The Deadliest Predator in Star Trek the Hirogen

The Deadliest Predator in Star Trek the Hirogen. The Hirogen were a nomadic species of hunters who roamed huge distances in the Delta Quadrant during the late-24th century. They viewed other lifeforms as prey and treated them as such, showing little evidence of compassion or empathy for other intelligent species.


Physiology

Hirogen adult males were quite large, standing above the average height of most other known humanoid species. They also possessed greater physical strength than most humanoids afforded to them by their advanced muscle and nervous system. Their sensory perception was acute, a feature that served well as the Hirogen were an aggressive hunting species. The Hirogen possessed an impressive immune system that made them exceptionally resilient to sedation. They were known to be capable of surviving in Y-class environments for a short time. (VOY: "Hunters", "Prey", "Flesh and Blood")

The Hirogen used an enzyme to break down the bones and muscle tissue of their prey, which was speculated by Chakotay to be for consumption as food, but this was not confirmed. The color of Hirogen blood was red. (VOY: "Prey", "Flesh and Blood")

Female Hirogen pursued male hunters in possession of rare or unique trophies acquired during a hunt. (VOY: "Hunters")
Society and culture

The entire Hirogen society, from social rituals, to art, to religious beliefs, centered around "the hunt". Their existence was driven by the pursuit of prey and it had carried them across huge distances. (VOY: "Prey")

One of the rituals surrounding the hunt involved hunters applying paint to their faces and helmets for both the hunt and the kill. Even with no face paint available, one specific Hirogen fighter who was forced to fight in the Tsunkatse matches still went through the ritual of running his finger over his face, as if applying paint. (VOY: "Hunters", "Tsunkatse")

Hirogen culture required a hunter to study his prey to understand its abilities, believing that such study was essential to prevent a hunter from becoming the hunted. Choosing the most appropriate weapon to make the kill was considered important; a scythe-like knife was one of the preferred methods for close range. Great importance was placed upon the moment of the kill and it was believed that the way a creature behaved when it was wounded was the key to its destruction. (VOY: "Prey") Hirogen were known to display disappointment when the species they chose to hunt proved to be unchallenging. However, being the first to hunt a certain kind of prey in itself caused some envy. (VOY: "Hunters") They rarely saw other humanoids as equals because they often did not consider non-Hirogen as hunters. As a result, being called "worthy prey" by a Hirogen was meant as a great compliment. The Hirogen believed "you must never sympathize with your prey." However, they did bestow a rather unique non-Human compassion towards their prey, believing that they should never let their prey suffer. (VOY: "Tsunkatse")

Most Hirogen vessels traveled alone, sometimes with a crew consisting of as few as merely two members. One such vessel was known to have spanned a radius of a thousand light years in just five years; it had also visited as many as ninety star systems in a single year. (VOY: "Prey") Occasionally, however, Hirogen vessels were encountered in groups or packs. This was more common if they were hunting a challenging and resilient prey. The Hirogen social structure was organized into packs of male hunters similar to a wolf pack, each led by a Hirogen known as the Alpha. (VOY: "The Killing Game, Part II") The second-in-command was the Beta – if the Alpha died, the Beta became the Alpha. (VOY: "Flesh and Blood")

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