Turkana IV

Turkana IV
Alternate name(s):	New Paris
Classification:	class M planet
Location:	Turkana star system, Beta Quadrant
Gravity:	1.0 g
Land mass percentage:	60%

Turkana IV, once known as New Paris or Hokma V, was the fourth planet planet in the Turkana star system in the galaxy's Beta Quadrant, in the vicinity of Starbase 88 and the Briar Patch, about halfway between Pahvo and Nivalla. Turkana IV was a failed Human colony and homeworld of USS Enterprise-D Security Chief Tasha Yar. (TNG episode: "Legacy"; TNG novel: Survivors)

The name for Yar's homeworld, "New Paris", only appeared in Survivors, perhaps intended to create an association with the New Paris colonies. The canonical name of "Turkana IV" appeared later in Legacy, while other sources have supplied alternate names such as FASA RPG module: The Next Generation First Year Sourcebook, calling it a remote mining world named "Hokma V". The revised edition of Stellar Cartography: The Starfleet Reference Library places the Turkana system in the Beta Quadrant. The map seen in the PIC episode: "Maps and Legends" also shows Turkana there, having used Stellar Cartography as a reference.

History and specifics

The TNG novel: Survivors was written before the TNG episode: "Legacy" created and elaborated on Turkana IV, a version that was followed by the Decipher RPG module: Worlds. As such, Survivors implies a 21st-century colony lost to the Federation, rediscovered at the time that Tasha Yar left, in the 2350s. However, its sub-light-speed ships enable the colonists to leave in the 21st century and potentially arrive in the late 22nd century, via time dilation, cryogenic suspension, or a generational ship. This article merges the histories where possible, with citations delineating the different accounts and conflicts noted.

Refugees of the early Post-Atomic Horror in the 21st century fled Earth in sub-light-speed ships, intending to find refuge on a new planet and build a utopian community, based on ideals of peace, freedom and the arts. In keeping with their vision, they named their world New Paris after the city of Paris. However, they felt abandoned by Earth, though they were ignorant of the continuing wars and breakdowns there, and seceded in absentia from Earth. (TNG novel: Survivors)

Survivors first presents the colonists of the refugees of the Post-Atomic Horror, then later suggests it happened after the left; it is likely they left in its early stages. The novel also has the Federation in existence at the time, which is impossible given later histories. The above paragraph changes this to "Earth".

Turkana IV was colonized in 2297, and was intended to be a typical industrial colony. The colonists had been attracted by its rich mineral resources. In the small community, basic government was in the hands of a Colony Leader and several officials called selectmen, forming the Colony Government. The people shared their labor as they tunneled mines beneath the city to extract minerals and ores to fuel their development. These tunnels also served as shelter during the monsoon season, before Turkana City was founded as a permanent city. The colony grew without problems for a few decades. (Decipher RPG module: Worlds)

The lost colony was rediscovered by the United Federation of Planets in the 24th century, by which time the colonists' ideals had faded over the generations in the struggle to survive and later to dominate. In this way, they'd brought some of the old Post-Atomic Horror with them, though they longer to degenerate. (TNG novel: Survivors)

As Turkana City quickly developed into a major settlement, running to tens of thousands of people, the colony leaders refused to adjust their form of government to accommodate, against the recommendations of Federation observers. They continued running it with the old light hand and limited controls that had worked well for a much smaller and more familiar and cohesive colony. Thus, to better exploit resources as they were found, the homesteaders, workers, miners, and industrialists banded together in groups and coalitions that came to be called cadres. The Turkana City government finally attempted to strengthen itself, but the efforts met with opposition from the cadres. (Decipher RPG module: Worlds)

By 2337, the world's population had grown to the hundreds of thousands while the cadres had grown increasingly hostile to one another. That year, government began to crumble (Decipher RPG module: Worlds), and social cohesion broke down on Turkana IV, leading to anarchy. (Last Unicorn RPG module: All Our Yesterdays: The Time Travel Sourcebook)

Tasha Yar was born that same year.

