Memory Alpha
Register
Advertisement
Memory Alpha

The Koinonians were energy beings native to the Koinonian homeworld.

Centuries prior to the 24th century, they coexisted with physical Koinonians on the planet; however, the physical Koinonians destroyed their own civilization during the Koinonian Wars.

The energy-based Koinonians had strong morals and watched the raging wars in abhorrence. They survived on the homeworld even after it was ravaged by the wars and still inhabited the desolate planet in the 24th century. They considered the wars a tragic but dishonorable past and didn't tolerate any more suffering on their homeworld.

In 2366, the USS Enterprise-D studied the remains of the known civilization. Outside a large ceremonial chamber, members of the Enterprise away team fell victim to an explosive device outfitted with a subspace proximity detonator, killing Marla Aster.

These Koinonians, out of guilt, dug up the other devices, defused them, and left them out to be found. This raised questions as there were no indications of life on the planet. A short time later, the Enterprise's sensors detected an energy field on the planet's surface, two kilometers north of the location the away team landed. Deanna Troi, with her empathic sense, detected a vague presence on the surface.

Having sensed the pain of Jeremy Aster, now an orphan, the Koinonians decided to bring him to the planet to take care of him. They tapped into the ship's antimatter supply, causing an unusual magnetic flux reading from the antimatter containment pods. They intruded upon the Enterprise on a beam of highly charged particles.

One appeared in the form of Jeremy's mother, and they further created a simulation of their old home on Earth in order to comfort and care for Jeremy in an attempt to convince him to come live on the planet's surface with them.

After the intervention of the Enterprise crew, they later accepted that Jeremy was in better hands with other Humans and the Marla Aster replica ceased to exist. (TNG: "The Bonding")

In Greek, the word "Koinonia" means fellowship or communion. In commentary for "The Bonding" available on the TNG Season 3 Blu-ray, episode writer Ronald D. Moore states that the name is an inside-joke referring to a secret ritual that was part of his fraternity, Kappa Alpha Society, in college.
Advertisement