IDW’s forthcoming revival ofStar Trek: Voyagerneeds to fix the show’s failed villains. In the seven yearsVoyagertraversed the Delta Quadrant, the crew encountered a number of hostile alien races, including the Kazon. Introduced early in the show’s run, they never lived up to the hype, but in 1997’sStar Trek: Voyager#4,one Kazon shows just how low they can go, fulfilling their early promise.
Howard Weinstein made history by selling, at age 19, his firstStar Trekscript, “The Pirates of Orion,” forThe Animated Series.
Star Trek: Voyager#4 was written by Howard Weinstein and drawn by Jesus Redondo.Voyageris attacked by a Kazon ship. Janeway notices that Kazon Raider is using different tactics than the others they have encountered.
Later,Voyageranswers a distress call from the planet Praja. Beaming down, they discover a plague has wiped out all plant life on the planet, causing animals to starve. At the issue’s end, fans learn the horrifying truth:another Kazon sect unleashed the plague on the planet, all so they could kill the populace and set up a mining colony.
Star Trek: VoyagerWas Plagued With a Villain Problem, Out of the Gate
The Kazon Failed to Make an Impression on Janeway–AndStar TrekFans
After the back-to-back successes ofStar Trek: The Next GenerationandStar Trek: Deep Space Nine, Paramount Pictures commissioned another show:Voyager.In the early 1990s, theStar Trekuniverse was expanding:Deep Space Ninetook fans to the previously-uncharted Gamma Quadrant, opening up anentire new area for Starfleet to explore. When it came toVoyager’spremise, they were sent to the other side of the galaxy, to the Delta Quadrant, which was also largely unexplored. Between the two shows, the galaxy was getting a lot bigger.
With these exciting new corners of theStar Trekuniverse also came new species, both friendly and hostile, andVoyagerhad some of the most terrifying, although the first they met was far from inspiring.
With these exciting new corners of theStar Trekuniverse also came new species, both friendly and hostile, andVoyagerhad some of the most terrifying, although the first they met was far from inspiring. InVoyager’spilot episode, titled “The Caretaker,” Starfleet had its first encounter with the Kazon. Intended to beVoyager’smain antagonist, they unfortunately fell flat in the long run. The Kazon situation closely mirrored that of the Ferengi. Originally intended to be the primary villains forThe Next Generation,the goofy-looking Ferengi failedto land as adversaries.
However,Star Trek: Deep Space Nineredeemed the Ferengi in a spectacular fashion, but nothing such happened with the Kazon, at least on-screen. Exactly why the Kazon never reached the heights ofVoyager’sother foes, such as the Viidians or the Borg, is a mystery. While some of it may owe to bad writing, everything about the Kazon indicated they might be a worthy adversary. They were big, imposing and savage. Their technology was comparable toVoyager’sand their culture, based around clans, seemed deep and thought-out, but they never seemed to live up to their potential.
Accoring toStar Treklore, the Borg deemed the Kazon “unworthy” of assimilation.
Eventually,Voyagerleft the area of the Delta Quadrant the Kazon called home around the time of the show’s third season, and they were rarely seen again. And just as the Ferengi’s failure as villains inThe Next Generationled to the creation of the Borg, the Kazon’s failure to launch forcedVoyager’swritersto turn to the Borgfor stories. In time, the Borg, and to a lesser extent the Viidians, became the ship’s primary nemesis. Outside a few cameos on otherStar Trekshows, such asProdigy, the Kazon have been few and far between.
The Kazon Are Brimming With Evil Potential
Different Kazon Sects Have Different Tactics and Ways of Fighting
While the Kazons fans saw on-screen failed to set theStar Trekuniverse on fire, the ones glimpsed in issue four ofStar Trek: Voyagerwould have made for far better villains. To be sure, the Kazon seen on the show did some vile things, such as attempting to subjugate the Ocampa. Yet, they never reached the heights of the Kazon inStar Trek: Voyager#4. The Kazon in that issue used a virus to destroy Praja’s plant life, which led in turn to the deaths of countless animals. Praja went from a beautiful world to a hellscape.
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Star Trek: Voyager#4 never outright explains why these Kazon are different, but does offer a clue.Voyager’spremiere established that the Kazon organize themselves into sects, each with varying customs and traditions. Most of the KazonVoyagermet belonged to the Nistrom sect, whereas the Kazon of this issue are from an entirely different one. As seen in the issue, these Kazons use different tactics, ones far more brutal than the Nistrom employs. While they failed to make a dent inVoyager, it was enough to upend what they knew of the Kazon.
The Kazons, regardless of sect affiliation, are scavengers, and this sect takes that to its horrifying extreme.
For fans who were used to the less-than-stellar ways of the Kazon-Nistrom, this sect is downright jarring. A virus that decimates a planet’s ecosystem on the scale seen inStar Trek: Voyager#4 is way beyond the scope of the Nistrom. Whether the Kazon created this virus is never revealed, but they used it nonetheless. This sect of Kazons were willing to let an entire planet effectively die just so they could mine and strip it for resources. The Kazons, regardless of sect affiliation, are scavengers, and this sect takes that to its horrifying extreme.
Star Trek: Voyager: HomecomingNeeds to Redeem the Kazon
The Kazon Can Be ScaryStar TrekVillains After All
Clearly, the writers ofStar Trek: Voyagerfailed the Kazon, never giving them their due, but Howard Weinstein and Jesus Redondo make the species absolutely terrifying. Now, the writers of IDW’s upcomingStar Trek: Voyager: Homecomingminiseries, created for the show’s 30th anniversary, need to pick the thread back up, and show the fans the Kazon can take their place next to the Borg, the Romulans, the Dominion and other major players in the franchise.
