For a Fistful of Latnium - Bounty Hunters in Star Trek Adventures

Need a fresh antagonist for Star Trek Adventures? One that operates independently? One that can show up anywhere and anytime to annoy the crew? One that doesn't bring in the complications of being part of something bigger like the Cardassian Union or Romulan Star Empire? A bounty hunter might just be a good fit.

A fistful of space bucks. I didn't have any latnium around. Times are tough.

Bounty hunters? Isn't that from a certain other sci-fi franchise? Sure. This complicated profession is more closely associated with Star Wars, but Star Trek has plenty of Space Western in its genes.

Spike Spiegel from Cowboy Bebop. Star Wars doesn't have a monopoly on borrowing from Westerns.

Making the Case for Bounty Hunters in Star Trek Canon

Many bounty hunters - and folks posing as bounty hunters - have appeared in the long history of the Star Trek franchise. In real life, most bounties are posted for individuals who skipped bail or other mundane offenses. Star Trek uses the more cinematic interpretation of the job. Memory Alpha, as usual, is a good source on the topic.

In the mid-22nd century, the Klingons posted bounties for troublesome individuals - Captain Archer, for example - they couldn't be bothered to hunt down themselves. The bounties were large enough and widely known enough to encourage competition. Some Klingon representatives had the nasty habit of shorting hunters when they met to turn over their prisoners. Failing to honor the promised rewards sometimes didn't work out for anybody other than the bounty target. ("Bounty" ENT 2x25)

The United Federation of Planets posted bounties on the likes of Harcourt Fenton Mudd in the 23rd century. Starfleet routinely stored latnium on their starships for paying bounty hunters during this period. Note that the hunters had to bring in the correct individual to get paid. ("The Escape Artist" Short Treks 1x04)

A Cardassian officer feathering his nest with a little bounty hunting on the side was a plausible cover story in 2370. Joret Dal, who provided Starfleet with intelligence on Cardassian military movements, used it while returning to Cardassian space after a meeting on Enterprise-D. ("Lower Decks" TNG 7x15)

USS Voyager ran afoul of bounty hunters on two occasions in the Delta Quadrant - the Ramuran tracers and the Hazari. The starship's isolation in the Delta Quadrant had much to do with it. Few in the Alpha or Beta Quadrants would be bold enough to offer or accept a bounty on a Starfleet vessel. ("Unforgettable" VOY 4x22 and "Think Tank" VOY 5x20)

Lieutenant Commander Andy Billups of USS Cerritos disguised himself as a bounty hunter in 2381 in order to obtain the location of Nick Locarno's hangar ("The Inner Fight" LD 4x09). Later, Vadic claimed to be pursuing a bounty on Jack Crusher in 2401. That incident also revealed that Starfleet's policy was not to negotiate with bounty hunters  ("Disengage" PIC 3x02). This may reflect a change from the 23rd century, an unwillingness to haggle, or simply that the Federation didn't recognize bounties posted by others.

From The Book of Boba Fett. Sometimes disparities in combat power work in a bounty hunter's favor.

Bounty Hunters as Antagonists

The quick and dirty way of introducing a bounty hunter as an antagonist is to have a bounty placed on a player character. A bounty hunter would have to be bold to pursue a bounty on a serving Starfleet officer in the 23rd, 24th, or 25th centuries or a Klingon officer in pretty much any time period. Taking on most Federation starships and Klingon warships is completely out of the question. The disparity in combat power is just too great unless the bounty is on a support or specialist vessel such as a medical or survey ship.

Showing up when a player character is on duty, surrounded by colleagues, and aboard something as well defended as many starships will not advance a bounty hunter's career in a positive way. However, the stupidity of an idea won't stop folks from trying it. Having somebody appear in this manner may serve to alert the players that a bounty exists and that a more serious threat is on the way. Even a polity as easy going as the United Federation of Planets has a dim view of people assaulting their personnel and damaging government property, so getting authorization to deal with the situation shouldn't an issue.

The more intelligent approach is to isolate the bounty and take them by surprise. Baiting a trap, ambushing them during an Away mission, or waiting until they are vacationing on Risa are all workable plans. Then the real problems begin for the bounty hunter. Starfleet officers are notoriously resourceful and persuasive while Klingons are a handful in their own way. There's also the fact that a successful capture would draw more heat than most bounty hunters are willing to deal with. On the other hand, if the money is really good, somebody might be tempted to take such a job.

