| This article or subsection has an associated category. | Capella IV |
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- For other uses, see Capella.
Capella IV (also known as Ceres or Alpha Aurigae IV) is a class M planet, the fourth planet in the Alpha Aurigae star system, governed by the Ten Tribes of Capella and is home to the Capellan civilization. (ST reference: Star Charts)
History[]
The planet was discovered in 2188, by the USS Argonaut. (Decipher RPG module: Worlds)
USS Constitution remapped and resurveyed Capella IV in 2259 using new spectrographic and geological sensors and found easily-accessible veins of topaline. (Decipher RPG module: Worlds)
The inhabitants are believed to be the descendents of the USS Ceres expedition which crashed on Capella 100 years prior (ST reference: The Worlds of the Federation)
Some Federation anthropologists, on the other hand believe Preservers or Sargon’s people seeded the Capellans on their planet. (Decipher RPG module: Worlds)
Since they were already aware of the existence of the Federation, without being warp capable, Capella IV is considered a grey area of the Prime Directive. Starfleet Medical was under Federation Charter allowed to provide limited medical aid to them. (TOS novel: The Autobiography of James T. Kirk; TOS movie: The Captain's Oath)
Because of Capella IV's strategic location along the Klingon-Federation border, both sides have made visits to the planet. After the Federation's first contact, Starfleet Medical sent a medical relief mission to the planet that ended around 2265. Doctor Leonard McCoy considered the mission to be a failure, and confessed that he did not enjoy his time there. (TOS episode: "Friday's Child", TOS novel: Enterprise)
In 2267, Teer Akaar was killed by his rival Maab with Klingon help. However, it was with the effort of Captain James T. Kirk and the crew of the USS Enterprise that the Klingons plan to subvert the planet failed. Shortly after departing the system, the Enterprise was recalled to repel full Klingon invasion. Not satisfied with defeat, the local Klingon commander resolved to take the planet by force. However, Kirk employed a third of the Enterprise's crew in a violent ground battle on the planet's surface and successfully held off the Klingon ground forces for a time. Ultimately, the battle was halted on orders from Klingon General Kellen, who had come to Capella to seek Kirk's aid in averting an invasion by an unknown alien force. In order to secure Kirk's cooperation, Kellen freely ceded Capella to the Federation and agreed to work toward a lasting peace treaty between the Federation and the Klingon Empire. (TOS novel: First Strike)
That same year Capella became a Federation protectorate. (ST reference: Star Charts)
Following the Teer's death, rule of the Ten Tribes fell onto Akaar's infant son, Leonard James Akaar. Akaar's widow Eleen ruled as regent until their son came of age. (TOS episode: "Friday's Child"; TOS novel: First Strike)
As regent, Eleen signed a treaty allowing the Federation to establish a topaline mining colony on Capella IV, at their request in exchange for providing the Capellans annually one metric tons each of castrodinium and trititanium along with instructions for using them to manufacture bladed mêlée weapons. (ST reference: Federation: The First 150 Years)
In 2272, a coup engineered by a man named Keel forced the young ruler and his mother into off-world exile. Despite their exile, Eleen financed the construction of the huge monument known as the Tomb of Leonard James Akaar (Built while he was still alive, in accordance with Capellan tradition) on Capella IV, in order to let everyone know who had the rightful claim on the planetary throne. (ST - The Lost Era novel: The Sundered, DS9 - Mission Gamma novels: Twilight, Cathedral, DS9 - Worlds of DS9 - Volume Two novel: Trill: Unjoined
In 2371, a Ferengi friend of Nog's claimed to have authentic, quality weapons from Capella IV. (DS9 comic: "The Rules of Diplomacy")
In 2376, Admiral Akaar told General Lenaris Holem about living on Capella. (DS9 - Mission Gamma novel: Lesser Evil)
By the year 2380, the 113 year old Leonard James Akaar, who by this time was serving as an Admiral in Starfleet, still lived in exile from his throne and birthworld. (ST novel: Articles of the Federation)
In 2380, Capella had a population of about 160,000. (ST reference: Star Charts)
In 2409, Aakar visited Aelas IV. The tribal culture of the Aelasans reminded the admiral of his homeworld. (STO - Romulan Mystery mission: "Saturday's Child")
Geography[]
| the planet Capella IV | |
|---|---|
| cities and settlements | Akaar (city) • Akan • Chaan • Garas • Heruth • Krelon • Lantar (city) • Maab (city) • Moran • Raal (city) • Tolaan • Zogal |
| landmarks and institutions | Capella IV Climatology Outpost • Capella IV Federation Embassy • Capella IV Klingon Embassy • Capella IV Polar Outpost |
| geography | Chalteer Mountains • Desertwell Mountains • Desert of Soreb • Goraan Mountains • Ranaal Badlands • Togrea Mountains • Vako Highlands |
| bodies of water | Ashira Sea • Greshor Sea • Zanr Sea |
Appendices[]
Background[]
Capella IV first appeared in TOS episode: "Friday's Child", named according to planetary notation as the fourth planet in the Capella system, a real-life astronomical location. The Star Trek 3 novelization by James Blish used the name planet Ceres that was an original part of the episode script, noting that the planet was named after the asteroid Ceres in the Sol system, and that the inhabitants were thought to be descended from the remains of a "centuries old" Human colony. The TOS reference: The Worlds of the Federation by Shane Johnson clarified that Capella IV was indeed in the real life Alpha Aurigae system, and that the Ceres name was thought to have been derived from the USS Ceres starship lost in the vicinity.
Connections[]
External link[]
- Capella IV article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.