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* ''[[The Black Corridor]]'' (1969), novel by [[Michael Moorcock]]. Barnard's Star is the destination for a group of people fleeing from social breakdown on Earth.
* ''[[The Black Corridor]]'' (1969), novel by [[Michael Moorcock]]. Barnard's Star is the destination for a group of people fleeing from social breakdown on Earth.
* ''Spacecraft 2000 to 2100 AD'' (1978), a ''[[Terran Trade Authority]]'' book by Stewart Cowley. A fictional planet near Barnard's Star is the location of a mysterious apparition that takes the form of an unidentified spacecraft.
* ''Spacecraft 2000 to 2100 AD'' (1978), a ''[[Terran Trade Authority]]'' book by Stewart Cowley. A fictional planet near Barnard's Star is the location of a mysterious apparition that takes the form of an unidentified spacecraft.
* ''[[The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy]]'' (1979), novel by [[Douglas Adams]]. Barnard's Star is a way station for interstellar travellers.
* ''[[The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy]]'' (1979), novel by [[Douglas Adams]]. Barnard's Star is a way station for interstellar travelers.
* In the novelization for ''[[Galactica Discovers Earth]]'' by [[Michael Resnick]], the child prodigy named [[Dr. Zee]] conjectures that the [[Cylons]] are located at Barnard's Star, awaiting the Galacticans' arrival at the Earth, before making their final strike.<ref>{{cite book
| last = Resnick
| first = Michael
| authorlink = Michael Resnick
| title = Battlestar Galactica 5: Galactica Discovers Earth
| accessdate = 2008-07-02
| publisher = Berkley Books
| isbn = 042504744X
| oclc =
}}</ref>
* The star was a favorite of [[Robert L. Forward]] who featured it in several books. In ''The Flight of the Dragonfly'' (1984), rewritten as ''[[Rocheworld]]'' (1990), the Barnard's Star system contains one gas giant planet called "Gargantua" and a binary rocky planet system called "Rocheworld". Rocheworld included a dry rocky world named "Roche" and an ocean covered world named "Eau." The first manned interstellar mission is sent to Barnard's Star using a ship with a huge [[solar sail]] propelled by a [[laser]]. See [[Beamed propulsion]]. In ''Timemaster'' (Tor Books:1992), a billionaire makes a six year journey to the star system to open a wormhole in 2049. In ''Marooned on Eden'', co-written in 1993 with his wife Margaret, the starship ''Prometheus'' takes a crew on a 40 year mission to Zuni, an inhabitable moon around Rocheworld's neighbor, Gargantua.
* The star was a favorite of [[Robert L. Forward]] who featured it in several books. In ''The Flight of the Dragonfly'' (1984), rewritten as ''[[Rocheworld]]'' (1990), the Barnard's Star system contains one gas giant planet called "Gargantua" and a binary rocky planet system called "Rocheworld". Rocheworld included a dry rocky world named "Roche" and an ocean covered world named "Eau." The first manned interstellar mission is sent to Barnard's Star using a ship with a huge [[solar sail]] propelled by a [[laser]]. See [[Beamed propulsion]]. In ''Timemaster'' (Tor Books:1992), a billionaire makes a six year journey to the star system to open a wormhole in 2049. In ''Marooned on Eden'', co-written in 1993 with his wife Margaret, the starship ''Prometheus'' takes a crew on a 40 year mission to Zuni, an inhabitable moon around Rocheworld's neighbor, Gargantua.
* [[Will Eisner]]'s 1983 [[graphic novel]], ''Life On Another Planet'' <ref>{{cite book
* [[Will Eisner]]'s 1983 [[graphic novel]], ''Life On Another Planet'' <ref>{{cite book

Revision as of 00:24, 3 July 2008

The planetary systems of stars other than the Sun and its Solar System are a staple element in much science fiction.

Overview

The notion that there might be inhabited planets near stars other than the Sun may be traced at least as far back as Giordano Bruno, who, in his De l'infinito universo e mondi ("Concerning the Infinite Universe and Worlds", 1584), declared that "Innumerable suns exist; innumerable Earths revolve about these suns ... Living beings inhabit these worlds". Allusions to inhabitants of other stars' planetary systems remained rare in literature for many centuries afterwards. One of these is Voltaire's Micromégas (1752), which features a traveller from Sirius.

As science fiction became established in the early twentieth century, destinations such as the Moon, Mars, Venus or other bodies within the Solar System became stereotyped. Authors began to invoke a variety of mechanisms for superluminal travel and placed their stories on planets in systems around other stars, a move giving them freedom to construct more exotic fictional worlds and themes. This tendency became predominant once exploration of the Solar System showed that it was increasingly unlikely that any highly-developed form of extraterrestrial life existed in the Solar System.

