A high clerical rank in the Bajoran faith, held by the members of the Vedek Assembly, from whose number the kai is chosen.
Vedek is a senior title in the Bajoran religion, comparable to a bishop or cardinal. The vedeks sit together in the Vedek Assembly, which guides the spiritual life of Bajor and has great influence over its politics. The rank stands above prylar and ranjen and below the kai.
The title is introduced in the Deep Space Nine episode In the Hands of the Prophets, which brings both Vedek Winn and Vedek Bareil to the station as rivals to succeed Kai Opaka. Winn wins that contest in The Collaborator.
Other vedeks include Yarka, who warns of an ancient prophecy in Destiny, and Yassim, who hangs herself on the Promenade in protest at the Dominion occupation in Rocks and Shoals. Vedek Porta, in Accession, kills a fellow cleric whose family belongs to a caste he regards as unclean.