Plasteel was a building material used on a number of planets in the galaxy, from Earth to the Delta Quadrant.
Specifics[]
Plasteel was a type of versatile plastic with rigid metalic hardness. (FASA RPG module: Spacelanes: The Magazine of Interstellar Trade)
Data's body was composed of plasteel and other durable materials. (TNG novel: The Best and the Brightest)
Aboard Federation starships and space stations, it was used for computer terminal surfaces on ships like USS Voyager[1][2]. Aboard the USS Enterprise-D, the bridge railing [3], desk surfaces in crew quarters[4], and various other components[5] were plasteel. Aboard USS Titan, some sickbay walls[6], the outer shells of incubators[7], and rear transporter room panels[8] were made from plasteel. Couplings of space ore trains were made of plasteel.[9] Aboard Jupiter Station, some walls were lined with plasteel.[10]
Members of the Starfleet Marine Corps routinely used plasteel to construct their bases in the field.[11] A plasteel cable could support up to 1,100 pounds — these were used in standard tents and stocked in emergency survival kits.[12]
Borg cubes had plasteel and duranium components.[13] Thousands of years ago, the Tkon Empire used the material to encase habitable sections of their ships.[14] Some hulls, such as that of the city ship Mascrar, were plasteel.[15] Some bulkheads were plasteel.[12] The ancient Kalandan outpost had some plasteel components [16]. It was used as a building material in the city of Daraniss on Daran V[17] and some Jem'Hadar cloning facilities.[18] In the Delta Quadrant, the Tutopan made doors with it.[1] Romulans even used it to make benches.[19]
Plasteel could be rendered transparent, and plasteel windows were shatterproof.[20] Plasteel windows adorned the Romulan Senate building[15] as well as the geophysics building at Starfleet Academy on Earth.[10] Some windshields were made of plasteel, such as on a sizzle bug mining vehicle.[12] The visors of Klingon instructional helmets were also plasteel.[12][21]
In the Mirror Universe, plasteel was common in Cardassian architecture.[22] Platforms, walkways, and stairwells in the 24th century were often made of plasteel.[23] It was also used in the cockpits of ground flyers [22] and Augmented Personal Modules [24] as well as windows, such as on Monor Base.[25]
History[]
Within known space, plasteel was invented by Janet Chong-Armstrong. Its chemical formula was released to the public domain after her death. (FASA RPG module: Spacelanes: The Magazine of Interstellar Trade)
Plasteel was used in the construction of Earth Starfleet starships. In 2156, Travis Mayweather reported that the only remnants of the Challenger were traces of plasteel, duranium and polyalloy. (ENT - The Romulan War novel: Beneath the Raptor's Wing)
In 2268, Montgomery Scott used a plasteel power converter to repair the USS Enterprise's impulse engines. (TOS - The Badlands novel: Part I)
In 2280, Shucorion of the Blood sold prefabricated plasteel panels to the Belle Terre Colonial Expedition that could be used to quickly fashion residences. (TOS - New Earth novel: The Flaming Arrow)
In the 2280s, one of Memory Alpha's museum holdings was a plasteel scale model sculpture of a U-21-class Romulan cruiser. In 2285, Derkon Willz was caught red-handed trying to steal it. (FASA RPG module: Old Soldiers Never Die)
In 2369, during the withdrawal from Bajor, Cardassians wrecked Deep Space 9's Promenade. Rebuilding shopkeepers replaced broken windows with plasteel. (DS9 - YA novel: Prisoners of Peace)
First Splinter timeline[]
In the 2370s, seamers were used to patch plasteel sections together. P8 Blue was particularly adept at using the tool. (SCE eBook: Balance of Nature)
In 2375 the elderly Leonard McCoy wore a plasteel and duritanium support framework. (SCE - What's Past eBook: The Future Begins)
Jaza Najem used a plasteel remnant to pry out the dedication plaque of the Luna-class USS Charon from the ship's wreckage after it had been hurled thousands of years into the past. (TTN novel: Sword of Damocles)
Mirror Universe[]
In 2371, B'Elanna Torres tortured Tom Paris with a pick whose end was made of razor-sharp plasteel. (ST - Mirror Universe - Shards and Shadows novel: Bitter Fruit)
Appendices[]
Background[]
- Plasteel also appears in the lore of Star Wars (Plasteel article at the Wookieepedia), Dune (Plasteel article at the Dune Wiki), Rimworld (Plasteel article at the Rimworld wiki), and other science fiction and gaming franchises. It also was cited in two short stories by Harlan Ellison in the 1950s.
