Horizon (starship)
From Memory Alpha, the free Star Trek reference
The Horizon was a 22nd century Earth starship that discovered the planet Sigma Iotia II, located on the outer reach of the galaxy, in 2168.
While there, the crew of the Horizon made first contact with the planets inhabitants, the Iotians; a civilization that was in the beginning stages of industrialization. It was also reported that the Iotians were an extremely intelligent and somewhat imitative species.
The Horizon’s contact came before the Non-Interference Directive went into effect, and the ship inadvertently interfered with the normal evolution of the planet. The source of contamination was a number of textbooks and technical manuals on how to make radio sets. The most damning was a text published in 1992, called "Chicago Mobs of the Twenties". This text would serve as the "Bible" of the Iotian culture for the decades to come.
The Horizon was only equipped with conventional radio, in the days when only certain vessels had subspace communication. The Horizon was lost shortly after leaving Sigma Iotia II and Starfleet would only manage to receive her radio reports nearly a century later, in early 2268.
A month later, the USS Enterprise was dispatched to investigate the Horizon’s reports, only to discover the break down of Iotian society that had occurred as a result of the Horizon’s influence. Because the breakdown of Iotian society was the fault of the Federation, the crew of the Enterprise was obligated to correct the Horizon’s mistake. (TOS: "A Piece of the Action")
[edit] Background
Several semi-official references, including the Star Trek Encyclopedia, refer to this vessel as the Daedalus-class, USS Horizon, which was later seen as a model in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. The dialog from "A Piece of the Action", however gives no clear evidence if the ship is that vessel or the freighter ECS Horizon mentioned throughout Star Trek: Enterprise.
[edit] External link
- USS Horizon (NCC-176) at Memory Beta, the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
- ECS Horizon at Memory Beta, the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
