Temple

For other uses, see Temple.

A temple was a type of building used for religious purposes; places of worship, ceremony, or other religious activities. Temples were commonly used by religious and spiritual groups in many races and cultures. Common architectural elements in temples include large interior spaces, often in the form of colonnaded halls, and sometimes including an altar.

Overview

Temples are typically man-made structures, although the term can also be used in a more spiritual context; the Bajorans for instance referred to the Bajoran wormhole, the home of their gods, the Prophets, as the Celestial Temple. (DS9 episode: "Emissary")

The Bajorans also operated conventional temples for followers of the Bajoran religion. The Bajoran temple on Deep Space 9's Promenade remained in operation not just when the station fell under Federation jurisdiction, but also as a hub for Bajorans when the station was operated as Terok Nor under the Cardassians. (DS9 episode: "Emissary"; Star Trek Fact Files Issue 27-Appendix 1: "Bajoran temple")

The Rajathan civilization built their temples atop large ziggurats. Rajathan temples featured two entrances, representing ways into heaven and the underworld. Because the Rajathans were pathologically non-judgemental both entrances led to a single interior space. (TNG - The Space Between comic: "Captain's Pleasure")

Vulcan mystics were thought to have erected temples at the Kurat Temple Complex at the base of the Kurat Mountains on the planet Vulcan as early as the 6th millennium BC. The temple complex included steps leading up to further sites on Mount Seleya. The Forge, an area of desert at the base of the mountains was also home to several temples, and the Vulcans continued to use these sites after the Time of Awakening and well into the 24th century. Off-worlders were seldom allowed to enter the temple areas and witness the ceremonies performed within. (ST - New Worlds, New Civilizations short story: "Tempered by the Forge")

The Temazi worshiped their god Thanatos in large colonnaded temples; Temazi rituals were known to last as long as eight hours. In line with their generally xenophobic attitudes, the Temazi were intolerant of any alien presence in their temples, considering them demons. When the Temazi discovered USS Enterprise and IKS Varchas personnel in one of their temples in 2254 they reacted violently, attacking the Federation and Klingon personnel. (EV comics: "Thanatos", "Nemesis")

Primitive Skorr temples were characterised by their large angular monolithic design, with a tall open interior space and a single entrance. (TAS episode: "The Jihad")

The Egyptian-style "temple" on Zeta Reticuli II.

While exploring the remains of an Ancient-Egyptian-like civilization on the surface of Zeta Reticuli II in 2273 a landing party from the USS Enterprise discovered a building they perceived to be a temple, finding within it hundreds of mummies. The building was in fact a large computer controlled sleep chamber, holding the last members of the civilization in suspended animation. Upon entering the "temple" the landing party activated the computer system which was awaiting the return of other members of the civilization which had gone out into the galaxy to find a new world to live on. (TOS comic: "We Are Dying, Egypt, Dying!")