Star Trek’s TNG Era Villains The Maquis Explained

Introduced in Star Trek: The Next Generation's 24th century era, the Maquis were more complex than many Star Trek villains. Like many science fiction sagas, Star Trek often drew clear lines between good guys and bad guys. Captains like James T. Kirk (William Shatner) and Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) had strong morals even outside of the rules and regulations of Starfleet. However, as the television landscape changed and storytelling styles shifted, morally gray characters and antiheroes became more commonplace.

With the premiere of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine in 1993 and Star Trek: Voyager in 1995, the world of Star Trek: The Next Generation expanded and became more interconnected. The Maquis were introduced on DS9, for example, but the resistance group played a major role in storylines on both TNG and Voyager. Members of the Maquis came from all over the Alpha Quadrant, united by their common goal to oppose the Cardassian Union. Many of them were good people who felt abandoned by Starfleet, making it difficult to fit the Maquis neatly into the villain category.

Who Were The Maquis In Star Trek: TNG’s Era?

The Maquis Were Resistance Fighters Who Were Considered Traitors By The Federation

The Maquis were a group of resistance fighters who organized to oppose the Cardassian occupation of their homes in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). After the Federation Cardassian Treaties in the late 2360s and early 2370s, several colonies in the DMZ were ceded to the Cardassian Union, even though Federation colonists still lived there. Many of these colonists joined with disillusioned former Starfleet officers to form the Maquis. Labeled as traitors by Starfleet and terrorists by the Cardassians, the Maquis used a variety of tactics to oppose the occupation.

As a Starfleet attaché in the DMZ, Lt. Commander Calvin Hudson (Bernie Casey) saw firsthand how the Cardassians treated Federation citizens on the colonies along the Cardassian border. Although Hudson brought his worries to Commander Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks) on Deep Space Nine, the newly formed Maquis took matters into their own hands when Starfleet took too long to respond. Hudson was one of the first Starfleet officers to become a Maquis leader, and he insisted that his people wanted peace above all, but could not sit by while their homes were destroyed.

Although the Maquis knew that Cardassian Central Command had been providing weapons to Cardassian colonists on these borderlands, the Cardassian Union denied any involvement. Without the support of Starfleet, the Maquis began fighting an underground war with the Cardassians within the DMZ. Initially, Starfleet considered the Maquis to be little more than a nuisance, but they quickly became a much bigger problem. The Maquis achieved many of their biggest victories under the command of Michael Eddington (Kenneth Marshall), a former Starfleet security officer.

Which Star Trek Characters Joined The Maquis?

Some Former Starfleet Officers Chose To Use Their Skills For The Maquis

As the Maquis resistance movement began gaining traction, more and more Starfleet officers became sympathetic to their cause. The Maquis were introduced in the aptly titled Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 2 two-parter, "The Maquis," which saw Calvin Hudson become the first Starfleet officer viewers watched defect to the Maquis. Later on DS9, Michael Eddington worked as Chief of Starfleet Security on the space station for a year and a half before joining the Maquis, which Captain Sisko took as a personal betrayal.

In Star Trek: The Next Generation season 7, episode 24, "Preemptive Strike," Lt. Ro Laren infiltrated a Maquis cell and began questioning her loyalty to Starfleet. In the end, Ro found a place among the Maquis and left Starfleet, expressing her regret for disappointing Picard. Commander William Riker's (Jonathan Frakes) transporter clone, Thomas Riker, also joined the Maquis because "people are dying in the Demilitarised zone and Starfleet isn't doing anything about it." After stealing the USS Defiant from DS9, Riker was captured and sent to a Cardassian labor camp.

The Maquis storyline bled over into the premiere of Star Trek: Voyager as Captain Kathryn Janeway's (Kate Mulgrew) first mission was to locate the missing Maquis ship, the Val Jean. Janeway recruited Tom Paris (who had formerly been involved with the Marquis) to be a part of her crew, and Chakotay and B'Elanna Torres were both serving aboard the Val Jean. After Voyager was stranded in the Delta Quadrant and the Val Jean was destroyed, the Maquis members were integrated into Voyager's crew.

What Happened To The Maquis After Star Trek: DS9 & Voyager?

The Maquis Were Nearly Wiped Out By The Dominion

Under the leadership of Michael Eddington, the Maquis launched more significant attacks against the Cardassians. Captain Sisko remained dogged in his pursuit of Eddington until he forced the former security officer to surrender by threatening all of the Maquis colonies. Eddington was killed not long after his capture. When the Cardassian Union agreed to become part of the Dominion, they gained access to Jem'Hadar warships. Gul Dukat (Marc Alaimo) then launched a massive offensive against the Cardassian's enemies, including the Maquis. With such superior weapons, the Cardassians wiped out every Maquis settlement in the DMZ, effectively putting an end to the resistance group.

The largest group of former Maquis members was on the USS Voyager in the Delta Quadrant, and they were devastated when they learned the fate of their friends. The few remaining Maquis members in the Alpha Quadrant were left scattered or in Federation prisons. Despite their inferior ships and technology, the Maquis proved to be a significant threat in the Alpha Quadrant for several years before the Dominion wiped them out. With their understandable frustration with Starfleet, the Maquis were unique among Star Trek villains, making their stories all the more compelling.