The Banik are a race that was first encountered in the Season 1 episode Nerve. The only member of the species to appear on the TV show was Stark, a member of a powerful spiritualist sect known as Stykera.
Stykera possess an intense spiritual energy and a deep link with space and time. They can, under certain circumstances, assume a non-corporeal form for a time. Stark, however achieved becoming entirely corporeal in PK Wars when his mind was at peace and his spiritual energy faded. A portion of their body, which varies from individual to individual, presents as a radiant golden light. This portion of their body must be kept covered to prevent their energy from spilling out, though when they have spiritually prepared themselves they may temporarily remove the coverings to better use the energy for spiritual purposes.
One such purpose is their ability to "cross over" the souls of dying individuals. During this process the Stykera learns all the soul knows, and they can recall information from past souls they have crossed over. The Stykera actually absorbs a small part of the soul into their own, which can have a positive or negative effect on them depending on the nature of the soul they crossed over.
It is never made completely clear if all Stykera are Baniks, or if non-Banik Stykera exist.
Read more about this topic: List Of Races In Farscape