In addition to the many large and influential civilizations which thrived across the Alpha
and Beta Quadrants, there were also many lesser powers, sometimes referred to as commercial
and isolationist societies.
Such as the Ferengi Alliance of Ferenginar, a mercantile culture who purchased warp technology
and used it to establish trade routes throughout the quadrant and beyond.
Governed by a Grand Nagus, the Bill of Opportunities acted as their constitution while the Rules
of Acquisition were their legal and moral code, with even their religion focused around
profit, as it stated Ferengi must use the wealth they earned in life to bribe the Blessed
Exchequer after death, in order to gain entry into the Divine Treasury.
Should they prove too poor, they would be cast into the Vault of Eternal Destitution.
Unwilling to risk alienating potential customers, Ferengi remained neutral in most conflicts,
preferring to settle disputes through negotiation and economic pressure, rather than warfare.
Although many other species saw the Ferengi as greedy, dishonest, craven and manipulative,
they often saw themselves as a morally superior, because their desire for nonviolent, financially
beneficial solutions, meant they had no history of genocide, military conquest, of participation
in large scale wars.
They also claimed to have never practiced slavery, though this was false, as females
in their society were forbidden from pursuing profit, participating in government or wearing
clothes in public and were expected to devote themselves entirely to birthing children and
serving the men in their lives.
Though their economic and legal system meant only the most ruthless and greedy prospered
while the rest of their population lived in poverty, by the end of the 24th century, Grand
Nagus Zek and his successor Rom began to reform their society, giving females equal rights,
and imposing taxes to pay for social programs.
One of the most mysterious species of the Alpha Quadrant, the Breen of the Breen Confederacy
were isolationist, and fiercely territorial, always appearing in environmental suits which
suggested the atmosphere of their home world was vastly different to that of other Humanoids.
Yet later sources revealed their planet was perfectly hospitable, meaning they wore their
suits for other reasons.
Known as great warriors, the Klingon Empire once sent a fleet of their best ships into
Breen space where they disappeared and were never heard from again.
Their violent and unpredictable nature led the Romulans to develop a popular expression,
“Never turn you back on a Breen”.
During the Dominion War of the late 24th century, the Breen joined the Dominion-Cardassian Alliance
and in doing so helped shift the tide of battle in favor of the invasion force, but in the
end they were defeated by the Federation Alliance and forced to retreat back into their space.
The Tholians of the Tholian Assembly were a powerful, isolationist, non-humanoid species,
hostile to those who violated their borders.
Though they largely kept to themselves, they engaged in minor battles with Federation and
Klingon powers throughout the 24th century though it did not escalate into a full scale
war.
During the Dominion War, they chose to stay out of the fighting and signed a non-aggression
treaty with the gamma quadrant forces.
Another non-humanoid power was the Sheliak of the Sheliak Corporate, isolationist, xenophobes
who considered other species as lower lifeforms.
In 2255 they signed a peace treaty with the Federation, and broke off contact for over
a century until they discovered a group of human settlers on one of their planets.
Since this violated their treaty, Captain Jean Luc Picard of the USS Enterprise was
sent to organize the evacuation.
The Talarians were another xenophobic people who wore gloves when interacting with other
species and engaged in minor skirmishes with the Federation throughout the 24th century,
though full scale war was avoided.
A highly competitive population, they developed a strictly patriarchal society where women
were not allowed to outrank men.
The Bajorans of Bajor were one of the oldest civilizations in the Alpha quadrants, with
their history dating back 500 000 years.
A deeply spiritual people, they worshipped a group of non-corporeal aliens called the
Prophets, who lived in a nearby wormhole and seemed to have a relationship with the people
of this planet, despite having little direct contact.
Though they had interstellar spaceships by the 16th century, Bajorans did not place much
emphasis on technological development, and so were unable to adequately defend themselves
when the Cardassuian Union invaded in 2319.
By 2328 their planet was annexed and people enslaved, but the Bajorans resisted, forming
terrorist cells to fight against their oppressors.
Though the struggle took decades, they were eventually victorious, liberating Bajor in
2369, afterwhich they applied for membership in the Federation.
Yet when the Bajoran Wormhole was discovered and war broke out in the Alpha Quadrant, they
found themselves at the mercy of the invaders, and so temporarily distanced themselves from
the Federation to sign a non-aggression treaty with the Dominion.
Reptilian humanoids ruled by the Gorn Hegemony, the Gorn were an independent power who engaged
the Federation in a brief military conflict over the possession of a colony.
As Captain of the Enterprise, James T Kirk gained fame for defeating a Gorn warrior in
combat, though he showed mercy and did not kill the creature.
Despite their reputation as physically large and imposing warriors, their species was also
known for brewing Meridor, a blue alcoholic drink famed throughout the Quadrant.
Deep within the Delphic Expanse was the planet of Xindus, home to 6 species which evolved
alongside each other, fighting terrible wars which eventually destroyed their homeworld
and exterminated the Avian population.
This devastation led the remaining Reptilians, Insectoids, Primates, Aquatics and Arboreals
to make peace and form an alliance while they settled their people on other worlds.
During this time of hardship, they were visited by a group of trans-dimensional aliens called
the Guardians, who helped them survive and in return were revered as religious figures.
Yet these beings had an ulterior motive, and falsely informed the Xindi they were under
threat from humanity, convincing them to launch an attack on Earth in 2153.
However Captain Jonathan Archer and the crew of the Enterprise managed to expose the deception
and forge a lasting peace.
Led by an Autarch, the Tzenkethi species fought a war with the Federation in the 24th century
and nearly went to war again in 2371, when a Dominion infiltrator nearly convinced a
Starfleet ship to attack their homeworld without provocation, as part of their continued campaign
to weaken the Alpha Quadrant before invasion.
Originating in the Orion System, the Orion Syndicate were a criminal organization who
engaged in black-market slave trading, gambling, racketeering, extortion and smuggling.
By the 24th century they had influence across the Alpha and Beta Quadrants, working and
trading with anyone willing to pay.
And so when the Dominion War erupted, the Dominion-Cardassian Alliance worked with the
Syndicate, trading goods and using their connections to organized spy and stealth operations within
the Federation Alliance.
Once an advanced space faring civilization, the species later known as the Baku were on
the verge of self-annihilation, until a group of them settled on a quiet planet in 2066
and abandoned their dependence on technology in order to lives of simplicity and peace.
However not all were content with this new lifestyle and so a faction tried to rebel
and take over the planet, only to fail and be exiled to space, where they became the
Son’a, aggressive nomads who colonized other worlds and practiced slavery, subjugating
the Ellora and Tarlac species.
After years of conflict with the Federation resulting in numerous economic sanctions,
the Son’a eventually stopped trading in slaves, but remained their enemies, allying
with the Gamma Quadrant forces during the Dominion war.