The Vau N'Akat were a technologically advanced humanoid species native to the planet Solum in the Delta Quadrant. (PRO: "Kobayashi", "Preludes")
History[]
A Federation starship makes first contact with the Vau N'Akat
Vau N'Akat society divides...
...and falls into civil war
The Vau N'Akat once believed that they were the only intelligent race in the universe, until a Prometheus-class starship made first contact in the mid-2380s. Afterward, a schism developed within Vau N'Akat society between those who were tempted by the promise of other worlds and wished to align with the Federation, and those who sought to preserve their old way of life and disdained joining a "primitive allegiance". Years of infighting eventually erupted into decades of civil war that left Solum irreparably devastated; extinction was thought to be inevitable.
Fifty years after first contact, the USS Protostar was ejected over Solum by an unstable wormhole, having been brought from the 2380s. The surviving Vau N'Akat, bitter at how the Federation had "abandoned" them by remaining neutral during their civil war, saw this as a fateful opportunity for revenge and to save their species. They captured the ship and installed their last surviving living construct aboard, hoping to send it back into the past to destroy the Federation and avert first contact.
The Order launching its last ships after the Protostar
However, Captain Chakotay and his crew managed to escape and send the Protostar into the wormhole unmanned, losing it in time and space. With their greatest minds estimating no better than a one percent chance of finding the Protostar again, the Vau N'Akat formed the Order and sent the last of their fleet, one hundred Rev-12-type starships, into the wormhole to complete their mission. Each was crewed by a single soldier who forsook their name and former life in dedication to their cause, and was accompanied by a Drednok. Most of the ships were destroyed as the wormhole collapsed, but the Diviner and the Vindicator survived, emerging in different times and locations. (PRO: "Kobayashi", "A Moral Star, Part 2", "Preludes")
Though he had traveled to a time when the Vau N'Akat still thrived in isolation, the Diviner saw himself, and later his daughter Gwyndala, as the last survivors of their species. (PRO: "A Moral Star, Part 2", "Kobayashi")
Following the defeat of Vau N'Akat plot, Gwyndala returned to her homeworld in 2383 in the hopes of averting the disastrous civil war before it could begin. Even if the Federation were to not initiate First Contact, Gwyn recognized that outside contact was inevitable someday, and sought to unite the species to see such contact in a positive light. (PRO: "Supernova, Part 2")
Biology[]
Vau N'Akat had gray skin and tendrils rather than hair, long furrows on their faces, and reddish markings over their noses. They had the ability to activate their technology mentally, during which their pupils and patterns across their skin and hair glowed white. Their minds could not be read by telepaths such as Medusans. They were capable of completely healing fractured bones within days without extensive medical assistance, only requiring a splint to set it. (PRO: "Lost and Found", "Terror Firma", "Kobayashi")
The Diviner's body evaporating after his death
When a Vau N'Akat died, their body evaporated into blue particles. (PRO: "Supernova, Part 1")
Technology[]
In the 25th century, the Vau N'Akat were as or more technologically advanced than the Federation; they had knowledge of warp drive, directed energy weaponry, and transporters, and built starships of considerable size and sophistication. Their heirloom devices were composed of metal that could shapeshift in response to its user's mental commands. The Vau N'Akat were capable of producing advanced artificial lifeforms, such as the sentient Drednoks, the Watchers, and living constructs. They could also create offspring through artificial means, and build suits containing bioserum that preserved and enhanced the wearer's vitality. (PRO: "Lost and Found", "Let Sleeping Borg Lie", "Preludes")
Individuals[]
- Named
- Unnamed
Appendices[]
Background information[]
According to StarTrek.com, the Vau N'Akat ability to mentally control certain objects is called "neuroflux". [1] [2]
According to Kevin and Dan Hageman, the reason that Vau N'Akat evaporate after death is because when they first wrote the death of the Diviner in "Supernova, Part 1", they neglected to recognize that his body would then be left on the Protostar bridge for the remainder of the two-part episode. After the director pointed this out, they devised that biological attribute to fix the problem. [3]