Janus VI Janus VI was the inhabited sixth planet of its star system . This was the homeworld for the intelligent Horta , a non - humanoid species . ( ) Location . In 2293 , the location of Janus VI in the Milky Way Galaxy was labeled in the star chart " The Explored Galaxy " , which was on display in Captain James T . Kirk ' s quarters aboard the . ( , " okudagram " ) In 2367 , the location of Janus VI was labeled on a tactical situation monitor in Captain Benjamin Maxwell ' s ready room on the . ( , " " ) In 2371 , the location of Janus VI was labeled on a star chart that Data and Picard were studying in stellar cartography aboard the . ( , okudagram ) " In 2366 , in an alternate timeline , during the , the location of Janus VI was labeled on a tactical situation monitor in the ready room aboard the . " ( , okudagram ) History . Janus VI was colonized by the United Federation of Planets over fifty years prior to 2267 , with the underground Janus VI colony . The colony was a major producer of pergium for the Federation . Janus VI was geologically inactive , and had no atmosphere . Though the planet was rich in mineral resources , reaching them was difficult with standard mining technology . Minerals present included gold , pergium , platinum , cerium , and uranium . The Federation was unaware of the Horta until that year , when a new level was opened up and the miners inadvertently began destroying Horta egg s , causing the mother Horta to retaliate by sabotaging equipment and killing fifty colonists by the time she was stopped three months later . Once it was realized that the Horta was a sapient creature , an agreement was created so the two sides could share the planet . ( ) In 2269 , when attempting to understand the threat they faced on the Kalandan outpost , after Captain James T . Kirk asked if the rocks could have life , Lieutenant Hikaru Sulu thought it possible that the captain was thinking back to his time on Janus VI and his experience with the Horta . Lieutenant Commander Leonard McCoy disagreed with the captain arguing that the Horta registered as a lifeform and the medical tricorder wasn ' t picking up life sign s from the rocks . ( ) In 2328 , this was the destination for passengers traveling from Denkir Orbital City via commercial transport . and Robert Levinson traveled there on the . ( , okudagram ) Appendices . Background information . The script notes described Janus VI as " " an ugly planet . . . reddish - brown , with a thick turbulent layer of cloud s , slowly rotating . " " Further script notes described it as " " hostile looking , reddish - brown , a boil ing atmosphere . " " For the " remastered " version of " The Devil in the Dark " , a new , computer - generated version of Janus VI was created to replace the stock footage used in so many TOS episodes . New shots of the planet ' s surface were also created . According to " Star Trek Maps " ( p . 26 ) Janus VI was a class - H planet . One of ten planets orbiting the moderate yellow star Janus . According to " The Worlds of the Federation " ( p . 110 ) , Janus was a class - E planet known as Shaul by the Horta . According to " " ( p . 23 ) , Janus VI was classified as a . According to the RPG sourcebook " Worlds " , Janus VI is located in the Alpha Janus system . Apocrypha . Janus VI was additionally mentioned in the Pocket Books " Devil in the Sky " and , in the IDW comic " A Matter of Perspective " , the " Enterprise " was " en route " to revisit the planet before being redirected for a distress call from a pleasure cruise .