Starbase 27 was a Federation starbase centered on the planet Tabulon in the Tir Kapov star system, located near the Federation border with the Klingon Empire and close to the Orion Neutrality Area in the Rigel sector. (FASA RPG - The Orions module: Book of Common Knowledge; FASA RPG module: Star Trek IV Sourcebook Update)
History[]
After Starfleet desired to construct a new base along the Klingon Neutral Zone, the Orion Heilen family sold the planet Tabulon and all titles to the world to Starfleet for a tidy profit. It was only afterward that Starfleet personnel realized that the deal also included the work contracts of every Orion inhabitant, making Starfleet a planet-wide slave-owner, much to their surprise. Concerned, Starfleet worked on a legal way to free the population from Orion slavery. In the meantime, the so-called "property" was placed on a Federation payroll and employed in the construction of the base.
Towards the end of the Four Years War, the Rigel Demilitarized Zone Commission first met on Starbase 27 on reference stardate 1/9709.01, circa the 2250s decade. (FASA RPG - The Orions module: Book of Common Knowledge)
The starbase was still under construction, however, and achieved operational status in stardate 2/0003, circa the year 2258. (FASA RPG module: Star Trek IV Sourcebook Update)
- Star Trek IV Sourcebook Update has Starbase 27 "assume operational status" after The Orions: Book of Common Knowledge dates the Commission there. Therefore, it seems that the Commission met while Starbase 27 was not yet fully operational.
Starbase 27 was established under a scientific directive to study concentrations of Berthold radiation in surrounding space. (TOS - Who's Who comic: "Issue 2")
Corbomite was discovered on Starbase 27 in 2262. (ST reference: Star Fleet Medical Reference Manual)
In 2267, stardate 3417, the inhabitants of Omicron Ceti III were evacuated to Starbase 27 on board the USS Enterprise. (TOS episode & Star Trek 5 novelization: This Side of Paradise)
Starbase 27 became a center of research activity after the discovery of Omicron Ceti III spores, with scientists from all over the galaxy meeting to unlock the secrets of the lifeform, which had been found to be beneficial to humanoid cells victimized by radiation. (TOS - Who's Who comic: "Issue 2")
The research clinic had sandovalyn, a treatment developed for Berthold radiation exposure. In 2267, the Enterprise took on more than a dozen infected crew members from the USS Defiant for transfer to Starbase 27, but the starship was diverted and did not reach the starbase. (TOS comic: "A Small Matter of Faith")
In 2268, the station was the posting of Commodore Carl Jefferson. Jefferson ordered the USS Enterprise to proceed to Deep Space M-20, but was replaced shortly thereafter with an order forwarded by Commander Lewis, also of Starbase 27, who was in charge of personnel placement for Starbases 25 to 30. (TOS - Section 31 novel: Cloak)
By the 2280s, the base's surface facility comprised 195 square kilometers, supporting nearly 40,000 personnel plus a civilian population of 65,000. Starfleet maintained at least two Starfleet Marine Corps divisions there. Structures reflected Orion aesthetics, and extensive underground galleries and tunnels were believed to exist. Details of associated orbiting installations were classified: the Federation listed three stations and six drydocks, while various reports have described as many as ten stations and 15 docks. (Stardate Magazine vol. 2, Issue 8: "Some Star Bases: A Profile")
In the early 2280s, Hikaru Sulu stopped over at Starbase 27's planetary facility to await a transport ship to bring him to Earth for a temporary teaching position at Starfleet Academy. While he was at the base, Sulu was accidentally run into by Corazon Kohwangko, who regularly jogged the corridors of the base housing during her stay. During the stopover, Sulu persisted in gaining Kohwangko's attention by joining her exercise routine, and the two formed a close relationship. (TOS comic: "So Near the Touch")
There was a steady increase in Starfleet and commercial starship losses in the area of space near Starbase 27 through stardates 2/16 to 2/23, from the 2270s into the 2280s. This culminated in the loss of a chartered pleasure vessel, the High Rider, on stardate 2223|2/2308.19, circa 2287. (FASA RPG module: Star Trek IV Sourcebook Update)
Mackenzie Calhoun spent several days at Starbase 27 in 2369 while awaiting the arrival of the USS Grissom and his interview for the first officer's position under Captain Norman Kenyon. (NF - The Captain's Table novel: Once Burned)
In 2376, the USS Cortez brought Thajus Stone to the station under arrest. (SCE - Some Assembly Required eBook: Some Assembly Required)
The USS Excalibur-A underwent drydock repairs at Starbase 27 after the battle with the Beings. (NF novel: Gods Above)
Starbase 27 was active in the 2370s, after the Dominion War. (ST video games: Armada, Armada II)
- In Armada, the starbase's space station name was randomly assigned to a playing field station by the game software.
Activities[]
Starbase 27 was a major administrative and logistical center for Starfleet in the late 23rd century. (FASA RPG - The Orions module: Book of Common Knowledge)
Population[]
In the late 23rd century, the population was mixed between Starfleet and Federation personnel and the original Orion inhabitants.
It was a base to the largest number of Starfleet forces gathered on any single Federation border. These were: the 1st, 14th, 29th, and 72nd Strategic Fighting Forces; the 3rd, and 7th Marine Divisions; and the 1st Andorian, 10th, and 11th Pursuit Groups of Scorpio-class corvettes. (FASA RPG - The Orions module: Book of Common Knowledge; FASA RPG module: Federation Ship Recognition Manual)
Starbase 27 was also the home of the Rigel Sector Materiel Command. Rumor and Orion claims had it that there was also a secret force of elite pirate-hunters based here, who operated on both sides of the Neutral Zone, though Starfleet denied its existence. (FASA RPG - The Orions module: Book of Common Knowledge)
Facilities[]
The starbase had a planetary complex available for personnel housing in the 23rd century, as well as a space station facility that existed into the 24th century. (TOS comic: "So Near the Touch"; ST video games: Armada, Armada II)
The starbase was supported by a subsidiary base on Corola III, and received much of its food supplies from the Orion colony on Tempe. (FASA RPG - The Orions module: Book of Common Knowledge)
- The planetary facilities mentioned in So Near the Touch may have been either on Corola III or Tabulon.
Personnel[]
Starbase 27 personnel | ||
---|---|---|
S. Chumbley • C. Jefferson • Lewis • Devereaux • R. Meryddin |
Appendices[]
Connections[]
References[]
External link[]
- Starbase 27 article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.