Profile dedicated to Larry Niven and Jimmy Diggs. The term 'Ferasan' is used for legal reasons in Star Trek Online by Cryptic.

Information on the Kzinti was first gained from the Vulcan High Command, although lacking in a lot of details. It was later found from medical examination of their blood that Kzinti - singular Kzinti- are a race of felines that are cousins to the Caitians. They resemble anything from darker-furred Caitian types up to a cross between a lion and a mountain gorilla. They range in size from five feet to eight feet tall and weigh about 250 Kg. They have sharp teeth and claws for overpowering and eating their prey and a keen intellect. The Kzinti are sabre-toothed and some have eyebrows similar to Pakleds. Unlike Caitians, some Kzinti have telepathic abilities. Kzinti Chag Grass is a prepared meal based on certain hyper-addictive vegetation found on Ferasa combined with other secret ingredients.

The Kzinti are smart and think of themselves as the top of the genetic tree, both through evolution and enhancements. The inferior Caitian cousins fled the home world 800 years ago and haven't been seen since. The Kzinti see space as their hunting ground. All of their genetic coding and enhancements are for them to live true to their being: to hunt. The smarter and more risky the hunt, te better the satisfaction at resolution. They hunt for sport and see even sentient beings as like steak on a plate. And steak has no rights to plead for mercy from the diner. Kzinti don't let 'civilisation' and 'laws' get in the way of the hunt. They chase down and disable their prey, finishing with a sabre-toothed bite to the neck.

Author's notes:

Think of a cross between Alien and Predator. Along with leopards, tigers and a gorilla. This is a smart hunter that thinks of humansas meals on legs. Quite frankly, taking down a starship for a meal is appealing to a Kzinti. They are smart enough to evade sensors and to use the starship sensors against their owners. They kill prey in a manner sinilar to a tiger or lioness - a bite to the neck. Kzinti range in build from a leopard up to tiger or gorilla.

Kzinti history

The United Earth Starfleet was first alerted to the existence of the Kzinti by the Vulcans in the 2140s. In their usual parental style, the Vulcans felt that now the humans had warp two capability with the NV or Neptune class, their reach into the stars had more than doubled. Starfleet only had phase cannons and torpedoes to defend itself. The Vulcans, with their superior starships, had already suffered losses at the claws of the Kzinti and did not want the humans to repeat their mistakes. Beyond the distant exotic world of Delta IV, further coreward than Sauria, was the region the Vulcan described in their own terms as "Here there be dragons". The young Jonathan Archer was amongst those Starfleet officers who disliked the Vulcans telling us where we could or could not explore.

Without supply lines or space stations, exploration that far out of Earth space at warp two was a journey that would take months. Freighters that would crawl out at warp one would tell tales of meeting the open Deltans race and the lizard-like Saurians. Other freighters were less lucky and would go out of contact. Investigations by Starfleet ships would find the traces of blood and signs of combat around the ship, but no bodies. By 2155 the losses of ships in this region warranted pulling NX-01 Enterprise into the region to investigate. Jonathan Archer received information from Commander T'pol about the Kzinti, their build, warships and weaponry. Archer wanted to make first contact with this species and to end any misunderstanding between these nations peacefully.

In the 2155 encounter of the Earth freighter Bessemer Victory, Archer and his MACO team managed to locate and engage in conversation with the Kzinti intruder. The Kzinti made it plain that the Coalition members were nothing better than livestock to be hunted and eaten. The Kzinti displayed significant intellectual abilities and managed to escape capture and return to their warship. The missile-armed vessel managed to fight the Enterprise to a stalemate, before withdrawing. NX-01 was in no condition to pursue but Commander T'pol was able to track the course back to a class M planet further coreward. This was tentatively labelled as the Kzinti homeworld. Captain Archer was able to convince Starfleet Admiral Gardner that the best way to prevent any further attacks on Delta IV, or freighters, was to have a Coalition picket ship assigned there. This ship would act as a deterrant to the Kzinti and buy time for reinforcements. The ship would be taken on rotation from the Coalition of Planets members.

