Iconian

"They whisper in the night for chaos and despair, and Hakeev gives them blood as tribute. Our blood."

-- Obisek ( “Frozen”)

B'Tren, an Iconian as they appeared 200,000 years ago

M'Tara, an Iconian in 2410

An Iconian gateway.

The Iconians (Borg designation: Species 47) are an ancient species from the planet Iconia in the Iconia Sector of the Beta Quadrant. With the help of gateways they maintained a highly advanced galactic empire until orbital bombardment by an alliance of envious species obliterated their homeworld and colonies ca. 200,000 years ago, forcing the survivors into hiding and to adapt a militant attitude.

History

Little is know about the origin of the Iconians and their civilization. In 2409, the Guardian of Forever would describe them as "the first of the Children," and goes on to state they are powerful, terrible, wise, selfish, wrathful, and proud; although some of these attributes likely refer to them after their homeworld was destroyed. The Iconians have always been few in number, but shared their homeworld with the Heralds, a lesser humanoid species, which they first used as beasts of burden and later genetically adapted to be their intelligent and self-aware servants and "pets". Despite this, the Iconians treated them with respect and referred to them as their friends and even "children". ( “City on the Edge of Never”, “Midnight”)

Around 200,000 years ago, procreation came to a factual halt and it had been ca. 100 years that an Iconian was born. By that time the Iconians maintained a galactic civilization, peacefully exploring the galaxy and interacting with numerous species, such as the Dinasians and Iccobar. All gathered knowledge was stored in a central archive called the World Heart, which was well protected as the Iconians firmly believed in not sharing superior technology with "lesser" species, who might use it to harm themselves or others. However, envy grew among other species, who formed an alliance in order to gain access to the superior knowledge by attacking all Iconian worlds - first the colony of Dewa III and hours later Iconia itself. With the help of "The Other", twelve Iconians were able to evacuate using one of their gateways and sought shelter beneath the surface of Dewa III, where the indigenous population used to serve them like gods. The World Heart, however, was lost to both the Iconians and the lesser species, or so it was believed... (Lore - "Last Days of the Dewans", “Midnight”)

Traumatized by their experiences, the surviving Iconians adapted a paranoid and militant attitude, with T'Ket as the most aggressive of the twelve. They turned the Heralds from mere servants into powerful soldiers, and adopted further servitor races, such as the Elachi and the Solanae. As Dewa III had also been obliterated by the anti-Iconian alliance, the Iconians left and the Solanae constructed a massive Dyson Sphere as a staging base capable of traveling across vast distances through subspace. When the Solanae activated the Sphere, a large scale industrial accident occurred. The surviving Solanae were forced to migrate to subspace when their molecular structure was changed due to exposure to large amounts of tetryonic energy and the Iconians abandoned the Sphere due to its flaws. (Lore - "Last Days of the Dewans", “Unsafe Practices”, “Midnight”)

At some point, the Iconians also changed their humanoid appearance and became beings of pure energy, which also rendered them physiologically incapable of time travel. Due to this, as well as their new-found ruthlessness, it was passed down by the races that destroyed them that the Iconians had been "demons of air and darkness", traveling via Iconian gateways and ruling oppressively over their large empire. Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the U.S.S. Enterprise-D once speculated that this might be historical revisionism by the victorious powers, an assumption that would later prove correct. In time, the Iconians retreated from the galaxy and they as well as their homeworld became nothing but a myth. ( “Frozen”, “Surface Tension”)

In 2365, the U.S.S. Yamato discovered an ancient Iconian device during archaeological digs on Denius III, revealing the long lost location of Iconia in what by then had become the Romulan Neutral Zone. After arriving at Iconia, however, the Yamato fell victim to an unmanned Iconian Probe that transmitted a piece of Iconian software to rewrite the ship's computer systems and ultimately causing a warp core breach. To prevent both, a war with the Romulan Star Empire, who claimed the planet for themselves, as well as the Iconian technology from falling into the hands of then-Commander Taris of the I.R.W. Haakona, Captain Picard destroyed what was believed to be the only remaining outpost on the planet's surface. ( “Taris”, TNG - "Contagion")

A second Iconian base was found in the Gamma Quadrant by the Dominion in 2372. There, a group of renegade Jem'Hadar took over the facility and attempted to use its Gateway to stage a rebellion against the Dominion. A Starfleet/Dominion joint operation commanded by Cpt. Benjamin Sisko and Lt. Cmdr. Worf destroyed the base. (DS9 - "To the Death")

Missions involved

An ancient recording on New Romulus, depicting an Iconian and two Dewans in front of an Iconian gateway.

