Breen ass-pull?

Discussion in 'Star Trek: Deep Space Nine' started by Overgeeked, May 29, 2015.

  1. Overgeeked

    Overgeeked Captain Captain

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    I'm finishing up my DS9 rewatch and I was startled at how out of the blue the Breen being some intergalactic badass species was forced into the final stretch. I think they were mentioned two, maybe three, times before that in the history of Trek. Either it's been too long or I'd simply forgotten, but it was startling to say the least.
     
  2. USS Triumphant

    USS Triumphant Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Not sure if there's anything canonical to back this up, but speculation I've seen before is that the Breen are the other polity that the Romulans were distracted by for those 40 years they were out of contact with the Federation. 40 years during which the Romulans seem to have made significant advancements in their war tech (enough to keep up with the Federation's much larger and diverse scientific community), which - necessity being the mother of invention - implies that the Breen were a pretty badass threat to them during that time.

    If any of that is right, of course. ;)
     
  3. Overgeeked

    Overgeeked Captain Captain

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    Possibly as an apocryphal explanation for the near deus ex machina ass-pull, sure. But just watching the show, it's double-take worthy.
     
  4. Lance

    Lance Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    When were the Breen first mentioned in Star Trek?

    ISTR the first time was in 'Generations', and even then it was just a throwaway line from Commander Riker.

    The appearance of the Breen in later DS9 felt like they just came out of nowhere. Which is, I guess, in keeping with their mystique. ;)
     
  5. USS Triumphant

    USS Triumphant Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Well, I think it works. :) It probably helped that I heard that about the Breen before they joined the Dominion - sometime between TNG's "The Loss" and a time shortly after DS9's "By Inferno's Light".
     
  6. hux

    hux Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Most species that are intriguing and have a certain mystique usually get over used and become as dull as everyone else. The Breen avoided this specifically by coming in late.

    They continue to be a mystery. This is a good thing and will hopefully remain the case
     
  7. Sci

    Sci Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    But it makes perfect sense that an alien race could be very militarily powerful without the UFP realizing it. Space is not like one planet, where you know all the powerful states that exist. It's huge on a level that is simply not comprehensible, and it's perfectly reasonable to posit that there could be a world on the edges of explored space about whom the UFP has been aware for a long time, but which is much more powerful than it has ever realized.
     
  8. Ithekro

    Ithekro Vice Admiral Admiral

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    The Breen were said to use cloaking devices in TNG. They were a relatively unknown species to the Federation. The Romulans seem to have had more contact as they have sayings about the Breen. There space was a distance from Cardassian space given the travel time.
     
  9. Bry_Sinclair

    Bry_Sinclair Vice Admiral Admiral

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    I liked how the Breen suddenly appeared on the scene. They have been name-dropped a few times previously, so we knew they existed and clearly no one knew just what a bad-ass force they were, so it came as much of a surprise to the viewers as it did to the characters.
     
  10. Disco

    Disco Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    x2
     
  11. SPCTRE

    SPCTRE Badass Admiral

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    They're a species of Boba Fetts, they don't need a background story (or competence) for some people to find them badass.

    I kid. Mostly.
     
  12. Praetorian

    Praetorian Captain Captain

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    They showed up in two DS9 episodes before the final chapter, "Return to Grace" and "By Inferno's Light".

    And were mentioned in Generations and "Hero Worship" in TNG.

    Of the minor races that they could have used, they were probably one of the better choices.

    I guess the Tholians could have been used as well. Both are mysterious, seldom seen and, apparently, militarily powerful.
     
  13. Ar-Pharazon

    Ar-Pharazon Admiral Premium Member

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    No no, not Boba Fett. They were whatever race Leia was trying to impersonate in ROTJ. ;)
     
  14. tharpdevenport

    tharpdevenport Admiral Admiral

    According to memory-alpha, the Breen were mentioned in two or three episodes prior to Generations.

    And wasn't that a Breen in a holding cell with Picard and two other people who were kidnapped in an a TNG episode?
     
  15. K'Toska

    K'Toska Commander Red Shirt

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    I know this would take away some of the mystery, but I do wish we'd see/hear more about the Breen's culture, as well as that of the Tholians.
     
  16. USS Triumphant

    USS Triumphant Vice Admiral Admiral

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    As I implied (but guess I didn't outright say) previously in the thread, TNG's "The Loss" was the first reference to the Breen.

    And no, the episode I believe you're thinking of had a Chalnoth, a Bolian, and a Mizarian. There was a Breen in the cell with Garak, Bashir, Worf, and Martok in DS9's "By Inferno's Light".
     
  17. Lance

    Lance Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    I'd forgotten about "Hero Worship".

    Quoteth the episode:

    They really mustn't know much about the Breen if they don't even know they wear helmets. :rofl:
     
  18. Peach Wookiee

    Peach Wookiee Cuddly Mod of Doom Moderator

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    Apparently, if Weyoun is to be believed, the Federation has been fed a lot of misinformation.
     
  19. Ethros

    Ethros Vice Admiral Admiral

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    I remember as a big Trek fan thinking it was awesome how they were finally getting a big role in the lore. From brief appearances in DS9 eps like Indiscretion and By Inferno's Light, and quite a lot of throwaway lines from TNG, DS9, and Voyager. First mentioned in TNG s4 The Loss I believe.
    Breen at Memory Alpha


    VOY: Elogium
    EMH- "EMH: Perhaps a statistical survey will offer a context. Among the Breen, pregnancy at a young age is a common event. The Breen, of course, is one the most warlike of species. And then there are the Scathos..."

    VOY: Scorpion pt.1-
    Tuvok- "Starfleet has encountered species that use organic-based vessels. The Breen, for example."





    btw, Praetorian, I presume you mean Indiscretion rather than Return to Grace (both s4 Kira/Dukat/Ziyal episodes)
     
    Last edited: May 31, 2015
  20. Praetorian

    Praetorian Captain Captain

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    Yes, you presume correctly!