Destabilized and anarchic, Turkana City was beset by gangs, thieves, and thrillseekers that preyed on its more law-abiding inhabitants, and large areas became completely lawless "no man's lands". Many abandoned the surface city for the old tunnels underneath while the new cadres—small packs and gangs—waged a gang-war for control of Turkana City. Out of dozens of cadres, two came to dominate, the Alliance and the Coalition, each controlling half the ruined city.. (TNG episode: "Legacy"; Decipher RPG module: Worlds)

Before its final disintegration, the remnants of the Colony Government recruited the Alliance and the Coalition in 2352 and gave them official police powers, in order to regain control of Turkana City and halt the violence. To keep them in line and limit their conflicts, they implanted proximity detectors in members of both sides. The government expelled the last of the Federation delegation after they protested these measures and cut off all ties. (TNG episode: "Legacy"; Decipher RPG module: Worlds)

That same year, an away team from the USS Cochrane rescued Tasha Yar from a rape gang. At the time, they believed that the settlement was a long-lost Earth colony. (TNG novel: Survivors)

Tasha Yar left with the departing diplomats, while her sister, Ishara Yar, chose to stay with the Coalition. (Decipher RPG module: Worlds)

Survivors has the USS Cochrane discover the lost Earth colony of New Paris, though this is contradicted by the later Legacy. In a merged account, the Cochrane may have evacuated the Federation delegation from Turkana IV, taking some refugees like Tasha Yar with them.

A few months later, the Alliance and the Coalition deposed the government. (TNG episode: "Legacy"; Decipher RPG module: Worlds)

The Last War left the city in ruins; no future wars were big enough to follow it. Not long after, Federation Immigration decided that Tasha Yar's rescue had been illegal and they tried to send her back. However, the de facto representative of the world at the time, its most powerful drug-lord, simply didn’t want or care about her. (TNG novel: Survivors)

Thus, Turkana IV continued in a state of anarchy, strife and civil war. Turkana City was no longer habitable by the late 2360s, its surface structures almost completely destroyed by the fighting. People instead moved into the tunnels and mines for safety. (TNG episode: "Legacy"; Decipher RPG module: Worlds)

Circa 2361, the USS Potemkin successfully contacted someone on Turkana IV, but was warned that anyone visiting the surface would be killed. It was the last Federation contact until 2367, when the freighter Arcos suffered a warp core breach in emergency orbit over Turkana IV. The crew rode an escape pod to the planet's surface as the USS Enterprise-D responded to their distress call. Coincidentally, Lieutenant Tasha Yar had been the Enterprise's security chief, but had been killed three years earlier. The Enterprise contacted the Coalition, but found the Alliance was holding the Arcos crew hostage. Ishara Yar of the Coalition aided the Enterprise crew in rescuing them, but used their help and their relationships to fallen Tasha to take the opportunity to sabotage Alliance defenses in the process. Lieutenant Commander Data prevented the sabotage and Ishara was returned to the Alliance. (TNG episode: "Legacy"; Decipher RPG module: Worlds)

In 2381 Turkana IV was speculated to be among the worlds devastated by the Borg during their Invasion.

Government

In its beginning, Turkana IV was governed by the Colony Government, led by the Colony Leader and several officials called selectmen. But as it crumbled, society fell into general anarchy, ruled over by the despotic cadres. (Decipher RPG module: Worlds)

Powerful leaders were the gang-lords and drug-lords, who lived in the remaining towers and horded the still-functioning technology and luxuries. (TNG novel: Survivors)

Afterwards, Turkana City was dominated by two major cadres, the Alliance and the Coalition, who each dominated roughly half the city. Each cadre was ruled by a single commander, with a number of chosen lieutenants to enforce their will on the rest. They responded to insubordination and betrayal with harsh punishment. Therefore, those who joined cadres joined for life, but members were not close, instead frequently squabbling and robbing each other as they jostled for power. (Decipher RPG module: Worlds)

Society

Turkana IV had a Human population. Though at its height it had a population numbering in the hundreds of thousands, this had dropped to only tens of thousands by the late 2360s. (Decipher RPG module: Worlds)

The people were dominated by gangs. Members were either born into a gang or had to prove their worth to join. (TNG novel: Survivors)

In particular, the city was plagued by rape gangs (TNG episodes: "The Naked Now", "Where No One Has Gone Before"), which preyed on women and sold the best-looking to the powerful drug lords. Such women were kept in better conditions and safety while they were abused, and supplied with the drug joy dust. Standing against them were all-woman gangs like the Hellcats. (TNG novel: Survivors)

