M - 113 M - 113 was an inhabited M - class planet . It was the homeworld of a type of poison ous plant known as the borgia plant , as well as the home of a civilization of M - 113 creature s , which went extinct long before 2266 . The planet was hotter and more arid than Earth , so Human inhabitants needed to ingest larger amounts of salt to adjust for the loss of the mineral due to sweat ing . M - 113 was once rich in salt but the planet ' s supply of the substance became depleted in antiquity , which was the cause of the eventual extinction of its native species of creatures , and by 2266 , no salt could be found on the planet , so it had to be imported . Apart from the aforementioned borgia plant , M - 113 ' s landscape also featured dry brushes . Several stone sculptures depicting various animal s were found on the surface of the planet among vast ruins , including sculptures of a winged creature holding a sword , a small stone sculpture resembling a dolphin as depicted in Earth ' s Renaissance , a four - legged deer - like creature seated like a traditional Egypt ian sphinx statue , and a sculpture of a lion - like animal . In 2261 , archaeologist Robert Crater and his wife Nancy began an expedition on M - 113 to conduct a survey of the planet ' s many ruins . They moved into a large deserted ruin on the planet surface and began their archaeological research . During their first four years there , they shipped out large amounts of artifacts , gathered from several digging sites on the planet , made numerous reports , and were visited by a number of ships . A large drop in shipments was noted in their fifth year , however . Unknown at the time of the Crater expedition , a single surviving M - 113 creature continued to live on the planet . It eventually killed Nancy and continued to live along with Robert until 2266 . Crater buried his wife on a hill on the planet , but was no longer as efficient in his archaeological work , causing the drop in shipments . ( ) In 2328 , this world was home to the M - 113 Archaeological Center and M - 113 Tourist Center . ( ) Appendices . Background information . By broadcast order , M - 113 was the first planet ever seen in " Star Trek " . At least two humanoid skull s 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 . 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 . This planet model would be used for Alfa 177 ( ) , Tantalus V ( ) , Planet Q ( ) , Benecia ( ) , Gothos ( ) , Lazarus ' planet ( ) , Beta III ( ) , Janus VI ( ) , Organia ( ) , Mudd ( ) , Argus X ( ) , and Ardana ( ) . For the remastered version of " The Man Trap " , a new planet model was created by CGI artist Max Gabl .