Star Trek's Kreetassans, Explained

Key Takeaways

Kreetassans are a rare alien species in Star Trek.
Kreetassans have distinctive anatomy and a formal culture.
Violations of the Kreetassans’ strict code of etiquette led to multiple diplomatic incidents.

Star Trek has brought to life a wide variety of alien beings. Some species, like Vulcans, Klingons, and Borg, appear in the franchise so often that even someone who’s never seen Star Trek would probably be able to identify them as Star Trek aliens. Other species appear so infrequently that even Trekkies wouldn’t recognize their names. After all, there are over 300 alien species in the Star Trek universe.

The Kreetassans are one of those species that even seasoned fans probably can’t remember. They’ve only appeared in four episodes in the entire franchise, and three of those episodes were in Enterprise. The species’ fourth appearance was in the fifth season of Star Trek: Lower Decks. Superfans who do recall the Kreetassans probably remember them because they have some distinctive and peculiar cultural beliefs, which caused quite a diplomatic incident during their first contact with humans.

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Kreetassan Anatomy & Culture

Enterprise Kreetassans — Screen grab from the *Enterprise* episode “Vox Sola”

Kreetassans are bipedal, humanoid aliens with very distinctive facial anatomy. Their most noticeable feature is the swaths of purple skin on their foreheads and chins. They also have several raised ridges on their faces, with particularly prominent ridges on their foreheads, cheeks, and around their eyes. Kreetassans wear their hair long, often in braids, down their backs.

Kreetassan culture is extremely formal, which is evident in the way they dress. All Kreetassans wear long, elaborate robes adorned with beads. They have complex rules that outline appropriate etiquette for nearly every foreseeable situation, and they get offended when these rules are broken, even by outsiders. When these rules are broken, the Kreetassans have a complex set of rituals that the offender must perform as an apology. Unfortunately, many actions that are commonplace for humans violate Kreetassan rules of etiquette, as the crew of the Enterprise NX-01 found out during First Contact with the species.

Kreetassan First Contact Enterprise — Screen grab from the *Enterprise* episode “Vox Sola”

As Commander Trip Tucker put it, First Contact with the Kreetassans was:

…One for the books. Briefest first contact.

The Kreetassans left the ship in a rage shortly after their arrival. Though the bridge crew tried to figure out why they were so angry, the universal translators weren’t working, and their communications officer, Ensign Hoshi Sato, couldn’t figure out the mechanics of their language.

Several hours later, the Enterprise received a hail from the Kreetassan home planet. The captain they’d met with earlier greeted Ensign Mayweather in English, explaining that their language was fairly easy to learn. After discussing the First Contact meeting with Mayweather, the Kreetassan captain revealed that they left in such a huff because the delegation from the Enterprise was eating during the meeting, which is considered sordid in Kreetassan culture.

Confused, Mayweather asked for clarification. The Kreetassan captain explained that in their culture, consuming food or drink in front of someone is such an intimate act it’s akin to sex. Mayweather, who was embarrassed once he heard this, explained that eating together is a commonplace and innocuous activity in human cultures. He apologized sincerely on behalf of the crew, and the Kreetassan captain accepted the apology.

Archer Kreetassan Ritual — Screen grab from the *Enterprise* episode “A Night in Sickbay”

About a year later, a delegation from the Enterprise returned to Kreetassa to repair relations between their species. Though their initial meetings with the Kreetassans went well, the Kreetassan delegation flew into a rage seemingly out of nowhere, as they had on the Enterprise. They demanded that the human delegation return to their ship.

After speaking with the Kreetassans, T’Pol informed Captain Jonathan Archer that his dog Porthos, whom the Kreetassans invited down to the surface, relieved himself on a tree that was sacred to the Kreetassans. Since the crew of the Enterprise sorely needed equipment that they were counting on the Kreetassans to give them, Archer swore to do whatever was required to make amends for Porthos’ grave mistake. He performed a complex apology ritual for the Kreetassans, who were satisfied with his efforts.

The Kreetassan Incident in Lower Decks

The Kreetassans did not appear again until the fifth season of Star Trek: Lower Decks, in the episode “The Best Exotic Nanite Hotel.” In that episode, Bradward Boimler, Jack Ransom, and Andy Billups went on an undercover mission to retrieve an AWOL admiral with a bad “case of vacation fever.” To find him, they traveled to a resort on a vacation planet. The resort was a popular vacation destination for many different alien species, and the Starfleet officers encountered Gallamites and Kreetassans.

In an attempt to gather intelligence on the admiral, Ransom sent Boimler to talk to the Kreetassans. Unfortunately, Boimler was so distracted he forgot everything he knew about Kreetassan culture. As he spoke to them, he sipped his drink and didn’t stop, even as the Kreetassans started yelling. One of the aliens got aggressive with Boimler, and Ransom intervened before the Kretassans attacked him. As the Kreetassans walked away, they talked among themselves about how disgusting and inappropriate Boimler’s actions were.

When they left, Ransom lectured Boimler about forgetting the most important part of Kreetassan culture: that they consider eating an act as intimate as sex. However, they didn’t arrange to perform an appropriate Kreetassan apology ritual. So, it’s unclear where diplomatic relations with the Kreetassans stand after that incident. It remains to be seen whether it will be addressed in future episodes, or whether the species will appear again with their strict culture of formality.