View source for Vulcan

{{MyriadVulcanPlanet}}
{{ImageInfoBox2|file=vulcan-tos-34.jpg|caption=Vulcan ({{TOS34}})}}
{{TableRow|title=Official Name|data=Confederacy of Surak<ref name="STSC"/>}}
{{TableRow|title=Affiliation|data=[[United Federation of Planets|UFP]]<ref name="TOS01"/>}}
{{Class|[[Class M planet|M]]<ref name="TOS34"/><ref name="STSC"/>}}
{{TableRow|title=Natural Satellites|data=None,<ref name="TOS05"/> but shared its orbit with [[T'Khut]]<ref name="TAS03"/><ref name="ST01"/><ref name="STSC"/>}}
{{TableRow|title=Points of Interest|data=[[Fire Plains]],<ref name="ENT79"/> [[The Forge]],<ref name="ENT83"/> [[Mount Seleya]],<ref name="ST03"/> [[ShiKahr]],<ref name="TAS03"/><ref name="ENT83"/> [[Vulcana Regar]],<ref name="TNG119"/> [[Vulcan Science Academy]]<ref name="ST11"/>}}
{{TableRow|title=Notable Species|data=[[Vulcans]],<ref name="TOS01"/> [[Sehlats]],<ref name="TOS34"/> [[Le-Matyas]]<ref name="TAS03"/>}}
{{TableRow|title=Notable Individuals|data=[[Surak]],<ref name="TOS77"/> [[Soval]],<ref name="ENT01"/> [[Sarek]],<ref name="TOS34"/> [[Spock]],<ref name="TOS01"/> [[T'Lar]]<ref name="ST03"/>}}
{{TableRow|title=Notable Events|data=[[Time of Awakening]]<ref name="ENT84"/>}}
{{First|{{bullet}}''Mentioned:'' {{TOS06}} ([[1966 (Production)#SEP08|8 Sep 1966]])<br/>{{bullet}}''Appeared:'' {{TOS34}} ([[1967 (Production)#SEP15|15 Sep 1967]])}}
{{TableRow|title=Advertising|data={{AmazonTOSBD}} {{AmazonENTBD}} {{AmazonDSCBD}} }}
|}</div>
{{BannerPrime}}
The second planet orbiting [[40 Eridani system|40 Eridani A]] in the [[Vulcan Sector]] (''aka'' [[Sector 005]]) in the [[Beta Quadrant]],<ref name="STSC"/> and well known as a hot, desert world, Vulcan nevertheless became the cradle for not just one,<ref name="TOS01"/> but two major starfaring civilizations.<ref name="TOS09"/>
{{Clear|value=left}}
==Environment==
Vulcan was a hot, dense world with little water and a comparatively thin atmosphere.<ref name="TOS34"/> [[Humans]] engaged in strenuous physical activity require the aid of a medication, such as a [[tri-ox compound]], to endure alongside their [[Vulcans|Vulcan]] companions.<ref name="TOS34"/> Temperatures are high on Vulcan.<ref name="TOS34"/>

Vulcan did have large bodies of water,<ref name="TNG256"/> though Vulcan remained primarily a desert world,<ref name="TOS34"/> marked by mountainous terrain, semi-barren plains, and many active volcanoes, geysers, hot springs, and other geological phenomena.<ref name="ST01"/>

==Geography==
Major cities on Vulcan included [[ShiKahr]],<ref name="TAS03"/> and [[Vulcana Regar]].<ref name="TNG119"/> Another important location was [[Mount Seleya]].<ref name="ST03"/> Much of Vulcan's surface was covered in deserts and sharp mountain ranges.<ref name="TOS34"/><ref name="ST01"/><ref name="ST03"/><ref name="ENT83"/> Perhaps one of the most famous of these areas was [[The Forge|the Forge]],<ref name="ENT83"/> which was home to powerful electromagnetic fields that could disrupt sensors and even cause electrically-charged sandstorms, known as "[[sandfire|sandfires]]," with lightning discharges powerful enough to kill a humanoid.<ref name="ENT83"/>

