The Srivani were a warp-capable humanoid species from the Delta Quadrant. They featured large skin structures over their ears and mottled, colored portions between their forehead and their jaw.
Society and culture[]
The Srivani believed that experimentation on other sentient species was an acceptable method of gaining medical knowledge, which they claimed might cure physical and psychological disorders that affected millions, but only for the benefit of their own people. They expressed this attitude with an air of casual, superior arrogance.
Their normal method of experimentation involved using a phase variance of 0.15 to render themselves, their ships and their devices both invisible and intangible. They then attached to the hull of a passing starship and spent several weeks carrying out experiments on the crew. These experiments ranged from changes in body chemistry to complex DNA manipulation carried out by genetic tags attached to the host DNA base pairs. These tags utilized a sub-molecular technology well beyond anything developed by Starfleet. The Srivani did not usually go out of their way to kill a test subject, but considered minimal fatalities as well as deformities acceptable. Their protocols required them not to communicate with the subjects of their experiments. Alzen, a Srivani scientist, broke these protocols by speaking to the crew of the USS Voyager, but she did so only after being discovered, and under some duress.
History[]
In 2374, for a period of at least several weeks a group of at least fifty-six Srivani used the USS Voyager as a testing ground. The experiments included adjusting the DNA of Commander Chakotay to make him prematurely age and stimulating the dormant Mylean DNA in Neelix, causing him to express the DNA handed down from his Mylean great-grandfather. They also forced Captain Janeway to become increasingly erratic by increasing her dopamine levels.
They were discovered by Seven of Nine and The Doctor who revealed them to the rest of the crew. Since their technology could not be defeated, Janeway flew Voyager at a nearby binary pulsar, almost destroying the ship. The Srivani, realizing that they could be killed, retreated, losing one ship in the process. (VOY: "Scientific Method")
Background information[]
The Srivani were not named in dialogue. Their name comes from the shooting script.
All Srivani were played by female performers. The Star Trek Encyclopedia, 4th ed., vol. 2, p. 310 states the Srivani to be androgynous.
They were profiled in Star Trek: The Magazine Volume 3, Issue 2.
The Srivani were mentioned in the Pocket Books DS9 novel Abyss as being from the Delta Quadrant and a possible future threat to the Federation.
For Star Trek: Discovery, Glenn Hetrick pitched that Rayner be Srivani. While the Srivani were considered "a lot of baggage to take on story-wise," production decided to "do something like that [makeup]," in bringing back the Kellerun. (Star Trek: The Art of Glenn Hetrick's Alchemy Studios, p. 161)
People[]
External link[]
- Srivani at Memory Beta, the wiki for licensed Star Trek works