Tan Ru
Class:	Space probe
Status:	Destroyed (2267)

Tan Ru was an advanced alien probe of unknown origin and great power, programmed to collect and sterilize soil samples, possibly in anticipation of colonization.

In 2267, while in deep space, Tan Ru eventually encountered the Earth probe Nomad, which had suffered a serious loss of memory after a collision with a meteoroid. When the two probes met, directives from Tan Ru were transferred and merged with those left in Nomad's memory banks. This created a probe with the unintended directive to "seek out and sterilize new life," with Nomad as the body and predominant voice during their co-existence. (TOS: "The Changeling")