Although some of the stars named in works of science fiction are purely imaginary, many authors and artists have preferred to use the names of real stars which are well known to astronomers, either through being notably bright in the sky as seen from Earth or being relatively near to Earth.

Some of these stars appear to be unsuitable for planets with advanced life, assuming that Earth is typical. The solar system was already a billion years old before life appeared on Earth. Complex life appeared three billion years later, in the 'Cambrian explosion'. Inherently bright stars like Sirius and Vega have total life-times of only about 1 billion years, so they are relatively unsuitable for development of complex life. Red giant stars are a relatively short phase near the end of a star's lifetime and are some 100 times brighter than the original star. Except for a few unusually close stars, those stars which are not intrinsically so bright as to raise this short lifetime constraint, appear so inconspicuous in the Earth's sky that they lack the proper names that would make them attractive to science fiction authors.

General uses of star names

Stars may be referred to in fictional works for their metaphorical or mythical associations, but not as locations in space or centers of planetary systems:

  • Oedipus the King, play by Sophocles. The Corinthian Shepherd references 'the rising of Arcturus' as a time marker while trying to jog the memory of the Theban Shepherd about their acquaintance prior to the Theban's entrusting the child Oedipus to the Corinthian rather than killing him as he had been instructed.
  • Polaris, short story by H. P. Lovecraft. Describes a lost polar civilization on which the star Polaris always shines.
  • Doorways in the Sand, novel by Roger Zelazny. Phecda along with the other stars of Ursa Major is mentioned during the protagonists' jaunts atop the steeples of Old Europe.
  • Children of Dune, novel by Frank Herbert. Fomalhaut is called Foum al-Hout, the polar star of the south.
  • The Truelove (1992) the fifteenth in the series of Aubrey-Maturin novels by Patrick O'Brian. Jack Aubrey establishes his ship's longitude in the Pacific ocean by taking a lunar distance on Fomalhaut

List of planetary systems in fiction

Planetary systems appearing in fiction are:

36 Ophiuchi

40 Eridani

  • Star Trek film and television franchise. 40 Eridani A is the location of the planet Vulcan, home of the Vulcan species. Although this was never stated on any TV show or film, both the authorized Star Trek book Star Trek: Star Charts and Gene Roddenberry[1] give this location. In addition, Commander Tucker's statement in Star Trek: Enterprise that Vulcan is 16 light years from Earth supports this as 40 Eridani A is 16.39ly from Sol.[1]

47 Ursae Majoris

61 Cygni

  • The Foundation Series, novels by Isaac Asimov. 61 Cygni has one of the planets where the human race might have originated, mentioned by the Imperial politician Lord Dorwin.
  • Time and Again (1951), novel by Clifford D. Simak. 61 Cygni is a mysterious system whose planets are impossible to approach.
  • Mission of Gravity, novel, and other stories (1953-) by Hal Clement. 61 Cygni A is the sun around which the planet Mesklin revolves.
  • Danny Dunn and the Voice from Space (1967), children's book. A modulated radio signal coming from 61 Cygni turns out to be a pictogram from aliens.
  • Revelation Space stories (2000-) by Alastair Reynolds. 61 Cygni (or 'Swan') is the sun of the planet Sky's Edge.
  • Blake's 7, television program. The region around 61 Cygni is the only area near Earth that has not been surveyed, since it is home to an alien race which is hostile to mankind, going so far as to release a virus on a Federation base via a piece of space debris.
  • Earth & Beyond, online role-playing game. 61 Cygni is a system in the outskirts of the universe.
  • Frontier: Elite II and Frontier: First Encounters, computer games. 61 Cygni has a terraformed planet (named Scott) that is notorious for its harsh, icy environment. Surprisingly, it has a successful tourism industry to go along with its renowned fishing industry. Its pool of tourists is derived from the populations of nearby mining systems, who would never otherwise experience a true outdoor environment where it not for the planet Scott being nearby. 61 Cygni is also a member of the Federation.

61 Ursae Majoris

70 Ophiuchi

107 Piscium

  • Absolution Gap, novel by Alastair Reynolds. The 107 Piscium system has a gas giant named Haldora and a habitable moon named Hela, which is colonized by humans in the 27th and 28th centuries.

