Mazdan high priest

The Mazdan high priest was a humanoid male. He was the religious and political leader of the planet in the R-517 star system in the 23rd century.

He oversaw the Mazdans worship of their deity Grolgar and a fleet of Mazdan ships.

History
In the 23rd century, the Mazdan high priest wanted his world to join the Federation, but he was not willing to sign a peace treaty with the Arimans, with whom the Mazdan people had been fighting throughout their history. He and the Ariman high priest aired their grievances to the Federation Council. The Council drafted a resolution permitting membership for both worlds so long as a cease-fire was maintained. He obeyed the resolution, but kept his fleed of ships in battle-ready condition.

In 2267, the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701) visited R-517 on the day of a prophecy that Grolgar would appear and lead their people to victory. Grolgar seemed to materialize at the appointed time, and the priest signaled his fleet to launch and attack. Visiting Professor Osric Whipple redirected the Enterprise’s deflector shield energy into a magnetic wall that adhered the enemy ships to each other. Inadvertently, the process converted Whipple into a non-corporeal state, where he was interpreted as Grolgar asking for peace. Both sides agreed to meet for peace talks.