Depictions of alien planets in Star Trek have included Vasquez Rocks, Paramount sound stages, and matte paintings from TOS and TNG. But as our ability to see beyond our own solar system increases, so too does our knowledge of the strange new worlds orbiting other stars. While we haven’t yet discovered any Vulcans out there (or perhaps more appropriately, they haven’t discovered us), we can take some comfort in the similar lack of the Borg Unicomplex.
As of the first week of July 2011, astronomers and astrophysicists around the world have discovered over 565 extrasolar planets, and the numbers and types continue to grow.
Recent discoveries of extrasolar planets further the supposition that our own system is not so unique in the cosmos. The University of Oxford recently reported the discovery of smaller planets, including the twin Neptune-sized planets pictured at right. This is an important and exciting discovery because many of the extrasolar planets that have been discovered have been hot Jupiters – enormous gas giants that orbit very close to their parent stars, and are very unlikely to harbor any kind of life as we know it. Also among the recent discoveries is that of a team from University of California, Berkeley which introduced the world to five planets orbiting the star 55 Cancri. No other star, other than our Sun, has more planets; and although 55 Cancri’s planets are all gas giants, the discovery suggests that many stars may harbor planetary systems, not simply singular planets. Furthermore, the systems HD 10180 and Kepler-11 host systems of six planets each, setting the current record.
Though UFOP: StarBase 118 may be a Star Trek RPG, you’ll still find some hottest news in the science world here – simply search the “Science News” tag in the news feed!
Strange New Worlds
We are a star trek roleplaying game
We are a free, fun, and friendly community of Star Trek fans who write collaborative fiction together. It’s easy to join – we’ll teach you everything you need to know!
Latest Mission Reports

Peace Park biome feels the heat, while more Betazoid nobles grace Amity Outpost
Federation News Service
May 27, 2023
Read More »

Ops crew recovers during shore leave as Terra Prime takes action
Federation News Service
May 26, 2023
Read More »

Rescue efforts of Constitution-B lead to liberation of hostages and refugees
Federation News Service
May 25, 2023
Read More »
Latest Interviews
Latest News

Award Winner – Genkos Adea, USS Excalibur-A/USS Artemis-A (Boothby Award)
Alora DeVeau
May 22, 2023
Read More »


OOC Activities
Looking for something fun to do? We have a whole list of fleet activities that are looking for members like yourself! Check out the Fleet Activity List today to see where you’ll fit in.