Iloja of Prim

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Iloja of Prim was a Cardassian male who was a writer of poetry. He lived during the Second Republic, although he was exiled from Cardassia and lived on Vulcan. He lived sometime around the 22nd century.

Among his works was Thoughts on a Hostile Cosmos. (The Dominion: Olympus Descending)

Tobin Dax met Iloja during his exile, noting he had quite a temper. This encounter would inspire later hosts of Dax to take an interest in Iloja's work, with Jadzia Dax considering him to be her favorite Cardassian writer. (DS9 episode: "Destiny")

Enabran Tain had a original copy of one of Iloja's works in his home in Cardassia City. However, Mila believed he had never read it. (DS9 short story: Face Value)

Iloja was quoted to say "Worlds turn by politics as they surely do by gravity." This was based on the fact that Iloja believed that the evolution of the sentient mind was a way for the universe to understand itself. Therefore, no understanding of the universe could be complete without understanding sentient behavior. This quote originated from the fact that Iloja was speaking of Cardassian expatriate as he had come from a world where politics was a fundamental force as any found in nature. He also considered the possibility that his observation may not have been exclusive to his particular circumstances but might have been applicable universally.

He was noted as a serialist poet but before his exile, he was known to be an astronomer and a natural philosopher. As such, he believed that one's vantage point often affected their observation and understanding of the universe. A different point of view can lead to a different point of understanding or a deeper one.

Iloja's work was known by Cadet Zurin Dakal who explained the quote to some members of the USS Titan's crew. (TTN novel: Taking Wing)

[edit] Connections

• Iloja of Prim article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.