Janus VI

Janus VI

Janus VI was the F-class homeworld of the Horta species. It was also home to the Janus VI colony, an important Federation source of pergium. The planet was geologically inactive, and had no atmosphere. Though the planet was rich in mineral resources, reaching them was difficult with standard mining technology.

Despite the colony's establishment in the 2210s, the Federation was unaware of the Horta until 2267, when a new level was opened up and the miners inadvertently began destroying Horta eggs, causing the mother Horta to retaliate by sabotaging equipment and killing over fifty colonists by the time she was stopped three months later. Once it was realized that the Horta was a sentient creature, an agreement was created so the two sides could share the planet. (TOS: "The Devil in the Dark")

Janus VI was mentioned as a small note on a very large star chart graphic created for TNG: "Conspiracy". It was the image behind the chair in the room where Dexter Remmick was killed. It appears to be near the Tholian Assembly, Gamma Canaris N, and Berengaria VII.

Janus VI is also mentioned in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Pocket Books novel Devil in the Sky.

For the 2006 "remastered" version of "The Devil in the Dark", a new, computer-generated version of Janus VI was created to replace the stock footage used in so many TOS episodes. New shots of the planet's surface were also created.

The planet was named for Janos Prohaska, who played the mother Horta.