HIROGEN : Page 1 : A hunting species
The Hirogen are a Delta Quadrant species, a spacefaring civilisation with warp capability. In appearance Hirogen are humanoid, with the adults often a foot or so taller than the average human male. Their heads are hairless. No female or child Hirogen is seen on [Star Trek: Voyager] and accordingly screenshots are of adult males.
 On the right is an Alpha Hirogen. He is in Klingon body armour as he has just come from a Klingon duelling simulation (with Janeway as his prey). |
 sideways profile, wearing helmet |
 rear view |
The Hirogen are a hunting species and elements of their culture such as social rituals and religious beliefs are based on the hunt. They are a nomadic race. Hirogen spacecraft roam the Delta Quadrant, either alone or in small groups, seeking prey. By the 24th century, the Hirogen no longer identified any single planet as their homeworld, and their existence is driven by the pursuit of prey [Hunters].
 The Hirogen body armour can defeat most hostile environments [Prey]. |
 Note the breathing apparatus over the mouth and nose. |
 on average, Hirogen are taller than humans |
| Hirogen social structure is organised around packs of male hunters each led by a Hirogen designated as Alpha [The Killing Game], with a second-in-command designated Beta who, if the Alpha dies, succeeds to the rank of Alpha [Flesh and Blood].
Status within each pack is determined by possession of prizes from hunts, in particular, body parts obtained from the downed prey. These prizes are called 'trophies' or 'relics' and are displayed in nets hanging from the ceilings or walls of space vessels or other living quarters or, as for instance in the case of skulls, mounted as a display on a wall. A hunter tells the captured Seven that her intestine will make an unusual relic [Hunters]. The ritual of the hunt involves hunters applying paint of a particular colour is applied for both the hunt and the kill:
Hirogen culture requires a hunter to study his prey to understand its abilities, believing that such study is essential to prevent a hunter from becoming the hunted. The Alpha Hirogen who captures USS Voyager says that the way a creature behaves when it is wounded is the key to its destruction [The Killing Game]. Prowess in the hunt and the obtaining of unusual relics is what determines the attractiveness of a male to a female [Hunters]. |
 the Hirogen keep an arsenal of various formidable weapons; choosing the most appropriate weapon to make the kill is considered important
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Hirogen equivalent of a tricorder which reveals bio-data on the subject. A Hirogen hunter learns from a scan of Seven that she has a long coiled intestine which he believes will make an unusual relic. |
| Hirogen carry a scythe-like knife with which they kill prey at close range. In [Hunters] Tuvok briefly manages to overcome and wound a hunter with the knife before being subdued. In [Flesh and Blood] the Doctor, having been implanted with the memory files of one of Iden's holograms, experiences the fear and stress of being hunted, and is cornered by a hunter who slashes his arm with his knife before killing him with it. |  |
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