Vulcan

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Myriad Universes: Vulcan
Vulcan
Vulcan (TOS 34)

Vulcan (TOS 34)
Official Name Confederacy of Surak[1]
Affiliation United Federation of Planets[2]
Class M[3][1]
Natural Satellites None,[4] but shared its orbit with T'Khut[5][6][1]
Points of Interest Fire Plains,[7] The Forge,[8] Mount Seleya,[9] ShiKahr,[5][8] Vulcana Regar,[10] Vulcan Science Academy[11]
Notable Species Vulcans,[2] Sehlats,[3] Le-Matyas[5]
Notable Individuals Surak,[12] Soval,[13] Sarek,[3] Spock,[2] T'Lar[9]
Notable Events Time of Awakening[14]
First Appearance  •  Mentioned: TOS 05 (8 Sep 1966)
 •  Appeared: TOS 34 (15 Sep 1967)
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The second planet orbiting 40 Eridani A in the Vulcan Sector (aka Sector 005) in the Beta Quadrant,[1] and well known as a hot, desert world, Vulcan nevertheless became the cradle for not just one, but two major starfaring civilizations.

Environment

Vulcan was a hot, dense world with little water and a comparatively thin atmosphere.[3] Humans engaged in strenuous physical activity require the aid of a medication, such as a tri-ox compound, to endure alongside their Vulcan companions.[3] Temperatures are high on Vulcan.[3]

Vulcan did have large bodies of water,[15] though Vulcan remained primarily a desert world,[3] marked by mountainous terrain, semi-barren plains, and many active volcanoes, geysers, hot springs, and other geological phenomena.[6]

Geography

Major cities on Vulcan included ShiKahr,[5] and Vulcana Regar.[10] Another important location was Mount Seleya.[9] Much of Vulcan's surface was covered in deserts and sharp mountain ranges.[3][6][9][8] Perhaps one of the most famous of these areas was the Forge,[8] which was home to powerful electromagnetic fields that could disrupt sensors and even cause electrically-charged sandstorms, known as "sandfires," with lightning discharges powerful enough to kill a humanoid.[8]

History & Government

Despite some misconceptions by non-Vulcans,[16] Vulcan was never conquered "within its collective memory."[17] Vulcan was once divided among many nation states prior to the Time of Awakening, when Surak brought logic and reason to Vulcan.[12][8] 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 strikes in their bid to conquer Vulcan,[14] 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.[18]

Over time, the Vulcan High Command, which initially was tasked only with space exploration, took over all functions of the government.[8] By the mid-22nd century, the Vulcans in charge of the High Command felt a sense of superiority to other races,[18] and routinely lied, withheld information, and meddled in the affairs of other races.[13][19] These Vulcans, particularly Administrator V'Las, were insular, suspicious, and not wholly devoted to Surak's teachings. Indeed, when the 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.[8][14][18]

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.[20] The new government instituted in the wake of the Syrranite reforms[20] was formed less than a decade later.[21] While anyone was able to run for office, the system—like the High Command before it—was essentially a meritocracy, with only the best and wisest being chosen.[18]

Conflicts

Romulans

Vulcan's most enduring conflict was with the Romulans, or "those who marched beneath the raptor's wings,"[14] who left Vulcan during the Time of Awakening. During the V'Las administration, the Vulcan High Command was infiltrated by Romulans.[18] Vulcan was allied with Earth and the other members of the Coalition of Planets during the Romulan War,[22][23] but the genetic link connecting Vulcans and Romulans didn't become general knowledge until 2266.[22] 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.[24][25]

Andorians

The Vulcan High Command came into conflict with the Andorian Empire for more than a century, as their two home systems wre very near one another.[19] This conflict came to a head in the 2150s,[18] ending with the Syrranite reforms, the formation of the Coalition of Planets,[23] and the subsequent foundation of the Federation following the Romulan War several years later.[21]

Vulcan Isolationist Movement

A small group of radicals, the Vulcan Isolationist Movement believes that contact with alien cultures has 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.[15][26]

