- "Outsiders" redirects here. For other meanings, see: Outsider.
The Children of the Lost Ones (called Outsiders by the Tholian Assembly) were a splinter group of Tholian society who retained the racial memory of a sectarian war fought in the Veletus system millennia prior to the 23rd century. This battle resulted in the release of the high energy plasma that constituted the life energy of billions of Tholians. This plasma later coalesced to form what became known as the Ifukube Veil, though the distinct energy signatures of individual Tholians continued to exist within the phenomenon.
Although the Tholian Assembly attempted to suppress the knowledge of this conflict for thousands of years, a number of so-called Outsiders began to make "pilgrimages" to the Ifukube Veil around 2266, at which time it was under the control of the Federation. The Tholian Assembly reached an agreement with Starfleet Commodore Julius Merrill to return any captured Outsiders back to the Assembly, so they could contain the true nature of the Ifukube Veil. In 2267, however, this history was revealed by Mage Naskeel to Starfleet personnel, compelling them to intercede and offer to help negotiate an agreement between the two sides. (TOS - Constellations short story: "Fracture")