Sigma Iotia II was a planet in orbit of a large yellow star in the Sigma Iotia system, in or near Federation space. It was the homeworld to a humanoid race called the Iotians, whose name for the planet was Oxmyx. (ST reference: The Worlds of the Federation)
Humans made first contact with Sigma Iotia II in the mid-22nd century when the planet was visited by the starship Horizon. (TOS episode: "A Piece of the Action")
- The original episode specifies only that a ship named Horizon made contact with the Iotians, later sources such as the Star Trek Encyclopedia and The Worlds of the Federation then suggested it was this starship was the Daedalus-class USS Horizon, in 2268. More recently the ENT novel: Kobayashi Maru specified it was in fact the cargo ship ECS Horizon who made contact with the Iotians, in 2156.
During this contact, the crew of the Horizon left behind a 20th century book entitled Chicago Mobs of the Twenties, which had a profound impact on Iotian society. The Iotians, who were at the time just mastering steam technology, were quick learners and quite imitative; they quickly adopted the book as something of a cultural bible and reshaped their society to reflect the gang culture it portrayed. A burst of technological growth inspired by the book saw the development of automobiles, radio and projectile weapons, and the planet even adopted English as its official language. (TOS episode: "A Piece of the Action"; ENT novel: Kobayashi Maru;ST reference: The Worlds of the Federation)
A century later, the USS Enterprise visited Sigma Iotia II and discovered the contamination caused by the Horizon. Captain James Kirk determined to correct the damage by making a demonstration of Federation strength, and convincing the planet's fractured leadership that the Federation had claimed the world as their "turf." In this way, the planet was united under a single government. (TOS episode: "A Piece of the Action")
By the time the next starship visited Iotia, the Iotians had re-invented themselves once again. Inspired by a Starfleet communicator that was left behind by Doctor Leonard McCoy, the Iotians built a Federation starbase and donned Starfleet uniforms. (ST reference: The Worlds of the Federation)
Sometime after Kirk's visit, Lieutenant Michael Theivamanoharan studied the Iotians, while the Federation used their "cut" of Sigma Iotia's resources to encourage a more open and democratic society. One of these efforts involved a man named Kall Porakan, and used the example of Eliot Ness to create an honest law-enforcement agency. (SCE eBook: Fables of the Prime Directive)
Iotia eventually became a Federation Protectorate and later a Federation member world, circa 2366. Makk Vinx was the first Iotian to join Starfleet. (ST reference: The Worlds of the Federation; SCE eBook: Fables of the Prime Directive)
External link
- Sigma Iotia II article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.