- For other uses, see Argus.
Argus IV was once a planet, now only asteroidal debris, located in the Argus system near Federation space in the Argus sector and treaty boundary quadrant 0 of the galaxy's Alpha Quadrant.
History and specifics[]
Argus IV had a blue-colored sky. Lifeforms included thick vegetation along with green, bat-like animals that hung from tree branches. It was located 58 parsecs from Starbase 22.
In the 23rd century a mining colony was established on Argus IV by Max Vargas and staffed by two or three dozen Humans. Using a crane, the colony quarried a stable form of thermium into slabs. The mining rights were worth a fortune.
In 2274, earthquakes began to disrupt mining operations, and Vargas requested Federation assistance. By the time the starship USS Enterprise arrived, increasing tremors had toppled the colony's transmitter and prompted Vargas to sell his mining rights to Harry Mudd.
As seismic probes reported quake activity at 12 on the Richter scale, James T. Kirk evacuated the miners to the Enterprise. From orbit, the crew witnessed a gigantic Argus IV creature emerge from the planet's core, crumbling its crust like an eggshell. In a panic, Mudd hastily sold the mining rights back to Vargas, not realizing that the thermium would be easier to mine from orbital debris. (TOS comic: "It's a Living")