Arcturus IV

*This article is about the independent planet. You may be looking for Arcturia, the Federation member world.*

## Arcturus IV

### Alternate Name(s)

Arcturus
Arcturus IV
Alpha Bootis IV
Hokule'a IV

### Affiliation

Independent;
base of Merchant's Guild

### Status

A hub of commerce and trade, both legal and black market; a haven for criminals within the Federation Core

## Attributes

### Climate

Ranging from warm and temperate regions to humid and misty swamplands

## Demographics

### Settlements

Many large cities, surrounded by shanty towns

### Reputation

Dangerous

**Arcturus IV** (also known as **Alpha Bootis IV** or **Hokule'a IV**, and referred to simply as **Arcturus**) was an M-class planet orbiting the star Arcturus in the Alpha Quadrant. It was the homeworld of the Arcturans, and the base of the criminal organization called the Merchant's Guild.

Despite being in the middle of Federation space, Arcturus was an independent world, having resisted all overtures from the UFP, the Klingons and the Romulans. Arcturus had no centralized government, and was in fact a bona fide anarchy. There were no laws, no bureaucracy, and no extradition treaties. It was a central location of a major "pirate corridor," and was known both as a port of call for free traders and a haven for criminals of all stripes. By the 2270s, there was an old saying that went "Arcturus is the place where everyone goes to make deals." (*TOS* novel: *The Lost Years*; *TOS* novel: *Enterprise: The First Adventure*; *Star Trek: The Fall* novel: *Peaceable Kingdoms*; *SCE* novel: *Distant Early Warning*)

First encountered by Earth starship crews in the early 22nd century, the world quickly gained a reputation among humans as a dangerous place. By the 23rd century, it was rarely patrolled or visited by Starfleet or the Federation Border Patrol, who gave it a wide berth. In that era it often served as a neutral place for Federation citizens to meet with those from the Romulan or Klingon Empires. (*TOS* novel: *The Lost Years*)

## Planetary information

Arcturus IV had seven moons. Once every six years, three of those moons would be full at once. The Arcturans considered that confluence to be a mystical time, when "very strange, very wonderful" things could happen.

Though the planet was generally considered warm and temperate, there were marshes and swamps where the atmosphere was hot, heavy and humid, and a fine mist often hung in the air.

There were many cities on the world, and most of these generated a high degree of industrial pollution. The cities were seen to glow from a distance, not merely because of internal lighting, but because every building was surrounded by its own force field.

In addition to the natives, individuals of many species could be found on Arcturus at any given time, including humans, Klingons, Romulans, Tellarites, Cygnusians, Andorians, Gorn, Aurelians, and even Horta. (*TOS* novel: *The Lost Years*)

A form of alcohol called *hongua* originated on Arcturus. It was an ingredient in a mixed drink called a sundowner, according to the recipe of Yeoman Dermot Cusack. (*Star Trek: Early Voyages*: "Out Dearest Blood")

## External links

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