Pah Wraith
In the fictional
Star Trek universe,
Pah Wraiths (also spelled Pagh Wraiths,
Bajoran for Soul Wraiths) are evil
Bajoran Prophets, non-corporeal life-forms, who were expelled from the
Bajoran wormhole and are imprisoned in the
Bajoran Fire Caves on the planet
Bajor.
They long for revenge against the prophets who cast them out, even going so far as to possess the bodies of corporeal beings to further their goals.
Keiko O'Brien, wife of
Deep Space Nine's Chief of Operations
Miles O'Brien, was used in a nearly successful attempt to kill the prophets. (episode: "
The Assignment")
In another incident, episode "
The Reckoning", the Emissary (
Benjamin Sisko) released a Pah Wraith and a Prophet from an ancient artifact. These beings fought on the Gates to the Celestial Temple (
Deep Space Nine). In the fight, a Prophet possessed the (willing) body of
Kira Nerys while the main Pah Wraith, Kosst Amojan, possessed the (unwilling) body of
Jake Sisko.
In "
Tears of the Prophets",
Gul Dukat unleashed a Pah Wraith from an ancient relic which possessed his body and proceeded to use an orb at Deep Space Nine to close the wormhole. Once this happened, the
cult of the Pah Wraiths became more popular on Bajor. Once Sisko found the Orb of the Emissary (in "Image In The Sand"), the wormhole reopened and the Pah Wraiths were again cast out.
It has been suggested by some that the story-arcs in
Stargate regarding the
Ancients and the
Ori are somewhat copied from the original
Deep Space Nine concept. Similarities include:
* All-powerful, non-coporeal beings on the side of good.
* Evil beings who are similar in nature, yet choose to manifest themselves as fire and take over the bodies of their worshippers.
*The good beings having a strict policy of non-intervention.
*Innocent people often being tricked into following the bad beings.
*
