Capella IV was the inhabited fourth planet in the Capella system. The planet was located within a sector of the Alpha Quadrant and was approximately 44 light years from Sol. This was the homeworld of the Capellans, a pre-warp humanoid species, as well as the Capellan flower and the Capellan power-cat.
In the 2260s, this planet was located close to the Klingon-Federation border. Having rich deposits of topaline, Capella IV was valued by both the United Federation of Planets and the Klingon Empire. (TOS: "Friday's Child"; TAS: "How Sharper Than a Serpent's Tooth", "The Counter-Clock Incident")
Leonard McCoy was briefly stationed on Capella IV in the mid-2260s. (TOS: "Friday's Child")
In 2267, the planet served as a pawn in the Federation-Klingon Cold War, during a trade dispute between the Klingons and the Federation over topaline mining rights. The crew of the USS Enterprise was able to secure the rights for the Federation. (TOS: "Friday's Child")
Appendices[]
Background information[]
This planet's quadrant of origin was inferred based on the position of its star system as seen in the star chart appearing in the Star Trek: Picard episode "Maps and Legends".
In the first draft of the script (dated 20 April 1967), Capella IV was called "Ceres VII", and the Capellans were called the "Cereans". The script described the planet as "a small planet that is predominantly greenish-blue, with red seas."
Capella IV was one of only two planets in The Original Series whose surface was depicted both on location (at Vasquez Rocks Natural Area Park) and on Desilu Stage 10. (Star Trek Encyclopedia, 4th ed., vol. 1, p. 115)
Capella IV was given a "face lift" for the 2006 remastered version of "Friday's Child", with a digital planet replacing the stock footage from the classic episode.
Both StarTrek.com and the Star Trek Encyclopedia, 4th ed., vol. 1, p. 115 classified Capella IV as a class M world. [1](X)
In the Star Trek: Star Charts (pp. 33, 37 & 47) and Stellar Cartography: The Starfleet Reference Library ("Federation Historical Highlights, 2161-2385"), Capella IV (Alpha Aurigae IV) was ruled by the Ten Tribes of Capella and was established as a protectorate of the Federation in 2267. The dominant species were the humanoid Capellans. In 2378, there were an estimated 160,000 Capellans living on the planet. A major attraction of the planet was the tomb of Leonard James Akaar.
Apocrypha[]
InThe Worlds of the Federation, the Capellans called their world "Kohath".
External links[]
- Capella IV at Memory Beta, the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
- Planets in TOS and TOS Remastered at Ex Astris Scientia