Thala was a blind Andorian* girl born in space around 2359. Her mother** was a linguist who died when she contracted a virus when Thala was only one year old. The intricate, visual aid woven into her clothing was partly based on both Geordi La Forge's and Doctor Miranda Jones' technologies. Making her nervous system immune to the visible spectrum from the large space artifact Enterprise studied. With the exception of herself and Tellarite physiology, most humanoids experience dementia, hallucinations and unconsciousness; leading to death. (Soong-type androids are observed to experience positronic overload and auto shut down.) In much the same way Jones was resistant to the dangerous rays emitted by Ambassador Kollos, a century prior. She has known Doctor Selar since early 2365, when Thala and her diplomat father** Thev temporarily resided aboard the USS Enterprise-D. Thev was planning to move to Delma in the Vega sector with her but he was one of the eighteen people killed when the Borg sliced out a section of the ship. Since Andorians supposedly abhor physical disabilities amongst their populace, Selar decided to adopt the girl and take her back to Vulcan. (TNG novel: The Eyes of the Beholders; TOS episode: "Is There in Truth No Beauty?")

*It is possible that Thala's blindness is a result of having Aenar blood somewhere in her family tree.

**The Eyes of the Beholders depicts an alternate view of Andorian genders and reproduction than what has been depicted post-finale Star Trek: Deep Space Nine literature.