The Romulan War (2156 - 2160) kept the Kzinti issue on the back-burner. There were incidents with picket ships attacked and freighters assaulted, but the Coalition of Planets insisted the priority had to be the Romulans. The attack on the Sol system - and Earth - kept the Romulans foremost in the minds of the Starfleet Admiralty. This scar on the Starfleet psyche would come to determine the terms of the Treaty of Algeron and future conflicts. After the Romulan issue had been finalised, the Kzinti issue came back to the table for discussion by the new United Federation of Planets. The Romulan War had furnished the Starfleet with photon torpedo technology - partly developed and partly 'acquired' from Klingon sources - which gave them a decided advantage over the Kzinti warship weaponry.

Starfleet continued to force the Kzinti back from the Deltan and Saurian sectors of space but the Kzinti just seemed to fight harder. Eventually the Starfleet forces fought the Kzinti back to their border and left them there. Starfleet monitored the border with science vessels, both to learn about the Kzinti and to monitor their ships as best they could. To cross into Federation space with a warship would instantly reinstate the conditions of war. Starfleet learned from the four years of war with the Romulans that the reality of extended supply lines out this far made having a task force or fleet out here impossible. They needed a dedicated starbase in the area.

The Kzinti continued to attempt to transgress Federation territory. As a result of this, Starfleet assigned two Federation class dreadnoughts to the region to act as a deterrant. Temperance Starbase 25, the local starbase to the Kzinti Patriarchy, was reinforced with a TacFleet forward operating element of the Third Fleet. As the Belknap, Akula and Menahga class ships came online, they were trialled and based in the region.

The Kzinti have returned recently to face the Federation, being seen with the Klingon Empire as a trade alliance. There are suspicions what the Klingons are up to. What is it that the Klingons are gaining from supporting another race in the Beta Quadrant? The Kzinti have the habit of boarding ships and eating their crew, using the cunning and intellect to overwhelm the defensive systems.

After the recent conflicts with the Romulans and the Metar, the Kzinti are being re-assessed. Many in Starfleet Command and the Federation Council are re-evaluating the threat level that the Kzinti actually present. In the light of these super-threats having caused far more damage and casualties than all of the Kzinti conflicts put together, there is serious consideration to leaving the Kzinti to stand by themselves and the Treaty of Sirius assigned to history.

So where does it leave this race nicknamed the Lions of the Night? The Kzinti are ready to re-assert themselves; to renew their place in the quadrant and- no doubt- to resume their conflict with the Caitians. The Federation has to re-evaluate their attitude towards the Kzinti, to consider opening a dialogue with this one-time enemy to perhaps forge a new and greater understanding. With a new moment of pause, this is the ideal time to test the waters and to see what opportunities are now present.

Author Notes: The Kzinti from "The Slaver Weapon" episode of the Animated series provided the original inspiration.

According to the Animated series, Starfleet determined that the only way to stop the continuing Kzinti attacks was to de-militarise them and enforce a fifty light-year sphere of self-defensive operations. As a result, Starfleet has provided a constant peace-keeping operation to guarantee the integrity of the Kzinti borders; the Kzinti being only allowed to possess defensive police ships. The original terms of the Treaty of Sirius confined the Kzinti to an area of space 50 light years in diameter (as per Mandel's Star Trek Maps of 1980), later concessions ensured there was a demilitarised zone (DMZ) between the Kzinti and the Federation.

The Kzinti marker buoy is Mandel's original from the 1980 Star Charts maps ©, which sets down the terms of the 2169 Treaty of Sirius. As can be seen, the treaty (second one done after the one ending the Romulan war in 2160) was super harsh. The Kzinti/Ferasans were enclosed in a 50 light year bubble and disarmed of everything except police patrol ship. The Federation Starfleet had unfettered access to Kzinti space to ensure their compliance. Very Treaty of Versailles, but also Roddenberrian. Also, very classic Star Trek, as opposed to Next Generation, in that the interference here goes against the grain of the later Prime Directive-driven Picard era.

