Star Trek Breen

Name: Breen
Dice: 13D
Dexterity: 2D / 4D
Knowledge: 2D / 4D
Mechanical: 2D / 4D
Perception: 2D / 4D
Strength: 3D / 4D+1
Technical: 2D / 4D

Move: 10/12
Size: 1.5 - 2.0 m
Weight: 40 - 120 kg
Life Span: Unknown

Special Abilities:

• Telepathic Resistance: Breen are immune to directed force powers and as a result can never be force sensitive. Indirect force powers, like Light Saber Combat, work normally.
• No Blood: Breen have no blood, and can therefore withstand temperatures that would kill most humanoid life forms.

Description: "Never turn your back on a Breen."
- A Romulan saying (DS9: "By Inferno's Light")

The Breen were a reclusive, powerful, and warlike humanoid race, native to the planet Breen in the Alpha Quadrant.

History and politics

Shrouded in mystery, the Breen were one of the most underestimated races inhabiting the Alpha Quadrant.

Historically, the Klingons were among the first to discover the consequences of underestimating the Breen. 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")

Even by the 24th century, much was still unknown about the Breen and their otherwise politically nonaligned government, known as the Breen Confederacy.(citation needed • edit) The Federation, however, had limited knowledge of the Breen and was aware of Breen outposts located near a black cluster in 2368. (TNG: "Hero Worship") In 2370, the Breen participated in a palio held at Deep Space 3, during which the Ferengi attempted to bribe the Breen pilot into throwing the race. (TNG: "Interface") In 2373, the Breen settlements on Portas V near the Demilitarized Zone dealt with the Maquis, supplying them with cold-storage units. (DS9: "For the Uniform") It was noted by Ezri Dax in 2375, when captured by the Breen on a planet in the Goralis system, that they were a long way from Breen space. (DS9: "Penumbra")

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: "Ferengi Love Songs") By that same year, the Cardassian Union maintained an embassy on the Breen homeworld. (DS9: "Return to Grace")

Breen privateers during the 24th century would often conduct indiscriminate raids against other Alpha Quadrant species. This includes the Breen attack and capture of the Cardassian transport Ravinok in 2366. The survivors of that attack were used for slave labor in the Breen-operated dilithium mines on Dozaria. (DS9: "Indiscretion") In 2368, Starfleet feared the Breen might have attacked the science vessel SS Vico. Breen privateers also raided the Bajoran colony of Free Haven in 2372; they were, however, successfully driven away by the USS Defiant. (TNG: "Hero Worship"; DS9: "To the Death")

Alliance with the Dominion

In 2375, the Breen moved from a policy of low-level hostilities toward other major powers to one of open warfare when they allied themselves with the Dominion. They were then allowed access to the Dominion military database. According to the terms of the alliance, the Breen Confederacy received several planets in the Cardassian Union as compensation for joining the war. (DS9: "Strange Bedfellows")

Shortly after joining with the Dominion, the Breen attacked Starfleet Headquarters on Earth. A short time later they assisted Dominion forces in breaking the lines at Chin'toka. Under orders from the Female Changeling, the Breen allowed escape pods to carry the Federation survivors to safety. This major battle, 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. Both of these defeats dealt a huge blow to the Allies' morale. The only ship immune to the Breen weapon was a Klingon Bird-of-Prey, which serendipitously survived thanks to an adjustment the chief engineer had made to the ship's tritium intermix in the warp core. (DS9: "The Changing Face of Evil", "When It Rains...")

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. When the Federation finally did create a defense against the energy dampening weapon, they forced the Dominion fleet to retreat. The Breen official Thot Pran expressed an extreme distaste for surrender, and required the reassurance of the Female Changeling that, instead of surrendering, they were in fact regrouping and attempting to redouble their shipbuilding and replenishment efforts. (DS9: "The Dogs of War")

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 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 a political promise, merely designed as motivation. In the interest of maintaining the alliance, the Breen were positioned ahead of the Jem'Hadar. During the 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. 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. After Odo convinced the Female Changeling to surrender, the Dominion War ended. As allies of the Dominion, the Breen leaders were present during the signing of the Treaty of Bajor. (DS9: "What You Leave Behind")

Physiology

Breen physiology was among the most exotic for humanoid lifeforms, which might have been due, in part, to the climate of their home planet. The Breen had no blood or other liquid circulatory system. The Breen brain was structured into four lobes; this protected them from the probing of some empathic species, such as the Betazoids, who were unable to detect the thoughts or emotions of the Breen. (DS9: "In Purgatory's Shadow"; TNG: "The Loss") According to Worf, no outsider had ever seen what a Breen looked like under their refrigeration suits and lived. Even after they joined the Dominion, their appearance remained so completely unknown to their new allies that Weyoun could not avoid wondering what they looked like. (DS9: "Indiscretion", "'Til Death Do Us Part", "What You Leave Behind") 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")

The Breen constantly wore refrigeration suits. While the intelligence reports available to Cardassian and Dominion leaders during the Dominion War reported their world to be a frozen wasteland, Weyoun remarked (in his capacity as a diplomat) that the planet was "quite comfortable," leaving the function of the suits into question. (DS9: "The Changing Face of Evil")

Society and culture

The Breen commonly produced offspring at a very early age, at about the equivalence in physical growth of Human third grade children. The Breen entertained their offspring with nursery rhymes. Breen nursery rhymes were 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). Some Breen music, which could accompany these nursery rhymes, was written on a Lyxian scale. (DS9: "For the Uniform"; VOY: "Elogium")

Yelgrun considered Breen annoying, though not as much as Ferengi. (DS9: "The Magnificent Ferengi")

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. Worf's various attempts at escape always failed, including his attempt to persuade the Breen guards that Ezri was sick, as well as his attempt to short-circuit the door. 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. In another incident, Worf simply showed signs of anger towards Weyoun and was again shocked by the neural truncheon. (DS9: "Strange Bedfellows", "'Til Death Do Us Part")

To extract information from captives, the Breen used cortical implants, despite the severe pain and damage it caused to the recipient. (DS9: "'Til Death Do Us Part")

Source:

• Memory Alpha: Breen
• Memory Beta: Breen
• Star Trek RPG Players Guide (LUG) (pages 275-277)
• thedemonapostle