Tears of the Prophets
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- "Tears of the Prophets" is also the title of a Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode.
Tears of the Prophets is an alternate name for the Bajoran Orbs in the fictional Star Trek universe. The orbs figure prominently in the story arc of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
The Tears of the Prophets are hourglass-shaped and emanate light when their doors are opened. Each Orb has a unique power or property; some will create visions, others (such as the Orb of Time), can actually transport a person to another time. The first four of the nine original Orbs are named in Deep Space Nine. The fifth, the Orb of Memory, is featured but not directly named. The tenth Orb, the Orb of the Emissary, is also named. The remaining Orbs (6-9) are identified in various Star Trek novels.
Bajorans believe the devices were sent by the Prophets to the Bajoran people. Nine such orbs, found in the Denoris Belt, were recovered by the Bajoran people during their long history. Of these nine, many were stolen or desecrated by the Cardassians during the Cardassian Occupation, and at least one is known to have fractured. A tenth Orb, the Orb of the Emissary, was discovered by Captain Benjamin Sisko on the planet Tiree. This Orb was (presumably) hidden there by his mother, Sarah Sisko, who is one of the Prophets.
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List of Orbs
The Bajoran Orbs are:
- The Orb of Prophecy and Change
- The Orb of Wisdom
- The Orb of Time
- The Orb of Contemplation
- The Orb of Memory
- The Orb of Destiny
- The Orb of Truth
- The Orb of Souls
- The Orb of Unity
- The Orb of the Emissary
Descriptions
The Orb of Prophecy and Change
Also known as the "Hand of the Prophets," this is the first orb. This orb has a blue coloration and reveals obscure or unexpected truths about the user's future through surreal imagery. This orb takes into account the intentions and expectations of the user as well as surrounding circumstances. The visions it presents are symbolic and usually difficult to understand. This orb had been taken from Bajor by the Cardassians but is now back in the hands of the Bajoran people.
The Orb of Wisdom
Known as the "Eye of the Prophets." It reveals obscure or unrealised truths about the user's present situation through surreal imagery. The visions it presents will either hint at an answer to a current problem or tell the user something about himself that he does not consciously know. This was the first orb to appear on Bajor, it was taken by the Cardassians after the Occupation, but two years later the Ferengi Grand Nagus acquired it from a contact on Cardassia III, and sold it back to the Bajoran people for a substantial fee.
The Orb of Time
The Orb of Time is the third orb. It allows the user to be sent throughout time to alter a certain moment, after which time would be altered for the user for better, or worse, depending on the outcome. This orb was given back to the Bajoran people from the Cardassians in 2373. Disgraced Klingon spy Arne Darvin used the Orb of Time to take the Defiant back to the year 2267, as part of his plan to kill Captain Kirk.
The Orb of the Emissary
Discovered in 2375, although not one of the nine orbs which landed on Bajor. This orb has a white coloration. Not much is known about this orb since it has only recently been discovered. The Orb of the Emissary allows only the true Emissary himself to open the box, and will electrify other users. This orb is used to help rid the Celestial Temple of the Pah-Wraiths. It was discovered by Benjamin Sisko. It was through this orb that a prophet inhabited the physical body of Sisko's mother, in order to insure that Sisko was conceived.