Ketracel White - Biology and Control

Biology and Control

It is unknown if a base species was genetically altered into the Jem'Hadar (as is the case with their Vorta overseers) or whether they were completely designed by the Founders.

Jem'Hadar are born in "birthing pods." As there is no individual reproduction, the Jem'Hadar are all male. After emerging from the birthing pod, the Jem'Hadar grows rapidly and is a battle-ready young adult in three days. They are bred without the need to eat, sleep, rest, relax or to pursue recreation, though during their growth periods they must consume massive quantities of food. The Jem'Hadar are also bred for proficiency in hand-to-hand combat, having an extremely tough and strong physique, with leathery, lizard-like skin. Jem'Hadar have a personal cloaking capability they call "shrouding". According to Deep Space Nine episode "The Abandoned", this ability is a part of their integrated biology - in the DS9 episodes "Hippocratic Oath" and "Rocks and Shoals", Jem'Hadar who are suffering from Ketracel White withdrawal lose their ability to shroud.

The only nourishment they require comes in the form of the hormonal enzyme Ketracel White (or simply " white"). Without this drug, Jem'Hadar go into severe withdrawal, resulting in loss of cognitive and motor functions. They will lose their shrouding ability and regress into a highly aggressive stage, not discriminating in whom or what they attack, including their Vorta superiors and peers. Lack of white will eventually kill a Jem'Hadar. The Founders use the Vorta to supply the Jem'Hadar with the white. It is administered through cylinders that fit into a system near a Jem'Hadar's collar, which is then fed directly into the Jem'Hadar via a tube running into the carotid artery. Distributing the white is a formal ceremony: the Vorta says "First, can you vouch for the loyalty of your men?". The First replies "We pledge our loyalty to the Founders, from now until death". Unlocking the repository, the Vorta says "Then accept this gift from the Founders. May it keep you strong", handing out the vials of white. However, according to DS9 episode "One Little Ship", in the case of "Alphas" (Jem'Hadar bred in the Alpha Quadrant and designed specifically for combat there), the Founders decided to dismiss this ritual.

Only one case of a non-addicted Jem'Hadar soldier is known: an anomaly that may have resulted from genetic mutation. The Son'a cultivated the drug as a narcotic.

Early in the Federation-Dominion war, unable to get backup from the Gamma Quadrant, the Founders in the Alpha Quadrant engineered the "Alpha" Jem'Hadar. The Alphas have a variation in the facial and head structures and more flippant attitude toward doctrine and procedure; the latter created animosity between the two breeds. It was intended to show fuming hatred between the "Alphas" and "Gammas", culminating in all-out violence; however, this was only explored in one episode.