AT: "xx" Janus VI was an inhabited planet. This was the homeworld for the sentient Horta, a non-humanoid species. It was the sixth planet of the Janus planetary system. This system was located in the Alpha Quadrant. The planet was affiliated with the United Federation of Planets.
Janus VI was geologically inactive, and had no atmosphere. Though the planet was rich in mineral resources, reaching them was difficult with standard mining technology. Minerals present included gold, pergium, platinum, sirium, and uranium.
Over fifty years prior to 2267, the Janus VI colony was established on this planet. This colony was a major producer of pergium for the Federation.
The Federation was unaware of the Horta until that year, when a new level was opened up and the miners inadvertently began destroying Horta eggs, causing the mother Horta to retaliate by sabotaging equipment and killing fifty colonists by the time she was stopped three months later. Once it was realized that the Horta was a sentient creature, an agreement was created so the two sides could share the planet. (TOS: "The Devil in the Dark")
In 2269, when attempting to understand the threat they faced on the Kalandan outpost, after Captain James T. Kirk asked if the rocks could have life, Lieutenant Hikaru Sulu thought it possible that the captain was thinking back to his time on Janus VI and his experience with the Horta. Lieutenant Commander Leonard McCoy disagreed with the captain arguing that the Horta registered as a life form and the medical tricorder wasn't picking up life signs from the rocks. (TOS: "That Which Survives")
The location of Janus VI in the Milky Way Galaxy was depicted on three separate occasions. The first time was in 2293 on a wall chart on board the USS Enterprise-A, (Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, production art), the second time was in 2367 on a tactical situation monitor on board the USS Phoenix (TNG: "The Wounded" display graphic), and the third time was in 2371 in stellar cartography on board the USS Enterprise-D. (Star Trek Generations, display graphic)
In an alternate 2366, Janus VI was marked on a tactical situation monitor showing the fleet deployments in the Federation-Klingon War. (TNG: "Yesterday's Enterprise" display graphic)
Background
Janus VI was named twice on the tactical situation monitor.
For the 2006 "remastered" version of "The Devil in the Dark", a new, computer-generated version of Janus VI was created to replace the stock footage used in so many TOS episodes. New shots of the planet's surface were also created.
The star chart seen in "Generations" depicted the location of planets, stars, and star systems in the Alpha Quadrant. Based on the dimensions of the circles used to mark locations on the star chart seen in "Generations", this planet was located relatively far to the USS Enterprise-D.
"The Explored Galaxy"
"The Explored Galaxy" was a map of charted space in the Alpha Quadrant. Janus VI was located between the Tholian Assembly and Romulus. Both locations were identified in DS9: "The Search, Part II", "Call to Arms" as being located in this quadrant. The chart was also seen in several Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episodes set in the 24th century, from the year 2364 to 2370. These were TNG: "Conspiracy", "The Measure Of A Man", "The Emissary", "The Mind's Eye", "The Game", and DS9: "In the Hands of the Prophets", "Cardassians".
Star Trek: Star Charts
Janus VI was classified as a F-class planet. (pg 23)
Apocrypha
Janus VI was additionally mentioned in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Pocket Books novel Devil in the Sky and, in the IDW comic A Matter of Perspective, the Enterprise was en route to revisit the planet before being redirected for a distress call from a pleasure cruise.
External link
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