Terraforming

Terraforming was the process of modifying the environment of a planet or moon to make it habitable for life; specifically, for individuals that sought to establish themselves there. In practice, this often meant modifying the world to be more like class M planets. Individuals who oversaw the terraforming process were known as terraformers.
Its converse was bioforming, which is the process of adapting a species biology and anatomy to the planet. ()
==Process==
Terraforming began with selecting a planet which had the right mass, gravity, rate of rotation, and balanced periods of day and night, and which were located in their sun's habitable zone. Federation efforts at terraforming were coordinated by Terraform Command and ensured both that there was no life on the planet, and that it would never naturally occur without outside interference. Terraforming stations would then be established.
Next, water had to be made available for life in water basins. This could be done using hydraulic landscaping, sometimes with the additional step of filtering and re-oxygenating the subsurface water, or by directing water-rich comets into the planet's surface. If the water was hypersaline (meaning it had incredibly high salt content), portions of it could be desalinated to meet terrestrial and agricultural needs. Then, microorganisms were introduced as the first constituents of the biosphere permitting its atmosphere into self-sustaining oxygen production. As the biosphere expanded, higher order plants were introduced. One of the key metrics of the process being successful was monitoring the amount of vegetation on the planet.
Industrial replicators would allow for manufacture of large volumes of volatile compounds and elements critical for life (Carbon dioxide, Nitrogen, Ammonia, methane, etc). Terraformers accelerated the process; as of 2364, it would only would take around 30 years to build a habitable world, compared to millions or billions of years in nature. ( display graphic, , )
Terraforming could also be done on a smaller scale to correct an imbalance in a planet's geosphere or climate. For example, in 2370 the participated in re-heating Atrea IV's planetary core, thus permitting the world to continue to harbor life. ()
The "Murder Planet" in the Delta Quadrant was capable of changing its topography and foilage to manipulate potential prey, a process Zero likened to terraforming. ()
The Illyrians did not practice terraforming, preferring to adapt their bodies to newly-colonised planets rather that disrupt or destroy their native environments. ()
==History==
===Pre-Federation===
In the 2050s, the class D planet Weytahn was terraformed by the Andorian Empire to serve as a colony. The process was apparently completed by 2097. ()
In an alternate timeline, the Borg assimilated Earth in 2063 and subjected it to terraforming; by 2373 the planet's atmosphere contained high concentrations of methane, carbon monoxide, and fluorine, and the biosphere and geosphere had been completely subsumed with Borg technology. ()
Among Humanity's first terraforming projects was Mars in the Sol system. A verteron array located near Utopia Colony would periodically redirect comets such as into the ice caps, releasing trapped carbon dioxide and adding water. By 2155, the planet's atmosphere had been thickened enough that pressure gear was not required for humanoids to survive in the Martian lowlands, although thermal garments and a supply of oxygen were still necessary. ()
At some point prior to 2367, the reclusive Paxans terraformed a protoplanet in the Ngame Nebula to serve as a new homeworld, far from prying eyes. ()
An ancient generation ship, discovered sometime prior to 2380, stored large quantities of a terraforming emulsion that could transform inorganic material into a living ecosystem. It was theorized that this fluid would have been used to terraform the ship's target planet upon arrival, but an unknown calamity disabled the ship and killed its crew before it could arrive, leaving it to drift in space for centuries. ()
===Federation===
One of the ' first terraforming projects was Caldos, which was terraformed in the 23rd century. The Caldos colony, located in the northern hemisphere, was intended to evoke the Scottish Highlands. The Federation installed a weather control system for controlling the planet's weather, seismic stabilizers for stabilizing the planet's geology, so that the colony did not experience earthquakes, and fusion systems for powering the colony. ()
In 2257, the rapidly terraformed a class 4 moon, Delta 2, by cultivating Prototaxites stellaviatori in order to replenish the vessel's supply of spores. ()
