Ring system

Ring system of planet Ferasa II.

Salia and Wesley Crusher in the holodeck.

A ring system or planetary ring is an accretion of ice and dust that has settled into a flattened disk around a planet.

Examples

Saturn's ring system is 270,000 km wide, tilted 27° from the planet's orbital plane, and composed of dust and ice particles up to several meters in size. In 2020, Saturn's deteriorating ring system was explored by Colonel Shaun Christopher. (Last Unicorn RPG module: A Cadet's Guide to Sector 001 Earth, TOS novel: The Rings of Time)

Pollux V's ring formed from debris after the planet's moon shattered thousands of years ago. (TOS video game: 25th Anniversary mission: "Demon World")

Radiation from planet Numero Uno's ring system forced the warring Unoites to live in artificial satellites, but did serve to halt the war. In 2266, the inhabitants' leaders tricked the crew of the starship USS Enterprise into removing the rings so they could continue fighting. (TOS comic: "The Ghost Planet")

A notable ring surrounded the Giant Brain asteroid discovered in 2267. (TOS comic: "The Brain-Damaged Planet")

In 2268, debris from destroyed planets in the Tautee system formed a ring system around its star. (TOS novel: The Rings of Tautee)

In 2279, while investigating a ringed planet in the Fortenue system, an asteroid impacted the two-man shuttlecraft Copernicus. The impact killed Singh and gave Captain Spock amnesia. (TOS comic: "Goodbye to Spock")

After 2293, debris from the destroyed Klingon moon Praxis formed the Praxis Ring around Qo'noS. (DS9 - Millennium novel: The Fall of Terok Nor)

The rings of Idlocana VI were composed of selenium, which decreased sensor efficiency. (LD episode: "Crisis Point")

Uses

First Federation Fesarius-class orbships conducted mining operations in ring systems. (The Official Starships Collection Issue 146: "Fesarius")

In the 24th century, millions toured Saturn's rings each year. The Ring Tours travel agency based on Saturn Station One offered guided tours in which hoppers flew through the ring system. (Last Unicorn RPG module: A Cadet's Guide to Sector 001 Earth)

A colony of agricultural domes known as The Armada were built on the Maltese asteroid belt, a planetary ring. (TNG comic: "Space Seeds")

Starfleet's Newton Outpost research station was built on a shepherd moon within the ring system of Larrisint IV. (DS9 novel: Sacraments of Fire)

The large city of Luthia was built on the ring system of Vanimel. (DS9 - Mission Gamma novel: This Gray Spirit)

Energies within Ba'ku's ring system rejuvenated humanoid life. In 2375, Admiral Matthew Dougherty participated in a conspiracy aimed at collecting the metaphasic energy for the Federation and Son'a in a process that would have destroyed the ring system and violated the Prime Directive. (TNG movie: Insurrection)

In 2409, Klingons built mining stations on the ring of Omar Prime. (STO - Klingon War mission: "Omar System Patrol")

Unusual uses

Thark's artificial ring system.

The fifth planet of a system just outside Klingon Empire territory had a ring system containing frozen methane, diamagnetic dust and isolytic plasma. In 2152, 27 refugees from Raatooras were rescued by Enterprise (NX-01) near the planet, but then they were attacked by the IKS Bortas. Enterprise ignited gas within the ring to disable Bortas and escape. (ENT episode: "Judgment", ENT novel: The Expanse)

In the 23rd century, the planet Thark was defended by an artificial ring of guidance spheroids capable of disabling nearby starships. (TOS comic: "Spheres of War")

Tellarites built an artificial ring system around Kharzh'ulla known as The Ring which functioned as a massive orbital space station. In the 2370s, it served as a shipyard during the Dominion War. (SCE eBook: Ring Around the Sky)

Ring systems

Named rings

Maltese asteroid belt • Praxis Ring • The Ring • Venus Felix

Ringed worlds

20 Draconis III • 20 Draconis IV • Andor • Ba'ku • Bwuja's moon • Camus II • Casperia Prime • Cygnet IV • Defera • Delphic I • Entelior IV • Ferasa II • Gamma II • Giant Brain asteroid • Gravesworld • Heaven • Huranzi II • Idlocana VI • Kaminar • Jupiter • Kharzh'ulla • Koolhaas Prime • Larrisint IV • Lirss Prime • Mariposa • Mixtus III • Motherlode • Mudd • Neptune • Numero Uno • Octif I • Omar Prime • Pico • Priors III • Qo'noS • Ruelas Zone • Saturn • Silica Tare • Talos III • Tantalus V • Terralysium • Thark • Trelkis III • Uranus • Vanimel • Venus (First Splinter timeline) • Yuri • Zeon

Appendices

Images

Rings of Saturn.

Academy trainer craft over Saturn.

Fesarius in a ring system.

class J gas giant Andor.

USS Enterprise-E visits Andor.

USS Intrepid and USS Nikita at Andor.

Andor and its ice moon Andoria.

Defera.

Delphic I.

Delphic I.

20 Draconis III.

20 Draconis IV.

Top view of the ring system of 20 Draconis IV.

Rings of Ba'ku.

Bwuja's ringed moon.

Rings of Cygnet IV.

Rings of Defera.

Moon of Epsilon Draconis III.

Gamma Cygnet planetoid view of ringed planet.

Ring of the Giant Brain asteroid.

Enterprise near a ringed gas giant.

Ferasa II.

Rings of Huranzi II.

Rings of Huranzi II.

Koolhaas Prime.

Lirss Prime.

Lirss Prime.

Closeup of the Maltese asteroid belt.

Motherlode.

Rings of Neptune.

Rings of Numero Uno.

Rings of Octif I.

Rings of Priors III.

Rings of Priors III.

Rings of Ruelas Zone.

Shenda I.

Sian sector planet.

Rings of Silica Tare.

Rings of Tantalus V.

Rings of Uranus.

Succession, Issue 3.

Succession, Issue 4.

External links

• Ring system article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.
• Ring system article at Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.