The United Federation of Planets by extension Starfleet, uses a classification system to
identify different planets and their environments. This is a far simpler system than the real
life counterpart that we use today that takes into account a planet’s mass, orbit, composition
and even the star it orbits, if any. The use of simple letters attributed to a planetary
object is probably derived from the Star Classification system, where O,B,A,F,G,K and M indicate the
colour of the star. That’s a simplification and I’m sure astronomy buffs out there can
explain it a lot better. In universe though, the system adopted by
Starfleet was in fact one created by the Vulcans, which makes sense as in their early days of
exploration, many of the star-charts that Starfleet used were given to them by the Vulcan
High Command. There are a few confirmed classifications that we find throughout the shows and a myriad
of others that come from material such as books, including star chart atlases. But we’ll
begin with the confirmed classifications. Also, if I refer to human life, I generally
mean any oxygen-nitrogen humanoid species from Trek; it’s just quicker to say.
So, let’s play the alphabet game, but Star Trek style, and already I’m failing at the
alphabet because I’m starting with M. An M class world, short for the Vulcan term
Minshara, make up a very small percentage of the universe but are the most visited in
the series. This is because an M class world is any planet that can support oxygen-nitrogen
breathing life, which included surface water and required very little adaptation to survive
on the surface. Earth is obviously an M class world as is Vulcan. Despite the heat, which
humans would find uncomfortable, a human beaming down to Vulcan would require no breathing
apparatus, nor environment suit. There was a sub category of classification for the M
class, 1-4 but all were considered habitable and prime real-estate for colonisation.
Next to this we have the Class L. Class L planets are also habitable by most humanoid
life but have some feature that prevents them from being easily colonisable, such as a thinner
atmosphere. These planets are very close to the class M and with a little terraforming
could easily support humans and others. Of course, they may have their own lifeforms
already, so terraforming the planet might not be a great idea. An example of a class
L is the planet that featured in the DS9 episode, the “Ascent” that Odo and Quark crash-landed
on. It had vegetation, but none was edible and didn’t have any fauna therefore the
environment by itself could not support human life.
A class K was a planet that required atmospheric domes for human habitation. So we’re talking
a solid surface and tolerable gravity, but usually the atmosphere, temperature or other
factors would kill if not for protection. Colonies on this type of world are still not
uncommon, but usually completely reliant on outside deliveries.
A Class J planet is a gas giant akin to our own Jupiter. These planets are not suitable
for colonisation as there is no surface to settle. Maybe some strange life has adapted
to them somehow, but with atmospheric pressure and the like, we’ll never know. There is
also a subgroup of at least 9 variations which may refer to the atmospheric composition,
because…. There is also a Class T planet, which is also
a gas giant but seems to be one of a super-size called ultragiant. The Voyager episode “Good
Shepard” featured a class T. Class N planets are back to being solid ground
but are uninhabitable for humans, requiring a lot of adaptation and technology to support
human life. It is worth noting though, that class N planets can be inhabited by species
that do not have the same atmospheric requirements as a human. Inhabitants from a class N world
however, usually cannot mingle with class M dwellers, even with breathing gear as their
atmospheric requirements are too severe. Venus is regarded as a class N planet in apocryphal
material. Class H was a classification of planet that
is considered uninhabitable for human life due to intense radiation, even if it has oxygen
in its atmosphere and water. Tau Cygna V has an oxygen-argon atmosphere, breathable by
humans but it was the intense Hyperonic radiation that made it unlikely as a colony world. Despite
this however, some stranded individuals were able to eventually thrive there after becoming
immune to the radiation. A class D planet is a planet or planetoid
of rock that is incapable of supporting human life due to a lack of atmosphere. You can
see a Class D object quite clearly from Earth. Luna, or our own moon is considered a class
D planetoid. Due to their nature, they can be colonised but terraforming is highly unlikely,
instead requiring pressure domes to survive and usually artificial gravity to make up
for the smaller mass of the objects. Though there has been the odd rule breaker that had
an oxygen-nitrogen atmosphere. Class Y planets are colloquially known as
Demon class due to their hellish environment. Such planets have solid ground but atmospheres
that could burn, asphyxiate and poison all at once. These planets were even damaging
to most technology and Starships and best avoided unless absolutely necessary. A class
Y planet was encountered and landed on by the USS Voyager in the episode “Demon”.
Any life encountered here is going to be unlike anything humanoid.
Type R is a terrestrial planet. Usually these planets are uninhabitable, but now we’re
moving into the unconfirmed territory. The Class R could apply to a rogue planet and
due to the fact that they orbit no star for warmth of energy, they are usually barren
of life. However several inhabited versions have been discovered such as Dakala and perhaps
the Founder’s Homeworld, though both of these planets can support human life, Dakala
due to geological activity providing atmosphere and warmth. And the founder’s world may
be terraformed by the Great link. The rest of these classifications have yet
to be identified on screen. Class A are young geothermally active planets that are mostly
molten. B is a barren world heated by very close proximity to a star, such as Mercury.
Class C is a dead, rocky world. No heat, no life and usually was once a different classification.
E is a molten world, too hot to support life. A class F is also molten but could sustain
a habitat with effort. A class G planet is one that has cooled to create a crystalline
surface in place. Class I is a gas supergiant . O is reserved for class M planets that have
a high level of surface water, over 80%. So Earth would be close to this designation.
Class P is a frozen world with a habitable atmosphere but generally survivable conditions
provided care is taken and exposure minimal. Andoria would be considered such a planet
as the surface would not kill you due to its composition, just its frigid temperature.
Class Q planets are best surmised with “A bit of everything.” These planets are generally
presented as habitable but are subject to extreme fluctuations that are extreme enough
to change the classification of the planet. The Genesis Planet would be one such, short
lived, example. And the Class S is another type of gaseous Ultragiant.
So there we have it. These are the known and speculated classifications
of planetary bodies in Star Trek. I wonder what classifications U,V,W,X and Z are for?
Then again, they very well might not exist. I mean what are the odds that there are as
many planetary types as there are letters in the English alphabet. For that matter wasn’t
this based on a Vulcan directory? How many letters to they have?
Whatever, thanks for watching this video and if you had to make up a type for a Class X
planet, what would it be? I’m going with a planet that looks like a giant…-