Located to the galactic south of Founding Systems, the Rigel System is a marvel and mystery. Four stars and 14 planets, five of which are Class M inhabited worlds, the Rigel System is home to a plethora of sentient races.
Based on scientific and archaeological evidence, it's believed that the Rigel System was created by the Empire of Orion ages ago, before the first Earth civilisations. The Empire of Orion was an advanced civilisation, composed of Orionoids, humanoids, and other races, that may have caused the downfall of the Iconian Empire. Most knowledge of the Empire of Orion was lost after its collapse at the hands of robotic planet-killers. Little else is known of the Iconians, the Empire of Orion or its destroyers.
Zamiareen dominate trade floor and board room positions at the Rigellian Trade Commission, with Chelon dominating office and accounting positions. Orions and humans are also well represented, though the Trade Commission is always at odds with the Orion Syndicate, which the Trade Commission regards as a corrupting influence in the United Rigel Colonies.
The United Rigel Colonies employ a fleet of small ships, heavily-armed corvettes and scouts designed for escorting freighters across the Alpha and Beta Quadrant. These ships tend to have a skeleton crew of less than 20 men but can lay down cruiser-class firepower in an opening salvo, so that they're an effective deterrent against most pirates.
Rigellian Orions have close ties with the Orion Syndicate, and privateers are usually Orion companies in their distinct sickle-like ships. These ships may employ the best technology money can buy, but the very best technology usually isn't for sale, and whilst they might dominate the Borderland region of space, they're eclipsed by Federation and Klingon cruisers.
The Colonies might be described as best friends with the Federation. They have even created a cantonment for the Federation on Rigel IV.
- Rigel II. Jungle world, homeworld of Rigellian Orions, palace/casinos
- Rigel III. Swamp world, homeworld of tortoise-like Chelon
- Rigel IV. Industrialised world, homeworld of Zamiareen. Centre of United Rigel Colonies, and Rigel Trade Commission. Federation cantonment of Polar City
- Rigel V. Homeworld of Rigellian Vulcanoids
- Rigel VII. Homeworld of Rigellian humanoids and Kalar
- Rigel X. Trading outpost, smugglers den
[According to the official Star Trek: Star Charts, the Rigel System is the real world Rigel (Beta Orionis, sixth brightest star in the sky), located roughly 860 light years from Earth. Using Roddenbery's warp factor scale, travelling at the Enterprise's maximum safe speed (warp 6, c*216) the Rigel System would still be an 8 year round trip from Earth! Oops.]
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Rigel II, aka Mokalar
Homeworld of the Rigellian Orions, a colony dating back 40,0000 years to the Empire of Orion. A low gravity, verdant jungle world with a highly-oxygenated atmosphere, independent from any of the galactic powers it has become a mecca for hedonistic space-farers. Its economy is centred around the palace-casinos on the coasts, ruled over by powerful Orion oligarchs, although the greater population is amongst the most diverse, and transient in the galaxy. All pleasures are catered for on Rigel II, and visitors are often shocked that it does not have a seedy underbelly. It's seedy from top to bottom, like Las Vegas times Bangkok built in the ruins of Babylon, and there are even more mysterious depths to the planet.
Away from the coasts, the hot, steamy interior is teeming with pests and exotic diseases and feral Kalar tribes. Most animal life is pygmy-like, with no large, man-eating predators, these having been killed off over millennia of Orion occupation. Carnivorous, often poisonous plants are more of a danger. Even the poles are wooded, lacking ice sheets. Mostly unexplored and littered with ancient Orion ruins, the remains of proto-Chelon civilisation also lies deep in the jungle. Federation scientists would love to learn more about the Empire of Orion and its technology, which far surpassed that of the Federation. But modern Orions seem to have little interest in this lost history and disdain research into it. It's believed the infamous Orion wing-slug originates from Rigel II, and the vast swarms of them in the jungle are enough to discourage day-trippers.
The planet is protected by well-funded privateers, and through bilateral agreements with the United Rigel Colonies and the Federation (Rigel II has no unified planetary government).
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Rigel III, aka Chelar
Homeworld of the reptilian Chelon. Although Rigel III is commonly known as a swamp world, it does have some highlands and shallow seas. Life is abundant here, varied and unusual, and the Federation Science Bureau runs a joint research programme here with the United Rigel Colonies. The slow, lumbering Chelons, with their scaly, knobbly skin and hard tortoise-like shells, appear to be primitively evolved. Parrot-like beaks and black eyes limited their facial expression and add to the popular misconception that they're dumb brutes. But the Chelon have highly evolved brains and their robust hands, three short fingers and an opposable thumb, are nearly as dexterous yet far tougher than human hands. They're as intelligent as humans and have a greater short term memory capacity. A space-faring race, they and the Zamiareen are the backbone of the United Rigel Colonies. Chelon abhor violence and have no stigma about servitude. So although they think of the Federation as a little befuddled, they appreciate its dedication to study and peaceful pursuits.
The mist-shrouded swamplands of Rigel III are inhospitable to humans, the moisture itself is harmful to the skin and microbial infections are so rife, early explorers died in their droves or were bed-ridden for months afterwards. Nowadays human settlements tend to be built on the slopes of the highlands, where the climate is pleasantly dry and fresh. Expeditions demand the latest environmental suits.
