Dark matter Dark matter is a substance which is undetectable via the use of normal sensor s , and is thought to make up the majority of the universe ' s mass . Extremely exotic , dark matter can take a number of forms , such as nebula e , asteroid s , and even lifeform s . ( , ) Dark matter nebulae . By the year 2153 , Vulcan scientists had successfully excited small amounts of dark matter via bombardment with metreon particle s . In that year , Starfleet officer Jonathan Archer , captain of and his first officer , Sub - Commander T ' Pol , expanded upon these experiments and successfully illuminated a dark matter nebula by utilizing specially - modified spatial charge s to distribute the particles over a larger area . ( ) In 2367 , the crew of the conducted experiments to study the Mar Oscura , a previously - unexplored dark matter nebula , illuminating it with specially - modified photon torpedo es . During their investigation , the " Enterprise " crew discovered that , due to the unusual preponderance of dark matter in the nebula , small gaps had formed in the fabric of normal space , causing parts of the ship to momentarily phase out of normal space during a collision with one of these deformations . Eventually , by piloting a shuttlecraft ahead of the ship , Captain Picard was able to successfully navigate the " Enterprise " safely out of the nebula . ( ) In 2371 , Commander s Chakotay and Tuvok , of the , encountered a dark matter nebula while onboard a shuttle , subsequently coming under attack by a species known as the Komar , a non - corporeal race who were able to take over Tuvok ' s body . Rendezvousing with " Voyager " , the Komar , posing as Tuvok , attempted to deceive the crew into returning to the nebula , where the rest of his people were planning on extracting the crew ' s neural energy for sustenance . Fortunately , Chakotay , whose own neural energy had been displaced , was able to inhabit various members of the crew and sabotage the Komar ' s plans and lead " Voyager " out of the nebula . ( ) In 2372 , Neelix related a story to Ensign Kim and Lieutenant Paris of a time when he lost a nacelle while traversing a dark matter nebula . As related by Neelix , as he traveled through the nebula , dark matter bow waves were created , eventually building up so much pressure as to cause catastrophic damage to his ship . This story provided the inspiration to Paris and Kim needed to solve a depolarization problem impeding their success on the creation of a transwarp drive . ( ) In 2374 , while engaged in combat with the Jem ' Hadar , Starfleet Captain Benjamin Sisko ordered his ship , an appropriated Jem ' Hadar fighter , into an uncharted dark matter nebula in an attempt to evade their pursuers , eventually crashing on a planet within the nebula . ( ) Dark matter asteroid . In 2376 , the crew of " Voyager " encountered a dark matter asteroid while tracking a graviton ellipse . As the ellipse had been changing course , apparently randomly , and the crew was aware that it was attracted to electromagnetic energy , Captain Janeway ordered the sensor array s realigned to scan for EM fluctuations , and discovered the asteroid , drawing the ellipse toward a collision . ( ) Dark matter lifeforms . In 2376 , while on an excursion in the " Delta Flyer " , Captain Janeway and members of her crew encountered a phenomenon which neutralized ninety percent of their antimatter and damaged the hull of the ship . One of the crew , Mortimer Harren , stated his belief that they had encountered a dark matter proto - comet , a phenomenon the existence of which he had hypothesized . It was later discovered , however , that what they had encountered was , in actuality , a dark matter lifeform , despite Harren ' s insistence that molecule s so complex would collapse under their own weight . One of these lifeforms was able to successfully take over the body of William Telfer , another member of the crew , and attempt communication . Upon leaving Telfer ' s body , the lifeform was killed by Harren who , in a moment of panic , destroyed it with a hand phaser . The lifeforms subsequently attacked the " Delta Flyer " in retaliation , although Janeway and her crew were able to escape by using the " Flyer " s phasers to set off a chain reaction in the radiogenic rings of a planet , where they were attempting to reinitialize their warp reaction . ( )