The shows' writers initially depicted the Bajorans as an oppressed people who were often forced to live as refugees, whom they likened to a variety of ethnic groups.

Rick Berman, who helped to originally conceive them, compared them to "The Kurds, the Palestinians, the Jews in the 1940s, the boat people from Haiti—unfortunately, the homeless and terrorism are problems in every age.

"[3] Various Bajoran characters were included in several of the Star Trek series, including Ro Laren (played by Michelle Forbes) in The Next Generation as well as a number of others in Deep Space Nine, which was set on a space station near to Bajor, and which featured Bajoran characters such as Kira Nerys (Nana Visitor) and Winn Adami (Louise Fletcher).

According to the fictional storyline of the Star Trek universe, the Bajorans are an ancient species who developed advanced technology before the evolution of humanity on Earth.

[5] In 2318 the Cardassian Union, which had been taken over by a military dictatorship, invaded Bajor, occupying it for fifty years, during which time they forced many Bajorans into slave labor, using them in their various mining operations.

At the start of the Dominion War, Bajor officially declared their neutrality ("Call to Arms"), although many Bajorans joined Starfleet and, as well, a new resistance to the occupation of Deep Space Nine was formed.

Like many aliens on Star Trek, the Bajorans are human-like in appearance, but have a distinctive symmetrical facial feature: a series of horizontal ridges on the bridge of the nose between the eyes.

As a result, any attempt to remove the fetus prematurely, especially during the later stages of pregnancy, would cause massive blood loss to the mother and severe distress to the baby ("Body Parts").

Typically, labor only lasts an hour, but if it goes on too long, the body stops producing endorphins lest they rise to toxic levels, and the baby will have to be born at a later time ("The Begotten").

Bajorans' spiritual lives center around the Orbs—alien objects believed to have been sent by the Prophets (the gods)—each of which has a unique ability such as the Orb of Time, which allows those viewing it to revisit past events.

Ro Laren lost her faith because of her experiences while a Cardassian Prisoner; yet, still defiantly Bajoran, she wears her d'ja pagh on her left ear.

Many Bajorans are fond of hasperat, which is almost identical in taste and texture to that of a large (and often spicy) Earth burrito prepared in a special brine.

Their motives remain unclear; on several occasions they proclaim their disinterest in the physical world, though they do repeatedly intervene on behalf of Bajor and its people.

Bajoran spiritual leaders such as Kais and Vedeks can feel the Pagh of another by pinching the lobe of one's ear, though many find this scrutiny to be slightly unsettling.

There are some orthodox groups within the religion who take a rather dim view of science (more specifically a scientific interpretation of the wormhole) and the beliefs of other species, but this is a small minority, with relatively little support among the people.

The hierarchy of the Bajoran faith has never been explained in great detail, though a certain amount is known: Titles in the Bajoran religion include a "Prylar" (roughly equivalent to a Christian monk), "Ranjen" (a rank falling between Prylars and the next rank, and responsible for a variety of tasks), "Mylar" (priest or minister, mentioned in "Ties of Blood and Water"), "Vedek" (cardinal, bishop) and "Kai" (equivalent to the pope in Catholic theology or Patriarch in the Eastern Orthodox theology).

There continues to be a minority group on Bajor who worship the Pagh Wraiths as the True Prophets, but they are generally shunned as outcasts and heretics.

While possessed, Dukat proceeded to kill Jadzia Dax and use the Orb of Contemplation on Deep Space Nine to enable the Pagh Wraith to re-enter the wormhole and seal the entrance.

In the series finale, "What You Leave Behind", Dukat and Winn Adami attempt to free the Pagh Wraiths from their prison by deciphering an ancient text written in the Book of the Kosst Amojan which acts as a key.

Winn, who had briefly abandoned her faith in the Prophets after she had a vision from the Pagh Wraiths, ultimately undergoes a change of heart, but she is killed by Dukat as she tries to stop him.

A three-part arc, "The Homecoming", "The Circle", and "The Siege", featured a story about the Provisional Government and its inability to resolve an explosive political revolution.

Sisko managed to convince Kai Opaka to declare the support of the Bajoran religious hierarchy for the new government, which prevented it from outright collapsing.

Officers of the Militia were usually graduates of the Bajoran Military Academy, although many commissions were awarded on the basis of demonstrated skills and merit of the soldiers who were part of the resistance against the occupation.

It was said in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode "Rapture" that if Bajor joins the United Federation of Planets, most of the Bajoran Militia would be absorbed into Starfleet.

In the non-canonical relaunch novel Unity, this happened in 2376. Notable members of the Bajoran Militia included Major Kira and Odo.

He or she also seems to hold a fair amount of political influence on Bajor; the government is headed by a First Minister although Bajorans typically will listen to whatever the Kai says.

Opaka was officially declared missing during an escorted trip through the Bajoran wormhole, when she discovered two feuding Gamma Quadrant races and elected to remain with them in hopes of negotiating a peaceful resolution to their conflict.

Major Kira of DS9 convinced her old friend and resistance cell leader Shakaar Edon to run for election in opposition to Kai Winn to block her from obtaining total control of the Bajoran government.

In the non-canon MMORPG Star Trek Online, set thirty years after the events of Deep Space Nine, it is implied that Kira Nerys eventually became Kai.

In the Deep Space Nine premiere episode "Emissary", Captain Jean Luc Picard informs Benjamin Sisko that one of his tasks as commander of DS9 is to develop a continuing evaluation of Bajor for potential membership in the United Federation of Planets.