==History & Government==
Despite some misconceptions by non-Vulcans,<ref name="TOS13"/> Vulcan was never conquered "within its collective memory."<ref name="TOS48"/> Vulcan was once divided among many nation states prior to the [[Time of Awakening]], when [[Surak]] brought logic and reason to Vulcan.<ref name="TOS77"/><ref name="ENT83"/> As Surak sought to bring peace to Vulcan through logic, however, he was opposed by a group that was said to "march beneath the raptor's wings," who resorted to [[nuclear weapons|nuclear strikes]] in their bid to conquer Vulcan,<ref name="ENT84"/> but they were eventually were overwhelmed by the sheer number of Vulcans who had embraced the teachings of Surak. Disgusted, and unwilling to embrace a life without emotion, they instead chose to leave Vulcan. They commandeered a fleet of primitive interplanetary ships, and set out to find a world of their own.<ref name="ENT85"/>

Over time, the [[Vulcan High Command]], which initially was tasked only with space exploration, took over all functions of the government.<ref name="ENT83"/> By the mid-22nd century, the Vulcans in charge of the High Command felt a sense of superiority to other races,<ref name="ENT85"/> and routinely lied, withheld information, and meddled in the affairs of other races.<ref name="ENT01"/><ref name="ENT07"/> These Vulcans, particularly Administrator [[V'Las]], were insular, suspicious, and not wholly devoted to Surak's teachings. Indeed, when the [[Syrranites|Syrranite]] movement arose, V'Las went to great lengths to try to discredit them, and even attempted to kill the group wholesale by bombing their encampment at the [[T'karath Sanctuary]] when they claimed to have found the ''[[Kir'shara]],'' a lost, original copy of Surak's writings, as it could have turned Vulcan's population against a war that he intended to start against the [[Andorian Empire]].<ref name="ENT83"/><ref name="ENT84"/><ref name="ENT85"/>

Following the discovery of the ''Kir'shara'' and V'Las' removal as head of the High Command, the Syrranite leader [[T'Pau]] was named as the new head of the Vulcan government. One of her first acts was to disband the High Command, and she began a top-down review of the High Command's actions over the previous decades.<ref name="ENT89"/> The new government instituted in the wake of the Syrranite reforms<ref name="ENT89"/> was formed less than a decade later.<ref name="ENT98"/> While anyone was able to run for office, the system&mdash;like the High Command before it&mdash;was essentially a meritocracy, with only the best and wisest being chosen.<ref name="ENT85"/>

==Conflicts==
===Romulans===
Vulcan's most enduring conflict was with the [[Romulans]], or "those who marched beneath the raptor's wings,"<ref name="ENT84"/> who left Vulcan during the Time of Awakening. During the V'Las administration, the Vulcan High Command was infiltrated by Romulans.<ref name="ENT85"/> Vulcan was allied with Earth and the other members of the [[Coalition of Planets]] during the [[Romulan War]],<ref name="TOS09"/><ref name="ENT97"/> but the genetic link connecting Vulcans and Romulans didn't become general knowledge until [[2266]].<ref name="TOS09"/> By the late 24th century, a [[Romulan Reunification Movement]] began to grow on [[Romulus]]; it advocated a reunification of the Vulcan and Romulan peoples, allowing the Romulans to reclaim their Vulcan heritage. Although its goals were noble, the [[Romulan Star Empire]]'s government tried to use the movement for an attempted invasion of Vulcan in [[2367]].<ref name="TNG208"/><ref name="TNG207"/>

===Andorians===
The Vulcan High Command came into conflict with the Andorian Empire for more than a century, as their two home systems were very near one another.<ref name="ENT07"/> This conflict came to a head in the 2150s,<ref name="ENT85"/> ending with the Syrranite reforms, the formation of the Coalition of Planets,<ref name="ENT97"/> and the subsequent foundation of the Federation following the Romulan War several years later.<ref name="ENT98"/>

===Vulcan Isolationist Movement===
A small group of radicals, the [[Vulcan Isolationist Movement]] believed that contact with alien cultures had polluted Vulcan culture and destroyed the Vulcan way of life. While widely regarded as a fringe movement, the group's membership grew in the late 24th century. Some Federation officials were concerned that the group may have had ties to the Romulan government. Regardless, group members showed that they were willing to employ terrorist tactics to further their cause.<ref name="TNG256"/><ref name="TNG257"/>

