Caretaker (Delta Quadrant)
The Caretaker dies
Male noncorporeal lifeform, one of a group of extradimensional explorers from another galaxy called the Nacene, who exist as pure sporocystian energy but can manifest in solid humanoid form. After Nacene technology accidentally devastated the atmosphere of the Ocampa homeworld a millennium ago, the Caretaker and his mate Suspiria remained behind to care for the Ocampa. With the planet's surface virtually uninhabitable, the Caretaker created a subterranean city for the Ocampa and supplied them with energy by using his spaceborne Array. Suspiria eventually left with about 2,000 Ocampa to find "more interesting places," and by 2371 the Caretaker realized he was dying. Wishing to procreate so that an offspring can continue to care for the Ocampa, the Caretaker searched the galaxy for lifeforms with a compatible bio-molecular pattern. In doing so, he abducted more than 50 ships from across the galaxy, including the U.S.S. Equinox, the U.S.S. Voyager, and Chakotay's Maquis vessel. But his search proved fruitless. Taking the form of an old grizzled man with a banjo, the Caretaker persuaded Voyager's Captain Janeway to destroy his Array to prevent it from falling into the hands of the Kazon-Ogla, his final act to protect the Ocampa before his death.
