- For the shuttlecraft, see Comet (USS Robinson).
A comet is a type of celestial body that is composed of rock and ice, and is usually found to be orbiting a star. If a comet orbits too close to a star, then the increased heat causes the comet's more volatile components to sublimate, shedding its mass, and creating a coma and/or "tail".
Like asteroids and meteors, comets were made of material left over from the formation of a solar system. (TOS - Star Trek Annual 1986 comic: "Star Facts 1")
History[]
Sometime after the events put in motion by Quinn in the 20th century (for his friend Maury Ginsberg, D.D.S.), the controversial Q was banished inside a comet until the 24th century. (VOY episode: "Death Wish")
In June 2151, the Earth starship Enterprise discovered the largest comet that had yet been discovered by Humans, and was named Archer's Comet after Enterprise captain, Jonathan Archer. (ENT episode: "Breaking the Ice"; TNG novel: A Time to Sow; ST reference: Star Charts)
In 2265, when Sanduy's Comet made its historic closest approach to the planet Nukolee, it triggered meteorite showers that expelled unidentified gases into the atmosphere, triggering random occurrences of madness among the population. (TOS comic: "A World Gone Mad")
In late 2266, the area near the Icarus IV comet was the focus of a battle between the ChR Gal Gath'thong and the Federation starship USS Enterprise. (TOS episode: "Balance of Terror"; TOS novel: The Return; CCG set: The Trouble with Tribbles)
In 2267, Leonard McCoy and Montgomery Scott entered the tail of Sanduy's Comet in spacesuits to collect toxic gas samples. McCoy was inadvertently exposed, triggering two bouts of temporary madness. However, he was able to synthesize an antigen to the gases. (TOS comic: "A World Gone Mad")
A rogue comet passed through the Gamma Hydra system. The planet Gamma Hydra IV passed directly through the path of this comet, and residue from its tail was later discovered to contain radiation. In 2267, exposure to this radiation resulted in rapid aging among a science team on the planet’s surface and a landing party from the Enterprise. (TOS episode & novelization: The Deadly Years) The comet might have been Icarus IV, which was known to orbit that system. (ST reference: Star Charts)
The orbit of a Bajoran comet known as The Messenger brought it close to Bajor at 2,000-year intervals, producing volcanoes and widespread devastation to the planet's surface, and forcing Bajorans into caverns for their survival. In 2370, the comet returned. Jadzia Dax used the shields from three Runabouts to alter the comet's trajectory and prevent an apocalypse on Bajor. (DS9 comic: "Dax's Comet")
In 2371, a mining expedition from Pluto LaGrangian colonies discovered the battle-damaged USS Defiant frozen in a comet in the Oort cloud. It had been there for nearly 5,000 years. (DS9 - Invasion! novel: Time's Enemy)
In 2373, the USS Enterprise-E detected a class-2 comet while conducting a patrol of the Romulan Neutral Zone. (TNG movie: First Contact)
- Throughout the seven seasons of "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine", a comet flies past at the start of the opening credits.
In fiction[]
In the 20th century Earth science fiction series The Adventures of Captain Proton, Dr. Chaotica refit hundreds of captured Earth spaceships on a comet in a comet ring in the outer Sol system. After being thwarted, he attempted to escape by flying his ship into a comet's tail. Buster Kincaid said that no ship had ever survived traveling through a comet's tail, but Captain Proton's rocket ship pursued. (VOY - Captain Proton: Defender of the Earth novella: The Adventures of Captain Proton, Chapter Two: Death of the Patrol)
Comets[]
- Archer's Comet
- Comet Alpha
- Comet Burke
- Driffen's Comet
- Halley's Comet
- Icarus IV
- The Messenger
- Nahanas
- Sanduy's Comet
- Sword of Stars
Connections[]
multiverse • universe • galaxy | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Galactic regions: | quadrant • sector • cluster • nebula • star system | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
System bodies: | star • planet • planetoid • dwarf planet • moon • asteroid • meteoroid • comet |
Appendices[]
External links[]
- Comet article at Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
- Comet article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.