Known by its proper name, the Andromeda Galaxy, also known as Messier 31 or NGC 224, was an inhabited spiral galaxy located in the universe within relative proximity to the Milky Way. Andromeda had two satellite galaxies, Messier 32 and Messier 110. This galaxy was visible from Earth in the constellation Andromeda and was approximately 2.5 million light years from Sol. (TOS: "The Corbomite Maneuver", "I, Mudd", "By Any Other Name")
History[]
The Makers, an ancient humanoid race from the Andromeda Galaxy, became extinct following the destruction of their homeworld when their sun went supernova. Remnants of the species survived for a time on scattered outposts but eventually died out, leaving their android populations on their own. One of these android-populated outposts was the planet Mudd in the Milky Way Galaxy. (TOS: "I, Mudd")
Centuries ago, the Kelvans became aware of dangerously rising radiation levels in Andromeda, a development expected to make that galaxy uninhabitable for their species within ten thousand years (or ten millennia). The Kelvan Empire dispatched expeditions of multi-generational starships to explore the neighboring galaxies for territories suitable for conquest and occupation. Hypothetically, a Constitution-class starship running at maximum warp would take thousands of years to complete the journey to Andromeda. (TOS: "By Any Other Name")
Photographic depictions[]
An image depicting the Andromeda Galaxy was scanned by the Talosians as they reviewed the library computer files on board USS Enterprise in 2254. (TOS-R: "The Cage")
A picture of the Andromeda Galaxy was on display in the briefing room of the USS Enterprise when the crew was reviewing star charts to search for the origin of an unknown buoy. (TOS: "The Corbomite Maneuver")
An image of the galaxy was on display on one of the large bridge monitors aboard the USS Enterprise. (TOS: "Charlie X", "The Naked Time", "The Galileo Seven", "Dagger of the Mind", "The Corbomite Maneuver")
Points of interest[]
Appendix[]
Background information[]
An older image of the Andromeda Galaxy appeared in the original "The Cage". This image was replaced for the remastered episode.
This galaxy was located in the Andromeda constellation.
The Messier Catalog number for this galaxy was M31. Both the Andromeda and the Milky Way were located within the Local Group of galaxies. (Star Trek: Star Charts, p. 10)
The distance between the Andromeda Galaxy and the Milky Way Galaxy was either about one million light years (Star Trek Encyclopedia, 4th ed., vol. 1, p. 28) or about two million light years. (Stellar Cartography: The Starfleet Reference Library ("Federation Historical Highlights, 2161-2385"); Star Trek: Star Charts (p. 10)) The distance given was from real-world sources.
Apocrypha[]
In Star Trek Online, it was revealed in the mission "Uneasy Allies" that the Iconians had rebuilt their numbers inside a Dyson sphere in the Andromeda Galaxy in preparation for an invasion of the Milky Way.
External links[]
- Andromeda Galaxy at Wikipedia
- Spiral galaxy at Wikipedia
- Andromeda Galaxy at Memory Beta, the wiki for licensed Star Trek works