Taurus II

Taurus II

Taurus II was the inhabited second planet of its star system. Classified as M class, this was the homeworld for a species of anthropoids.

The system was located in Murasaki 312, a quasar-like phenomena located three days away from Makus III at warp 1. (TOS: "The Galileo Seven")

History

As of 2267, the planet had remained unexplored by the Federation. Long-range scans had revealed basic characteristics of this planet, such as that it had an oxygen-nitrogen atmosphere.

That same year, the shuttlecraft Galileo crash landed on Taurus II while attempting to investigate the Murasaki Effect. The crew, under the command of Lieutenant Commander Spock, made first contact with the inhabitants, and lost crew members Latimer and Gaetano while on the surface.

The inhabitants of Taurus II were order 480-G anthropoids, similar to lifeforms discovered on Hansen's Planet but much larger, ten to twelve feet in height. They were at approximately a Stone Age level of technology, slightly less advanced than a tribal culture. (TOS: "The Galileo Seven")

This planet was named after the constellation Taurus. (Star Trek Encyclopedia 2nd ed., p. 499) In fact, due to "Taurus" already being the name of a constellation when "The Galileo Seven" was written, Kellam de Forest suggested instead renaming this planet "Eta Tauri II" (in a series of research notes, dated 8 September 1966).

In the script of "The Galileo Seven", the surface of Taurus II was described as featuring "a sort of a crater, with overhanging rock walls jutting up against a dull featureless sky. The sky is a particularly bilious shade of green. Only a few scrubby plants are seen. It is a most unprepossessing sight." The script's stage directions also established that some areas on the planet's surface were to be misty.

The surface of Taurus II was depicted with a set on Desilu Stage 10.

External link

• Beta Tauri II at Memory Beta, the wiki for licensed Star Trek works