Dakala
The gloomy surface of Dakala
Dakala is a small rogue planet that exists in perpetual night. The planet's surface is covered by large expanses of forest.
When the NX class starship Enterprise visited Dakala in 2151, the Earth Starfleet crew detected a diverse animal population, native to the planet. Although Captain Jonathan Archer, Enterprise's commanding officer, expected the planet's surface to be frozen solid, his crew found that hot gases were venting from Dakala's interior. Most of Dakala's lifeforms were concentrated in the areas where these vents could be found. Subcommander T'Pol, the starship's science officer, detected no evidence of humanoid life on Dakala.
Strangely, a power signature near the planet's equator indicated the presence of a vessel. When Enterprise attempted to contact the detected ship, there was no response.
Shortly thereafter, a landing party from Enterprise traveled to Dakala in a shuttlepod. The group experienced difficulty using infrared to scan the ship, as the heat generated by the planet's thermal vents was too intense. As the shuttlepod arrived high above its destination, T'Pol attempted to scan for a hole in the canopy which surrounded the planet.
A Dakalan centipede.
The primal volcanic vents are similar to Yellowstone National Park, according to Jonathan Archer and reminded T'Pol of the grottos of Deneva Prime. The planet is covered by forest similar to the rain forests of New Zealand on Earth. Indiginous lifeforms include bore worms, drayjins, fire wolves and a species of fluorescent centipedes.
In 2151, the Enterprise discovered an Eska hunting party near the equator. The Eska had been using Dakala as a hunting reserve for 9 generations. They were allowed to hunt there only 4 days a year.
Dakala has no indigenous humanoid life, but it has some higher primates which the Eska did not hunt. However, the Eska did hunt for several species such as drayjin, and most notably they hunted a shapeshifting intelligent species called the wraiths. The Eska did not think the wraiths were intelligent, but Enterprise discovered they were and helped them avoid being detected by the Eska. (ENT: "Rogue Planet")