- For other uses, see Cult.
The Cult of the Pah-wraiths were a fringe group that existed within Bajoran culture and consisted of those of their number that worshipped the Pah-wraiths instead of the Prophets. The cult was formed after the Cardassian occupation of Bajor by those Bajorans who believed that the Prophets had forsaken them and allowed their world to be ravaged by the invaders. Such people turned their devotion instead to the trapped Pah-wraiths and believed the entities would bring about the Restoration of Bajor and, thus, a new age for their people.
The members of the cult identified themselves with their use of red earrings and arm bands. For the most part the cult wasn't taken very seriously for some years, however after the closing of the Bajoran wormhole in December 2374 the cult gained a lot of support from Bajorans who felt forsaken by the Prophets. While they seemed to disperse again after Benjamin Sisko managed to restore the wormhole at least one group took over Empok Nor where they came under the control of Skrain Dukat. (DS9 episodes: "Image in the Sand", "Covenant")
Late in 2375 Kai Winn Adami converted the belief in the Pah-Wraiths though she kept this secret and was never an official member of the cult. (DS9 episodes: "'Til Death Do Us Part", "Strange Bedfellows", "The Changing Face of Evil", "When It Rains...", "What You Leave Behind")