A solar flare is a violent eruption in a star's atmosphere which accelerates plasma into space.
In 2369 increased solar flare activity forced the shuttlecraft Goddard to drop out of warp, at which point a particularly large wave hit it, causing the shuttle to spiral out of control and crash on a near-by planet, Riat. Once on Riat the interference from the solar flares also caused problems with Geordi La Forge's VISOR, forcing him to make an adjustment to compensate for the electromagnetic feedback.
Riat was home to a Dracon monastery, however the stranded away team found the resident monks were less than peaceful; The monastery’s water supply had been infected by an algae, which after prolonged exposure to radiation from the solar flare activity washing over the planet had mutated. When the monks drank the water they mutated, becoming savages, possibly cannibalistic.
Meanwhile on the USS Enterprise-D efforts to locate the shuttle were being hampered by the solar flare's interference with sensors. When they did eventually find the shuttle they were able to rescue the away team and cure the monks of their aliment. (TNG comic: "Light of the Day")
Connections
- Solar flare article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.
- Solar flare article at Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.