Andromeda Galaxy

The **Andromeda Galaxy** (also known as **M31** and **NGC 224**) was a barred spiral galaxy some 2.5 million light-years from Earth. Part of the Local Group, it was the largest and closest of the Milky Way's major galactic neighbors.

Due to the great distance between the galaxies, little about Andromeda was known to the United Federation of Planets until the mid-23rd century. In the late 2260s, the USS *Enterprise* discovered a race of androids originating from Andromeda, left behind after their Makers had died out. A few months later, the *Enterprise* encountered a Kelvan scouting party, also from Andromeda. (TOS: "I, Mudd", "By Any Other Name")

One thing the Federation learned from the Kelvans was that radiation levels in Andromeda had been rising dangerously for many centuries, and would eventually render the galaxy uninhabitable for most species within the next ten thousand years. The Kelvan Empire had dispatched generation ships to explore their neighboring galaxies for worlds suitable for habitation.

Utilizing engine designs provided by the scouts, the Federation sent several probes and automated vessels to study Andromeda and carry messages offering peace and friendship to the Kelvans, which were expected to take approximately three hundred years to arrive. (TOS: "By Any Other Name")

In 2384, another power from Andromeda, the Archein Empire, opened a wormhole to the Beta Quadrant and began an invasion of the Milky Way. While combating the threat, Starfleet was able to equip the Iliad probe with quantum slipstream drive, enabling it to reach Andromeda much sooner, and perform reconnaissance on the wormhole. Using material from the Grey tetrahedrons, the USS *Odyssey* and IKS *R'kog* were outfitted with advanced slipstream drives and Romulan cloaking devices, and dispatched to destroy the Archeins' wormhole generator. While the mission was a success, the *Odyssey* was stranded. (*Star Trek: Odyssey*: "Iliad")

The *Odyssey* crew soon discovered that Andromeda was plagued by singularity formation zones, the result of ancient misuse of Omega particles. On the run from the Archein, and searching for a way home, the *Odyssey* made contact with the Kelvans (who had been conquered by the Archein sometime in the last four centuries), as well as the Alosians, another Archein client race. The ship eventually reached the Tar'taron Nebula, where *Odyssey'*s commander Ro Nevin learned that the Great Ones worshipped by the Archein were also the Prophets of Bajor, who had placed the Orb of Space-Time there at the dawn of the universe, and that the SFZs were also beginning to threaten the Milky Way. (ODY: "The Lotus Eaters", "Keepers of the Wind", "For All Time")

Six months later, in mid-2386, the *Odyssey* was able to return home, reverse the effects of the SFZs, and establish peace with the Archein. Shortly thereafter, the USS *Helena* was sent on a diplomatic assignment to Archein space, began Starfleet's first official exploration of Andromeda. (ODY: "Tossed Upon the Shore")

## Species

Alosian • Archein • Great Ones • Kelvan • Makers
## Locations

Archeina • Archein Wormhole Complex • Kelva • Tar'taron Nebula
## Appendices

### Notes

* Simon Pegg tweeted that the planet Altamid and the surrounding Necro Cloud nebula from *Star Trek Beyond* were "in the southern spiral arm of the Andromeda Galaxy." Since intergalactic travel is beyond the Federation's routine capabilities even in the *Kelvin* timeline, a reasonable compromise is that the region was within the *constellation* Andromeda, in the *direction* of the distant galaxy.

### External links

* Andromeda Galaxy article at ***Memory Alpha***, the canon *Star Trek* wiki.
* Andromeda Galaxy article at ***Memory Beta***, the non-canon *Star Trek* wiki.
* Andromeda Galaxy article at ***Star Trek Expanded Universe***, the fanon and fanworks *Star Trek* wiki.