A camel was a large animal lifeform native to the planet Earth.
History and specifics[]
Camels were noted for their extreme endurance in desert climates and for the distinctive hump or humps on their backs. Humans used camels as a mode of transportation.
The 20th century British aircraft Sopwith Camel was named for the animal. (TOS novelization: Shore Leave; TOS novel: How Much for Just the Planet?)
People rode camels starting thousands of years ago in Earth's history. (TOS episode: "The City on the Edge of Forever", TOS - Crucible novel: Provenance of Shadows, ENT episode: "Storm Front")
Camels were capable of storing large amounts food. Camels, huskies and goo-jibs were among the animals used as beasts of burden or transportation in harsh climates. (TNG novel: A Rock and a Hard Place)
They had a peculiar side-to-side gait. Quark noted it when he rode on a camel in a holosuite program. Leonard McCoy recognized it while riding a vykar on Sarpeidon. (DS9 - Rebels novel: The Courageous, TOS novel: Time for Yesterday)
Larpas resembled camels except that they had six legs. (TOS novel: The Cry of the Onlies)
The dinosaur ankylosaurus had a nose like a camel's. (TOS novel: First Frontier)
The Camel asteroid has formations resembling camel humps. (TOS comic: "The Trial of Captain Kirk")
In May 1974, 13 hours into a trip to the Chrysalis Project base in India, Roberta Lincoln spotted some grazing camels at a rest stop and was afraid the next leg of her journey would be on camelback. Happily for her, it was by jeep. (ST - The Eugenics Wars novel: The Rise and Fall of Khan Noonien Singh, Volume 1)
In the 2260s, an epidemic on Earth was fatal to camels and several other wildlife species. In 2267, the USS Enterprise was assigned to retrieve some camels from other planets in order to repopulate them on Earth. The crew also brought back members of bear, chimpanzee, hippopotamus, kangaroo, leopard, parrot, platypus, rhinoceros, tiger, turtle and zebra species. (TOS comic: "A Book to Color, third story")
By 2274, years after the disaster on Ceti Alpha V, Khan Noonien Singh more than once wished camels or horses existed on the planet to shorten long trips. (ST - The Eugenics Wars novel: To Reign in Hell: The Exile of Khan Noonien Singh)
In 2279, a space station in orbit of Belle Terre was discovered with frozen humanoids aboard that had several features in common with camels: their noses, large humps, and cloven feet. (TOS - New Earth novel: Belle Terre)
In 2279, a herd of camels on Belle Terre reminded Pavel Chekov of small Asian camels, although he was told that they were a variety from South America with a strong natural resistance to radiation. Biologist Gwen Thee used genetic engineering to improve their resistance (TOS - New Earth novel: Rough Trails)
In 2368, one of Reginald Barclay's favorite holodeck programs on the USS Enterprise-D contained a caravan of camels in the Arabian desert. The program was able to show camel races. (TNG - The Sky's the Limit short story: "Thinking of You")
Expressions[]
- "The straw that broke the camel's back". (TOS novel: Gemini, DS9 novelization: Far Beyond the Stars, ENT novel: The Good That Men Do, CHA novel: Chainmail, TOS - Strange New Worlds 10 short story: "Empty")
- "Trust in Allah but tie your camel." (TOS novels: Vulcan's Forge, Ex Machina)
- "The camel's nose is under the tent." (TOS - Rihannsu novel: Honor Blade)
Related animals[]
- Andorian camel (TOS - The Janus Gate novels: Present Tense, Future Imperfect)
- Camelephant (Fayo)
- Chuchaki (Obsidian)
- Ealix (Thiopa)
- Larpa (Boaco Six)
- Parvonian camel
- Teelak (Harahni)
- Vykar (Sarpeidon)
Appendices[]
Appearances[]
- TOS episode: "The City on the Edge of Forever"
- TOS comic: "A Book to Color, third story"
- ENT episode: "Storm Front"
- ST - The Eugenics Wars novel: The Rise and Fall of Khan Noonien Singh, Volume 1
- TOS - Crucible novel: Provenance of Shadows
- TOS - New Earth novel: Rough Trails
- TNG - The Sky's the Limit short story: "Thinking of You"
References[]
- TOS novel: Time for Yesterday
- TOS novel: The Cry of the Onlies
- TOS novel: First Frontier
- TOS novel: Gemini
- TOS novel: Vulcan's Forge
- TOS novel: Ex Machina
- TOS - Rihannsu novel: Honor Blade
- TOS - New Earth novel: Belle Terre
- ST - The Eugenics Wars novel: To Reign in Hell: The Exile of Khan Noonien Singh
- TNG novel: A Rock and a Hard Place
- DS9 - Rebels novel: The Courageous
- DS9 novelization: Far Beyond the Stars
- ENT novel: The Good That Men Do
- CHA novel: Chainmail
- TOS - Strange New Worlds 10 short story: "Empty"
External links[]
- Camel article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.
- Camel article at Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.