The Silver Blood, also known as Silverblood[1] was a non-humanoid species, a biomimetic lifeform native to the class Y "Demon" Silver Blood homeworld[2]. Following an encounter with the crew of the Federation starship USS Voyager in 2374, the instinct-driven species developed thought and individuality. (VOY episode: "Demon")
Biology[]
By the 24th century, the Silver Blood existed as pools of liquid in the top layers of their homeworld's surface. This compound was rich with viscous deuterium, hydrogen sulfate, dichromates and had organic properties, such as containing protein molecules within its matrix.
While the planet's temperature reached 500 degrees Kelvin, the Silver Blood's temperature was an apparent 12 degrees Celsius.
The species operated on instinct and was capable of perceiving sound, light and heat. It naturally imitated organic and select inorganic matter it touched. After sampling Human DNA in 2374, the Silver Blood first reached sentience.
Before it sampled Human DNA, the Silver Blood had never been sentient or conscious, instead operating on instinct, perceiving sound, light, and heat. (VOY episode: "Demon")
Radiation emitted by an enhanced warp drive caused molecular decohesion, and ultimately death, of the Silver Blood compounds. (VOY episode: "Course: Oblivion")
History[]
Silver Blood evolved on an otherwise inhospitable class Y planet in the Vaskan sector, located in the galaxy's Delta Quadrant. (VOY episode: "Course: Oblivion")
On stardate 51890[3] in the year 2374, the wayward Federation starship USS Voyager approached the Silver Blood homeworld in search for deuterium. The Intrepid-class starship ran critically low on that resource. An away team consisting of Lieutenant Tom Paris and Ensign Harry Kim travelled to the surface aboard a shuttlecraft. Protected by environmental suits, they could weather the harsh conditions of the class Y planet. Kim was the first to notice the pool of liquid. He was submerged in it but recovered by Paris. Their suits broke, leaving them unconscious.
The Silver Blood inadvertently duplicated Kim, Paris, and their Starfleet uniforms. They were found after Voyager landed on the surface and Commander Chakotay and Seven of Nine went to search for them. Brought aboard, the Silver Blood Tom Paris and Harry Kim were unable to breath the ship's oxygen-nitrogen atmosphere. The original officers were found alive, leading the crew and the Silver Blood to realize that a duplication had occurred. The new Kim and Paris felt oddly connected to the planet and wanted to keep Voyager there. When a Silver Blood pull appeared underneath Voyager and began to pull the vessel inside, tactical officer Tuvok used modified phasers firing nadion beams to hinder the sinking.
Harry Kim had been the first of his kind to fully reach sentience. During a negotiation with Captain Kathryn Janeway in one of the ship's transporter rooms, Kim called his people the Silver Blood, and negotiated for additional DNA samples. Janeway agreed to have her crew assemble and donate their DNA voluntarily. When Voyager left the Silver Blood homeworld, duplicated crew stood as humanoid figures on the surface of their desolate world. (VOY episode: "Demon")
The Silver Blood duplicated the Intrepid-class ship. They boarded their v and departed the homeworld. The crew of this Voyager forgot about their origins and that they were an alternate Voyager. Setting course for Earth, Voyager encountered the N'Kree a month later, who attempted to conscript Voyager into their battle fleet. The crew foiled that plan.
Two months after departure, the Kmada tried to sabotage Voyager's life support with low-yield theta radiation but where thwarted as well.
The Silver Blood crew developed an enhanced warp drive, which would allow their Voyager duplicate to reach Earth in a matter of years instead of decades. Ten months after departure, in 2375, the continued use of that engine began to decohere the ship's structure and that of its passengers. Only items collected since leaving the homeworld, like a keg of Hazari ale, remained solid.
USS Voyager comes apart.
Once they determined their true nature, the crew initially continued their sojourn to Earth but changed course when casualties began to mount. They backed down from an Ord'mirit mining vessel during an attempted layover at another class Y planet. Continuing its breakdown, Harry Kim became acting captain. An attempt to build a solid log buoy failed. Starfleet's Voyager appeared on the Silver Blood ship's viewscreen moments before it decohered completely. The Starfleet crew detected a cloud of liquid but was unable to make the connection with the Silver Blood. (VOY episode: "Course: Oblivion")
Starfleet returned to the Delta Quadrant in 2379. In that year, a Talaxian mining vessel landed on the Silver Blood homeworld and inadvertently became duplicated. Starfleet encountered the duplicate, who suffered organic and mechanical breakdown, unaware of their origin. The original Talaxian crew were horrified at being cloned without their consent and demanded the Talaxian Silver Bloods' destruction. Starfleet learned that genetic hybrids between humanoids and Silver Blood were possible. (Star Trek Adventures module: Delta Quadrant Sourcebook encounter: "Demon Doubles")
When Voyager of the Project Full Circle fleet learned of another Kathryn Janeway residing on Sormana, they considered whether Denzit Kathryn Janeway could be the Silver Blood Kathryn Janeway. They dismissed the thought, thinking the Silver Blood were unable to leave their world. (VOY novel: A Pocket Full of Lies)
In the 3180s, the Silver Blood homeworld was depicted on a galactic star chart aboard the Federation Headquarters space station. In 3189, the time-displaced USS Discovery crew first laid eyes on that chart during a meeting with Fleet Admiral Charles Vance. (DSC episode: "Die Trying")
Notable Silver Bloods[]
- Harry Kim: first to gain sentience, first to name his people "Silver Blood",[4] and last captain of Voyager[5]
- Kathryn Janeway: captain of the first Silver Blood starship, Voyager[5]
- Harper's baby: first biologically conceived and born Silver Blood in humanoid form[5]
Appendices[]
Connections[]
Appearances and references[]
Appearances[]
- VOY episode: "Demon" (first appearance)
- VOY episode: "Course: Oblivion"
- VOY novel: A Pocket Full of Lies (referenced)
- Star Trek Adventures module: Delta Quadrant Sourcebook
- DSC episode: "Die Trying" (referenced)