Each member of the Alliance and Coalition was implanted with a proximity detector. When one came within 30 meters of a member of the opposite side, the detectors glowed brightly to warn them: yellow for the Alliance and green for the Coalition. This measure preserved a stalemate, preventing major offensives with alerting the enemy, and holding off an all-out war. This only left skirmishes and raids. A micro-detonator activated on contact with air ensured that the detectors couldn't be removed. (TNG episode: "Legacy"; Decipher RPG module: Worlds)

The rest of the population was unaffiliated with either side, but trapped in a constant war-zone and forced to survive however they could. They did nothing for anyone without something in return. Those who didn't succumb to despair and oppression tried to flee the world, but needed the aid of offworlders to do so. (Decipher RPG module: Worlds)

The colony's resources were in the grip of either the Alliance or the Coalition. To find food and natural supplies, it was often necessary to venture out of the tunnels and into the surrounding forests to hunt and gather. (Decipher RPG module: Worlds)

Following the collapse, literacy was negligible on Turkana IV, its only use being to read the old street and tunnel signs that warned of hazards and gave directions. Books were burned for warmth. The spoken English language was also degraded, to a point that it sounded different to regular Federation speakers at first, though not to universal translators. (TNG novel: Survivors)

In the late 24th century, it was possible that the Orion Syndicate, Ferengi criminals and even the Maquis could take advantage of the chaos to engage in illegal trade and create bases on the world. (Decipher RPG module: Worlds)

Locations

There was only one major city of Turkana IV, named Turkana City. This grew out of the early colony and had a population of hundreds of thousands at its height. (Decipher RPG module: Worlds)

It was designed to be an example of form and function joined for beauty and comfort. (TNG novel: Survivors)

However, it was largely destroyed by 2367. (Decipher RPG module: Worlds)

After that people dwelt in the old mine tunnels beneath it, which extended up to 3 kilometers deep. The main thoroughfares and access passages were all controlled by the cadres, and getting from place to place required familiarity or an experienced guide. (TNG episode: "Legacy"; Decipher RPG module: Worlds)

The Alliance had two main headquarters and thirteen ancillary bases. (TNG episode: "Legacy")

Settlements and sites

Dannmere • New Paris colony • Nyara • Porsol • Shackleford • Turkana City • Vonmak Ruins

Facilities

The Turkana City tunnels had fusion power generation plants, a waste management plant, a residential complex, botanical sections, and a ventilation complex. (TNG episode: "Legacy")

The people there were unable to maintain reliable communications systems since the government collapsed. (TNG episode: "Legacy")

They lacked wireless communications and called communications consoles "comcons", but most were non-functional. The powerful gang-lords and drug-lords horded all the still-working technology, or "technic".

The ruined city was quite hazardous, being littered with radioactive zones and supposedly bottomless shafts, and covered with endless identical corridors that were easy to get lost in. The few remaining signs were vital for survival. (TNG novel: Survivors)

Environment

A swamp on Turkana IV.

Turkana IV was a Class M world, with a standard atmosphere, a 40% hydrosphere, and a warm and wet climate. Monsoon seasons affected different parts of the planet at different times of the year. These were quite heavy across the equator, but even more temperate zones experienced a four-month-long rainy season.

There were four big landlocked seas, each joined by an interconnected river system that could be traversed by boat. In addition, much of the surface was covered by swamps and wetlands. It was dense with vegetation, with rainforest's covering some 40% of the planet. The rest was prairie and other kinds of wilderness.

It was also rich in metal and mineral resources, including unusually high levels of iron ore. This gave the planet a reddish appearance, wherever it wasn't green with plant life. (Decipher RPG module: Worlds)

Locations

Water bodies

Acunans Sea • Dorman Swamp • Graygor Sea • Lugdoas Sea • Tapthys Sea

Geography

Barrier Mountains • Drifting Plain • Great Jungle • Grox Mountains • Roasal Mountains • Sharwin Forests • Southern Plains • Toak Wilds • Tranship Mountains • Turkana Jungles

Appendices

References

• TNG episode: "Legacy"
• TNG novel: Survivors
• FASA RPG module: The Next Generation First Year Sourcebook
• Decipher RPG module: Worlds
• Last Unicorn RPG module: All Our Yesterdays: The Time Travel Sourcebook
• TNG movie: Generations star map hologram display graphic in stellar cartography

External link

• Turkana IV article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.