Vedeks were established members within the Bajoran religion, ranked above a ranjen. (DS9: "'Til Death Do Us Part") Vedeks sat in the Vedek Assembly. (DS9: "In the Hands of the Prophets")
In late 2369, Vedek Bareil Antos told Commander Benjamin Sisko that he was tired of listening to all 112 vedeks for hours. (DS9: "In the Hands of the Prophets")
The vedeks of the Janalan order chanted continuously for the health and well-being of their fellow Bajorans. (TNG: "Lower Decks")
Vedeks could be defrocked if they publicly took positions on issues that were at odds with those the Assembly took. Yarka was defrocked in 2371 for leading protests against the Bajoran-Cardassian Treaty, which the Assembly endorsed. (DS9: "Destiny")
The position of vedek appears to have been similar to the rank of cardinal within the Roman Catholic Church. Unlike cardinals, a vedek was not expected to be celibate. Louise Fletcher, who portrayed Vedek Winn Adami, once commented, "I guess [it] is like a Bishop or an Archbishop." (Star Trek Monthly issue 34, p. 50)
An early name for Vedek was Pahr. (The Making of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine)
Ronald D. Moore at one point conceded that the writers might have been a bit too spendthrifty with the term Vedek. (AOL chat, 1997)
List of vedeks[]
External link[]
- Vedek at Memory Beta, the wiki for licensed Star Trek works