The Ovanim were a species first discovered by Starfleet inside the atmosphere of the gas giant Galvan VI.

The Ovanim were initially a saurian species, which developed sentience, built civilizations, and eventually evolved into non-corporeal beings. Coming to disdain contact with physical beings, the Ovanim settled on Galvan VI.

In 2376, the Ovanim destroyed the Starfleet starship USS Orion as it was readying to deploy the experimental Wildfire device, designed to ignite the planet into a star. The Ovanim later made contact with Lieutenant Commander Kieran Duffy of the USS da Vinci, as he acted to deactivate the Wildfire device. Shortly after, the Ovanim were able to communicate with the da Vinci, offering a message of peace, and an apology for the deaths they had accidentally caused on both ships. (SCE eBooks: Wildfire, Book 1, Wildfire, Book 2)