Star Trek has one of the greatest collections of humanoid alien races in science fiction. The overwhelming majority of examples look similar, if not identical, to humans, and yet many stand out as classics. Klingons, Vulcans, Romulans, and Ferengi inspired countless other sci-fi species throughout the genre. The Kweijan are one of the newest arrivals to the franchise, and though they don’t get a ton of screen time, their story is engaging.
Star Trek: Discovery is coming to a close after five seasons. The controversial series introduced a ton of fascinating science fiction ideas, characters, and circumstances. Unfortunately, it often rockets through the narrative without stopping to look around. The show has a strange mix of callbacks and new material. A lot of fans will wonder whether some of these elements might ever return in future installments. It’s a common problem in modern franchises, but it is worth examining these details to see how they could fit.
What are Kweijan?
The Kweijan are a humanoid species that evolved some time ago on the planet of the same name. Their home is one of the most beautiful planets in the universe. Its natural bounty features plentiful verdant forests and massive oceans. The Kweijan people revel in that glorious splendor with respect and understanding. Kweijan resemble human beings in almost every way. They are visually identical to human beings, inside and out. A medical scan reveals no significant differences. However, the Kweijan people do have one substantial ability that humans lack. The Kweijan can intentionally activate parts of their brain to psychically connect with plants and animals. This enhanced form of empathy enables the Kweijan to live in harmony with their beautiful surroundings. On Kweijan, the species survives in an area called the Sanctuary. Walled off from the rest of the galaxy and hidden by a complex defensive array, the Kweijan are masters of their environment and staunch isolationists. The Kweijan hunt for their own food, craft their own weapons, distill their own liquor, and venerate a massive tree called the World Root. They have strong traditions and fascinating connections.
Notable Kweijan in Star Trek
Star Trek: Discovery really only has one notable Kweijan. Cleveland “Book” Booker is one of the central characters of Discovery seasons 3, 4, and 5. Booker, born Tareckx, left Kweijan after finding fault in his family’s way of life. His dad hunted and sold trance worms for the Emerald Chain crime syndicate. Booker became a notable courier, using his small scout ship to ferry anything it could carry. He used his considerable dilithium profits to save endangered animals, especially those his father once threatened. Book met Michael Burnham after she traveled through a wormhole. He would later join her on several adventures and strike up a romance with the Starfleet officer. Book later betrayed Burnham to destroy an enemy, leaving him to work for the Federation’s relief efforts as penance. Book married Burnham and the pair had a son, who later became a Starfleet captain. The only other named Kweijan include:
- Tareckx: Booker’s dad gave his son his name, but the younger Kweijan rejected it. Tareckx hunted trance worms for profit, decimating their population. He would later appear as a hallucination to Booker, leading him to betray Burnham to avenge his people.
- Kyheem: Booker’s brother worked with the Emerald Chain to fend off a natural disaster. He hated and rejected Booker for his absence, but later welcomed his sibling to find a new solution.
- Leto: Kyheem’s son and Booker’s nephew lived a short life, but Booker named his first son after his late nephew.
What happened to the Kweijan?
The on-screen history of the Kweijan is short and sad. After the Burn, a shift in their moon’s orbit changed the tides, unleashing a plague of sea locusts on the people. They faced starvation, but the Emerald Chain arrived with a solution. They would trade pesticide for trance worms, which they could sell as delicacies. Booker flees Kweijan in disgust after watching his dad deal with the Emerald Chain. He would later return to help his brother Kyheem. The Discovery crew discover a way to allow Kyheem and Booker to martial their powers and will the locusts to return to the sea. Kweijan enjoyed freedom from peril for one year before a new disaster struck. A mysterious dark matter anomaly caused a series of gravity waves to assail Kweijan’s surface. Every living thing on Kweijan died in an instant. Booker is the only known survivor of his species. Starfleet would later discover that the dark matter anomaly was the work of an alien species working to mine a rare mineral. Amazingly, Starfleet and Book managed to talk the species into turning off their anomaly to avoid further damage.
The Kweijan are a fascinating species that suffered two nightmarish disasters. Only one Kweijan is known to be alive after the dark matter anomaly, but that isn’t a guarantee. Booker survived because he was off-world, but there’s no telling whether other Kweijan might have left the planet. The Kweijan could return in some way in future Star Trek stories. It’s a shame to only get a spotlight at the worst imaginable time.
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