If you’re a Star Trek fan who enjoys stories that live in the moral gray areas, the Maquis are some of the most compelling characters the franchise has ever introduced. They weren’t your typical villains. They were rebels with a purpose—people who challenged the Federation’s ideals not out of malice, but out of desperation. And their legacy still echoes through the Star Trek universe today.
Where It All Started: The Cardassian-Federation Treaty
The Maquis didn’t suddenly pop up overnight. They had beginnings, which went back to a contentious peace accord between the Federation and the Cardassians. The agreement created a Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), redefining borders and transferring a number of Federation colonies to Cardassian rule. The twist? Nobody consulted the colonists who inhabited them. For them, it was a betrayal.
As debated on fan sites such as TrekBBS, the Federation believed that their good intentions would ultimately affect Cardassian actions. But that naivete didn’t survive in the hard realities of frontier life. Abandoned and left undefended, some colonists took affairs into their own hands, and the Maquis were created.
Who Were the Maquis? Rebels, Not Villains
The Maquis weren’t blind insurgents. They were farmers, engineers, and even ex-Starfleet officers who weren’t going to leave their homes behind. Their fight was more than anything about territory—it was about survival and freedom.
Their lineup included familiar family names like Ro Laren, Thomas Riker, Calvin Hudson, Michael Eddington, Chakotay, Tom Paris, and B’Elanna Torres. They all had different motivations to join, but they all shared one in common: outrage at the hands-off approach of the Federation to the crisis. As Screen Rant describes it, the Maquis were warrior rebels—normal people who were compelled to extreme action.
Starfleet’s Dilemma: Duty vs. Compassion
To Starfleet, the Maquis were acting outside the law. But to a lot of officers, the problem wasn’t as simple as that. Captain Picard put it best in The Next Generation’s “Preemptive Strike,” informing Ro Laren:
“Our Demilitarized Zone civilian population is in a very tough position. But even sympathy has to be cut off somewhere. A peace treaty is not a piece of paper. If the Maquis drives us into a war with Cardassia, it could cost us hundreds of thousands of lives.”
But for the Maquis, the treaty was nothing but a piece of paper—one that had no effect in keeping them safe. As Cal Hudson informed Captain Sisko in Deep Space Nine, “The Federation thinks it can fix every problem with a treaty. But out here, on the edge. A treaty is just a piece of paper.”
The Maquis Throughout Star Trek: TNG, DS9, Voyager, and Beyond
The Maquis arc extended through several series, providing different takes depending on the program. They were first introduced in Deep Space Nine, developed through The Next Generation, and were a mainstay of Voyager’s concept.
On Voyager, Captain Janeway was charged with pursuing a Maquis vessel—but when both crews were marooned in the Delta Quadrant, she had no option but to bring them aboard. Rather than viewing them as traitors, she made them equal members, allowing them to contribute and expand. According to Screen Rant, this was a template for how Starfleet was to make amends with the former Maquis. Commander Chakotay’s efforts bridged the gap, and the Maquis crewmen eventually became some of Voyager’s most respected officers.
The Fall of the Maquis: Overwhelmed by the Dominion
The Maquis were clever, but they couldn’t weather the greater galactic wars. When the Cardassians allied with the Dominion, they had overwhelming military might and used that to destroy every known Maquis colony in the DMZ. As Screen Rant puts it, the organization was ravaged. Most were destroyed, dispersed, or taken into custody. Only the crew of the Voyager, stranded away from the Alpha Quadrant, were spared that.
Reinvention and Redemption: A New Place in Starfleet
Although the Maquis resistance was defeated, their tale didn’t end in tragedy. On Voyager, former Maquis members such as Chakotay, B’Elanna, and Tom Paris proved themselves worthy and ultimately were reintegrated into Starfleet. Their redemption sequence was testament to the fact that the Federation could change—and that those who had once fought against it still had a place in it.
That legacy continues in Lower Decks, where it’s revealed that the USS Reseda is staffed entirely by reformed Maquis officers. As Screen Rant puts it, ships like the Reseda show how far the Federation has come in learning to embrace those who once challenged it.
Why the Maquis Still Matters
The Maquis weren’t heroes and villains—instead, they made Star Trek confront uncomfortable realities. What if doing the right thing on paper hurts people in reality? Can rebellion and loyalty exist together? Can you bend the rules for a good cause?
By challenging the ideals of the Federation, the Maquis made the Star Trek universe more real—and more relevant. They reminded us that sometimes, the hardest questions don’t have simple solutions. And even all these years later, their storylines are some of the franchise’s most emotionally and morally nuanced.
They may be lost to us, but the legacy they left behind continues to influence the way we understand the Federation—and ourselves.