Parnassus Beta

Parnassus Beta was the inhabited second planet in the Parnassus star system. This class M world was orbited by a single moon, with several other planetary bodies nearby. (SNW: "Hegemony")

Astronomical data[]

Parnassus Beta was located at coordinates 3480.7149, just outside Federation space. It had a rotation period of 28.5 hours and a revolution period of 402 days. Its mass was estimated to be 6.89104e24×10²⁴ kilograms and its age at 7.078 billion years. Its atmosphere was composed of 79% molecular nitrogen, 19% molecular oxygen, 0.9% argon, 0.6% carbon dioxide, 0.4% water vapor, and trace amounts of methane and nitrous oxide. The surface had a mean temperature of 14.8 degrees Celsius and 69% water coverage. The planet harbored indigenous carbon-based plant and animal life. (SNW: "Hegemony")

History[]

In the 23rd century, Parnassus Beta was the site of a Human colony with a population of five thousand. Their settlement was designed to resemble a small town in the old Midwestern United States. The colonists were reluctant to join the United Federation of Planets due to concerns of drawing attention from the Federation's adversaries.

In 2259, the USS Cayuga was assigned to assist in stabilizing the colony's agricultural crop and providing vaccinations. During the mission, the Cayuga was attacked and destroyed without warning by the Gorn. The Gorn deployed an interference field on the surface that blocked all scans, transporters, and communications on and around the planet. With the colony overrun by Gorn hatchlings, Captain Marie Batel, a few Cayuga crew members, and several hundred colonists managed to shelter inside a diner.

Around the same time, the USS Stardiver was also attacked by the Gorn in the neighboring Shangdi system. The sole surviving crew member, Lieutenant jg Montgomery Scott, reached Parnassus Beta on a shuttle and joined Batel's group.

After destroying the Cayuga, the Gorn transmitted a message to Starfleet Command demarcating a border through the system, with Parnassus Beta on their side. The USS Enterprise had just arrived at the planet, but was ordered not to cross the line lest they trigger a war. Captain Christopher Pike decided to deploy a team surreptitiously to the colony by disguising a shuttle as a piece of falling debris, and was able to make contact with the survivors.

Meanwhile, Lieutenant Spock, in an EV suit, attached retro rockets to the wrecked Cayuga saucer section so as to nudge it out of orbit on a trajectory to crash into the Gorn's interference field emitter. In the process, he discovered Nurse Christine Chapel still alive inside. Once the field was disabled, the Enterprise beamed Pike, Batel, Spock, Scott, and Chapel aboard, though the remaining colonists and Starfleet personnel on Parnassus Beta were taken by the Gorn. The Enterprise then came under fire by three Gorn hunters and a Gorn destroyer, with more Gorn reinforcements en route. (SNW: "Hegemony")

Inhabitants[]

• Parnassus Beta inhabitants