Coordinates

Destination coordinates were laid in at the helm console

Transporter coordinates were inputed to the transporter console

Coordinates, also known as galactic coordinates or spatial coordinates, were a set of two, three or four numbers used to indicate the location of a star, a planet, an asteroid field or any other object or position in space. When setting a heading for a starship, the course was laid in to the destination coordinates at the helm console. (ENT: "Stratagem"; VOY: "Unity"; Star Trek Into Darkness)

A set of coordinates was also used to indicate a specific location on a planet or a planetoid. Surface or underground coordinates were used for example when beaming up from or down to a planet with the transporter. A set of two or three vector coordinates were used to determine a location. These coordinates could be automatically obtained by locking onto a communicator signal or by tying into the ship's sensors. They could also be manually input into the transporter console. (TOS: "A Piece of the Action", "Day of the Dove", "The Mark of Gideon") These coordinates were labeled as vector coordinates in the lambda, psi and phi axis on the transporter console. (Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan)

Examples of galactic/spatial coordinates

Maxia Zeta system at coordinates 16453/452.45

• 000-mark-2: A location of space between Nimbus III and the center of the Milky Way Galaxy, before the Great Barrier becomes visible to the naked eye. Captain James T. Kirk sent a distress call to Starfleet from these coordinates in 2287 when the USS Enterprise-A was commandeered by Sybok. (Star Trek V: The Final Frontier)

• 002/845: The location of space, where the starships USS James Fennimore Cooper and USS Robert Louis Stevenson rendezvoused with the USS Discovery in 2364. The James Fennimore Cooper and the Robert Louis Stevenson transferred personnel to the Discovery. (TNG: "Conspiracy")

• 005-mark-317: Coordinates of asteroids inside the asteroid field where the USS Enterprise-D tested new photon torpedoes in 2370. (TNG: "Genesis")

• 0009-358070690 0009-407764209: The galactic coordinates the Tkon Empire. In 2364, Data presented a hologram of the Empire that included the coordinates. (TNG: "The Last Outpost")

• 18-mark-205-mark-47: The location of the USS Voyager in the Delta Quadrant in 2374. Upon discovering the Hirogen communications network which enabled Voyager's first contact with Starfleet in years, Captain Kathryn Janeway stated the ship's coordinates. (VOY: "Message in a Bottle")

• 21 alpha prime/936 zeta: The spatial coordinates of the USS Voyager in the Delta Quadrant in 2372 on stardate 49123.5621. (VOY: "Relativity")

• 22/87/4: The coordinates of Gamma Hydra Section 14 on the Federation side of the Neutral zone in 2285. (Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan)

• 23.17.46.11: The coordinates of the Io Facility that was in the alternate reality orbiting Io a moon of the planet Jupiter in the Sol system. (Star Trek Into Darkness)

• 036.231: The galactic coordinates for the heart of the Milky Way Galaxy. After the magnetic organism overtook the USS Enterprise in 2269, it demanded that the crew set the ship on course to these specific coordinates. (TAS: "Beyond the Farthest Star")

• 43.89.26.05: The coordinates of the planet Qo'noS. (Star Trek Into Darkness)

• 070-mark-3: The coordinates of quadrant 9 inside the Neutral Zone. A battle between the commandeered Batris and the IKS T'Acog took place there in 2364. (TNG: "Heart of Glory")

• 070-mark-63: The position in space where Q returned the USS Enterprise-D in 2365 after first contact with the Borg. (TNG: "Q Who")

• 81-mark-40: Coordinates of a Kazon-Nistrim raider using masking circuitry encountered by USS Voyager in the Delta Quadrant in 2371. (VOY: "State of Flux")

• 090-mark-345: The location of Starbase 179. (TNG: "A Matter Of Honor")

• 113-mark-7: The coordinates of an asteroid field in the Nekrit Expanse in the Delta Quadrant. (VOY: "Unity")

• 121-mark-6: A location inside Sector 38 in the Delta Quadrant near Tak Tak space. USS Voyager was found adrift at these coordinates in 2373 after the crew had been infected by a macrovirus. (VOY: "Macrocosm")

• 140/205: A location of space just outside the Romulan Neutral Zone in Federation space, where the USS Enterprise-D intercepted a Romulan scoutship in 2366. (TNG: "The Defector")

• 140-mark-317: A location of space in the Delta Quadrant. A Kazon buoy dropped at these coordinates was used by Seska to relay a communication to the USS Voyager in 2372. (VOY: "Basics, Part I")

• 206.80/102.8/128.59: The location of a Vidiian starship in the Delta Quadrant in 2371 that was contacted by Kes. (VOY: "Fury")

