The Night Aliens were a spacefaring humanoid species indigenous to a large expanse of the Delta Quadrant devoid of stars and planets, dubbed "the Void" by the crew of the USS Voyager. They operated sophisticated starships equipped with cloaking devices.
History[]
The Night Aliens claimed to have inhabited the Void, undisturbed, for millions of years. In the mid-24th century, the Malon Controller Emck discovered a spatial vortex leading into the region, which he saw as an ideal site for dumping massive quantities of antimatter waste. The Night Aliens attempted to dissuade, then force the Malon to stop contaminating their space, but the Malon proved too powerful. As a result, their population began suffering from lethal theta radiation poisoning.
In early 2375, the Night Aliens encountered the USS Voyager inside the Void. Believing it to be in league with the Malon, they disabled the Federation starship with a dampening field and boarded it. Shortly after, they were driven away by Emck's export vessel, though one of them had been incapacitated by Seven of Nine and left behind. This individual explained his species' plight to Captain Kathryn Janeway and pled for aid before being retrieved by his people.
After Emck rejected an offer of antimatter waste recycling technology in favor of continuing his lucrative operations, Janeway resolved to collapse the vortex to end his threat to the region. While approaching the vortex, Voyager found itself outgunned by Emck's ship, until a trio of Night Alien ships arrived to turn the tide of battle. Voyager proceeded to destroy both Emck's ship and the vortex, and rode the ensuing shockwave out of the Void. (VOY: "Night")
Biology[]
The physiology of the Night Aliens had evolved to survive in complete darkness, and consequently they were extremely photosensitive. Externally they were characterized by hairless brownish skin with numerous folds and black growths, and they did not wear clothing. They moved with an unusual waddling gait, and were somewhat resistant to low-level phaser fire. For defense, they were capable of generating a burst of energy from their hands that inflicted severe burns on contact. (VOY: "Night")
Individuals[]
The proper name of this species was not revealed onscreen. According to the revised final draft of the script, these "alien lifeforms" were described as: "Humanoid, iridescent, strange. Its eyes all black, all pupil. The creature reacts with pain at the light. This is a lifeform that has evolved in complete darkness. (We will call this creature a "Night Alien")"
Star Trek: The Magazine Volume 1, Issue 13, p. 73, described this race as both "night beings" and "night creatures."