Image Gallery


Notes and References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Mandel, Geoffrey. Star Trek: Star Charts. Pocket Books, 2002.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 Roddenberry, Gene (Executive Producer). "The Cage". Star Trek, season 0, episode 0 (Production number 01). Directed by Robert Butler. Written by Gene Roddenberry. Released 1986. Desilu Productions. 1965.
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 Roddenberry, Gene (Executive Producer). "Amok Time." Star Trek, Season 2, Episode 5. Directed by Joseph Pevney. Written by Theodore Sturgeon. Desilu Productions, 15 September 1967.
  4. Roddenberry, Gene (Executive Producer). "The Enemy Within". Star Trek, season 1, episode 5 (Production number 05). Directed by Leo Penn. Written by Richard Matheson. Desilu Productions. 6 October 1966.
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Scheimer, Lou & Norm Prescott (Producers). "Yesteryear". Star Trek: The Animated Series, season 1, episode 2 (Production number 03). Directed by Hal Sutherland. Written by D.C. Fontana. Filmation Associates. 15 September1973.
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 Roddenberry, Gene (Producer). Star Trek: The Motion Picture. Directed by Robert Wise. Story by Alan Dean Foster. Screenplay by Harold Livingston. Paramount Pictures. 7 December 1979.
  7. "Home." Star Trek: Enterprise, episode 79. Television. 22 October 2004.
  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 8.6 8.7 "The Forge." Star Trek: Enterprise, episode 83. Television. 19 November 2004.
  9. 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 Bennett, Harve (Producer). Star Trek III: The Search for Spock. Directed by Leonard Nimoy. Written by Harve Bennett. Paramount Pictures. 1 June 1984.
  10. 10.0 10.1 Roddenberry, Gene (Executive Producer). "Coming of Age". Star Trek: The Next Generation, season 1, episode 19 (Production number 119). Co-Executive Producers: Rick Berman & Maurice Hurley. Directed by Mike Vejar. Written by Sandy Fries & Hannah Louise Shearer (Uncredited). Paramount Pictures. 14 March 1988.
  11. Abrams, J.J. & Damon Lindelof (Producers). Star Trek. Directed by J.J. Abrams. Written by Roberto Orci & Alex Kurtzman. Paramount Pictures. 8 May 2009.
  12. 12.0 12.1 Roddenberry, Gene (Executive Producer/Story and Teleplay) and Freiberger, Fred (Producer). "The Savage Curtain." Star Trek, Season 3, Episode 22. Directed by Herschel Daugherty. Teleplay by Arthur Heinemann. Paramount Pictures Corporation, 7 March 1969.
  13. 13.0 13.1 Berman, Rick & Brannon Braga (Executive Producers). "Broken Bow". Enterprise, season 1, episode 1-2 (Production number 01-02). Directed by James Conway. Written by Rick Berman & Brannon Braga. Paramount Pictures. 26 September 2001.
  14. 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 "Awakening." Star Trek: Enterprise, episode 84. Television. 26 November 2004.
  15. 15.0 15.1 "Gambit, Part I." Star Trek: The Next Generation, episode 256. Television. 11 October 1993.
  16. Roddenberry, Gene (Executive Producer). "The Conscience of the King." Star Trek, Season 1, Episode 13 (Production 13). Directed by Gerd Oswald. Written by Barry Trivers. Desilu Productions, 8 December 1966.
  17. Roddenberry, Gene (Executive Producer). "The Immunity Syndrome." Star Trek, Season 2, Episode 19. Directed by Joseph Pevney. Written by Robert Sabaroff. Desilu Productions, 19 January 1968.
  18. 18.0 18.1 18.2 18.3 18.4 18.5 "Kir'shara." Star Trek: Enterprise, episode 85. Television. 3 December 2004.
  19. 19.0 19.1 Berman, Rick & Brannon Braga (Executive Producers). "The Andorian Incident". Enterprise, season 1, episode 7 (Production number 07). Directed by Roxann Dawson. Story by Rick Berman, Brannon Braga & Fred Dekker. Teleplay by Fred Dekker. Paramount Pictures. 31 October 2001.
  20. 20.0 20.1 "United." Star Trek: Enterprise, episode 89. Television. 4 February 2005.
  21. 21.0 21.1 Berman, Rick et al (Executive Producers). "These Are the Voyages…". Star Trek: Enterprise, season 4, episode 22 (Production number 98). Directed by Allan Kroeker. Written by Rick Berman & Brannon Braga. Paramount Pictures. 13 May 2005.
  22. 22.0 22.1 Roddenberry, Gene (Executive Producer). "Balance of Terror". Star Trek, season 1, episode 14 (Production number 09). Directed by Vincent McEveety. Written by Paul Schneider. Desilu Productions. 15 December 1966.
  23. 23.0 23.1 "Terra Prime." Star Trek: Enterprise, episode 97. Television. 13 May 2005.
  24. Roddenberry, Gene et al (Executive Producers). "Unification I". Star Trek: The Next Generation, season 5, episode 7 (Production number 208). Directed by Les Landau. Story by Rick Berman and Michael Piller. Teleplay by Jeri Taylor. Paramount Pictures. 4 November 1991.
  25. Roddenberry, Gene et al (Executive Producers). "Unification II". Star Trek: The Next Generation, season 5, episode 8 (Production number 207). Directed by Cliff Bole. Story by Rick Berman and Michael Piller. Teleplay by Michael Piller. Paramount Pictures. 11 November 1991.
  26. "Gambit, Part II." Star Trek: The Next Generation, episode 257. Television. 18 October 1993.