Corotican

Coroticans were a humanoid race, native to the planet Coroticus III. They were largely indistinguishable from Vulcans, with slightly tapered ears.

As of the mid 24th century, the Coroticans had an agrarian culture at a level akin to that of medieval Europe. There was also a celebrated Academy in the town of Ajjem-kuyr, where academicians were developing a growing body of knowledge of natural science, countering some long-held religious beliefs and superstitions. During this same period, Starfleet established a covert cultural observation post on Coroticus, not far from the village of Baldakor, to study the Coroticans. In accordance with the Prime Directive, these observers remained unknown to the Corotican population.

Corotican society was strongly impacted in 2374, when Dominion forces invaded Coroticus. Rather than violating the Prime Directive and fighting, the Federation destroyed their base and abandoned the planet. The leader of the occupation forces, a Vorta named Ushpallar, presented himself to the Coroticans as a god, the child of Corotican deities Ashpa and Vwainleila, and calling himself "He Who Blesses and Condemns." Ushpallar's claims of godhood were accepted by many, though some, particularly the scholars at the Academy, were skeptical.

Some of the changes brought to the Coroticans by the Dominion occupiers were beneficial, such as the improvement of sewer systems and the introduction of germ theory. However, when members of the Academy were able to replicate some of these "divine" works, proving them to be applications of science, Ushpallar responded to this "blasphemy" by annihilating all of Ajjem-kuyr, reducing the community to an irradiated, glass-surfaced wasteland.

At the end of the Dominion War, Coroticus's occupiers supposedly left the planet, leaving a culture that still venerated and feared Ushpallar. In 2376, Starfleet cultural specialist Carol Abramowitz visited Coroticus as part of a team to assess the damage done by the Dominion. In an effort to mitigate the increase of superstition and loss of scientific knowledge suffered, Abramowitz introduced a tale into the culture of "a war in heaven," blaming the destruction of Ajjem-Kuyr on evil shapeshifters, known in Corotican culture as Henjiqi. In this way, she hoped to encourage the religious community's support of the rebuilding of the learning center and of the further pursuit of scientific knowledge.