Talos IV was an M-class planet with an oxygen atmosphere, and the fourth of eleven worlds within the Talosian star system. Talos IV has a highly inclined orbit.
A map of the Talosian star system
This planet was inhabited by the Talosians, an old and weakened race with enormous mental powers, who lived deep underground. In 2254, the planet was visited by the Federation starship USS Enterprise under the command of Captain Christopher Pike after receiving a distress call from the SS Columbia, which crash-landed there in 2236. However, the only survivor of this crash was Vina, a female Human. (TOS: "The Cage")
Afterward, the Federation imposed General Order 7 on Talos IV, preventing anyone from approaching or making contact with the planet, under penalty of death. (TOS: "The Menagerie, Part I")
In 2267, Talos IV was revisited by the Enterprise while commandeered by Spock, in order to drop Captain Pike there. Pike had been crippled by delta rays but was able to live a normal life on the planet together with Vina. (TOS: "The Menagerie, Part II")
Background
In the original story outline for "The Cage" (as fully reprinted in the reference book The Making of Star Trek, pp. 47-65), Talos IV was named Sirius IV and was inhabited by crab-like aliens who kidnapped Captain Robert April. The outline additionally describes the surface of Sirius IV as "arid, rocky" and "the arid waste."
The Talos IV set was designed by art directors Franz Bachelin and Pato Guzman. The set included a massive painted backdrop that greatly enlarged the set's apparent size. Although the sky pictured in the backdrop was a cloudy gray, Director of Photography William E. Snyder and the production crew gave the sky a slight greenish tint using colored lights, thereby making the planetscape seem more alien. ("The Menagerie, Part II" text commentary, TOS Season 1 DVD) The Talosian elevator created as part of the set was built on a platform, allowing the lift to descend without necessitating excavation below the soundstage's floor. ("The Menagerie, Part I" text commentary, TOS Season 1 DVD)
According to Star Trek: Star Charts, on page 34, this planet was warp capable approximately 500,000 years ago.
The 2006 "remastered" versions of "The Menagerie, Part I" and "The Menagerie, Part II", as well as the 2008 "remastered" version of "The Cage", feature several updated, CG shots of Talos IV.
Location
According to the reference work Star Trek: Star Charts, this planet was located in the Alpha Quadrant (pg. 34)
A Federation star chart which depicts the UFP
In the episode "Conspiracy", there was a galactic map. This map showed the locations of several stars and planets from Star Trek: The Original Series and Star Trek: The Animated Series. In this map, Talos was located in a block set between 344 and 345, and four blocks from the galactic edge. (Sol was located in a block set between 348 and 349, and two blocks from the galactic edge.)
External link
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