Solarii

For the inhabitants of Solais V seen in TNG: "Loud as a Whisper," see Solari

The Solarii were a violent, oppressive religious organization that existed on the planet Yamatai in the Dragon's Head Nebula during the late 24th and early 25th centuries. (Star Trek Online: Valkyries)

Beliefs and Practices
The Solarii worshiped the Sun Queen Himiko of ancient Japanese lore, believing her to be a goddess. Many Solarii prayed to Himiko and/or maintained shrines in her honor. Such shrines typically consisted of a statue or crude limewash painting of Himiko surrounded by candles and/or food offerings. The exact extent of the powers they ascribed to Himiko varied among members, but all agreed that Himiko controlled the ion storms and atmospheric storms that brought down ships on Yamatai.

The Solarii believed that Himiko had become somehow imprisoned on the planet and that if they could set her free, they would all be rewarded, specifically by being allowed to leave the planet at long last. To set her free, they believed that they needed to subject all human women they captured to the Ritual of Fire. This ritual involved attempting to burn the woman at the stake. If the flames were extinguished by an unusually strong gust of wind, then the woman was deemed to be the Chosen One of Himiko and would be taken to the Chamber of the Sun to undergo the Ascension Ritual to free Himiko. If the flames were not blown out--as was almost always the case--, they were allowed to consume and kill the victim. ("Survivors of Yamatai")

Composition and Organization
The Solarii cult was composed entirely of survivors of the various ships that had crashed on Yamatai. It contained members of all major and many minor Alpha and Beta Quadrant races, but only male members of those races. Women who were captured by the Solarii were either executed or subjected to human sacrifice in the Ritual of Fire.

Men who were to join the Solarii were first imprisoned for days or weeks in a sealed section of cavern known as the Pit. There they were known as the Unholy Ones and were regarded as little more than animals by the Solarii. They were starved into submission or else driven mad by the isolation and resorted to cannibalism. Those that survived the Pit and swore loyalty to the Solarii and the Sun Queen were welcomed as Brothers: full members of the cult. While the rank of Brother was the highest openly spoken of among the Solarii's membership, there were practically a number of lieutenants entrusted with the leadership of teams of Brothers, often assigned to a particular task, such as operating a communication or sensor station or hunting for survivors from recent crashes. These lieutenants, in turn, took their orders directly from Father Matan, the founder of the Solarii as well as its practical and religious head.

Discipline among the Solarii was harsh and often brutally violent. It was not at all uncommon for a lieutenant to execute out of hand a Brother who displeased him. Father Matan was known to execute rank-and-file members and even lieutenants for disobedience or failure to live up to his expectations. The victims of these executions were sometimes hung up as a warning to others. ("Survivors of Yamatai")