Science Fair Project Encyclopedia
Katra (Star Trek)
- For the place in India, see Katra
In the fictional Star Trek universe, katra is the immortal, living spirit of a Vulcan. When a Vulcan is close to death, he or she will typically transfer their katra into the mind of an associate or close friend, who is then expected to convey the katra to the homeworld. In the film Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, a mortally wounded Mr. Spock transfers his katra into Dr. Leonard McCoy; however, McCoy does not bring Spock's katra to Vulcan, but later returns it to Spock's reconstituted physical body.
Surak, the greatest Vulcan philosopher who ever lived, survived after his death when his katra was recovered by Syrranites in the mid 22nd century. Surak's katra briefly resided in the mind of Captain Jonathan Archer but was subsequently transferred to the care of a Vulcan priest.
The contents of this article is licensed from www.wikipedia.org under the GNU Free Documentation License. Click here to see the transparent copy and copyright details