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Rigel IV, aka Zamiar
Homeworld of the Zamiareen. They and the Chelon may be the only races native to the Rigel system, the Zamiareen being the first, evolving during the reign of the Masters of Orion. Obviously one of the Preserver races, the Zamiareen have some similarities to Andorians, Vulcans and humans. They have the hermaphroditic ability to change sex during adulthood, creating four genders, they have green, copper-based blood, and have a diverse society and ethos little different from humans.
Zamiareen have an almost Neanderthal appearance, pronounced cheek bones, heavy brow, sloping forehead, with thick, leathery skin and coarse hair, both in varying shades of grey-brown. Tribal fashions are in, with tattoos, bridge piercings, braided hair and beaded jewellery all very popular and mainstream.
Rigel IV has near Earth gravity and is perhaps an example of what pre-war Earth might have become. Just about race in the United Rigel Colonies and the Federation can be found on Rigel IV, in droves. At night the planet's surface is ablaze with light, 10 billion inhabitants crammed into a gamut of megacities. Border controls are lax, trade and commerce rules, everything has a price. Polar City in the north is a densely populated Federation cantonment of around 30 million people. One year on Rigel IV lasts 1125 years and it has a severe axial tilt, creating seasons that last almost three centuries. It's expected to be summer for the next 100 years, but daily weather on Rigel IV is still very unpredictable.
Zamiareen dominate trade floor and board room positions at the Rigellian Trade Commission, with Chelon dominating office and accounting positions. Orions and humans are also well represented, though the Trade Commission is always at odds with the Orion Syndicate, which the Trade Commission regards as a corrupting influence in the United Rigel Colonies.
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Rigel V, aka Torek
Homeworld of the Rigellian Vulcanoids. This high gravity world is dominated by the southern continent, a hot, dry desert of shifting sand seas. It was colonised by a Vulcanoid splinter faction 1,500 years ago. Eschewing the logic of Surak and the fascism of the Romulans, they came to believe that a simple, agrarian lifestyle would be their salvation. There are two tribes, the H'ravd (farmers) and the V'geln (nomads). For centuries they've dwelt on Rigel V, and have overtaken the wild Kalar tribes as its dominant race. Their history on the planet isn't bloodless, they first had to vanquish the Kalar of the southern continent.
There's some evidence that the northern continent was once very much like Rigel VII, but that the Kalar overthrew or were abandoned by their masters around the time of Empire of Orion's fall. Although the northern continent was mostly unmolested by the Vulcanoids, constant tribal wars and lack of medicine has restricted their population growth.
Although the Vulcanoids are members of the United Rigel Colonies, they're isolationists and wish to be left alone. Easy enough, the world is considered a boring backwater by most space-farers and ignored anyway. They'd only get the cold shoulder if they did land. However, ever since Vulcan was destroyed, the Federation has redoubled its diplomatic mission on Rigel V. United Earth humans have a lot in common with these Vulcanoids, and tend to get on well with them. Much better than Vulcans do.
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Rigel VII, aka Aulia
Homeworld of the Rigellian humanoids, Rigel VII is famed throughout the galaxy for two things. Firstly, the breath-taking beauty of its sky, eerie and alien, and dominated by the moon, Golia. It has inspired countless songs and poems. Secondly, the gigantic Kalar warrior caste, bred by the Empire of Orion in ancient times. Renowned as the fiercest warriors in the galaxy, they are nonetheless found only as slaves or savages.
The main continent of Rigel VII is criss-crossed with straits and gulfs, bounded by vast tidal zones. The close proximity of the moon creates immense tidal waves of up to 50 metres high in places along the coast, and destructive tidal bores that scour the rivers. This has severely limited population growth on Rigel VII, with civilisation only surviving above the tidal zone and near to calm bodies of water. Competition for the prime locations has led to a feudal system and decaying city states, the strongest of which is Zemtar, located on the shores of a sheltered bay.
These fortress cities are mostly of ancient Orion origin, and although the people are indistinguishable from humans, culturally they have evolved from Orions. The Kalar are the most enduring legacy. With feral tribes on Rigel II and Rigel V, and elsewhere bought as labourers or thugs, Rigel VII has the only remaining Kalar war bands. These have become an ever increasing strain on the dominions of Rigel VII. It is a time of peace. So far the United Rigel Colonies haven't assisted in developing the world so it can gain membership; Rigel VII has no unified planetary authority anyway, and even the Federation aren't interested, so why bother?
Rigel VII has one thing going for it. Prestige. "The Moon over Rigel VII" is a romantic cliché for a reason, and owning land and titles on Rigel VII is timelessly fashionable. Regardless of how marginal they are, the tsars command a pageantry, pomp and grandeur lost to most space-faring races. There are many who'd mourn the loss of this quaint, anachronistic civilisation, and it's protected (in more ways than one) through bilateral agreement with the United Rigel Colonies.
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Rigel X
Is a planetoid, a barren rock with a trade outpost built into the surface. It's a dive with old, badly maintained systems, leading to erratic air mix and artificial gravity. Although operated by the Rigellian Trade Commission, corruption prevents it from being modernised and the Orion Syndicate controls most of the business. Rigel X is on the same smuggling route as Deep Space K-7.