• “Sleepers”: In 2409, Borg Cube 19721 is disabled in the T'liss System during an attempt to survey "Species 29" as part of Project Iconia.
• “Patrol the Vhoran System” (Federation only): The player investigates relics of Iconian origin at the behest of Dr. Edward Grissom.
• “Taris”: The investigation of the Hobus disaster leads the player to Iconia, where an ancient Iconian base and an operational Gateway are found. It seems the Romulan rebels under Taris had been triggering a transmission from that base that ultimately caused the Hobus supernova.
• “Frozen”: Reman Resistance leader Obisek reveals that the Tal Shiar no longer serves the Romulan Star Empire but rather the "demons of air and darkness", an enemy he's never seen that seeks revenge for being driven from their homeworld.
• “Coliseum”: After finding an Iconian gateway on Nopada Prime, it is confirmed that Colonel Hakeev of the Tal Shiar is directly working for the Iconians and actively researches ways to best invoke conflict between various species.
• “Cutting the Cord”: Following Hakeev's death, two Iconian Gateways are discovered and destroyed on Brea III. During a battle in orbit, Empress Sela's I.R.W. Leahval is rescued (or perhaps captured) by an Iconian ship through a third Gateway built into an asteroid. This Gateway is also destroyed.
• “Darkness Before the Dawn”: Obisek wonders openly about the looming Iconian threat to the galaxy.
• “Second Wave”: Captain Va'Kel Shon mentions the Iconian threat during the Borg conference on Deep Space 9.
• “Facility 4028”: During the debriefing, Commander Mesi Achebe reveals that during the prison riot at Facility 4028, Taris escaped - apparently with help from the Iconians.
• “Fluid Dynamics”: It is discovered that the Iconians attacked the Undine in fluidic space, provoking them into infiltrating and destabilizing the galaxy.
• “Tau Dewa Sector Patrol (Daily)”: An Iconian Dreadnought sometimes appears at the end of a patrol mission; it will go to warp if the player gets close.

An Iconian Gateway in Storage Facility Z98.

• “Secrets of the Ancients”: Players discover an Iconian gateway and observe what is believed to be an Iconian passing through it when watching an ancient video recording on New Romulus.
• “Sphere of Influence”: Iconian database entries reveal that the Iconians have been monitoring various powers in all four Quadrants of the galaxy and reveal that there are 7,255 gateways of which 5,967 are inactive and 880 damaged or inoperative. The player also learns that there are Gateways active in Andromeda and that the Elachi and Solanae are servitor races of the Iconians. The Gateway network is reset and a ship-sized Iconian Gateway hidden in subspace appears in the Jouret System.
• “Surface Tension”: In 2410, an Iconian appears in the Great Hall on Qo'noS and warns the players' factions against "attracting their attention", killing members of the High Council when they voice defiance.
• “What's Left Behind”: Analyzing a strange device found on Vaadwaur Prime after the defeat of Gaul, the player discovers that the Vaadwaur communicated with the Iconians via an Elachi station in subspace accessed from the Nal Shadaan System in the Delta Quadrant. On the station, the player and The Doctor discover Sela, who had been imprisoned by the Iconians for the past months. She refers to the Solanae and the Elachi as the Iconian's scientists and warriors, respectively. She also points out that any point in the galaxy, and maybe the entire universe, is but a single step away for the Iconians, but also that their hubris is their biggest weakness. It is also revealed that Iconians directed the Solanae to bio-engineer neural parasites in order to control the Vaadwaur who they also outfitted with superior technology.
• “Uneasy Allies”: Sela and the player board the Andromeda Dyson Sphere and observe millions of Iconian and servitor warships massing around the sun before escaping. The sphere jumps to the Iconia System, marking the beginning of the Iconians' invasion of the Milky Way.

