The USS Enterprise defending Starbase 13 near the Marrat Nebula
The Marrat Nebula was a large nebular cloud, orange-red in appearance, described as a "treacherous expanse of charged-gas clouds and ion storms" that spanned many light-years, proximate to the borders of the United Federation of Planets, the Klingon Empire and many non-aligned worlds.
The nebula held immense strategic value. Several major routes ran through the area, despite the nebula's composition playing havoc with sensors and communications. These properties made the region a hotbed of piracy, smuggling and other illegal activity. Arcturans, Khodini and Orions were known to operate in the region.
In the early 23rd century, Starfleet built Starbase 13 in the Marrat system to police the region; however, the end result was that the starbase itself became a target, earning it the nickname "Fort Apache". By the early 2250s, Starfleet began Project Pharos to establish a subspace "lighthouse" facility, in an even more ambitious attempt to bring order to the region. The project was ultimately destroyed in 2254, though the resulting fireball would serve as a navigational beacon for decades. (Star Trek: Early Voyages comic: The Fires of Pharos)
External links[]
- Marrat Nebula article at Memory Beta, the non-canon Star Trek wiki.