Vestalan was a planet located in the space of the galaxy's Alpha or Beta Quadrants. It was the homeworld of the developing Hualan civilization.
History and specifics[]
Millennia ago, the polar ice caps melted, resulting in most of the surface drowning and triggering a non-ending heat wave from its searing sun. Its biosphere was saturated by its great global ocean, producing oppressive humidity. Geological formations included archipelagos, igneous rock formations and blackgrained beaches. Its gravity was comparable to that of Luna.
Vestalan was considered a hands-off world in the Federation, but it was also the only source of Derivative 249, a cure for pan-Human neurotransmission disorders made from coatl venom.
Prior to 2261, Doctor Roger Korby resided on Vestalan, where he studied the medical history of new and old Hualian civilizations, research that made him famous. Christine Chapel served as his staff physician there, and it was where they'd fallen in love.
Socio-anthropologist Irvin Domberwicky also visited Vestalan and had established a good rapport with the natives.
In the 2260s, the Vestalan botanical collections station traded for coatls in order to produce Derivative 249, but trade disputes arose in 2269, prompting a visit by the starship USS Enterprise. During their visit, James T. Kirk and Chapel were captured by a group of Hualans, and Kirk was placed in a sacrificial snake pit, similar to a kiva from Earth's Anasazi culture, but Chapel was able to rescue him, which Hualan high priests interpreted as good fortune.
Domberwicky volunteered for a temporary assignment to Vestalan to help maintain good relations between the station and the natives, while Chapel was awarded a commendation from Starfleet. (TOS - The New Voyages 2 short story: "Snake Pit!")
Lifeforms[]
- coatl
- 'gav tree