The Mandel Star Trek Maps of 1980 © featured the Kzinti Patriarchy - reproduced here - in sub-quadrant zero of the universe. The Patriarchy enclosure is shown to have a cluster of worlds: Chuft, Hruba, K'Chula, Rrit and Mriva. It was shown to be within the original confines of the Federation and close to the perimeter of original Tholian operations. With the revising of the Star Trek cartography on the Star Trek: Star Charts, the Patriarchy is in the Alpha Quadrant. From this information we can assume Ferasa will be contained within a 50 light year bubble with a small cluster of associated colonies.

The Treaty of Sirius has been dated to 2169 to allow for the history of Star Trek: Enterprise and the development of significant warp drive to reach the Patriarchy and fight them. 2069 is too soon after the development of warp drive. This new date allows for the Kzinti to fight the Earth forces and Coalition of Planets prior to 2161; the Treaty of Sirius is the first treaty drafted after the formation of the Federation. A final solution to the continued attacks by the Kzinti. The four wars were revised to two. For the chronology of the Patriarchy, the events of the unfilmed Star Trek: Enterprise Season 5 encounter "Kilkenny Cats" must be considered, along with Kirk's encounter in 2269. The "Lions of the Night" material by Jimmy Diggs with Sulu commanding the Enterprise-B, investigating the loss of the Oberth class U.S.S Timberland, is more something for Captain Demora Sulu post-2311.

Jimmy Diggs has revived his project again as Star Trek: Beyond the Stars, with the Kzinti race now known as the Rakshasa.

Kzinti chronology:

2142 - Vulcan High Command makes United Earth Starfleet aware of the existence of the Kzinti, warning them from going into their space.

2155 - First Contact with the Kzinti race by Jonathan Archer, commanding Enterprise.

2270 - The Enterprise encounters Kzinti with a classified artifact from an ancient race.

2290 - The Kzinti send diplomats to meet with Federation representatives on Starbase 25 'Temperance'.

2312 - the Klingon Empire announces a Trade Agreement with the Kzinti Patriarchy and demands the drawdown and removal of all Federation forces by 2314.

2313 - Starfleet begins withdrawing the Kzinti border patrol forces.

2314 - Starfleet forces conclude their withdrawal of starships and monitoring devices from the Kzinti border.



Starfleet Kzinti border patrol Force 2312:

Watauga - Ascension class light dreadnought flagship.

Méndez Núñez - Belknap class strike cruiser

Ashdown - Phobos class frigate

Cowpens - Akula class destroyer

Defender - Akula class destroyer

Chokai - Akula class destroyer

Mnemosyne - Monoceros class scout

Maeve - Phantom class superscout

Heimdall - Antares class AWACS scout

Bikini - Okinawa class frigate

Starbase 25 "Temperance".

Temperance Station was authorised to secure the coreward frontier of the UFP. With the supply lines stretched to reach the region, and the need to honour the two new protectorates of Delta IV and Sauria, the fledgeling United Federation of Planets used the need to have space stations near to the new Romulan Neutral Zone to re-supply their Neptune, Franklin, NX and Daedalus classes of starship. Temperance was the ideal K-class station for the job. The station was built within 24 months and the first trio of starships were assigned to the station to patrol the border. As the base increased in size and capability it was given the starbase designation of 25.

Starbase 25 has been at the heart of most of the hot wars in the 22nd and early 23rd Century. Starbase 25 was where the representatives of Kzinti and the Federation met to discuss relations. The starbase was chosen both for his proximity and for privacy; anti-Kzinti sentiment amongst the general Federation populace was still high. With the successful defence of Starbase 25, the station could resume the tactically important role of overseeing the Kzinti Border Patrols. Starfleet allocated a sizeable fleet of Okinawa, Phobos, Apollo, Belknap and Miranda class starships to achieve these objectives.

With the Kzinti deterred by Starfleet, the Federation News Service ran a series of reports on whether it was still necessary to have Starbase 25 as an interdiction base. Starfleet had downgraded the presence of the larger tactical assets and left one Ascension class DNL to lead the small forward deployed element from the Third Fleet.