T'Ket on New Romulus.

• “Blood of Ancients”: The Iconians launch the first strike of their war against the Milky Way, sending the Heralds to attack Starbase 234 and New Romulus. An Iconian appears on New Romulus and obliterates a group of Romulan Republic forces attempting to repel the Heralds on the surface, and M'Tara, the same Iconian who visited Qo'nos, appears on Lae'nas III and kills a Preserver, claiming that it is the Iconians' right and duty to rule the galaxy.
• “House Pegh”: The player joins a covert operation by the Klingon Empire to infiltrate an Omega molecule production facility in the Dinasia System. While there, Emperor Kahless engages T'Ket in combat and manages to bring the Iconian to her knees with the player's assistance. He removes T'Ket's arm with the Sword of Kahless, but is slain before he can land the final blow.
• “Time in a Bottle”: M'Tara, T'Ket, L'Miren and 9 other Iconians appear after the player and Nog are removed from the timeline. M'Tara mentions how the bombardment of Iconia broke the Iconians unity, which made them weaker, and how "The Other" helped to save the survivors.
• “Broken Circle”: After crippling and boarding the Iconians' flagship, the player faces off against M'Tara, eventually killing her after draining her energy to the point she can no longer sustain herself. With the last of her strength, she summons T'Ket and L'Miren and beseeches them to avenge her. They both vow to do so as the player escapes.
• “Midnight”: The Iconians carry out a final assault on Earth. The Alliance sends its fleets to hold Earth while the player, Sela, and Kagran travel back in time to the attack on Iconia to destroy any Iconian survivors. The player instead opts to assist T'Ket and L'Miren in evacuating the planet and saving the World Heart, thereby becoming the revered "Other". As they are about to escape through a gateway, Sela opens fire on the Iconians, injuring L'Miren, for which T'Ket vows revenge. The player retrieves the World Heart and, returning with it to the present, uses it to make peace with L'Miren. Although the Iconian War is officially ended, T'Ket still hungers for revenge and disappears.

NPCs

A group of Iconians on the surface of the Kyana moon.

See List of Iconian NPCs

Servitor races

• The Iconians use a number of races, referred to as servitor races, who openly serve, and in some cases worship, the Iconians.
  • Bluegill: Used to infiltrate and control other races, including the Vaadwaur and certain individuals in the Federation.
  • Dewans: Slaves, now extinct.
  • Elachi: Warrior caste.
  • Heralds: Personal servants and elite front-line soldiers.
  • Romulans (Tal Shiar): Operatives serving under Taris and Hakeev.
  • Solanae: Scientist caste.
• Additionally, the Iconians have manipulated the Undine to attack the Alpha Quadrant powers by attacking Fluidic space with replica Alpha Quadrant ships.

Military

The Iconians' military force is made up of Herald servants who operate their advanced starships and fight their enemies on the ground.

Starships

• Iconian Probe
• Mir Fighter
• Baltim Raider
• Quas Cruiser
• Vonph Battleship
• Iaidon Dreadnought

Ground Forces

• Construct
• Thrall
• Fused Construct
• Defiler
• Harbinger

Bosses

• Harbinger of M'Tara
• Harbinger of T'Ket
• T'Ket ( “House Pegh”)
• M'Tara ( “Broken Circle”)

Notes

• In Star Trek Online the Iconians were envisioned as the ultimate villains, tricking various powers into destabilizing the entire galaxy for the Iconians to reconquer, since the launch of the game. They were originally planned to replace the Borg Collective as the major enemy faction over the course of future seasons (including STFs against the Iconians).

Original concept
(Star Trek Mag. #27)

• First concept drawings were shown in the "Star Trek Magazine." Daniel Stahl said in a July 2010 podcast interview these pictures did not reflect the actual look of the Iconians, as they had been developed further.

External links

• Iconian at Memory Alpha, the Star Trek Wiki.
• Iconian at Memory Beta, the non-canon Star Trek Wiki.
• ALL STOP Episode 14 Interview with Daniel Stahl
• Star Trek Mag. #27 Iconian Concept Drawings

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