• 207-mark-99: The coordinates of Deep Space 9. (DS9: "A Time to Stand" display graphic)

• 211-mark-61: A location of space inside the remains of Orelious IX, where the USS Enterprise-D discovered a Promellian battlecruiser in 2366. (TNG: "Booby Trap")

• 227-mark-359: Coordinates of Iconia, inside the Romulan Neutral Zone. (TNG: "Contagion")

• 237.101: A location of space near the planet Vagra II. After experiencing an onboard systems failure, the drifting shuttlecraft 13 of the USS Enterprise-D was caught in the planet's gravity at these coordinates and crash landed in 2364. (TNG: "Skin of Evil")

• 254-mark-220: The coordinates of the Dominion Ketracel-white facility in Cardassian space destroyed during the Dominion War in 2374. (DS9: "A Time to Stand" display graphic)

• 314-mark-21: Coordinates of a small Kazon raider in the Delta Quadrant moments before it attacked the USS Voyager in 2372. (VOY: "Basics, Part I")

• 357-mark-220: The coordinates of Cardassia. (DS9: "A Time to Stand" display graphic)

• 370.236: A location of space in the Zed Lapis sector. Shuttlecraft 13 experienced an onboard systems failure at these coordinates in 2364. (TNG: "Skin of Evil")

• 423/112/51: Coordinates of a location near but outside the Boradis system, in a sector colonized by the Federation. The USS Enterprise-D intercepted the class 8 probe carrying special emissary K'Ehleyr there in 2365. (TNG: "The Emissary")

• 1127.4/4052.0/3901.1: The location of the star Azati Prime. (ENT: "Stratagem")

• 3629-mark-584: The location in space, where the USS Enterprise-D had a scheduled rendezvous with the USS Victory in 2365. (TNG: "Elementary, Dear Data")

• 4159.26/81921/312: A location of space between Tarsas III in Sector 001 and the planet Bynaus. (TNG: "11001001", "Conspiracy" display graphic)

• 16453/452.45: The navigational coordinates of the Maxia Zeta system. (TNG: "The Battle" display graphic)

• 66728.9/707542.2: The coordinates of the Pegos Minor system. (TNG: "We'll Always Have Paris")

Examples of surface/underground coordinates

Gravett Island at coordinates 18/136/128

• 18/136/128: The coordinates of Gravett Island on Earth. (Star Trek: First Contact)

• 118/220: The surface coordinates near a village on the planet Gamma Trianguli VI. (TOS: "The Apple")

• T157/2598: The coordinates of a street in San Francisco close to Starfleet Headquarters on Earth. (Star Trek Into Darkness)

• 857/020/079: The coordinates of the transporter room on the replica USS Enterprise built on the planet Gideon. (TOS: "The Mark of Gideon")

• 857/020/709: The coordinates of the chambers of the Gideon Council on the planet Gideon. (TOS: "The Mark of Gideon")

• 8503.21/5746.90/0038.74: The vector coordinates of the underground Genesis cave on the Regula planetoid. (Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan)

Transporter coordinates

Transporter coordinates were a series of reference numbers used by a transporter system to determine the location to which a target was either to be beamed from, or beamed to. Coordinates could be automatically obtained by locking onto a communications signal or by tying into ship's sensors. They could also be manually input into the transporter console. (TOS: "A Piece of the Action", "Day of the Dove", "The Mark of Gideon")

In the mid-23rd century, transporter coordinates consisted of three groups of three numbers each. (TOS: "The Mark of Gideon") On the planet Gideon, the ruling body's council chambers were identified by the coordinates 875-020-709. A near-exact duplicate of the USS Enterprise built by the Gideons as part of a plot to kidnap Captain Kirk were identified by the coordinates 875-020-079.

In Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, a display indicated by Saavik as representing transporter coordinates was broken into three segments, but the number of numerals in each was not distinguishable.

Appendices

See also

• Bearing
• Grid
• Heading
• Navigation
• Quadrant
• Sector

Background information

According to Star Trek: The Next Generation Technical Manual, (page 36) spatial coordinates are used to establish a standard galactic X, Y and Z position.

According to Star Trek Maps, the XYZ spatial coordinates 0,0,0 used by the Federation are those of a central navigation beacon located near the core worlds of the Federation. The galactic XYZ values are in a grid in relation to this central beacon. Units in the grid are parsecs. The first value X is the distance towards (positive) or away from (negative) the center of the galaxy. The second value Y is the distance towards the left "Alpha Quadrant" direction (positive) or the right "Beta Quadrant" direction (negative). The third value Z is the distance in the galactic north direction upwards (positive) or galactic south downwards (negative) away from the galactic plane. Based on the various canon references, the system of coordinates used in Star Trek appears to be more complex than this.