The Kzinti continue to send representatives to the starbase. FNS was present at the last meeting, where they portrayed the base commander as being hawkish. The admiral was seen as living in the 2270s, still seeing the potential threat across the border and not wanting to compromise the safety of the colonists in his sectors of responsibility. As the Admiral observed in an interview "...the Kzinti may be quiet, but that can change in a short time. It is the intentions of a nation that need to change before the danger can be considered past. I believe the intentions are the same and so must assume the potential for danger is similar."

The Starbase continues to attract journalistic condemnation of the 'interference in Kzinti freedoms', and the arguments for and against the border patrols continued right up until the Klingon Empire announced a trade agreement with the Kzinti Patriarchy. Now the Kzinti Border Force is winding down, to be replaced by the Klingons. The future role of Starbase 25 'Temperance' is to be reconsidered in light of this new development.



Starbase 25 "Temperance" and U.S.S. Xir'Tan images courtesy of Andrew Brown. Used with permission.




Author's Notes:

The Kzinti in Star Trek's many incarnations are a conglomerate of contradictions. The animated series had them as timid cats demilitarised under the Treaty of Sirius. They have occasionally appeared in the novels attempting to have the terms of the treaty lifted. I wonder just how Starfleet could enforce such a treaty and how the Federation would get around such blatant interference?

Jimmy Diggs (Mr Kzinti Junior) re-launched the Kzinti with artwork done by Court Jones. The Kzinti are re-imagined as a cross between a lion and mountain gorilla: the now-classic description as the Rakshasa. They were seen in an animated sequence for en earlier project invading the Oberth class U.S.S Timberland, killing and dragging away the commanding officer. Now with ST: Beyond the Stars, as previously with Lions of the Night/Kilkenny Cats, this brings back the danger into Star Trek. By May 2012, Star Trek Online by Cryptic were the 'keepers of the flame' for the Prime Star Trek universe. For legal issues they had to rename the Kzinti as Ferasan. As they now had the Kzinti as members of the Klingon Empire, this fits in with my planned storylines. A good second reason to have the Kzinti. As of July 2012 I updated my webpages to match this decision by Cryptic as these legal issues have foiled fanfilms and animated stories to-date with the Kzinti issue. CBS Paramount with Star Trek: Picard episode 'Nepenthe' had Will Riker mention the 'Kzinti' by name. This now allows the Kzinti into the canon Star Trek universe.

The flip side of the debate concerns the position of the Federation and the Kzinti. You've just had a decade-and-a-bit of Metar and Romulans causing mayhem of a whole level higher than the Kzinti ever managed. Surely in light of this the position of the Federation towards the Kzinti should be re-evaluated?

In the Interim Years I want to see diplomacy winning out over conflict, thus the appeal of having at least an attempted dialogue with the Kzinti is one I would like to try. On the other hand I like the machinations of having the Klingons re-arming the Kzinti on the sly to keep the quadrant off-balance. Whilst the Federation doesn't interfere in the affairs of others, the Klingons have no such compunction. In Star Trek Online there is a mission to examine the Caitian diaspora. In short the Caitian homeworld is a world they settled on as exiles from their true homeworld. After a Caitian scientist in 2409 suggests a linked lineage with the Kzinti, an examination shows Kzinti Nepeta Leaves activate latent genes in the Caitian genome. Recovered classified Kzinti data later confirms the Kzinti came about as the result of augmented DNA experiments on Ferasa. The Caitians are the original stock that fled from the experiments 800 years beforehand.

Through it's Foundry player-generated missions, STO allows the player to create their own missions to share. This page is designed to inspire people to create new missions for the Kzinti and Caitians, to give back to the companies who actively share with the fans. Kzinti, licensed under CBS Paramount along with all things Star Trek Online, are used on my site to avoid all of the legal ramifications of Kzinti and Known Universe.







The Kzinti from the Star Trek: The Animated Series episode "The Slaver Weapon".
However, instead of directly implementing the race under this name, Cryptic had to choose "Ferasan" due to legal issues.

The images taken from Mandel's Star Trek Maps (1980) are Copyright to Mandel.
No infringement of copyright is intended and it is used for illustrative purposes only.