The Azure Nebula
The Azure Nebula was a Class 11 nebula located on a border of the Federation and the Klingon Empire. The nebular gases it was composed of included oxygen, argon, theta-xenon, fluorine, and sirillium. (VOY episode & novelization: Flashback)
The nebula was created in 2168 by the supernova explosion of the star which was charted as FGC-SR37-758. Until the nova occurred, the star was orbited by the planet Erigol, the homeworld of the Caeliar civilization. That explosion also created a series of subspace passages leading to numerous points across and beyond the Milky Way galaxy. (ST - Destiny novel: Gods of Night)
In 2293, the USS Excelsior encountered a Klingon battle cruiser commanded by Captain Kang during an attempt to rescue Captain James T. Kirk from Klingon custody. The Excelsior escaped when Captain Hikaru Sulu ignited the nebula's sirillium gas. (VOY episode & novelization: Flashback)
In 2381, the Borg began using the Azure Nebula's subspace tunnel network to invade Federation space. The Starfleet starships USS Enterprise and USS Aventine eventually discovered this network, and called for an allied armada to gather in the Azure Nebula against an anticipated Borg invasion. The USS Titan also independently located the other terminus of subspace tunnels by unintentionally uncovering the hidden planet New Erigol by detecting the high-energy byproducts of the tunnels. By extrapolating the energy pulses, Chief Tactical Officer Tuvok determined that one path intercepted the nebula. While the vessels were investigating the network, an armada of over 7,000 Borg vessels entered the Alpha Quadrant through the Azure Nebula, attacking an assembled fleet of more than 300 vessels. The USS Voyager was the only ship of that group to survive the conflict. (ST - Destiny novel: Mere Mortals)
The Azure Nebula was also the place where the Borg Collective met its final end. The Caeliar city ship Axion used its Omega molecule generator to lure the entire Borg armada to the Azure Nebula. The Caeliar then proceeded to dismantle the Collective, freeing trillions of Drones in the process. (ST - Destiny novel: Lost Souls)
- The top-view map projection of Star Charts places the Azure Nebula within Federation territory near Klingon space. "Flashback" and "Star Trek: Destiny" further establish that the nebula touches arms of the Klingon Empire and the Romulan Star Empire.
External links
- Azure Nebula article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.