| rdfs:comment | - The game consisted of an iridescent sphere, which the player attempted to turn into a solid color. To do so required complete clarity of the mind, and the player needed focus entirely on the task at hand, and no physical contact was involved. If, as was the case with Julian Bashir, one's mind was not focused, the sphere itself would disappear. Dax told him that she had been trying to master the game for 140 years or so. (DS9: "A Man Alone")
- In his Guide to the Continuum, Q described the Altonian brain teaser as being the most difficult game in the galaxy. (ST reference: Q's Guide to the Continuum) Curzon Dax first attempted the Altonian brain teaser around 2229. (ST reference: Star Trek Chronology) In 2369, Jadzia Dax was using an Altonian brain teaser in one of Quark's holosuites and showed Julian Bashir how to play, although his "busy" mind meant the sphere disintegrated. (DS9 episode: "A Man Alone") The USS Enterprise-E's holodecks had a holographic program of an Altonian brain teaser. (TNG novel: Q-Strike)
- The Altonian brain teaser was a puzzle that required the "player" to meditate, clearing one's mind from distractions and emitting theta waves. The player's success or failure is demonstrated by an iridescent sphere, and when his or her mind is completely clear, the sphere will become one solid color. The more distracted a player is, the more multicolored the sphere becomes, even vanishing entirely. (DS9: "A Man Alone") Jadzia Dax is another individual who has spent an extensive time attempting to solve the brain teaser, and at one point she convinced Julian Bashir to try.
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| abstract | - The Altonian brain teaser was a puzzle that required the "player" to meditate, clearing one's mind from distractions and emitting theta waves. The player's success or failure is demonstrated by an iridescent sphere, and when his or her mind is completely clear, the sphere will become one solid color. The more distracted a player is, the more multicolored the sphere becomes, even vanishing entirely. (DS9: "A Man Alone") The difficulty level varies according to species and other circumstances. Other than the Altonians themselves, Vulcans are the next most adept species (numerically speaking) to succeed at the brain teaser, followed by Cardassians. Glinn Bresul Yejain, for instance, was known to have solved the brain teaser in less than four years' time. On the other hand, Gul Tayben Berat has stated it is possible that he will never solve the puzzle due to his neurological condition. That said, his attempts at the puzzle do seem at times to temporarily reduce the incurable tremors that result from his injuries. Gul Berat even employed the Altonian brain teaser as part of a distraction for the Vorta "representative" aboard the Sherouk. (Star Trek: Sigils and Unions: "Let He Who Has Eyes See") Jadzia Dax is another individual who has spent an extensive time attempting to solve the brain teaser, and at one point she convinced Julian Bashir to try. It is possible, though it cannot be proven, that the interplay between Trill host and symbiont, and the resulting neurological "noise" (similarly to the faulty signals that cause Berat's tremors) is the reason the difficulty level was so great for Dax, who had been attempting the puzzle with various hosts for 140 years. Different individuals and species seem to approach the puzzle in different ways--at least, when it comes to the meditative pose. Jadzia Dax, for instance, meditated in a sitting, cross-legged position with eyes closed. Gul Berat, on the other hand, preferred a Cardassian form, knelt with arms outswept.
- The game consisted of an iridescent sphere, which the player attempted to turn into a solid color. To do so required complete clarity of the mind, and the player needed focus entirely on the task at hand, and no physical contact was involved. If, as was the case with Julian Bashir, one's mind was not focused, the sphere itself would disappear. Dax told him that she had been trying to master the game for 140 years or so. (DS9: "A Man Alone")
- In his Guide to the Continuum, Q described the Altonian brain teaser as being the most difficult game in the galaxy. (ST reference: Q's Guide to the Continuum) Curzon Dax first attempted the Altonian brain teaser around 2229. (ST reference: Star Trek Chronology) In 2369, Jadzia Dax was using an Altonian brain teaser in one of Quark's holosuites and showed Julian Bashir how to play, although his "busy" mind meant the sphere disintegrated. (DS9 episode: "A Man Alone") By late 2371, Jadzia had managed to add a new texture to the sphere, although she was still quite far from beating it. (DS9 video game: Harbinger) The USS Enterprise-E's holodecks had a holographic program of an Altonian brain teaser. (TNG novel: Q-Strike)
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