Achernar (Alpha Eridani)

Aldebaran

Main article: Aldebaran in fiction

Alkalurops (Mu Boötis)

Alnilam (Epsilon Orionis)

Alpha Centauri

Main article: Alpha Centauri in fiction

Alpha Ceti

Alpha Hydri

Altair

Main article: Altair in fiction

Antares (Alpha Scorpii)

Arcturus (Alpha Boötis)

  • A Voyage to Arcturus (1920), novel by David Lindsay. Arcturus is an inhabited binary system.
  • The Foundation Series, novels by Isaac Asimov. Arcturus is the capital of the Sirius Sector in the Galactic Empire.
  • Alien From Arcturus (1956), expanded as Arcturus Landing (1978), is a science fiction novel written by Gordon R. Dickson describing an attempt to build a form of faster-than-light (FTL) propulsion.
  • In the Doctor Who serial "The Curse of Peladon" (1972), Mars and Arcturus are depicted as old enemies.
  • The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (1979) series by Douglas Adams. The "Arcturan Megadonkey", "Arcturan Megafreighter" and other things with similar names presumably originate on a planet orbiting Arcturus. See Places in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy#Arcturus for more information.
  • Marvel comics. The Arcturan system is binary and has at least four planets. It is inhabited by the Fortisquian alien species.
  • Aliens (1986), film. Arcturus is a planet the space marines visited for a furlough.
  • Spaced Invaders (1990), comic film. The Martians are fighting a war with the "Arcturians", from the Arcturus system.
  • 2300 AD (1987), role-playing game. Arcturus is the location of Arcturus Station, a human research station invaded by the alien race of Kafers. In the module 'Mission Arcturus', players are bound to retake the station from the Aliens.
  • Frontier: Elite II and Frontier: First Encounters, computer games. A Federation member, this system was colonized in 2304. The system's habitable planet, Discovery, had its floura and flauna replaced with specimens imported from Earth around the same time period. Aside from the local belief that the red giant star will remain stable until the end of time, Arcturus is more infamous as being the home system of the deadly (and exceedingly popular) narcotic known as "Arcturan Megaweed".
  • As part of his act, stand-up comic Bill Hicks often stated that he'd been visited by aliens from Arcturus while under the influence of hallucinogenic drugs.
  • Escape Velocity Nova, computer game by Ambrosia Software. The Arcturus System is a remote but well-travelled Federation system whose main income is from mining on the planet Fermia. It also features prominently in one of the minor mission strings.
  • "Mass Effect", Xbox 360 game. Included in its backstory are details on Arcturus Station in the system of the same name; it acts as the hub of several mass relays and is one relay-jump from Earth and Sol.

Barnard's Star

  • The Legion of Space (1934), novel by Jack Williamson. Barnard's Star is home to the ancient and dreadful race of the Medusae.
  • The Black Corridor (1969), novel by Michael Moorcock. Barnard's Star is the destination for a group of people fleeing from social breakdown on Earth.
  • Spacecraft 2000 to 2100 AD (1978), a Terran Trade Authority book by Stewart Cowley. A fictional planet near Barnard's Star is the location of a mysterious apparition that takes the form of an unidentified spacecraft.
  • The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (1979), novel by Douglas Adams. Barnard's Star is a way station for interstellar travelers.
  • In the novelization for Galactica Discovers Earth by Michael Resnick, the child prodigy named Dr. Zee conjectures that the Cylons are located at Barnard's Star, awaiting the Galacticans' arrival at the Earth, before making their final strike.[4]
  • The star was a favorite of Robert L. Forward who featured it in several books. In The Flight of the Dragonfly (1984), rewritten as Rocheworld (1990), the Barnard's Star system contains one gas giant planet called "Gargantua" and a binary rocky planet system called "Rocheworld". Rocheworld included a dry rocky world named "Roche" and an ocean covered world named "Eau." The first manned interstellar mission is sent to Barnard's Star using a ship with a huge solar sail propelled by a laser. See Beamed propulsion. In Timemaster (Tor Books:1992), a billionaire makes a six year journey to the star system to open a wormhole in 2049. In Marooned on Eden, co-written in 1993 with his wife Margaret, the starship Prometheus takes a crew on a 40 year mission to Zuni, an inhabitable moon around Rocheworld's neighbor, Gargantua.
  • Will Eisner's 1983 graphic novel, Life On Another Planet [5] depicts the reaction of the people of Earth after a signal is detected from intelligent beings on a planet orbiting Barnard's Star.
  • Hyperion (1989-1997), novels by Dan Simmons. Barnard's Star had a farm-like habitable planet called Barnard's World which was the homeworld of Rachel and Sol Weintraub, the latter being one of the seven Hyperion pilgrims depicted in the first two books.
  • The Garden of Rama (1991), novel by Arthur C. Clarke and Gentry Lee. There is a way station at Barnard's Star for the arrival and departure of massive cylindrical world ships.
  • Frontier: Elite II and Frontier: First Encounters, computer games. Barnard's Star is an important Federation industrial system with heavy mining and refining industry close to Earth and the other Core Systems. It proved to be the ideal beginners trading place—no pirates and high profits, exporting robots or computers to Sol and importing Luxury Goods from there could make you a millionaire in no time at all.
  • In GURPS Traveller: Interstellar Wars, Barnard's Star is the first interstellar destination for Terran-made jump ships, who found a colony of humans from the Vilani Imperium on arrival.
  • In the 1988 Walt Disney miniseries Earth Star Voyager, Barnard's Star (and its planet Demeter) was the destination point of the Earth Star Voyager. With the faster-than-light propulsion unit known as the Balman Drive, the round trip to the star and back was a 26-year voyage (factoring in a one-year exploration period of Demeter).

