The starship USS Enterprise near the galactic core in 2268.
The galactic core, also referred to as the Shapley Center, is an area of intense radiation and gravity that spreads out for thousands of light-years in the center of the galaxy.
Specifics[]
The term coreward was used in galactic navigation, referring to the direction of a galaxy's core. The central core is the center of the spiral shape of the galactic region, where all the spiral arms meet in what is presumed to be a large collapsed black hole-type mass referred to as Sagittarius A*. This region is considered by astronomers and astrophysicists as the origin of star formation. (ST reference: Star Fleet Technical Manual)
The Triangle and the Romulan Star Empire of the 21st century lay coreward of Rigel and the Orion Colonies. (FASA RPG - The Orions module: Book of Common Knowledge)
History[]
Prior to 2268, Starfleet had only sent robot probes to the core. In 2268, the Federation starship USS Enterprise explored a region near the core which was difficult to navigate through due to shifting gravity wells from densely packed star systems. (TOS - New Visions comic: "Time's Echo")
In 2269, the Enterprise was conducting a benchmarking mission near the Shapley Center when they received the news that war had broken out between the Federation and the Klingon Empire. Due to the high concentration of stars in the area, the ship was unable to send a subspace message to Starfleet Command that wouldn't also be detected by the Klingons. (TOS novel: Spock Must Die!)
In 2270, the Enterprise approached the galactic core, where the crew encountered an inter-dimensional gate to the realm of nonspace, the planet Megas-Tu, and the satyr being Lucien. (TAS episode: "The Magicks of Megas-Tu")
Until 2287, the technology of the Federation was insufficient to probe into the energy mass which came to be known as the Great Barrier. (TOS movie, novelization & comic adaptation: The Final Frontier)
Appendices[]
External links[]
- Shapley Center article at Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
- Shapley Center article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.