A bounty hunter could also be a complication during a more standard mission. A bounty on a NPC critical for a mission's success might be an interesting twist. Maybe the only expert available to help solve a crisis owes somebody a big pile of latnium? The scientist running the project the player characters are ordered to assist with might've taken funds for research that they never actually performed. The diplomat that the crew is negotiating with might have massive gambling debts that have been outstanding for a little too long. Chasing after a bounty hunter who has taken a VIP captive might spice up an otherwise dull mission.

From The Mandalorian. I miss Carl Weathers.

Working with Bounty Hunters

A bounty hunter could be pursuing the same individual that the player characters are tracking down. The situation might devolve into a race or a deal could be struck. The bounty hunter has certain advantages to offset a starship crew's resources - criminal contacts, a more ruthless approach, access to illicit means, and easier movement through the criminal underworld. Any or all of this could make the a race to the target interesting in an unwelcome way. It also makes a bounty hunter a useful ally. The bounty hunter is likely to insist on collecting the bounty in exchange for their cooperation. This could be problematic for Starfleet officers if a death sentience is involved.

The Federation and Klingon Empire aren't above posting bounties on particularly troublesome individuals. As a practical matter, it is less expensive than sending one of their own ships. It also tends to get results as long as the bounty isn't too tough or cunning for the hunter.

A bounty hunter may end up turning to the government that posted the bounty for assistance. They might be able to find their quarry, but be unable to bring them in. They turn to the government posting the bounty with a proposal. The bounty hunter is willing to provide the location and do their part in bringing in the target, but only after being provided with extra muscle. How do the player characters react when ordered to cooperate with this bounty hunter? Things might be more interesting if the crew has some bad blood with this particular bounty hunter.

An unglamourous, but necessary, role in the world of bounty hunting is that of paymaster. Not every bounty hunter has the time or means to drag their captives all the way from the frontier to a Federation or Klingon world. This puts the player characters on a starship or station in the position of verifying the bounty, securing the prisoner, and handing the bounty hunter their cash payment. Of course, mistakes happen. Maybe the captive the bounty hunter is turning over isn't the right individual? Or maybe the whole thing is a swindle? Is the bounty hunter deliberately handing over an innocent person to get the payment?

From The Book of Boba Fett. There's no dress code for bounty hunters, but a cool hat gets points for style.

Bounty Hunting as a Cover

Bounty hunters are common enough that any seedy looking, well-armed (but not too well-armed) type operating along a frontier can claim to be one. There doesn't seem to be a central authority to regulate the profession. This makes verification problematic. It also makes it a great cover story.

Starfleet and the Klingon Empire are well aware of the value of cover stories in covert operations. Although "mercenary" or "rogue officer" seems to be preferred, there's no reason to exclude posing as a bounty hunter. A player who wants to lean all the way into this doesn't need something to cover their character's face, but it helps. That said, it is unlikely that a Federation official would go so far as to actually capture a bounty and turn them in for a reward. Unless, that was the best way to get the "bounty" (another disguised Federation or Klingon operative) into position.

An NPC might find posing as a hunter claiming a bounty to be an easy way to get aboard a Federation or Klingon ship. The bounty hunter and their captive beam aboard, go through the motions mentioned in the previous section, and spring the fell ambush! The pair produces hidden weapons, take control of the transporter room, access the ship's systems, and the adventure gets off to a bracing start.

An antagonist may state that they are a bounty hunter to avoid revealing their true motivations. Note that bounty hunters in Star Trek are generally limited in their means. They typically operate alone out of ships that can be operated by a single person. Showing up in a battlewagon is a tip off. A lone operative in a small ship could find bounty hunting a useful disguise, even turning in bounties to gain trust with the local authorities. Is that solitary figure really just a humble bounty hunter, making their way through the galaxy, or something more?

From The Book of Boba Fett. Din Djarin rolls into somebody else's show. If this is a Star Trek Adventures post, why are most of the pictures from Star Wars? I dunno.

A Note About the Title

Yeah, I know that A Fistful of Dollars (1964) doesn't actually involve bounty hunting. The plot - essentially Yojimbo (1961) remade as a Western - revolves around a stranger walking into town and playing off two powerful factions against each other. Bounties and the hunting of them aren't a factor. But playing off the title resulted in something that sounded too cool to pass up. Besides, it's not like Star Trek hasn't already beat me to the idea of titles inspired by Westerns.