Bellatrix, the upper right star (shoulder) of the constellation Orion
Gamma Orionis (or Bellatrix) was a star in the constellation Orion. When viewed from Earth, it was the third brightest star in the constellation. (TNG: "Family")
Upon initially boarding USS Voyager, in 2371, Captain Kathryn Janeway was quizzed by Admiral Patterson on this subject, referring to the star as "Gamma Orionis, or Bellatrix if you prefer the original Arabic name." (VOY: "Relativity")
Janeway refers to Bellatrix as the original Arabic name for this star, however, the name "Bellatrix" is actually Latin in origin and means "Amazon". It is also known as the Amazon Star and the "warrioress". The real Arabic name for this star was al Najid, "the conqueror.".
According to Star Trek: Star Charts (pp. 57, 64) and Stellar Cartography: The Starfleet Reference Library ("Federation Historical Highlights, 2161-2385"), the Bellatrix (Gamma Orionis) system was located in the Beta Quadrant. It was one of the vertices of the Delta Triangle.
External links
- Gamma Orionis at Memory Beta, the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
- Gamma Orionis at Wikipedia
- Bellatrix at the Internet Stellar Database
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