Ronin in corporeal form.
Ronin was an anaphasic lifeform. He is known to exist from 1647 when he took up residence with Jessel Howard shortly after appearing in the city of Glasgow on Earth. He lived with every subsequent Howard daughter until 2370, when he was destroyed by Beverly Crusher. In corporeal form, he took the image of a male human approximately thirty-four years old. He was able to maintain a strong grip on his hosts, causing them to react and behave unusually.
Ronin used a candle in order to mantain molecular cohesion. He needed a corporeal lifeform to take physical form. In the 1600s, he realized that Jessel Howard had a compatible biochemistry. He lived with her until she died, and then took up residence with her daughter. This continued for twenty generations. Ronin moved with the Howard family from Scotland to North America and eventually out to space. By the mid 24th century, he was living with Felisa Howard on Caldos colony. Ronin did not reveal his corporeal form to anyone other than his host, leading many (such as Ned Quint) to believe he was a genuine ghost. Felisa wrote detailed descriptions of her experiences with Ronin in her journals, and he made her very happy. Felisa never mentioned Ronin to Beverly or anyone else, however, in order to keep his secret.
When Felisa died in 2370, Ronin moved on to her granddaughter, Beverly Crusher. He appeared to her at Felisa's funeral, throwing a camellia on Felisa's grave, and later filled her grave and house with camellias. Ronin seduced Beverly, and his hold on her was quite powerful. While he was in the process of merging with Beverly, he maintained cohesion with help from the colony's weather modification network, causing systems disruptions and killing Quint.
After Beverly threw her career away to move to Caldos, Enterprise-D captain Picard became suspicious. He confronted Ronin on Caldos. Ronin attacked the captain once he began asking questions about his origins. This was a breaking point for Beverly, and she realized Ronin was a malevolent force who had used her entire family for generations. She destroyed the candle and then Ronin himself after he attempted to bond with her. (TNG: "Sub Rosa")
- Played by Duncan Regehr, who also played Shakaar Edon in several episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.