Rigel system is a star system with several inhabited planets. The primary star is Rigel. The Rigel system had a nearby asteroid field less than 2 days away with impulse drive. (TOS: "Mudd's Women")

In the 23rd century the Rigel system was part of the most densely populated section of the Milky Way Galaxy. (TOS: "The Doomsday Machine") The native species living in the system include the Rigelians of Rigel V, (TOS: "Journey to Babel") the similarly named Rigellians, (Star Trek: The Motion Picture) the Kalar of Rigel VII (TOS: "The Cage") and the Hill People of Rigel IV. (TOS: "Wolf in the Fold") By the 23rd century, there were also Humans living in the Rigel system. (TOS: "Mudd's Women", "Shore Leave") The Rigelian hypnoid and Rigellian ox were native animal species to the Rigel system. (TAS: "Mudd's Passion"; TNG: "The Schizoid Man") Ratana trees were from this system. (DS9: "Rejoined")

The Barros Inn was known to be one of the wildest bars in the system. (DS9: "Rejoined") Rigelian chocolates and the Rigelian flame gem are other items from this system, as are the diseases Rigelian fever and Rigelian Kassaba fever. (TOS: "By Any Other Name", "Requiem for Methuselah", ENT: "Twilight", DS9: "Chimera") Moon over Rigel VII was a song with fairly simple lyrics, inspired by a natural satellite of Rigel VII. (Star Trek V: The Final Frontier)

History Edit

In 2151, the Rigel system was the first star system visited by the Enterprise NX-01, the first Earth starship with the warp 5 engine, after it departed from the Sol system. The Rigel colony on Rigel X was a popular trade complex at the time, visited by numerous species. (ENT: "Broken Bow")

By the mid-2150s, Rigelians from Rigel V were visiting Earth. (ENT: "Home", "Affliction") In early 2155, the Rigelians participated in talks discussing their wish to join as a possible member in the Coalition of Planets along with Humans, Tellarites, Andorians, Coridans and Vulcans. (ENT: "Demons", "Terra Prime")

In 2254, a landing party from the USS Enterprise was attacked by the native Kalar warriors on Rigel VII. (TOS: "The Cage", "The Menagerie, Part I", "The Menagerie, Part II") By the 24th century, the Kalar castles of Rigel VII had become tourist attractions. (DS9: "What You Leave Behind")

In 2266, several women on Rigel IV were murdered by Redjac. (TOS: "Wolf in the Fold") During the same year, Harcourt Mudd, using the illegal Venus drug, attempted to sell Eve McHuron, Ruth Bonaventure and Magda Kovacs to lithium miners on Rigel XII. (TOS: "Mudd's Women")

Some time before 2267, Leonard McCoy visited Rigel II where he met two female cabaret dancers. (TOS: "Shore Leave")

In 2267, the Rigel system had a population in the millions. This system was threatened by the planet killer until the combined efforts of the starships USS Constellation and USS Enterprise destroyed the extragalactic doomsday weapon. (TOS: "The Doomsday Machine")

In 2327, Ensign Jean-Luc Picard had a two dates on Starbase Earhart with Penny Muroc who was from the Rigel system. (TNG: "Tapestry")

In the 2360s, Starfleet Academy cadets of the Nova Squadron won the Rigel Cup, where fighter pilots compete for piloting excellence. (TNG: "The First Duty")

During the Dominion War, Federation had pergium refinery on Rigel IV. (DS9: "Prodigal Daughter")

In an alternate future, Geordi La Forge was living with his wife and children on Rigel III. (TNG: "All Good Things...")

LocationEdit

The Rigel star system was part of the constellation Orion as it was seen from Earth. (TNG: "Family") The Rigel system was located between Sol and Argelius II (TOS: "Wolf in the Fold") near the star systems L-370 and L-374. (TOS: "The Doomsday Machine")

The location of the Rigel system has been depicted in several Federation star charts. In a larger chart it was depicted as being near Altair VI. (TNG: "Conspiracy") The location of the Rigel system was depicted to be near Alpha Shiro on a Federation tactical situation monitor in Captain Benjamin Maxwell's ready room on the USS Phoenix in 2367. The same chart was used in an alternate timeline by Captain Jean-Luc Picard to monitor the progress of the war with the Klingons. (TNG: "The Wounded", "Yesterday's Enterprise") One star chart depicted Rigel near Vega. This chart was often displayed in astrometrics on USS Voyager. (VOY: "Child's Play", "The Haunting of Deck Twelve")

Rigel, the lower right star of the constellation Orion

The Rigel system in relation to Pollux IV, Jouret IV, Vega, and Organia

Rigel near Alpha Shiro on a tactical situation monitor

A larger Federation star chart which depicts the Rigel system near Altair VI

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Background information Edit

According to the reference book Worlds of the Federation (page 36), the Rigel system and the Orion system are one and the same. Rigel VIII being the homeworld of the Orion species. According to the book, Rigel II and Rigel IV were colonized by Humans.

According to the reference work Star Trek: Star Charts, there were in fact two systems named Rigel. The Beta Orionis system that included Rigel VII (pg. 54) and the Beta Rigel system, that consisted of ten planets. (pg. 59) Five of these planets were members of the United Rigel Colonies. These planets were Rigel II, Rigel IV, Rigel V, Rigel VI, and Rigel X. A major Starfleet installation, Starbase 134 Shuttle Integration Facility, was located on Rigel VI. This system was named Beta Rigel by human astronomers due to its apparent proximity with Beta Orionis. (pg. 52) Both systems were located in the Beta Quadrant. (pgs. 52, 54) Beta Orionis was located approximately 773 light years from Sol. (pg. 54) The United Rigel Colonies were admitted into the Federation in 2202. (pg. 52) In the late 24th century, this system was a destination on a major space lane. (pg. 36)

External linksEdit

• Rigel at Wikipedia
• Rigel at the Internet Stellar Database