Caitians are one of the most beloved species in the Star Trek Franchise. Yet this feline species spent years on the sidelines. Fortunately, they have enjoyed a revival in more recent years thanks to 2020’s Star Trek: Lower Decks and 2021’s Star Trek: Prodigy.
For this week’s Trek Tuesday, we’re examining the history of the Caitians. Which Caitian character is your favorite? Be sure and let us know.
Star Trek: The Animated Series
The Caitians were first introduced in 1973’s Star Trek: The Animated Series. This series featured M’Ress (Majel Barrett Roddenberry), the first Caitian to appear in the Franchise. M’Ress primarily served as the communications officer for the U.S.S. Enterprise, when that post was not being filled by Nyota Uhura (Nichelle Nichols).
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M’Ress appeared in many episodes of The Animated Series. She is always depicted as being competent in her work, as one would expect from an Enterprise bridge crew member. However, very little was revealed about her or the Caitians in general over the course of The Animated Series.
Between Two Cats
In the intervening years, Caitians had the occasional appearance or shout-out. In 1986’s Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, a Caitian was seen on the Federation Council. This is the only instance of a live-action Caitian appearing on screen in the Franchise’s prime timeline (so far).
However, two live-action Caitians appeared in 2013’s Kelvin Timeline movie Star Trek Into Darkness. These unnamed individuals briefly appeared when they were shown to be having an intimate tryst with James T. Kirk (Chris Pine). These Caitians were played by real-life twins Katie and Kellie Cockrell. According to a short story by Rich Handley in Star Trek Explorer magazine, the reason they look different from the other Caitians we have seen onscreen is because they had shaved their bodies in accordance with a contemporary trend.
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Caitians were alluded to in the 2019 Star Trek: Discovery Season 2 premiere, “Brother.” In that episode, a character named Evan Connolly (Sean Connolly Affleck) was introduced. He died soon afterwards. However, before being squished by a piece of debris, he mentioned that his roommate at Starfleet Academy was part Caitian.
Finally, a label for “Cait,” the Caitian homeworld, has appeared on several star charts. This includes the 2022 Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 1 episode “Children of the Comet,” and the 2025 Paramount+ special event movie Star Trek: Section 31.
Lower Decks and Prodigy
On Lower Decks, the chief medical officer of the U.S.S. Cerritos is a Caitian: Doctor T’Ana (Gillian Vigman). T’Ana is a major character who appears in more than eighty percent of Lower Decks episodes. While M’Ress could be said to “purr” her lines, T’Ana yowls them. She has a brusque bedside manner and an incredibly foul mouth. However, she has been shown to be loving and loyal to those who navigate past her gruff exterior. Another Caitian appeared on Prodigy. This young Caitian (Caitian kitten?) was a prisoner at Tars Lamora. They appeared in five episodes of Prodigy Season 1.
Most of what we know about Caitians comes from T’Ana. In the Lower Decks Season 2 episode “We’ll Always Have Tom Paris” (2021), T’Ana sends D’Vana Tendi (Noël Wells) on a fetch quest to retrieve a “family heirloom.” During this subplot, we learn that, according to Tendi, Caitian hormones necessitate that they engage in “intimacy” once a year, lest they become like a “Vulcan on Pon Farr.” In that episode, we also learn that, like Earth housecats, Caitians adore playing in boxes.
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And in the Lower Decks Season 4 episode “Empathological Fallacies” (2023), we discover that in ancient times, Caitians hunted Betazoids for food. While a taste for their flesh remains, Caitians have since switched to consuming “synthetic Betazoid.” Furthermore, this episode reveals that Caitian doctors swear an oath not to consume their patients.
Which Caitian character is your favorite? Do you hope we’ll see more live-action Caitians on Strange New Worlds or the upcoming Star Trek: Starfleet Academy?
The Star Trek episodes discussed above are currently available for streaming on Paramount+, except Prodigy, which is currently streaming on Netflix.
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