M-113/background information

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Background information[edit | edit source]

By broadcast order, M-113 was the first planet ever seen in Star Trek.

At least two humanoid skulls were among the artifacts in Crater's collection.

M-113 has several connections to religious practices. In the final draft script of "The Man Trap", the planet was referred to as having once featured many "temples" used by the M-113 creatures, one of which was a large grey-colored building which, in the final version of the episode, is visible on the planet's surface. Since the name "M-113" (pronounced "M-one hundred thirteen") did not fit Star Trek's planet-naming conventions (and was originally suggested by Gene Roddenberry precisely because it was an unusual name), Kellam de Forest at one point suggested calling the planet "Mithras 113", referencing Mithraism.

The novelization of the episode, in Star Trek 1, called this planet Regulus VIII, suggesting that it was in the Regulan system.

According to Star Trek Maps (p. 31) and The Worlds of the Federation (p. 118), M-113 was the fourth of seven planets that orbited a yellow dwarf star, UFC 113. The M-113 creatures were in fact the ancient advanced civilization that had built the vast cities that were now in ruins. According to Worlds of the Federation, the indigenous name of the planet was Fotialla.

FASA's The Federation sourcebook described M-113 as the second planet in the Gamma Zeta IV system, while Decipher's Worlds sourcebook described M-113 as the third planet in the Alpha Kezar system.

For the pre-remastered version of "The Man Trap", the brown/red planet model for M-113 was first used for Delta Vega in “Where No Man Has Gone Before”. This planet model would be used for Alfa 177 (“The Enemy Within”), Tantalus V (“Dagger of the Mind”), Planet Q (“The Conscience of the King”), Benecia (“The Conscience of the King”), Gothos (“The Squire of Gothos”), Lazarus' planet (“The Alternative Factor”), Beta III (“The Return of the Archons”), Janus VI (“The Devil in the Dark”), Organia (“Errand of Mercy”), Mudd (“I, Mudd”), Argus X (“Obsession”), and Ardana (“The Cloud Minders”). For the remastered version of "The Man Trap", a new planet model was created by CGI artist Max Gabl.

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