Tyrellia was an inhabited planet, and the homeworld of the Tyrellians. It was one of only three known inhabited worlds lacking a magnetic pole, and one of only seven with no atmosphere of any kind. By the mid-24th century, Tyrellia was a Federation member. (TNG: "Starship Mine")
Tyrellia and vicinity, circa 2385
The planet was located in the Beta Quadrant, near the Romulan Neutral Zone and the Federation-Klingon border in the Canopus Core. (Stellar Cartography: The Starfleet Reference Library; STA: BQ; Star Trek: Pendragon)
Though it was in its star's habitable zone, possessing neither a magnetosphere nor an atmosphere, the surface of Tyrellia was uninhabitable by most lifeforms. Ravaged by solar storms and intense radiation. Still, complex life was present in a subterranean ecosystem. A number of protective domes and other structures were constructed on the surface. (Star Trek: Pendragon)
Commander Calvin Hutchinson was once stationed on Tyrellia, prior to his assignment to Starbase 97. (TNG: "Starship Mine")
Background[]
- Tyrellia, as described in "Starship Mine", presents a scientific quandary. The evolution of humanoid life on a planet with no atmosphere or magnetic pole is impossible. Yet Tyrellians are apparently little different from the "humanoid norm" when they appear in novels and other sources. Three possible explanations immediately present themselves:
- One: Tyrellia was once a Class M planet that suffered a natural disaster, and the ancestors of the Tyrellians moved underground for survival.
- Two: The Tyrellians originally evolved on a different world, and colonized, or were transplanted to, their current homeworld.
- Three: The Tyrellians evolved underground, in an environment completely sealed from the surface.
- Option three would hardly produce anything close to "bog standard" humanoids, so either option one or option two is more likely. Option two presents the problem of *why* anyone would colonize such a world. Option one is the simplest explanation, but the least imaginative.
External links[]
- Tyrellia article at Memory Alpha, the canon Star Trek wiki.
- Tyrellia article at Memory Beta, the non-canon Star Trek wiki.