- In the real world, plasteel is a steel/fiberglass formulation for automobiles patented in 1973. It is also the name of California-based Plasteel International's patented type of plastic-coated steel.
Appearances and references[]
Appearances[]
- FASA RPG module: Old Soldiers Never Die
- TNG novel: Here There Be Dragons
- TNG novel: Sins of Commission
- VOY novel: Violations
- TOS novel: The Return
- TNG novel: The Best and the Brightest
- TNG - The Q Continuum novel: Q-Zone
- TOS - The Badlands novel: Part I
- TOS novel: Dark Victory
- TOS - Rihannsu novel: Honor Blade
- TTN novel: Taking Wing
- VOY - String Theory novel: Cohesion
- TTN novel: The Red King
- SCE - What's Past eBook: The Future Begins
- TTN novel: Sword of Damocles
- ST - Mirror Universe - Shards and Shadows novella: Bitter Fruit
- ENT - The Romulan War novel: Beneath the Raptor's Wing
References[]
- FASA RPG - The Orions module: Book of Common Knowledge
- FASA RPG module: Star Fleet Intelligence Manual
- FASA RPG module: Where Has All the Glory Gone?
- FASA RPG module: Return to Axanar
- FASA RPG module: Spacelanes: The Magazine of Interstellar Trade
- DS9 novel: The Laertian Gamble
- TOS - New Earth novel: Rough Trails
- TOS - New Earth novel: The Flaming Arrow
- TOS - Dark Passions novel: Book One
- TOS - Dark Passions novel: Book Two
- DS9 - Section 31 novel: Abyss
- TOS - Gateways novel: One Small Step
- SCE eBook: Balance of Nature
- DS9 - The Left Hand of Destiny novel: Book One
- DS9 - Worlds of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Volume One novella: Andor: Paradigm
- ST - Mirror Universe - Obsidian Alliances novella: The Mirror-Scaled Serpent
- ST - Typhon Pact novel: Seize the Fire
- DS9 novel: Force and Motion
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 VOY novel: Violations
- ↑ VOY - String Theory novel: Cohesion
- ↑ TNG novel: Here There Be Dragons
- ↑ TNG novel: Sins of Commission
- ↑ TNG novel: The Light Fantastic
- ↑ TTN novel: Taking Wing
- ↑ TTN novel: The Red King
- ↑ ST - Typhon Pact novel: Seize the Fire
- ↑ DS9 novel: The Laertian Gamble
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 TNG novel: The Best and the Brightest
- ↑ FASA RPG - The Orions module: Book of Common Knowledge
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 FASA RPG module: Star Fleet Intelligence Manual
- ↑ TOS novel: The Return
- ↑ TNG - The Q Continuum novel: Q-Zone
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 TOS - Rihannsu novel: Honor Blade
- ↑ * TOS - Gateways novel: One Small Step
- ↑ FASA RPG module: Old Soldiers Never Die
- ↑ DS9 - Section 31 novel: Abyss
- ↑ FASA RPG module: Where Has All the Glory Gone?
- ↑ DS9 - YA novel: Prisoners of Peace
- ↑ FASA RPG module: Return to Axanar
- ↑ 22.0 22.1 DS9 - Dark Passions novel: Book One
- ↑ TOS novel: Dark Victory
- ↑ DS9 - Dark Passions novel: Book Two
- ↑ ST - Mirror Universe - Shards and Shadows novella: Bitter Fruit
External links[]
- Plasteel article at the Technovelgy blog.
- Plasteel International's website.