is that "Discovery" was able to hide one in plain sight all along.

So far, the addition of scavengers Moll (Eve Harlow) and L'ak (Elias Toufexis) has felt like a shoe waiting to drop. The close-knit pair continue to frustrate Captain Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) and the rest of the Discovery crew (nowhere more dramatically than in last week's time-traveling bottle episode ), remaining one step ahead of our heroes in their quest to recover whatever Progenitor technological treasure hides at the end of this galaxy-spanning rainbow. About midway through episode 5, titled "Mirrors," the writers unleashed their big twist. L'ak, thus far considered an unknown type of extraterrestrial, actually reveals himself as a Breen. Or, rather, an emotional Moll lets this information slip by accident during a particularly fraught moment. In the process, "Trek" finally unmasked its most enigmatic aliens.

Putting on a brave face (or two)

In the span of one episode, "Discovery" officially made "Star Trek" history.

Long treated as a mystery that left everything up to our own imaginations, the Breen reveal puts a specific face to what had previously only been a name ... actually, make that two faces. While Moll and L'ak come to a tense faceoff with Burnham and Cleveland Booker (David Ajala) on board the mirror-universe version of the USS Enterprise while trapped in multidimensional space (it's a long story), the writers treat this as the perfect opportunity to delve into the scavengers' shared past. In a series of flashbacks, we find out that L'ak was part of the Breen royal family and disgraced by his powerful Primarch uncle. Hoping to earn his way back to his people's good graces, all his plans are upended by a torrid romance with then-courier Moll. With their backs against the wall and nowhere else to turn, the lovers choose their own path altogether and, along the way, L'ak reveals his most private aspect of himself: his Breen face.

Of course, the episode adds another twist and introduces the concept of the Breen having two  faces — a solid, corporeal form they can present to others if they so choose, and a more translucent one. (Really, it can only be described as  squishier. ) In fact, this creepy and altogether unique visage symbolizes a much more meaningful difference, as we learn when L'ak's uncle calls his chosen face an "insult to your heritage." Apparently, most Breen have moved beyond this "weak" form and consider this some sort of societal faux pas. In just a few minutes, we discover more about Breen culture than we've ever known before.

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

Screen Rant

Ds9’s breen comeback sets up star trek: discovery’s darkest future timeline.

Star Trek: Discovery's darkest timeline is dominated by the Breen, giving the former Dominion allies a chance to finish what they started in DS9.

WARNING: Contains SPOILERS for Star Trek: Discovery, season 5, episode 4, "Face the Strange".

• The Breen's return in "Star Trek: Discovery" sets up a dark future timeline for the crew.
• Captain Burnham and Commander Rayner travel between past, present, and future to face a chilling alternate 32nd-century universe.
• The Breen's possession of Progenitors' technology spells doom for the Federation unless stopped.

The return of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine 's Breen sets up a dark future timeline for the crew of Star Trek: Discovery . The Breen Imperium is one of the biggest threats to the peace and stability of the Federation in Discovery 's 32nd century, proving that their defeat during DS9 's Dominion War did nothing to suppress their hostile urges. Discovery season 5, episode 4 , "Face the Strange", written by Sean Cochran, and directed by Lee Rose , reveals that the Breen are potential buyers for the Progenitors' technology, a prize that could have devastating consequences for the future of the Star Trek universe.

In Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 4, "Face the Strange", Captain Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) and Commander Rayner (Callum Keith Rennie) are thrown between past, present, and future by a Krenim time bug. Over the course of their travels in time, they arrive in a dark future timeline where the Breen used the Progenitors' technology to destroy the USS Discovery and the entire Federation. As well as answering the mystery about the timeline of Star Trek: Short Treks ' "Calypso" , this dark alternate future acts as a warning to Burnham and Rayner about what will happen if they let the Progenitors' technology fall into the wrong hands.

Every DS9 Alien In Star Trek: Discovery

Who were the breen in star trek: deep space nine, the breen nearly changed the course of the dominion war..

The Breen were first mentioned in Star Trek: The Next Generation season 5, episode 11, "Hero Worship" , when they were suspected of attacking the SS Vico. However, the Breen wouldn't appear on screen until Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 4, episode 5, "Indiscretion", in which Gul Dukat (Marc Alaimo) and Major Kira Nerys (Nana Visitor) infiltrate one of their labor camps. "Indiscretion" established that the Breen wore refrigeration suits, presumably to maintain their body temperatures on hot worlds like Dozaria. The Breen were also an incredibly warlike species, which made them crucial allies of the Dominion following their defeat in the First Battle of the Chin'toka System .