In the 2280s, Project Genesis, a team led by Dr. Carol Marcus, developed the Genesis Device, a torpedo that could transform a barren world into a habitable one almost instantaneously by reducing it to subatomic particles, then reassembling them according to the pre-programmed Genesis matrix. So powerful was the device that its detonation during the Battle of the Mutara Nebula in 2285 created a new planet, , using nothing but material from the Mutara Nebula and the remains of the . While the planet was indeed habitable, it fell apart months later due to the use of protomatter in the Genesis matrix, and the technology was abandoned. (, )
Professor Gideon Seyetik was among the Federation's most renowned terraformers during the 24th century, having been involved in the transformation of Blue Horizon and New Halana. ()
Numerous planets were undergoing terraformation in the late-24th century, such as Venus, Browder IV, and Doraf I. Starfleet vessels were sometimes sent on terraforming missions to assist with these efforts. (; ) The terraforming of Velara III was abandoned in 2364 after sentient "microbrains" were discovered on the planet, who would have been rendered extinct by the continuation of the project. ()
==Examples==
Name 	Status 	Notes
Atrea IV 	Completed (2370) 	A class M planet, while not terraformed per se, it was in the midst of a planetary core cooldown. The participated in re-heating the planet's core, thus permitting the world to continue to harbor life. ()
Blue Horizon 	Completed (pre-2369) 	Terraformed by Professor Gideon Seyetik. He considered its Da Vinci Falls his "crowning glory". ()
Browder IV 	In progress (2366) 	A project that was assisted by the starships and USS Enterprise-D in 2366. ()
Caldos 	Completed (mid-to-late 23rd century)	One of the Federation's first major terraforming projects. Site of Caldos colony, which was intended to evoke the Scottish Highlands. ()
Delta 2 	Completed (2257) 	A class 4 moon rapidly terraformed with Prototaxites stellaviatori in order to replenish the 's supply of spores. ()
Doraf I 	In progress (2368) 	The Enterprise-D was scheduled to undertake a terraforming mission here in 2368. ()
Finibus III 	Abandoned or postponed (2259) 	The transported an AP 350 atmospheric processor to the colony to prevent its air from becoming unbreathable, but this mission was cancelled or postponed following the massacre of the colony by the Gorn. ()
 	Completed (2285)Destroyed (2285) 	Created in 2285 by the detonation of the Genesis Device at the end of the Battle of the Mutara Nebula. Though initially habitable, it ultimately destroyed itself later that year as a result of the protomatter used in its creation. (; )
A location in the Lagana sector	In progress (2368) 	The undertook a terraforming mission here in 2368. ()
Locarno 	Completed (2381) 	Created in 2381 by the detonation of a reproduced Genesis Device in the Detrion system. Unlike the first Genesis planet, Locarno was stable enough that Starfleet planned to house refugees there. ()
Mars 	In progress (2155) 	As of 2155, conditions on Mars were sufficiently altered to allow Humans to survive on the surface by only having to use small breathing gear and thermal insulation. ()
Maxia Zeta III 	Pending (2355) 	Marked as candidates for terraforming by the in 2355. ( display graphic)
Maxia Zeta IV 	Pending (2355) 	Marked as candidates for terraforming by the in 2355. ( display graphic)
New Halana 	Completed (pre-2367) 	Terraformed by Professor Gideon Seyetik for a Halanan colony. He would later describe the final result as a "paradise". ()
Paxan homeworld 	Completed (pre-2367) 	A protoplanet orbiting a T-Tauri type star. Terraformed by the Paxans to serve as their adopted homeworld.
Penthara IV 	Completed (2368) 	Terraformed by the Enterprise-D in 2368 to counter an ecological disaster. ()
Persephone III 	Completed (2259) 	The sentient comet M'hanit made a close pass of the planet in 2259, adding significant quantities of water vapor to its atmosphere to make it more suitable for plant life and agriculture. ()
Regula 	Completed (2285) 	While the surface was left desolate, the class D planetoid's interior was partially terraformed as the second phase of Project Genesis. ()
Velara III 	Abandoned (2364) 	Site of the Velara Base. Mission abandoned in 2364 after sentient "microbrains" were discovered on the planet, who would have been rendered extinct by the terraforming process. ()
Venus 	In progress (2371) 	Site of several terraforming stations as of 2371. ()
Weytahn 	Completed (pre-2097) 	A class D planet, terraformed by the Andorian Empire for habitation in the 2050s. The planet had a breathable atmosphere but appeared largely desolate as of 2152. ()
==Technology==
*Atmospheric processor
**AP 350
*Genesis Device
*Geo-terraforming vessel
*Laser drill
*Terraforming emulsion
*Terraforming station
==See also==
*Artificial biosphere
*Terraforming mission
==External links==
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