{{Clear}}
==Image Gallery==
<gallery mode="nolines">
vulcan_surface-ent-79.jpg|Vulcan surface, 2154 ({{ENT79}})
vulcan_fire_plains-ent-79.jpg|Fire Plains ({{ENT79}})
vulcans_forge-ent-83.jpg|The Forge ({{ENT83}})
vulcan_high_command-ent-85.jpg|Vulcan High Command ({{ENT85}})
vulcan_surface-tos-34.jpg|Vulcan surface, 2267 ({{TOS34}})
vulcan_surface-tos-34-2.jpg|Vulcan surface, 2267 ({{TOS34}})
vulcan_surface_1-st01.jpg|Vulcan surface, 2273 ({{ST01}})
vulcan_surface_2-st01.jpg|Vulcan surface, 2273 ({{ST01}})
vulcan_surface_3-st01.jpg|Vulcan surface, 2273 ({{ST01}})
vulcan_surface-st-03.jpg|Vulcan surface, 2285 ({{ST03}})
</gallery>

{{References}}
<references>
<ref name="TOS01">{{RefTOS01}}</ref>
<ref name="TOS05">{{RefTOS05}}</ref>
<ref name="TOS09">{{RefTOS09}}</ref>
<ref name="TOS13">{{RefTOS13}}</ref>
<ref name="TOS34">{{RefTOS34}}</ref>
<ref name="TOS48">{{RefTOS48}}</ref>
<ref name="TOS77">{{RefTOS77}}</ref>
<ref name="TAS03">{{RefTAS03}}</ref>
<ref name="ST01">{{RefST01}}</ref>
<ref name="ST03">{{RefST03}}</ref>
<ref name="TNG119">{{RefTNG119}}</ref>
<ref name="TNG208">{{RefTNG208}}</ref>
<ref name="TNG207">{{RefTNG207}}</ref>
<ref name="TNG256">"[[Gambit, Part I (Episode)|Gambit, Part I]]." ''[[Star Trek: The Next Generation]],'' episode 256. Television. 11 October 1993.</ref>
<ref name="TNG257">"[[Gambit, Part II (Episode)|Gambit, Part II]]." ''[[Star Trek: The Next Generation]],'' episode 257. Television. 18 October 1993.</ref>
<ref name="ENT01">{{RefENT01}}</ref>
<ref name="ENT07">{{RefENT07}}</ref>
<ref name="STSC">{{RefSTSC}}</ref>
<ref name="ENT79">"[[Home (Episode)|Home]]." ''[[Star Trek: Enterprise]],'' episode 79. Television. 22 October 2004.</ref>
<ref name="ENT83">"[[The Forge (Episode)|The Forge]]." ''[[Star Trek: Enterprise]],'' episode 83. Television. 19 November 2004.</ref>
<ref name="ENT84">"[[Awakening (Episode)|Awakening]]." ''[[Star Trek: Enterprise]],'' episode 84. Television. 26 November 2004.</ref>
<ref name="ENT85">"[[Kir'shara (Episode)|''Kir'shara'']]." ''[[Star Trek: Enterprise]],'' episode 85. Television. 3 December 2004.</ref>
<ref name="ENT89">"[[United (Episode)|United]]." ''[[Star Trek: Enterprise]],'' episode 89. Television. 4 February 2005.</ref>
<ref name="ENT97">"[[Terra Prime (Episode)|Terra Prime]]." ''[[Star Trek: Enterprise]],'' episode 97. Television. 13 May 2005.</ref>
<ref name="ENT98">{{RefENT98}}</ref>
<ref name="ST11">{{RefST11}}</ref>
</references>
[[Category:Library]]
[[Category:Astrometrics]]
[[Category:Beta Quadrant]]
[[Category:Planets]]
[[Category:Class M Planets]]
[[Category:Federation Planets]]
[[Category:Vulcan]]
[[Category:TOS]]
[[Category:TAS]]
[[Category:TNG]]
[[Category:DS9]]
[[Category:VOY]]
[[Category:ENT]]
[[Category:DSC]]
[[Category:Film]]
[[Category:Books]]
[[Category:Prime Timeline]]
[[Category:Featured article]]