A nebula, or galactic nebula or nebula cloud, is an interstellar cloud of matter, usually gases (such as hydrogen) and dust. Many nebulae are stellar nurseries.
Since sensors and other systems functioned poorly in many nebulae, they were often used by starships to strategic advantage in conflicts.
Nebulae were sometimes known as interstellar dust clouds. (TOS: "The Immunity Syndrome")
The USS Enterprise-D hid inside the Paulson Nebula from a Borg cube, temporarily shielding them from the Borg sensors. (TNG: "The Best of Both Worlds")
In 2371, Tom Riker took the hijacked USS Defiant into a nebula after Major Kira sabotaged the ship and temporarily rendered its cloaking device ineffective. (DS9: "Defiant")
Captain Ransom once hid from a Klingon Bird-of-Prey for three days in a nebula near Epsilon IV. (VOY: "Equinox, Part II")
In 2376, USS Equinox crewmember Maxwell Burke suggested taking the ship into a class 2 nebula in order to avoid the pursuing USS Voyager. (VOY: "Equinox, Part II")
While Voyager was undergoing a maintenance overhaul in 2377, the Delta Flyer searched a nebula near Annari space for dilithium. (VOY: "Nightingale")
Later that year, a ship crewed by Hirogen prey holograms, led by Iden, hid from two Hirogen Venatic-class hunting vessels inside a nebula. In response, the Hirogen Alpha ordered one of his ships to circle the nebula, while the other entered it to drive the holograms out. Iden eventually left the nebula on his own to "liberate" three holograms on a nearby Nuu'Bari mining vessel. (VOY: "Flesh and Blood")
When the Voyager crew was forced to abandon ship due to tetryon radiation from a subspace mine in 2377, The Doctor, as the ECH, took the ship into a nebula to escape Quarren marauders. (VOY: "Workforce")
In 2401, nebula was listed as one of the results in Raffaela Musiker's search for the "red lady". (PIC: "The Next Generation")
Nebula classification[]
Nebula types[]
- Dark nebula
- Dark matter nebula
- Dichromic nebula
- Emission nebula
- Globule
- Hydrogen cloud
- Inversion nebula
- Micro-nebula
- Oscillating nebula
- Planetary nebula
- Proto-nebula
- Protostellar nebula
- Reflection nebula
- Stellar nursery
Nebulae[]
- 'etnap Nebula
- Arachnid Nebula
- Azure Nebula
- Baber Nebula
- Badlands
- Barnes Nebula
- Betreka Nebula
- Bubble Nebula
- Cat's Eye Nebula
- Chamra Vortex
- Eagle Nebula
- Foster Nebula
- Frazee's Nova
- Friedlich Nebula
- Gullory Nebula
- Hodges Nebula
- Hromi Cluster
- Ionite Nebula
- Keyhole Nebula
- M2-9
- MacPherson Nebula
- Mar Oscura Nebula
- Mutara Nebula
- Ngame Nebula
- Omarion Nebula
- Paulson Nebula
- Stevens Nebula
- Verubin Nebula
- Volterra Nebula
- Wise Nebula
- Unnamed nebulae
Appendices[]
See also[]
Background information[]
In the shooting script of Star Trek: The Motion Picture, the film would have begun in deep space. After witnessing a supernova, the camera would move on, searching for V'ger. In its search, the camera would have seen "sparkling nebulae."
The final draft script of ENT: "Two Days and Two Nights" refers to the Agasorian Nebula, though that particular nebula is not referenced in canon.
External links[]
- Nebula at Memory Beta, the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
- Nebula at Wikipedia