The Vhnori, who apparently exist in a different dimension, were first encountered by USS Voyager in 2371. Little was learned about their culture except for their belief in an afterlife known as the next emanation. Vhnori on the threshold of death, or those simply wishing to go on to the next emanation, are placed within a cenotaph pod which quickly kills the occupant by an unknown method. The transference ritual continues as the bodies are supposedly transported to the next emanation by subspace vacuoles known to the Vhnori as spectral ruptures. Although wrapped in a ceremonial shroud before being placed in the cenotaph, the shroud does not transfer along with the body and is usually preserved by the family for the use of other family members. According to Vhnori beliefs, the afterlife would have them reunited with deceased friends and family. Not believing in souls or spirits, the Vhnori believed that they traveled to the afterlife as corporeal beings in their own bodies. It was also believed that the Vhnori would evolve into a higher form of consciousness and that they would obtain great knowledge and have all of their questions answered. Upon death Vhnori excrete a biopolymer through their skin that is created by the decomposition of tissues. This biopolymer contains an element previously unknown to Federation scientists.
A planet without rings, the Vhnori homeworld was first encountered by Ensign Harry Kim of USS Voyager. Kim arrived on the planet after being accidentally caught in a subspace vacuole used by the Vhnori to transport their deceased to what they believed was the afterlife. In fact, the Vhnori cenotaph pods transported the bodies to the asteroids of a Class D planet in the Delta Quadrant. At one point Kim was to be taken to a facility at Paffran for further study and tests. Kim was able to return to Voyager after switching places with a Vhnori who had decided not to go through with his transference ritual, instead seeking shelter with friends of his in the Cararian Mountains. A plant named the garili tree is known to grow on the Vhnori homeworld.