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Class M

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The Minshara class planet Earth

In the Federation standard system of planetary classification, a class M planet, moon, or planetoid was considered to be suitable for humanoid life. By the mid-24th century, thousands of class M planets had been charted by the Federation. These worlds were the first choice for colonization. Since the late 23rd century, the Federation has been terraforming lifeless worlds into class M worlds. Environmental conditions on Federation starships mimicked the class M environment. (TOS: "The Cage"; TNG: "Justice", "Home Soil", "Final Mission"; VOY: "Caretaker")

During the mid-22nd century, Vulcan science used the term Minshara class for such planets. Vulcans were not able to determine if a planet was Minshara-class through orbital scans, instead sending down probes to collect the necessary data. (ENT: "Strange New World") In 2151, Starfleet officers were not familiar with the term and Enterprise chose to adopt it. However, by 2154, Starfleet had adopted the term class M. A century later, that term was in general use in Starfleet, even though the term "Earth-type" was also occasionally used.

By the 23rd century, it was theorized that there was a mathematical probability of three million Earth-type planets in the Milky Way Galaxy alone. (TOS: "Balance of Terror")

A planet could fall within the range of the M-class classification. This range was from 1 to 4. The Koinonian homeworld was an example of an M-class type 4 planet. (TNG: "The Bonding", "Clues")

Occasionally, the term was used to characterize an atmosphere rather than a planet. (TNG: "Relics")

The standard environment aboard Federation starships was class M. (TNG: "New Ground")

List of class M planets and moons Edit

Appendices Edit

Background information Edit

  • The Vulcan term "Minshara-class" (first used in ENT: "Strange New World") was used in Enterprise to denote planets that in other series would have been called class M by the writers, the implied consequence being that the two terms meant the same, and possibly even that M stood for Minshara. This assumption has been contested by some fans, but is at least supported by the reference book Star Trek: Star Charts. From an in-universe standpoint, the term M-class was first seen chronologically in a text within the Handbook of Exobiology in "Strange New World", the same episode that introduced Minshara-class. However, this mention was barely legible on-screen and may have been included by an art department not yet aware of the intention to use "Minshara class". The first spoken use of the word was in ENT: "Home", in which Archer used it to describe Archer IV, a planet implied (but not confirmed) to be Minshara class in ENT: "Strange New World". The term also appeared on Enterprise's computer displays, indicating that Starfleet adapted it eventually.
  • In TOS: "Return to Tomorrow", Spock called planet Arret class M despite the atmosphere having been ripped away, suggesting that the class M designation goes beyond being able to support life. Alternately, he could have been saying that the planet, prior to losing its atmosphere, would have been categorized as class M.
  • Ceti Alpha V was described as "barely Minshara class" in "Twilight", but also as no more inhospitable and savage then the site of Australia's Botany Bay colony before colonization in "Space Seed", suggesting that even on a class M planet like Earth, there might be locations that stretch the definition.
  • According to Star Trek: Star Charts, class M planets have ages that range from 3 billion to 10 billion years and a diameter between 10,000 and 15,000 kilometers. They are located within the ecosphere of a star system.

Apocrypha Edit


See also Edit

External link Edit

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