Suspiria, the Caretakers mate.
The Nacene are a race from another galaxy. They are a sporocystian lifeform. They have high level technology and an apparently natural ability to navigate subspace.
Only two have been encountered, both by the USS Voyager, on the far side of the Delta Quadrant.
Physiology
Nacene seem to be at least partially non-corporeal or energy based, but after their death a physical component, crystal-like and significantly smaller than the living form, remains. They exist, or are capable of existing, in subspace, and are capable of manipulating it. Their natural apearance appears to be that of a glutinous liquid and reflective cell, about two meters in diameter. They possess the ability to change their physical appearance at will. Nacene reproduction concerns males and females, using spores, although they seem to believe that reproduction with Humanoids is possible if they possess a compatible biomolecular pattern. However compatible humanoids seem to be rare in our galaxy. Lifespans of at least one thousand years are not uncommon for Nacene.
Culture and history
Not much is known of Nacene society, as the only specimens of the species Starfleet has encountered were isolated individuals separated from their own kind. Nacene consider themselves a race of explorers, and an expedition reached our galaxy about 1500 years ago, as of 2371. After the effects of their method of crossing the gap of galaxys accidentely rendered the Delta Quadrant planet Ocampa uninhabitable, they decided to leave two members of their expedition behind, to care for the Ocampans. At some point in the 21th century, one of these "caretakers", as the Ocampa called them, left the other, taking several hundred Ocampa with her. By 2371, the remaining caretaker was dying. He used a displacement wave to bring to his array ships from all over the galaxy, searching for a compatible lifeform to procreate with, to create a successor. He was not succesfull, but even in the last moments before his death, he did everything to protect the Ocampa, and at least buy them some time from their enemies to learn to care for themselves. The String Theory books state that the Caretaker, Suspiria, and numerous other Nacene are exiles, living away from their people as a punishment for tampering with the cosmic strings that the universe consists of. These novels are not canon, and this information is therefore nothing more than speculation.
Technology
Nacene are capable of great accomplishments, but it is unclear if these are to be attributed to technology, or merely their sporocystian nature, especially in the case of their subspace manipulation capabilities. They have demonstrated a deep understanding and mastery of subspace, by which they are capable of transporting entire ships across tens of thousand of lightyears in mere moments (see: displacement wave). It is likely that they used a similar technology to bridge the gap between their galaxy and ours. They also seem to possess Holographic technology, advanced medical technology, and technology to beam large amounts of energy from a spacestation to a nearby planet.
People
Appearances
- See alsoCaretaker's array