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Coridan III (also called Coridan Prime, or just Coridan) is a class M planet located in the 54 Orionis star system in the Beta Quadrant, and the capital world of the People's Republic of Coridan, as well as the homeworld of the Coridanites. One of the worlds that drew up the charter for the Coalition of Planets in 2155, Coridan withdrew from the alliance before it was signed. (ST reference: Star Charts, ENT episode: "Shadows of P'Jem", ENT novel: The Good That Men Do, TOS episode: "Journey to Babel")
History and specifics[]
Coridan has a cool temperate climate overall and a thin atmosphere. Nine percent of its surface mineral content were industrial crystals. It had a technological/sociopolitical index of 967594-67 and a planetary trade profile of FCAGDEF/B(E). (FASA RPG module: The Federation)
It orbits along the outer edge of its star's habitable zone, making it a colder world, with most of its cities constructed in equatorial regions. It has many mountainous areas. It experiences a greater than average frequency of ice ages. Abundant resources include cobalt, dicobalt, duriliam, deuterium, and titanium. (Decipher RPG module: Worlds)
Coridan had been trading with the Orions for centuries prior to the mid-22nd century. (ENT episode: "Demons")
22nd century[]
In the mid-22nd century, the population of Coridan was roughly 3 billion, most of which was concentrated in several cities in the equatorial region. The capital city was surrounded by a shantytown, and there were almost as many bio-signs outside the city as there were within it. In 2151, the Coridans had the largest starship construction yards in the sector. (ENT novel: The Good That Men Do, ENT episode: "Shadows of P'Jem")
In the 2150s, Coridan was in civil war and an important world in the Vulcan-Andorian Cold War of that era due to its immense deposits of dilithium. Due to its strategic importance, the Coridan government was backed by the Vulcans and the rebel forces by the Andorians. The Vulcans wanted a stable government to ensure its dilithium exports to Vulcan. (ENT episode: "Shadows of P'Jem")
At the founding of the Coalition of Planets in 2155, Coridan opposed a Tellarite-proposed embargo against the Orions, following attacks on their freighters, refusing to believe it on the basis of their centuries of trade with them, calling it slander and an attempt to deprive Coridan of trade. (ENT episode: "Demons")
This issue was a major obstacle to negotiations until an accord on trade sanctions against the Orion Syndicate was reached between the two governments. (ENT novel: The Good That Men Do)
Coridan Prime, as the world was often called, was on the verge of developing Warp-7 technology in 2155. Fearing that such an advancement in technology would give the Coalition of Planets the upper hand in the conflict that was brewing between the Coalition and the Romulan Star Empire and to prevent such advances from spreading to other Coalition worlds, the Romulan Empire launched a vicious attack on Coridan, flying a vessel into the planet at maximum warp. The explosion mixed with Coridan's abundance of dilithium, causing a fireball that spread across the planet, killing approximately half its population of three billion. The planet's surface was turned into an inferno of burning dilithium, consuming at least half of the planet's dilithium reserves and devastating its ecosystem for at least a century. Fearing further Romulan attacks, Coridan withdrew from the very Coalition it helped form. (ENT novel: The Good That Men Do)
After the founding of the Federation in 2161, Andorians and Vulcans were bound by Federation law and the Prime Directive to cease their direct influence on Coridan's affairs, though they and other Federation members, such as the Tellarites, continued to trade with them. Without the support of alien powers, Coridan fell once again into civil war. (Decipher RPG module: Worlds)
The planet's population was further depleted by these civil wars, which continued even after the Romulan attack. (ENT novel: The Good That Men Do)
23rd century[]
Coridan's population remained small even until 2267, and the planet somewhat underdeveloped. (TOS episode: "Journey to Babel")
The Orion Syndicate took advantage of Coridan's collapse and vulnerability, and by the time things had stabilized in the 23rd century, one-sided trade agreements were widespread and a number of secret and illegal dilithium mines were in operation, all funded, constructed and manned by Orions working out of Rigel, to the point that it was standard business practice. (Decipher RPG module: Worlds)
From their mines, Orions were raiding and smuggling dilithium out of the Coridan system in the 2260s. (TOS episode: "Journey to Babel", Last Unicorn RPG module: All Our Yesterdays: The Time Travel Sourcebook, FASA RPG module: The Orions: Book of Common Knowledge, ST reference: The Worlds of the Federation)
