The Pinchot Expanse, aka the Pinch, is a region of space in the Alpha Quadrant, near the First Federation and the Ferengi Alliance, located past the edge of Federation territory approximately two light years beyond Deep Space 3. The expanse was named for Starfleet Captain Marcus Pinchot, one of the earliest explorers of the area. However, the expanse is plagued by "mysterious disappearances, strange occurrences, and general odd happenings," and as such, has never been fully charted. Captain Pinchot was reported to have said that in the expanse, "Newton hit an apple on the head." (Star Trek: Outpost: "What Could Be So Bad?")
There are hundreds of stories about the expanse, involving missing starships, missing crews, temporal anomalies, spatial anomalies, and a host of other scientific esoterica.
The Ajax Anomaly, a void or "hole" in space, was one such phenomenon within the Pinch. (Star Trek: Outpost: "Mending Fences", "Window of Heaven")
In 2289, the USS Liberty was assigned to survey the Pinchot Expanse, with the purpose of investigating and cataloguing anomalies. The ship was declared missing and lost with all hands.
In 2364, Captain Sayzar Tyrellian disappeared from his cabin aboard the USS Chimera while the vessel was traveling at warp two through the Pinch. (Star Trek: Outpost: "What Could Be So Bad?")
The following year, the Chimera, under the command of Lieutenant Renova Exler, recovered an escape craft from the USS Liberty, lost in the Pinch for seventy-six years. (Star Trek: Outpost: "As Time Goes By")
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External links[]
- Pinchot Expanse article at Star Trek Expanded Universe, the fanon and fanworks Star Trek wiki.