Star Trek Already Confirmed the 1 Species More Powerful Than the Q

Summary Q seeks help from the Kelvin timeline crew to defeat a more powerful enemy: the Pah Wraiths.

The Pah Wraiths, evil counterparts to the benign Bajoran Prophets, nearly outmatch Q in power.

Q turns to the Prophets for help in taking down the Pah Wraiths, revealing their formidable strength.

Q is an immensely powerful god-like being with few peers, but Star Trek has confirmed that one species is more than a match for the Continuum. In 2014’s The Q Gambit storyline, running through Star Trek #35-40, the trickster dropped in on the Kelvin timeline, seeking their help in defeating the one race more powerful than the Q, and they stand revealed in issue 40.

Star Trek #40, first published by IDW, was written by Mike Johnson and drawn by Tony Shasteen. Q, trying to teach Kirk a lesson about “no-win” scenarios, creates a timeline where the Federation was overrun by the Dominion. However, Q reveals a deeper motive for his scheme: the Pah Wraiths and the Q Continuum have been at war–and the Pah Wraiths are winning.

Q secretly hoped that, somehow, the Kelvin crew would be able to help him stop them.

Q is successful in wiping out the Pah Wraiths, but only thanks to an assist from the Bajoran Prophets.

The Prophets Are Gods--And Not Just to the Bajoran People

The Prophets Have A Dark Counterpart--And They Nearly Destroyed Ben Sisko

The Star Trek universe is chock-full of god-like beings, including the Q and the Bajoran Prophets. Q is the franchise’s trickster figure, and the Prophets dwell in the Bajoran Wormhole, and are venerated by the Bajoran people. The Prophets, for the most part, are benign. Despite the wormhole being their realm, the Prophets still allowed Alpha Quadrant vessels to travel through it. The Prophets, like many other Star Trek gods, keep themselves hidden, mostly revealing themselves to their Emissary, Ben Sisko.

A Guide to Canonical Pah Wraith Appearance in the Star Trek Universe Show Title Season Episode Title Star Trek: Deep Space Nine 5 "The Assignment" Star Trek: Deep Space Nine 6 "The Reckoning" Star Trek: Deep Space Nine 6 "Tears of the Prophets" Star Trek: Deep Space Nine 7 "Shadows and Symbols" Star Trek: Deep Space Nine 7 "Til Death Do Us Part" Star Trek: Deep Space Nine 7 "Strange Bedfellows" Star Trek: Deep Space Nine 7 "What We Leave Behind"

The Pah Wraiths are the evil counterparts to the Prophets. Introduced in the fifth season Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode “The Assignment,” the Pah Wraiths dwelled in the Fire Caves of Bajor. The ancient enemies of the Prophets, the Pah Wraiths, swore revenge on the universe. Like the Prophets, the Pah Wraiths have vast powers, including the ability to induce visions as well as possess people. In Deep Space Nine’s final season, a Pah-Wraith possessed Gul Dukat nearly freed the rest of the Wraiths, if not for the intervention of Sisko.

The Pah Wraiths' Just Ascended to the Top of the Star Trek Food Chain

Q Had to Get Assistance from the Prophets To Beat The Pah Wraiths

The revelation that the Pah Wraiths may be more powerful than Q casts new light on the hierarchy of power in the Star Trek universe.

The revelation that the Pah Wraiths may be more powerful than Q casts new light on the hierarchy of power in the Star Trek universe. Q was assumed to be the most powerful, capable of creating entire timelines and traversing the multiverse at a whim. Yet for all his power, he is useless against the Pah Wraiths, which places them higher in the pecking order. Another Q-related story, The Q Conflict, hints the Prophets posed a threat to him, meaning the same can be said of the Pah Wraiths. The Pah Wraiths have the rare honor of humbling Q.