P'Jem
P'Jem was a Class M planet in the Luyten's Star system. The planet lay between the neighboring Vulcan and Andorian systems and was home to the Sanctuary of P'Jem. The planet was the site of the first contact between Andorians and Humans.
A nearby ringed moon was visible in the sky of the planet. The surface featured several mountains, many trees and several other plants, canyons and a foggy air. There was also at least one lifeform native to the planet. (ENT: "The Andorian Incident", "Cold Front")
History
The planet was known to the Vulcans since at least the early 1st millennium BC. The construction of the Sanctuary of P'Jem, later consecrated to the memory and teachings of Surak, predated the Time of Awakening by over twelve centuries.
By the 22nd century, the Vulcan High Command thought to capitalize on the planet's proximity to the Andorian system by installing a secret long range sensor array there. The ancient monastery provided cover for this listening post.
Certain Andorian factions remained suspicious even after the peace treaty with the Vulcans. Andorian Imperial Guard commandos forcibly searched P'Jem twice before the successful June 2151 raid led by Thy'lek Shran. (ENT: "The Andorian Incident")
Within a year, the spy station and its ancient cover had been destroyed. (ENT: "Shadows of P'Jem")
Stellar cartography
P'Jem was approximately 12 light years from Sol.
In the 2150s, this system's position was labeled on an United Earth star chart which was displayed in several crew and guest quarters aboard the Enterprise. (Star Trek: Enterprise, set decoration)
Appendices
Background information
The shot of Enterprise in orbit of the planet was recycled footage of Archer IV from "Strange New World". Digital matte paintings of the Sanctuary of P'Jem were created by Black Pool Studios. [1]
In the first draft script of "The Andorian Incident" (which had the working title "Incident at P'Jem"), this planet was called "Kro'el". In "Shadows of P'Jem", Archer calls P'Jem the "Sanctuary at P'Jem", suggesting that either the area it was in, or the planet was also called P'Jem. In the final draft script of ENT: "Desert Crossing", Trip Tucker made reference to "that Vulcan monastery on P'Jem," proving the planet was indeed meant to be called "P'Jem". However, this line did not make it on screen. This matter was resolved when a star chart based on material from the Star Trek: Star Charts was sold at an auction, giving a rare look at this set decoration. Used to decorate several quarters aboard the Enterprise, this star chart identified P'Jem as a planet in the Luyten's Star system.
The Star Trek Encyclopedia, 4th ed., vol. 2, p. 118 identified the planet as "P'Jem". It further stated that the monastery was founded on this class M planet around 800 BCE. Then, in a note to the main entry "P'Jem", the authors said that "it is not entirely clear whether P'Jem was the name of the planet or simply the name of the monastery".
Michael and Denise Okuda noted that the location of P'Jem was ambiguous but they assumed it was close to Vulcan, Andoria, and Earth. ("The Andorian Incident", text commentary, ENT Season 1 DVD special feature)
The star chart seen in the series Star Trek: Enterprise made its first appearance in Crewman Daniels quarters in "Cold Front". It was also seen in several other episodes of the series, from 2151 to 2154. (For more information, see Federation star charts#United Earth Alpha/Beta star chart)
Apocrypha
Non-canon sources naming the planet "P'Jem" included Star Trek Online and the reference book Star Trek: Star Charts. This was canonized when, in the episode "Cold Front", P'Jem was identified as a planet in the Luyten's Star system. It was a stop on the Vulcan trade routes in the 22nd century and was located in the Beta Quadrant.
External link
- P'Jem (planet) at Memory Beta, the wiki for licensed Star Trek works