Cestus III was a Class M planet in the Beta Quadrant. In the 23rd century, it was at the frontier of Federation space, near the borders of the Gorn Hegemony, and was the site of a Federation colony. The planet was known as Inner Eliar to the Gorn. (TOS: "Arena"; DS9: "Family Business"; TTN novel: Seize the Fire)
The planet was first charted by the USS Coronado in 2258, and a Federation colony was established there within five years time. (LUG: All Our Yesterdays: The Time Travel Sourcebook; Decipher: Starfleet Operations Manual, Worlds)
That first colony was destroyed by the Gorn in 2367, but Cestus III was eventually recolonized under treaty as a joint effort between the two powers. The planet became a full member of the Federation in the early 24th century. (TOS: "Arena"; DS9: "Family Business"; TNG novel: A Time for War, A Time for Peace)
Cestus III had one large, crescent-shaped continent in the southern hemisphere, and several continents and island chains throughout the northern hemisphere. Most of the Federation cities were along the coasts of the southern continent, though the major Gorn settlements were on one of the northern continents. The planet's climate was most often dry, though temperatures at the equator rarely rose above 30 degrees Celsius, and the few storms the planet had were usually mild and a source of much needed moisture. (Decipher: Worlds)
Future Federation President Nanietta Bacco was born on Cestus III in 2292. (ST novel: Articles of the Federation)
The Cestus colonies experienced a major population boom in 2370 when they accepted a quarter-million refugees displaced by the formation of the Demilitarized Zone. (Decipher: Worlds)
The old Earth sport of baseball was revived on Cestus III around the same time, with the formation of the Cestus Baseball League in 2371. (DS9: "Family Business", "The Way of the Warrior")
A rogue faction of Gorn invaded Cestus III in 2374, as a prelude to war the Federation. The crisis was averted by the USS Enterprise-E. (TNG comic: The Gorn Crisis)
Greelaks were a species of small reptiles native to Cestus III. They were herbivores and mostly harmless, looking more fearsome than they actually were. (TNG novel: Q & A)
Cestus III was home to numerous types of plant life, many edible by most humanoids. Many colonists in the 23rd century experimented with these plants, crossbreeding them with types from Earth. The literal fruits of these labors enabled the creation of wines, liquors and other agricultural products that were unique to Cestus III. (Decipher: Worlds)
Locations[]
- Coronado Mountains • Ssoref Mountains
- Bowerston • Fortune City • Henosa • Hrisstan • Lakeside • New Chicago • New Jericho • New Fargo • Johnson City • Palombo • Pike City • Port Shangri-La • Prairieview • Rupertville • Two Rivers • Wagnerston
- Shackleford Observatory • Moran Mining • Institute for Human-Gorn Relations
External links[]
- Cestus III article at Memory Alpha, the canon Star Trek wiki.
- Cestus III article at Memory Beta, the non-canon Star Trek wiki.
- Cestus III article at Star Trek Expanded Universe, the fanon and fanworks Star Trek wiki.
- Cestus III article at the official Star Trek Online wiki