Taran'atar was a Jem'Hadar who lived in the latter half of the 24th century. By the 2370s, he had a long and distinguished service record and was considered an Honored Elder. In 2376, Taran'atar was chosen by Odo, thanks to his lack of dependency on ketracel-white, to be sent to the Alpha Quadrant as an observer aboard Deep Space 9, to learn more about the cultures on the other side of the Bajoran wormhole.