Born Gal'na of the Ba'ku, Gallatin was friends with Ro'tin, the Ba'ku who would later be known as Ru'afo. In the 23rd century, Gallatin assisted Ru'afo in attempting to take over the Ba'ku colony on a planet in the area of space known as "the Briar Patch." Ru'afo was eventually foiled, and he and his compatriots were exiled from the planet, becoming the Son'a. Over the course of the next century, the Son'a built up their military forces, and even conquered two primitive races, the Tarlac and the Ellora, integrating them into their society as a labor class.