Breen ass-pull?

[Overgeeked]

I'm finishing up my DS9 rewatch and I was startled at how out of the blue the Breen being some intergalactic badass species was forced into the final stretch. I think they were mentioned two, maybe three, times before that in the history of Trek. Either it's been too long or I'd simply forgotten, but it was startling to say the least.

 

[USS Triumphant]

Not sure if there's anything canonical to back this up, but speculation I've seen before is that the Breen are the other polity that the Romulans were distracted by for those 40 years they were out of contact with the Federation. 40 years during which the Romulans seem to have made significant advancements in their war tech (enough to keep up with the Federation's much larger and diverse scientific community), which - necessity being the mother of invention - implies that the Breen were a pretty badass threat to them during that time.

If any of that is right, of course.

 

[Overgeeked]

Not sure if there's anything canonical to back this up, but speculation I've seen before is that the Breen are the other polity that the Romulans were distracted by for those 40 years they were out of contact with the Federation. 40 years during which the Romulans seem to have made significant advancements in their war tech (enough to keep up with the Federation's much larger and diverse scientific community), which - necessity being the mother of invention - implies that the Breen were a pretty badass threat to them during that time.

If any of that is right, of course.

Possibly as an apocryphal explanation for the near deus ex machina ass-pull, sure. But just watching the show, it's double-take worthy.

 

[Lance]

When were the Breen first mentioned in Star Trek?

ISTR the first time was in 'Generations', and even then it was just a throwaway line from Commander Riker.

The appearance of the Breen in later DS9 felt like they just came out of nowhere. Which is, I guess, in keeping with their mystique.

 

[USS Triumphant]

Well, I think it works. It probably helped that I heard that about the Breen before they joined the Dominion - sometime between TNG's "The Loss" and a time shortly after DS9's "By Inferno's Light".

 

[hux]

Most species that are intriguing and have a certain mystique usually get over used and become as dull as everyone else. The Breen avoided this specifically by coming in late.

They continue to be a mystery. This is a good thing and will hopefully remain the case

 

[Sci]

But it makes perfect sense that an alien race could be very militarily powerful without the UFP realizing it. Space is not like one planet, where you know all the powerful states that exist. It's huge on a level that is simply not comprehensible, and it's perfectly reasonable to posit that there could be a world on the edges of explored space about whom the UFP has been aware for a long time, but which is much more powerful than it has ever realized.

 

[Ithekro]

The Breen were said to use cloaking devices in TNG. They were a relatively unknown species to the Federation. The Romulans seem to have had more contact as they have sayings about the Breen. There space was a distance from Cardassian space given the travel time.

 

[Bry_Sinclair]

I liked how the Breen suddenly appeared on the scene. They have been name-dropped a few times previously, so we knew they existed and clearly no one knew just what a bad-ass force they were, so it came as much of a surprise to the viewers as it did to the characters.

 

[Disco]

Most species that are intriguing and have a certain mystique usually get over used and become as dull as everyone else. The Breen avoided this specifically by coming in late.

They continue to be a mystery. This is a good thing and will hopefully remain the case

x2

 

[SPCTRE]

They're a species of Boba Fetts, they don't need a background story (or competence) for some people to find them badass.

I kid. Mostly.

 

[Praetorian]

They showed up in two DS9 episodes before the final chapter, "Return to Grace" and "By Inferno's Light".

And were mentioned in Generations and "Hero Worship" in TNG.

Of the minor races that they could have used, they were probably one of the better choices.

I guess the Tholians could have been used as well. Both are mysterious, seldom seen and, apparently, militarily powerful.

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

They're a species of Boba Fetts, they don't need a background story (or competence) for some people to find them badass.

I kid. Mostly.

No no, not Boba Fett. They were whatever race Leia was trying to impersonate in ROTJ.

 

[tharpdevenport]

According to memory-alpha, the Breen were mentioned in two or three episodes prior to Generations.

And wasn't that a Breen in a holding cell with Picard and two other people who were kidnapped in an a TNG episode?

 

[K'Toska]

I know this would take away some of the mystery, but I do wish we'd see/hear more about the Breen's culture, as well as that of the Tholians.

 

[USS Triumphant]

According to memory-alpha, the Breen were mentioned in two or three episodes prior to Generations.

And wasn't that a Breen in a holding cell with Picard and two other people who were kidnapped in an a TNG episode?

As I implied (but guess I didn't outright say) previously in the thread, TNG's "The Loss" was the first reference to the Breen.

And no, the episode I believe you're thinking of had a Chalnoth, a Bolian, and a Mizarian. There was a Breen in the cell with Garak, Bashir, Worf, and Martok in DS9's "By Inferno's Light".

 

[Lance]

I'd forgotten about "Hero Worship".

Quoteth the episode:

DATA: The Breen have outposts in this sector. The attack on the Vico is consistent with their battle tactics and their level of technology.
PICARD: Thank you, Data. But what would the Breen be doing inside the Black Cluster? The boy described a boarding party with helmets and phaser rifles.

They really mustn't know much about the Breen if they don't even know they wear helmets.

 

[Peach Wookiee]

Apparently, if Weyoun is to be believed, the Federation has been fed a lot of misinformation.

 

[Ethros]

I remember as a big Trek fan thinking it was awesome how they were finally getting a big role in the lore. From brief appearances in DS9 eps like Indiscretion and By Inferno's Light, and quite a lot of throwaway lines from TNG, DS9, and Voyager. First mentioned in TNG s4 The Loss I believe.
Breen at Memory Alpha


VOY: Elogium
EMH- "EMH: Perhaps a statistical survey will offer a context. Among the Breen, pregnancy at a young age is a common event. The Breen, of course, is one the most warlike of species. And then there are the Scathos..."

VOY: Scorpion pt.1-
Tuvok- "Starfleet has encountered species that use organic-based vessels. The Breen, for example."





btw, Praetorian, I presume you mean Indiscretion rather than Return to Grace (both s4 Kira/Dukat/Ziyal episodes)

 

[Praetorian]

I remember as a big Trek fan thinking it was awesome how they were finally getting a big role in the lore. From brief appearances in DS9 eps like Indiscretion and By Inferno's Light, and quite a lot of throwaway lines from TNG, DS9, and Voyager. First mentioned in TNG s4 The Loss I believe.
Breen at Memory Alpha


VOY: Elogium
EMH- "EMH: Perhaps a statistical survey will offer a context. Among the Breen, pregnancy at a young age is a common event. The Breen, of course, is one the most warlike of species. And then there are the Scathos..."

VOY: Scorpion pt.1-
Tuvok- "Starfleet has encountered species that use organic-based vessels. The Breen, for example."





btw, Praetorian, I presume you mean Indiscretion rather than Return to Grace (both s4 Kira/Dukat/Ziyal episodes)

Yes, you presume correctly!