- For similarly named articles, see Coridan.
The Enterprise (NX-01) orbiting Coridan, 2151
Coridan, also known as Coridan III or Coridan Prime, was an inhabited Class M world, the third of twelve planets orbiting the star Chi-1 Orionis in the Coridan system. It was the home of the Coridans. It became a member of the United Federation of Planets following the Babel Conference in 2267. (TOS: "Journey to Babel"; TNG: "Sarek"; ENT novel: The Good That Men Do; Decipher: Worlds)
The planet had a thick layer of grey clouds, covering a greenish landscape that was rich in natural resources, including large quantities of dilithium, which was also found on other worlds in the system including Coridan IX. (ENT: "Shadows of P'Jem"; The Worlds of the Federation)
History[]
Coridan had a long history of internal strife, as the inhabitants fought over the planet's resources, and government corruption led to even more civil unrest.
By the 22nd century, Coridan had been exporting dilithium and trading with the Orion Syndicate for centuries, the Orion system being just under 10 light years away. (ENT: "Demons"; Star Trek: Star Charts)
In the mid-22nd century, Coridan had a population of more than 3 billion inhabitants, and the Coridans had colonized other worlds in their system as well. At that time, the majority of Coridans lived in or around several cities near the planet's equator, which were surrounded by shanty towns and villages. Coridan cities were considered "architectural marvels", carved from crystalline structures, with some buildings half a kilometer tall. The planet also boasted impressive fabrication facilities and the largest shipyards in the sector, building advanced starships, capable of reaching warp factor 7.
In the 2150s, Coridan was ruled by a Chancellor, whose government was supported by the Vulcan High Command in the interests of maintaining stability in the region (and a steady supply of dilithium to Vulcan). A rebel faction was secretly supported by the Andorian Empire.
In 2151, the planet was visited by the Earth vessel Enterprise, during an incident that exposed both the Vulcan and Andorian interests in the planet, the latter in violation of the Tau Ceti Accords. (ENT: "Shadows of P'Jem")
Coridan Prime sent representatives to Earth in 2155 and joined in the formation of the Coalition of Planets. Some months later, fearing that Coridan's technology and resources would give the Coalition the upper hand in their brewing conflict, the Romulan Star Empire launched a devastating attack on Coridan. A Romulan starship was sent hurtling into the planet at maximum warp, and the resultant antimatter explosion caused a chain reaction within Coridan's dilithium deposits, igniting a fireball that surged across the planet, killing more than half the population. Coridan's surface became an inferno of burning dilithium, consuming at least half the planet's reserves and devastating the ecosystem for more than a century. In fear of further attacks, Coridan withdrew from the Coalition. (ENT novel: The Good That Men Do)
After the end of the Earth-Romulan War and the founding of the Federation in 2161, the Andorians and Vulcans were bound by interstellar law to cease their interference into Coridan affairs, though they and other Federation members like the Tellarites, continued to trade with the Coridans. However, without the direct support of the external powers that had been propping up the government, Coridan fell into a series of bitter civil wars. (Decipher: Worlds; ENT novel: The Good That Men Do)
The Orion Syndicate and other parties took advantage of the governmental collapse and the vulnerability of the Coridan people. Within a short time, the Orions had established one-sided trade agreements with Coridan, though these were merely cover for many secret, illegal dilithium mines throughout the system, for which they used many Coridans as a slave labor force. (Decipher: Worlds; Shield of Tomorrow)
Between the wars and Orion depredations, Coridan's population never returned to its pre-Romulan strength, and the planet remained underpopulated and underdeveloped well into the 23rd century. (TOS: "Journey to Babel")
The Orion Syndicate ran numerous smuggling operations out of Coridan in the 2260s, and raiders operated in the surrounding area with impunity. The Orions were not the only party to maintain an interest in Coridan, however, and even the Tellarites had established illegal mining operations in the system, on Coridan IX. (Star Trek Maps; Decipher: Worlds; The Worlds of the Federation)
By 2267, the situation had worsened to such a point that Coridan petitioned the Federation for membership, so that it could come under Federation law, and have its sovereignty and mineral rights protected. The issue was murky, due to all of the outside influence in the system, and a Babel Conference was convened to debate the "Coridan question." (TOS: "Journey to Babel")
The Orions hatched a plot to scupper the conference, by murdering the Tellarite Ambassador Gav, and implicating Vulcan Ambassador Sarek. When deception was exposed, they nearly destroyed the USS Enterprise, all the while implicating the Andorians. With their plan foiled, the conference proceeded, and the vote for admission passed. Ambassador Sarek was credited with successfully bringing Coridan into the Federation. (TOS: "Journey to Babel"; TNG: "Sarek")
By the 2280s, the Federation had established Starbase 49 in orbit of Coridan. (Ships of the Line 2023)
By the mid-24th century, Coridan was fully integrated into the Federation and participating in galactic affairs, with its people joining Starfleet and trading far and wide. However, despite Starfleet’s best efforts, there remained a criminal element on Coridan, with Orion Syndicate activities hidden in several cities, generally run through intermediaries due to the Coridans' hostility towards Orions. Coridan had a reputation among the core worlds of the Federation as the best place to contact the underworld or obtain illegal items. Meanwhile, the Ferengi trade with Coridan was on the rise. (Decipher: Worlds; Shield of Tomorrow)
In a tragic echo of earlier events, during the Dominion War, the planet was attacked by Dominion forces, whose intent was not to take the planet, but disrupt the dilithium supply flowing to the Federation and its allies. Despite the protection of the Sixth and Sixteenth Fleets the Dominion forces entered orbit and bombarded the surface, destroying mining equipment and collapsing several mines causing thousands of deaths. (DS9: "One Little Ship"; The Dominion War Sourcebook: The Fires of Armageddon)
As of 2378, Coridan's population was recorded at 185 million. (Star Trek: Star Charts)
External links[]
- Coridan article at Memory Alpha, the canon Star Trek wiki.
- Coridan III article at Memory Beta, the non-canon Star Trek wiki.
- Coridan (planet) article at Star Trek Expanded Universe, the fanon and fanworks Star Trek wiki.