Tzenkethi

The Tzenkethi are a space faring race from the Alpha Quadrant. Their physiology is made up of several fluid filled sacs that make up the components of their bodies. Their skin tones come in multiple colors including red, yellow, and green. They have ovoid shaped eyes and are described as being very tall and visually attractive. (

The Tzenkethi homeworld is called Tzenketh, the capital planet of the Tzenkethi Coalition. The seat of the coalition's government is Ab-Tzenketh, possibly an orbiting moon .This would make sense given the strict class hierarchy among Tzenkethi ; the ruling caste literally looking down upon the populace on the planet below.

The Tzenkethi language is Tzikaa!n, which includes dialects for different castes. (DS9 short story: "Infinite Bureaucracy") The government is headed by the Autarch of the Tzenkethi Coalition, under whom serve a number of appointed ministers, or Tzelnira. (novel: Articles of the Federation). The Coalition appears to spend a great deal of its time making a scapegoat out of the United Federation of Planets, twisting all intergalactic news to make the Federation appear ruthless, dangerous and immoral.

The Tzenkethi are technologically advanced; Klingon Ambassador Kage considered them capable of building metaweapons as early as 2311, also demonstrating that the Coalition was known to the Klingons and the Federation by at least this date. The Federation had arranged a summit on Tzenketh the next year, but this early overture does not appear to have gone well. The Tzenkethi would later respond to the Federation's efforts to encourage trade by starting a war. Tzenkethi were known to raid other nation's space, and were engaged in acts of piracy in Cardassian territory as early as the 2310s. In the mid-2320s, Skrain Dukat arranged an elaborate conspiracy to fake a Tzenkethi attack on Bajor, in order to encourage the Bajorans to accept Cardassian aid. .

The Tzenkethi tried to invade the planet Bactricia at least three times prior to the mid-24th century. A fourth attempt was repulsed when the Bactricians appealed for intercession by the Federation. (DS9 short story: "The Music Between the Notes") The Tzenkethi and the United Federation of Planets waged war some years later. (see: Tzenkethi War)

In 2371, the Dominion attempted to spark a new war between the two powers in order to destablize the Alpha Quadrant. (DS9 episode: "The Adversary")

The Tzenkethi were briefly considered as the possible culprits behind a series of malfunctions aboard Deep Space 10 in 2376 and 2377. 

In 2380, a two-year-old Tzenkethi named Zormonk, the son of Tzelnira Zaarok, was diagnosed with cal-tai and covertly sent into Federation space for treatment. However, the disease was too far advanced, and the child died in surgery. . The Tzenkethi propaganda machine was delighted to have evidence of the dead body of a Tzenkethi child in Federation hands. They insisted he had been kidnapped, and tortured in medical experiments. The Coalition recalled its ambassador soon afterwards. Ironically, this ambassador, Emra, was actually rather forward-thinking for a Tzenkethi official and had previously attempted to open trade with Federation member worlds such as Nasat. His attitude made him unpopular, presumably why he was given the job of ambassador to the Federation, a posting the Coalition did not take seriously. .

The Tzenkethi Coalition was a founding member of the Typhon Pact in 2381..

Tzenkethi individuals

 * Emra
 * Zaarok
 * Zormonk
 * unnamed Tzenkethi