The Romulans have an old proverb "Never turn your back on a Breen", inspired by their untrustworthy reputation.

The Breen and the Dominion's negotiations led to an alliance that lasted until the end of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine . The Breen had superior technology, including an energy-dampening weapon that could disable the Federation Alliance's ships, including the USS Defiant. The Breen's energy dissipater played a crucial role in the Second Battle of the Chin'toka System, severely weakening the Federation Alliance's armada and their morale . The Breen planned to roll out their energy dampening weapon across the entire Dominion fleet, but were foiled by a covert mission led by Colonel Kira Nerys, Elim Garak (Andrew Robinson) and Constable Odo (Rene Auberjonois).

In tandem with Kira's mission, the Federation Alliance used a series of countermeasures against the Breen's weapon. These measures helped the Federation Alliance to turn the tide against the Dominion, launching a final assault on Cardassia Prime and eventually winning the war. Breen representatives were present at the historic signing of the Treaty of Bajor, putting an end to their war against the Federation. However, 800 years after the end of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , it appears that the Breen are just as big a threat in Star Trek: Discovery season 5.

The Breen later made an incursion into the Delos System, where they attacked the USS Cerritos in Star Trek: Lower Decks season 3, episode 9, "Trusted Sources".

DS9’s Breen Create Star Trek: Discovery’s Darkest Future Timeline

"but the outcome you feared came to pass. the progenitor's technology fell into the wrong hands." - zora.

In the alternate timeline where Burnham and Rayner didn't destroy the Krenim chronophage in time, Moll (Eve Harlow) and L'ak (Elias Toufexis) handed the Progenitors' technology to the Breen. The Breen used the incredibly powerful Progenitors' technology to launch a devastating attack against the Federation. Standing aboard a devastated USS Discovery, Burnham and Rayner look out at the ravaged remains of Federation Headquarters. After a false start during the Dominion War, the Breen will finally get to destroy the Federation once and for all unless Burnham and Rayner can stop them acquiring the Progenitors' technology .

Star Trek: Discovery Vs. DS9's Breen Is Now Inevitable

As Commander Paul Stamets (Anthony Rapp) surmised earlier in Star Trek: Discovery season 5, the Progenitors' technology can both create life and destroy it. In the hands of the Breen, it will be used not to save lives, but to take them. It's unclear exactly what the destructive capabilities of the Progenitors' technology are. However, the fact that the USS Discovery is completely empty of organic life or material suggests that it could have the power to completely break down the building blocks of humanoid life in the galaxy . With such a devastating weapon in their arsenal, the Breen could rule the entire cosmos without opposition.

Star Trek: Discovery’s Future Breen Can Finish What They Started On DS9

"to launch an attack against starfleet headquarters... even my people never attempted that." - general martok.

Star Trek: Discovery 's dark future timeline isn't the first time that the Breen have attacked Federation Headquarters . The Breen's first act after allying themselves with the Dominion was to launch a devastating attack on Earth in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 7, episode 20, "The Changing Face of Evil". The Breen's attack on Earth in DS9 seriously damaged Federation Headquarters and took a huge chunk out of San Francisco's iconic Golden Gate Bridge. Starfleet fought off the attack, destroying the Breen interceptors, but the attack still had the desired effect of seriously damaging the morale of the Federation-Alliance .

The Breen attack on Earth took place in 2375, but the damage was apparently fully repaired by 2376, as revealed in the Star Trek: Voyager episode "Pathfinder".

The Breen's attack in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine caused heavy civilian casualties and an unknown number of military losses. However, it was as much a psychological attack as it was a physical one, proving to the Federation that they couldn't even protect their homefront during the Dominion War. The Breen in the 32nd century seem not to care about getting into the heads of their enemies and are instead focused on their total destruction. They may have struck a powerful blow against the Federation 800 years ago, but in Star Trek: Discovery 's 32nd century, the Breen can finish the job with the help of the Progenitors' technology.

Star Trek: Discovery streams Thursdays on Paramount+.

Star Trek: Discovery

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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.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, also known as DS9, is the fourth series in the long-running Sci-Fi franchise, Star Trek. DS9 was created by Rick Berman and Michael Piller, and stars Avery Brooks, René Auberjonois, Terry Farrell, and Cirroc Lofton. This particular series follows a group of individuals in a space station near a planet called Bajor.