Nacene

Nacene

Biology

Originsedit | edit source

The Nacene were sporocystian lifeforms from beyond the Milky Way Galaxy, possessing powers far beyond the capabilities of the majority of its inhabitants. In their natural state, they appear as formless, violet beings with short tentacles, but their corpses quickly desiccate after death and they decrease substantially. Even after death, the corpse of a Nacene will vibrate when within proximity to another sporocystian lifeform. (VOY episode & novelization: Caretaker; VOY episode: "Cold Fire")

Around 77,000 BC, some Nacene, in the spatial realm known as Exosia, begin experimenting with superstrings. Their experimentation wrought havoc on the space-time continuum and damaged subspace. The Nacene were divided between "the Others" and "the Exiles", the latter being those responsible for the damage. The Exiles remained in the damaged space-time continuum in hopes of exploring it while the Others sealed the gateway to Exosia and worked to maintain the fraying fabric of space-time. The two factions finally waged war on the world which would eventually become Monorha. In the final conflict, the Light, the leader of the Exiles, created the Key to Gremadia in order to allow the Exiles to return to Exosia eventually. Among the exiled Nacene were the Caretaker, Suspiria, and Phoebe. In order to renew and refresh their energy, the Exiles built Gremadia and the entire Monorhan system. The energy left behind from the Nacene war caused life to arise on Monorha; the psychokinetic powers of the Monorhans were thus due to the powers of their "parent race," the Nacene. (VOY - String Theory novels: Fusion, Evolution)

The Ocampansedit | edit source

By the mid-fourteenth century AD, the Caretaker and Suspiria visited Ocampa, accidentally devastating the planet and gradually transforming into a dry wasteland. The Light, a fellow Nacene Exile, visited Ocampa in hopes of repairing the damage done by the Caretaker but eventually fell in love with Lia, an Ocampan general. Lia led her troops against Mestof, an Ocampan tyrant whose "wizards" (actually the Caretaker and Suspiria) were believed responsible for the recent lack of rain. Ced, adjunct to Lia, died but his body was reanimated when The Doctor (from over a thousand years in the future) was sent back to locate the Light. Lia, near death, was unable to bear the Light's child, so the Light drew Kes to that point in time to inhabit her body. Before giving his life to produce Kol, his son, the Light charged the Caretaker and Suspiria with saving the Ocampan people. (VOY episode & novelization: Caretaker; VOY - String Theory novel: Evolution)

In time, Suspiria left the Array from which she and her mate cared for the Ocampans, taking a number of Ocampans with her. However, the Caretaker remained steadfast in his mission to the Ocampans until he died in 2371. As his death approached, the Caretaker used the Array to draw vessels from all over the Galaxy in an attempt to find a potential mate and produce offspring capable of continuing his mission. Unfortunately, he was unable to locate anyone genetically compatible and died before reproducing. After his death in 2371, Kathryn Janeway of the USS Voyager destroyed his Array to fulfill his mission and ensure the Ocampans were protected from the Kazon. (VOY episode & novelization: Caretaker)

Ten months later, in 2372 the USS Voyager encountered Suspiria and another group of Ocampans, which she had instructed in developing their psychokinetic abilities. Although Kes was originally intrigued by Tanis, the leader of the Ocampans with Suspiria, the crew eventually came to realize that Suspiria was hostile toward them over what she perceived as their role in her mate's death and wanted revenge. After Janeway was forced to incapacitate Suspiria, she and Tanis escaped to Exosia. (VOY episode: "Cold Fire")