A number of Federation worlds also had advantageous but conflicting interests in Coridan, with both the Tellarites and some Orion members possessing secret dilithium mines on Coridan IX, where dilithium had recently been discovered. (ST reference: Star Trek Maps, Decipher RPG module: Worlds, ST reference: The Worlds of the Federation)
The situation had become so bad that, in 2267, Coridan (and from Sarek's reference to "planets", other worlds or colonies in the system/sector) had petitioned the United Federation of Planets for membership, so that it could become subject to Federation law and have its rights to its own mineral resources protected. However, the extent of alien involvement in Coridan's affairs, by Orions, Tellarites and other Federation worlds, made the issue of its membership highly questionable, enough that a full Babel Conference was called in 2268 (stardate 3850.3, or reference stardate 2/0902) to discuss the matter. (TOS episode: "Journey to Babel", ST reference: The Worlds of the Federation, Decipher RPG module: Worlds)
The USS Enterprise was assigned to transport Federation delegates to the planet Babel, including Ambassador Sarek of Vulcan, who was intending to vote for Coridan's admission to the Federation. To protect their operations in Coridan, the Orions attempted to sabotage the conference, with the Orion Syndicate making an attack. (Decipher RPG module: Worlds, FASA RPG module: The Orions: Book of Common Knowledge)
Their aim was to spread suspicion and possibly interplanetary war between the Federation worlds, while they continued to steal from Coridan and supply dilithium to all sides. Meanwhile, Sarek suffered a heart attack during the journey. The Orions were prevented from interfering in the voyage of the Enterprise to Babel, and Doctor Leonard McCoy was able to successfully operate on Sarek. Sarek recovered sufficiently to speak during the following debates and vote for admission. Sarek was later credited with helping to bring Coridan into the Federation. (TOS episode: "Journey to Babel"; TNG episode: "Sarek")
Orion and Tellarite members voted against the admission, without success. (ST reference: The Worlds of the Federation)
In 2270, a number of dilithium crystal shipments from the planet were hijacked. (FASA RPG module: Margin of Profit)
- FASA RPG supplements claim Coridan is a Federation protectorate after the events of Journey to Babel. Last Unicorn RPG and Decipher RPG supplements further describe Coridan as cold and dry, with a chronically corrupt government.
24th century[]
By the late 24th century, Coridan was fully integrated into the Federation and participating in galactic affairs, with its people joining Starfleet and trading far and wide. However, despite Starfleet’s best efforts, there remained a criminal element on Coridan, with Orion Syndicate activities hidden in several cities. Coridan had a reputation among the core worlds of the Federation as the best place to contact the underworld or obtain illegal items. Meanwhile, the Ferengi trade with Coridan was on the rise. (Decipher RPG module: Worlds)
As of 2378, Coridan's population was listed as 185 million. (ST reference: Star Charts)
Robin Lefler and her family lived on Coridan sometime prior to 2353. There, young Robin befriended a girl named LaShaundra. (NF short story: "Lefler's Logs")
During the Dominion War, a Dominion warship commanded by Gelnon planned an attack on Coridan's dilithium mines. (DS9 episode: "One Little Ship")
Splinter timeline[]
In 2376, Coridan began trading with Bajor. Asarem Wadeen believed the trade of dilithium would help usher in a new era of Bajoran colonization. (DS9 novel: Bajor: Fragments and Omens)
In 2381 of the First Splinter timeline, Coridan Prime was among the core worlds of the United Federation of Planets targeted for extermination by the Borg Collective. After the invasion was over, Coridan lay in ruins, but 100 million people survived. After some time they started to rebuild their home. (ST - Destiny novel: Lost Souls)
25th century[]
In 2409, Coridan Prime was the location of a trade conference. (Star Trek Online)
Geography[]
Landmasses[]
- Carran • Northev • Rathan • Skypeak • Tessen Continent
Geographic features[]
- Argonih Mountains • Bendacon Mountains • Bralgon Mountains • Doreas Mountains • Jorinal Canyon • Parsilon Mountains • Rakkar Mountains
Bodies of water[]
- Burning Sea • Darial Sea • East Ocean • Glacier Bay • North Ocean • South Ocean • Sea of Ristahn
Cities and settlements[]
- Cordas • Dralin • Gerad • Keldr • Mardan • Redaleo
Landmarks[]
Appendices[]
Connections[]
References[]
External link[]
- Coridan III article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.