Kobali The Kobali were a humanoid Delta Quadrant species . Their method of reproduction was unique and their most distinguishing characteristic : they added to their population by reanimating the deceased corpses of other species , altering their DNA to transform them into fellow Kobali . They were warp - capable , appearing to have a technology level likely not dissimilar to that of Starfleet . While not generally a hostile species , they were highly protective of their own and would go to great lengths to find and return any member of their society who attempted to flee . ( ) Method of reproduction . Their most distinctive characteristic , and perhaps a unique quality to their species , was their method of " reproduction " . Rather than sexual reproduction or other familiar techniques ( such as asexual reproduction ) , the Kobali added to their population by obtaining the corpses of deceased humanoids , reanimating them and heavily altering their DNA to match that of their fellow Kobali . This ability seemed to indicate they possessed a form of medical technology highly different from and , by virtue of this ability , more advanced than , Starfleet ' s or most other humanoid species . The reanimation process . Over a period of several months , the DNA of the reanimated lifeform was altered by means of a genetic pathogen that converted most of the alien ' s DNA into a Kobali protein structure . These biochemical changes affected every part of the body , leaving only trace amounts of the original being ' s DNA . The reanimating process involved more than merely " resurrecting " corpses and altering the DNA and physiology of the ( formerly ) deceased . They also trained the newly - reanimated to adapt to their culture and language . This was necessary to help acclimate the new Kobali as he or she adjusted to becoming a member of a new race . It also helped ease the shock of new Kobali finding themselves alive again , albeit in a completely different physiology and culture . Physiology . The Kobali were humanoids with grayish skin and hairless heads . Their internal physiology was quite different from that of Human s , as The Doctor discovered . They also possessed unusual tastes in food : for example , meals normally considered delectable by Humans and many humanoids were strongly disliked by Kobali . More specifically , Kobali physiology differed markedly from that of Humans . They had a six - lobed brain and a binary cardiovascular system . The effect of the genetic pathogen could not be reversed by Starfleet medical technology because there was not enough original DNA present after the alteration to do so . It was , however , possible to change a person ' s appearance by inaprovaline injections , which needed to be repeated to maintain the lifeform ' s previous appearance . This only helped for a short time because the Kobali genetic pathogen counteracted the changes . There was little variety in the Kobali diet ; their main food looked like gray paste . When they tasted other foods such as a Jibelian berry salad , it had a metallic flavor to them . Kobali had a talent for sensing and manipulating wave phenomena . " Vyk ' tiote " , translated roughly as " crumpled dance , " seemed to be their specialty . Society and culture . Once a new Kobali was revived from a corpse , he or she would be placed within an adoptive family . Because this was their method of reproduction , the adoptive parents treated their new " child " with as much love and compassion that often accompanied sexually - produced offspring or traditionally adopted children . Still , it could take quite some time for a new Kobali to adjust to the shock of being revived , transformed , and placed in a new family . Reanimating was a most important part of Kobali culture , which could sometimes lead to conflict with other species ' burial customs . Reanimation caused extensive memory loss , usually rendering the formerly deceased entirely new beings , with a new and distinct Kobali personality . Some new Kobali , however , remembered parts of their former life , known to the Kobali as " kyn ' steya " . There were also some who remembered so much of their previous lives that it caused them to escape the Kobali in search of their former lives . Those that did were searched for extensively by other Kobali to return them . Their medical capabilities were unique and relatively advanced , for they could reanimate those who had been dead for more than two weeks . The Kobali also had a high regard for every life they reanimated and assimilated , which was illustrated in their adage , " " Never harbor anger towards those who have brought you death , for they gave you the chance to live again . " " Encounters with " Voyager " . The Kobali made first contact with Starfleet in 2376 via the starship when they were searching for Jhet ' leya , a Kobali " kyn ' steya " who escaped her family in search of her former life as Ensign Lyndsay Ballard , who had served aboard " Voyager " . The Kobali attempted to track down " Voyager " immediately after she fled from them . This contact did not proceed smoothly , for initially she did not wish to return . Tensions escalated to the point of the Kobali ship opening fire when demanding her return , which Captain Janeway insisted be left up to " Ballard " . Eventually , however , she rejoined her Kobali family voluntarily , removing the previously touchy relations between " Voyager " and the Kobali ship and forging a better friendship and understanding between the two cultures . This was the only recorded contact that the Kobali had with Starfleet . ( ) Appendices . Background information . The Kobali bore a resemblance to Abdon ' s species , a race seen on . Apocrypha . The Kobali appear in " Delta Rising " , the second expansion to " Star Trek Online " , set in the year 2410 ; their homeworld of Kobali Prime , orbiting a gas giant , is a major " adventure zone " with a variety of missions , much like the Dyson sphere added in Season 8 . The Delta Alliance , a coalition formed by the Federation , the Klingon Empire , and the Romulan Republic , arrive on Kobali Prime to find it under siege by a resurgent Vaadwaur Supremacy . Captain Harry Kim , assigned as Starfleet ' s liaison to the Kobali , suspects that the Vaadwaur have something other than conquest in mind , and ( with the aid of the player ) discovers that Kobali Prime was once a Vaadwaur colony world , and that stasis pods containing Vaadwaur soldiers are buried underneath the surface . The Kobali had taken possession of the pods and were using Vaadwaur bodies recovered from the failed pods for their reproductive cycle . The Vaadwaur in turn were attempting to reconquer the planet in order to recover the soldiers and add them to their forces . During his time with the Kobali , Harry is reunited with Jhet ' leya , who has recovered and reanimated the body of the ' other ' Harry Kim ( created during the events of " " Deadlock " " and blown out into space during a hull breach ) . Much as Jhet ' leya did , the other Harry eventually comes to terms with his new existence as " Keten " . The storyline also establishes that the Kobali ' s bizarre reproductive method was developed after genetic engineering experiments accidentally rendered the entire species sterile .