Death Death is the permanent end of all life functions in a lifeform ( or part of a lifeform in the case of tissue damage ) . It can also mean the absence of life or state of being dead . Many culture s address this process as it applies to sentient beings in spiritual terms , including the holding of wake s , memorials , and funeral s following the death of an individual . One who was in the process of dying was said to be on their deathbed . ( , , ) In 2365 , Nagilum , in the guise of Data , asked Captain Jean - Luc Picard what death is . According to Picard there are two contemporary philosophies . One is the belief that death is the transformation into an indestructible and unchanging form . According to this belief the purpose of the entire universe is to then maintain that form in an afterlife in an Eden - like place . The other , contrary belief , is that death is simply blinking into nothingness . Picard himself believed that the existence of lifeforms is part of a reality beyond what is currently understood as reality and therefore both philosophies are insufficient . ( ) Death is sometimes perceived as an event that is common to all living things . In 2366 , Captain Jean - Luc Picard used death and his own mortality as a way to show Nuria and her people that he was no different than they were , and certainly not a god they named " the Picard " . ( ) According to Apollo , the race of the Greek god s was immortal , but also for them there was a point of no return . As their species could alter their form , it was possible for them to spread so thin that they would disappear from existence . Apollo poetically described this event as returning to the cosmos on the wings of the wind . Apollo was the last of the gods to die in 2267 . ( ) Sargon considered himself dead although his mind was stored and active in energy - form inside a receptacle . He described the final destruction of his consciousness as departing to oblivion . ( ) The Borg Collective considered death to be an irrelevant concept in their philosophy . ( ) When a drone was damaged beyond repair , it was simply discarded . All of the drones experiences and memories lived on inside the collective consciousness . This was considered immortality by the Borg . ( ) Artificial lifeform s can cease functioning through induced self - destruction . ( ) Death may also be seen as a personification , attributed to a single entity , figure , or symbol . In this form , Death is known by many names , one of the more common being the " Grim Reaper " . In 2370 , the encountered an alien probe that began to transform the " Enterprise " into an alien city , complete with hieroglyphic symbols , one of which was the symbol for Death ( ) . In 2267 , Lazarus equated his parallel universe counterpart as " Death " and " Anti - Life " ( ) . Neelix ( and possibly other Talaxians ) also have a concept of a " specter of death " ( VOY : " The Cloud " , " Jetrel " ) In 2369 , while explaining the nature of linear time to the Prophet s , Commander Benjamin Sisko also explained the concept of death , stating that Jennifer Sisko was a most important part of his existence , but that he had " lost her some time ago . " The Prophets , however , showed him that he spent much time in his mind dwelling on Jennifer ' s death , reliving his tragic experience on the , that he " existed " there , something that was most certainly not linear . ( ) Many cultures considered death to be something welcomed , not feared . These included Klingon s , whose culture put a high premium on honor able death , and the Vaadwaur , whose children were taught to fall a sleep each night imagining different ways to die . ( ) Resuscitation . For most lifeforms , death is a permanent state . However , sometimes resuscitation is possible : Appendices . Quotes on Death . " " He ' s dead , Jim . " " " " How we deal with death is at least as important as how we deal with life . . . " " " " Today " is " a good day to die . " " " " . . . this was the day that I lost Jennifer . I don ' t want to be here . " " " Then why do you exist here ? " "