The OK Corral was a space station that existed within the Badlands by the 24th century.
Overview[]
This facility was believed to have started life as a space station, though its true origins were unknown. What was known was that it was ancient and was built within the turbulent plasma storms of the Badlands region. Some believed that it might have been created before the formation of the massive cloud. The Maquis, who were known to have operated near the station at one point, called it the OK Corral. The station had been hit so many times over the years by plasma blasts that it had developed a repulsion effect, in the sense that the plasma actually stayed away from the station. This left it as nothing more than a black hulk that floated in the storm, with the damage being so extensive that it was difficult to determine the construction material that was used to build the station.
In appearance, the structure was a spidery construct that hung in the Badlands magenta-brown haze where the plasma discharges illuminated the spider-like "legs", which were broken spokes coming out of the central hub. It was suspected that in its prime, the OK Corral would have been bigger than Deep Space 9, though it was built in a similar gyroscopic design. Whilst these were similar traits that it had shared with the Nor-class stations, the OK Corral seemed more otherworldly, which suited its bizarre surroundings. A closer view of the structure revealed that it was more lopsided and looked like a pitted asteroid than a creation of an intelligent civilization. A gaping crater inside the structure looked as if something had taken a huge bite out of the central hub, which left a blackened hollow wreck that was large enough for a Sovereign-class starship to fly through. This area was equally capable of being used as a docking area and harbor for Marauder-class vessels. The cross section of the devastated space station was complete with decks, chambers and bays, giving it the appearance of a massive burnt honeycomb.
History[]
In 2373, the Starfleet infiltration team on the Orb of Peace journeyed into the Badlands, where they arrived at the OK Corral. At the time, a gang of Ferengi smugglers and Orion pirates used the structure. A disguised Captain Jean-Luc Picard was reminded that the stations appearance was similar to the ancient burial mounds he had seen in North America on Earth, in that it was beaten into something natural by the elements and yet was unmistakably a work of an intelligent race who knew of artistry. Picard promised to himself that once the Dominion War was over, he would visit the OK Corral again in order to study the ancient artifact.
After meeting the aggressive smugglers and pirates at the base, the crew of the Orb of Peace claimed that they were returning to Bajor and required information, to which the occupants of the OK Corral agreed to meet them. (DS9 - The Dominion War novel: Behind Enemy Lines)