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Terraforming was a form of planetary engineering in which a planet or moon was modified through artificial means to match the atmosphere, temperature and ecology of a Class M world to make it more habitable for humanoid life.

History and specifics[]

Initiated in 12,189 BCE (reference stardate -141/8901), Orions terraformed their own homeworld of Botchok (Rigel VIII) following the Atom War and the Long Winter, in a project known as the First Stage. It was not a quality effort, and records of the project were fragmented. The rebuilt ecology of Botchok was not entirely successful, as the planet's terraforming required continual re-adjustment into modern times, but the planet almost entirely recovered. Orions subsequently gained a reputation for terraforming; the Pergue imported them to Syrenya to repeat their successes. Syrenya was the earliest completely documented example of terraforming known to Federation scholars. In the late 23rd century, the Federation's Providence Planetform Research Team studied the terraformed world of Providence III. (FASA RPG module: The Orions: Book of Common Knowledge)

In the 21st century, Earth first attempted to terraform Venus. On reference stardate 0/26, the UNSS Tiller seeded the planet's clouds with cyanidium caldarium, an algae. The vessel also began towing ice asteroids from the Sol asteroid belt into orbit and propelling them to the surface. They vaporized, increasing atmospheric vapor pressure. The bombardments also increased the planet's rotational speed with the goal of forming protective Van Allen belts. On reference stardate 0/27, Tiller personnel witnessed the first water rain on Venus, though it vaporized before reaching the surface. (ST reference: Spaceflight Chronology)

In the 2240s decade, Aulacri hoped to reclaim their original homeworld of Karabos II through terraforming. Impacts from four rocky comets would raise dust clouds to cool the world, while strikes from several icy comets would spur oceanic condensation. In the 2260s, they started the first phase of their plan using thruster units to propel the selected comets out of their system's cometary belt. In 2264, however, the Federation starship USS Enterprise was forced to divert the comets shortly before impact. (TOS novel: The Captain's Oath)

In the 24th century, terraforming efforts on Venus continued, with several terraforming stations located on its surface. (DS9 episode: "Past Tense, Part I")

Gideon Seyetik was a renowned Federation terraformer, whose accomplishments included New Halana and Blue Horizon. (DS9 episode: "Second Sight"; SCE eBook: Ishtar Rising, Book 1)

There was a faction within the Federation which argued that terraforming was a violation of the Prime Directive, as it eliminated the potential for the development of life and a subsequent civilization. The Worlds Within Worlds project was thus developed to offer an alternative to terraforming. (NF novel: Missing in Action)

The Gorn referred to terraforming as ecosculpting. (ST - Typhon Pact novel: Seize the Fire)

By 2369, Pelavians had terraformed six planets and ten moons in the Pelavos star cluster. (TNG - The Amazing Stories short story: "On the Scent of Trouble")

Terraformed worlds[]

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