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USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-E) enters orbit around Kolarus III
Primary: Kolarus Prime
Class: M
Orbit: 1.2 AU
Mass: 5.972 * 10^24 kg
Atmosphere: /
The surface of Kolarus III

Kolarus III is the third of six planets in the Kolarin system. It is located in Federation territory near the Romulan Neutral Zone.

Kolarus III was first charted in 2379 as the Prime Directive interdicted any earlier interference with the native pre-warp civilization, consisting of isolated pockets of humanoids in an early stage of industrial development. The planet is dominated by vast savannas and deserts with little surface water.

That year the Federation starship USS Enterprise-E visited the planet following a positronic signal. The signal was emitted by parts of the Soong-type android, B-4, which were scattered over a few kilometers over the planet's surface. After a surface team collected the parts, they were attacked by the planet's natives, which, however, posed no serious threat for the team's superior technology, so they easily escaped. This mission was Jean-Luc Picard's first use of the new shuttlecraft Argo. (Star Trek Nemesis)

Background

Curiously, the Enterprise crew seemed to commit a major violation of the Prime Directive in flying down to the surface of Kolarus III with advanced technology, to say nothing of shooting at the natives. One might speculate that the natives had already been exposed to off worlders, perhaps the Romulans since they probably have no prime directive of their own. If this is the case, then the damage to the native culture may have already been done. Captain Picard also states that "There's no foreseeable danger", indicating that the landing party was beaming down to an unpopulated area, so they may have considered actual contact with the natives of Kolarus III unlikely.

It should also be noted that the Enterprise was investigating this planet in response to detecting positronic technology which revealed a level of expertise at least equal to that of warp drive. There are precedents which show that the Federation is willing to make contact with species who they believe to have developed an advanced level of technology while unable or unwilling to develop warp drive, such as the events in TNG: "Encounter at Farpoint". Interestingly enough in both cases, the advanced technology discovered is not an original product of the indigenous population.

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