Taran'atar

Taran'atar was a Jem'Hadar who lived in the latter half of the 24th century. By the 2370s, he was had a long and distinguished service record and was considered an Honored Elder. In 2376, Taran'atar was chosen by Odo, thanks to his lack of dependency on ketracel-white, to be sent to the Alpha Quadrant as an observer, to learn more about the cultures on the other side of the Bajoran wormhole.

Early life
Taran'atar was grown in a Jem'Hadar hatchery in the Gamma Quadrant in the year 2354. He was given his name by Mokata'klan, the Jem'Hadar First who lead the unit in Taran'atar's first battle. The Vorta who commanded this unit was Eris. 

Like all Jem'Hadar, Taran'atar was genetically "programmed" to worship the shape-shifting Founders as gods. Unlike most other Jem'Hadar, Taran'atar never had the physiological dependency on the drug ketracel white that the Founders program into their soldiers.

Taran'atar faithfully served his Founders and their Dominion for 22 years, earning the status of Honored Elder. During this time, he participated in battles with the V'Xaji and the Trelians. 

During the Dominion's war with the powers of the Alpha Quadrant, Taran'atar's duties kept him within the Gamma Quadrant borders of the Dominion, and he never saw action against Federation or allied troops. 

2376
In early 2376, Taran'atar came to the attention of the Founder named Odo when Odo was seeking out Jem'Hadar who were not addicted to the White for an assignment as an observer of Alpha Quadrant species and behavior on starbase Deep Space 9.

In April of 2376, Odo recorded a message for Colonel Kira Nerys confirming Taran'atar's assignment, and sent him on his way.

Word of Taran'atar's assignment came to a renegade Jem'Hadar warrior named Kitana'klan, who hoped to start a new war with the Alpha Quadrant. Kitana'klan's vessel arrived at DS9 before Taran'atar's, and he ordered his vessel to attack the station and the USS Aldebaran.

Taran'atar's vessel arrived during the battle, and turned the tide. Although his own vessel was destroyed, Taran'atar managed to beam to the station where he tracked down and eliminated Kitana'klan and several members of his crew that had beamed to the station in hope of destroying it from within.

After helping to save the station and hearing the message from Odo, Colonel Kira allowed Taran'atar to stay and complete his assignment from Odo. 

Soon after, Taran'atar traveled to the world of Sindorin with Dr. Julian Bashir, and Lieutenants Ezri Dax and Ro Laren to stop the plans of Dr. Ethan Locken, who was utilizing an abandoned Jem'Hadar hatchery to design his own breed of Jem'Hadar soldiers that would be loyal only to him. The experience was a something of a spiritual awakening for him; the Jem'Hadar loyal to Locken knew nothing of the Founders, believing the Doctor to be their creator. When questioned if the Founders are immortal, he responds no, and the First insists that the Founders are not as godlike as Taran'atar makes it sound. After returning to Deep Space Nine, Taran'atar asked Kira how she keeps her faith so strong, and does not doubt, and finds spirituality to be paradoxical. 

In May, during the Gateways crisis, Taran'atar traveled through an Iconian Gateway with Colonel Kira to the Delta Quadrant, where he battled a Hirogen Alpha onboard a Malon freighter. 

In August, after the assassination of Bajoran First Minister Shakaar Edon on the station's promenade, Taran'atar assisted Lieutenant Ro in tracking down the assassin. 

In December, Taran'atar visted the Female Changeling during her confinement at the Ananke Alpha prison. Soon afterwards, seemingly overwhelmed by the conflicts brought on by his assignment from Odo, Taran'atar brutally attacked Captain Kira and Lieutenant Ro before fleeing the station. 

2377
Fleeing the station, Taran'atar hi-jacked the runabout USS Euphrates and kidnapped Ensign Prynn Tenmei. Upon discovering this, Commander Elias Vaughn pursued the ship in the USS Defiant (NX-74205) (II).

Back on the station, Lieutenant Nog and Major Cenn Desca discovered evidence that implicated Intendant $𝜇$ of the mirror universe in "brainwashing" Taran'atar to do her bidding.

Taran'atar traveled to the world of Harkhoum, where he was confronted by Vaughn before being beamed to the mirror universe by Intendant Kira.

Shortly after arriving on the Intendant's ship, another "Kira" arrived on the scene, which the Intendant mistook to be the Kira Nerys of the regular universe. The Intendant never realized her mistake as the new-comer savagely slit her throat.

The new-comer was actually the Cardassian woman named Iliana Ghemor, who had been surgically altered years previously to look like Kira, and had recently been able to manipulate Taran'atar as well.

At last report, Ghemor was impersonating the Intendant in the mirror universe with Taran'atar acting as her unwilling slave. Taran'atar's eventual fate remains unknown. 


 * The saga of Deep Space Nine will continue in Fearful Symmetry'' by Olivia Woods.

Alternate versions
When Elias Vaughn was having his second orb experience he became Eli Underwood, a patient at the same insane asylum as Benny Russell. While there he interacted with a young man named Terrence, the representation of Taran'atar in that reality.