The Narisians were a sentient humanoid civilization from the planet Narisia. They had short, mottled fur extending from their head downward almost to the top of a broad, flat nose, and their eyes were wide but with vertical cat-like slits for pupils. Green was one possible eye color for Narisians. Some of their body language was conveyed through the fur on the sides of their head—a shrug, for example.

In the late 21st century, Narisia was visited by the Borg, who the Narisians referred to as the "Wise Ones". The Borg Collective had chosen it as one of the worlds in which they would introduce technology at a rapid pace and reap the eventual advances the world would produce. As the technology was funneled through a select few, snatched secretly by transporter, these people rose to become the leaders of the planet, becoming known as the Proctors, ruling those below them and warring with those equal to them. The Borg also apparently abandoned several captured vessels within the Narisian system's Oort cloud, and departed without warning or notice in the late 23rd century, due to the Borg encountering Species 1429.

The Proctors brought additional persons in on the secrets, calling them the Inner Circle. Balitor and her granddaughter Garamet were some of those initiated into the Inner Circle, their thoughts and actions curtailed due to an implant.

Without the guidance of the Borg, the Narisian Proctors began to aggressively seek any technological advantage they could, and those in the Inner Circle were used to scout the surrounding areas. Garamet was sent out and was injured in a collision, releasing the implant's hold on her; she escaped along with her brother and were rescued by retired Starfleet Captain Montgomery Scott. When Scott offered to return them to Narisia, they refused, saying they would be imprisoned or killed.

Montgomery Scott, using the B'rel-class Klingon bird-of-prey he located in the Narisian system's Oort cloud, traveled back in time to 2293 using a gravity slingshot around the Arhennius star and rescued James T. Kirk before he could be absorbed into the Nexus; this action caused the timeline to alter around them. The Borg Queen's travel into Earth's past and success in assimilating the Sol system left the Alpha Quadrant in pieces; the Queen reconnected with her secret subject worlds, including Narisia. In this timeline, Balitor became aware of the time traveling Scott and Kirk and notified the Borg Queen through her connection. When Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the USS Enterprise-D became aware that the Narisians knew of their presence, they moved to stop the unknowing Borg spy; the Queen found out about their discovery and mentally issued an order through their implants, killing the entire species. (ST novel: Engines of Destiny)