Earth

**Earth** (also known as **Tellus**, **Terra** or **Sol III**) is a class M planet, the third planet in the Sol star system in the space of the galaxy's Alpha Quadrant. It is the Federation capital, and the primary political subdivision of United Earth, one of five founding members of the Federation. Its sentient species include Humans and cetaceans.

Earth served as the model for the class M classification.

It has one moon, Luna.

It is often called **Terra**, its Latin name, by many non-Humans throughout the Federation. The term Terran can refer to Humanity in general, to things related to Earth, or specifically to its citizens.

## History

### Early History

Earth was formed 4.6 billion years ago within a nascent Sol system. Its biosphere began forming 3.5 billion years back as amino acids appeared in the region known as France. Two billion years ago, single-celled life began evolving.

Life on Earth evolved. For several million years dinosaurs were ascendant. Their era ended when a large asteroid, or comet, hit Earth during the galactic battle between the Q and the forces of the being 0.

One dinosaur species survived to become the Delta Quadrant species Voth. The Preservers moved another promising reptilian species off Terra to ensure their development, and they became the Clan Ru.

Some four million years ago, the rogue planet of Cybertron drifted near Earth, the ships of both Optimus Prime and Megatron crash landing on Earth in their attempt to clear a path for their homeworld through the Sol asteroid belt.

As mammals reclaimed a mending planet, primates dominated the land while cetaceans ruled at sea. At one point, a probe from an alien cetacean race made contact with native humpback whales. Several alien races contacted, and were worshiped by, early Terrans.

### Humanity

In the last half of the 20th century, a subculture developed which believed that the planet had been visited by extraterrestrials. Between 1955 and 2018, at least eighteen Vulcan probe ships were photographed by Humans, though this evidence was dismissed as being hoaxes by authorities and the public at large. Other races also visited Earth during this period, though most, like the Vulcans, were subject to a rule of non-interference. An exception to this was the Reticulans.

rom 1992 to 1996, Earth suffered during the Eugenics Wars, a series of conquest brought on by the Augments, genetically superior humans under the leadership of Khan Noonien Singh.

Earth in the 24th century was a successful world whose peace was won at great cost. Unlike other races, Humanity was split for much of its history into hundreds of religious, ethnic, cultural and national divisions. Early efforts to unite its peoples -- such as the League of Nations, the United Nations, and the New UN -- met with limited success.

Earth was visited by the Reticulii in the 20th century to conduct genetic profiling of Humans, who were transported to orbiting medical ships. The Reticulii used Missing Time Syndrome to prevent the abducted Humans remembering their encounters.

The Bell Riots of 2024 were a turning point in Humanity's development.

In the early part of the 21st century, Humanity had developed a practical fusion-drive system which in turn allowed for the first manned vessel *Icarus* to be launched to the Alpha Centauri system.

In the year 2026, Earth began World War III, a catastrophic nuclear conflict that ended in 2053 and left the planet a burnt out husk. The slow recoveries were accelerated a decade later in 2063 when humanity made first contact with the Vulcans. A watershed in Terran history spurred by Cochrane's first warp flight, the contact eradicated poverty, war and disease within fifty years. A final war concluded in 2079 and even more reform progressed.

By the early 22nd century, organizations moved toward a world government. The first serious attempt was made through the formation of the United Earth Republic in 2113. Unfortunately the would be global state failed to obtain the admission of several major nation-states and within ten years most nations that had joined left. The UER was defunct by the year 2123- a mere decade after it's founding. (*ST* - *Section 31* novel: *Control*) The attempt that eventually succeeded was made by the European Hegemony and culminated in a United Earth that, by 2150, had absorbed a final nation state and was fully unified.

In 2151, Starfleet launched its new warp-five *NX*-class starships, whose flagship, *Enterprise*, first made contact with many races including the Klingons, Andorians, and Tellarites. These established United Earth as an interstellar power, and paved the way for the founding of the Federation.

During the Federation-Klingon War of 2256-2257, Earth was nearly invaded by the Klingon fleet before L'Rell became the leader of the Klingon High Council and called off the war.

Following the end of James T. Kirk's historic five-year mission in 2270, Earth was conquered by the Tholian Assembly under the manipulations of Aegis only for the Tholian youngling Bright Eyes to speak to the Tholian Elders and call off the war.

In the years following the Tholian invasion, V'Ger returned to Earth, threatening to destroy the planet if its creator was not brought before it. Upon discovering that V'Ger was the NASA probe Voyager 6, captain Willard Decker willingly merged with V'Ger to save Earth.

In 2286, the Cetacean Probe arrived in Earth orbit, its transmission signals nearly destroying the planet, before a pair of humpback whales answered its call and it left the planet.

Following the Battle of Wolf 359, Earth was nearly assimilated by the Borg Collective in 2386 only to be saved by the USS *Enterprise*-D. The Borg attempted another invasion in 2373 but the invading cube was destroyed.