Octavius IV was a planet, the fourth planet of the Octavius system, located in the galaxy's Alpha or Beta Quadrants. It may have been the homeworld of the ancient, advanced Dombraatu civilization.
History and specifics[]
Octavius IV appeared green and blue from orbit, with some cloud cover. Terrain was replete with dense jungles, as well as streams, caves, and hollows. Lifeforms included aquatic invertebrates, flowering vines, trees, moss, shrubs, grass, edible stalks similar to sugar cane, and a plant that produced berries containing a compound that dissolved organic compounds. A notable species were Octavius IV creatures, a mammoth, tentacled, non-sapient animal.
Complex hieroglyphs found on rock faces in the 23rd century matched the language of the extinct Dombraatu. Spock theorized that as most of their civilization departed to colonize other planets, those who remained reverted to more ancient practices, and over time most evidence of their advanced culture was lost.
In the 2260s decade, Starfleet conducted a long-range sensor study of the world. It found neither seismic activity nor complex lifeforms, but did detect mineral deposits in its crust that could interfere with long-range data collection.
In the year 2268, the Federation starship USS Enterprise conducted a survey of the planet. James T. Kirk, Spock, Leonard McCoy, Hikaru Sulu, Autry, Ellis, Ferriter, Selena Karras, Margolis and Owens beamed to the surface. Landing parties had to materialize in a stream as it was the only level and open area in a region of dense jungle. One of the Octavius IV creatures poisoned Spock, prompting an emergency return to the ship. But a cave-in trapped Autry, Kirk, Karras, and Owens, who no longer appeared on sensors – and then the ship was forced to break orbit to answer a distress call from Beta Cabrini IV. The landing party escaped into a hollow depression, near a Dombraatu map showing sites where the creatures were located and how to treat the poison, and eventually made it back to the jungle, surviving for a few days until the Enterprise returned. (TOS novel: Legacy)