Beta Aquilae

  • SpaceWreck: Ghost Ships and Derelicts of Space (1979), a Terran Trade Authority book by Stewart Cowley. Beta Aquilae goes by its other name, Alshain, in the story "The Warworld of Alshain". The story is set on the fictional world named Alshain IV, a dying world, home to a once technological race, now reduced to cannibalistic savages living in the wreckage of their once great civilization.
  • FreeSpace 2, computer game. The Beta Aquilae system is the location of the Beta Aquilae Convention (BETAC) that established the Galactic Terran-Vasudan Alliance.
  • Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Eye of the Beholder" has set artwork in the form of computer screen graphics that establish planet Beta Aquilae II as Federation territory in the 24th century, home to a human population and a Starfleet training installation.

Beta Aurigae

Beta Corvi

  • Star Control II: The Ur-Quan Masters, computer game. The fourth planet in the system is a gas giant, home to a sentient species of incandescent gas bags called the Slylandro. They call their planet Source, and they live within a narrow band of the planet's atmosphere that they find habitable. Star Control II however used names of real constellations and stars for fictional stars, Beta Corvi in Star Control II is a green dwarf in the game instead of a yellow bright giant.

Beta Hydri

  • Stellvia of the Universe, anime series. The star Hydrus Beta is loosely based on Beta Hydri.
  • A Canticle for Leibowitz, by Walter M. Miller, Jr. A planet of Beta Hydri is colonized by humanity in the far future and is mentioned briefly in the last third of the novel, Fiat Voluntas Tua, chapter 26.
  • Frontier: Elite II and Frontier: First Encounters, computer games. Beta Hydri is controlled by the Federation. It has two Earth-like planets (one of which is a terraformed world) and several billion people in residence. It is close to Imperial space and is thus a popular port to find the riskier Federal missions that involve incursions into the Empire. In First Encounters, Beta Hydri is involved in two hand-coded missions that occur early in the game.
  • Daughters of Earth by Judith Merrill (Doubleday, 1969) has a crew of 500 on the starship Newhope colonizing the second planet, Uller, in 2091 after a 43-year voyage.
  • Uller Uprising, novel by H. Beam Piper (Twayne, 1952). Uller, a colonized planet with silicon-based life forms, is in the Beta Hydri system.
  • Time for the Stars by Robert Heinlein (Scribner's, 1956). Beta Hydri is one of the stars explored during the journey with the torchship Lewis and Clark.

Beta Tauri (El Nath)

  • Star Trek film and television franchise. In The Worlds of the Federation reference book, Beta Tauri is the parent star of Taurus II, the planet near the Murasaki 312 effect that is home to the Taurean anthropoids. A fictional starship was named for this star's traditional name (USS El Nath) by the Federation, according to the Star Fleet Technical Manual and the novel Time for Yesterday.

Betelgeuse

Main article: Betelgeuse in fiction

Canopus (Alpha Carinae)

  • Dune and other novels in the Dune universe by Frank Herbert. The planet Dune, also called Arrakis, is the third planet from Canopus.
  • Star Kings and Return to the Stars, novels by Edmond Hamilton. Canopus is a capital of the Middle Galactical Empire.
  • Canopus in Argos novels by Doris Lessing. A civilization of benevolent beings is based in Canopus and plays a part in human history. The main description of the Canopans is found in the novel Shikasta.
  • "Where No Man Has Gone Before", episode of Star Trek (TOS) television series. A sonnet called "Nightingale Woman" is written in 1996 by Tarbolde of Canopus. The Enterprise later visited Alpha Carinae in "The Ultimate Computer". A series of fictional starships was named for this star's traditional name (USS Canopus) by the Federation, according to the Star Fleet Technical Manual and later novels. Alpha Carinae II - Class-M planet on which Dr. Daystrom's M-5 computer was tested in 2268.[23] Alpha Carinae V - The home planet of the Drella, an entity that absorbs energy from the feelings of love it senses around it "(Wolf in the Fold)"
  • "The Kidnappers" (1967), episode of The Time Tunnel television series. The time travelers are transported to a planet orbiting Canopus to rescue Dr. Ann MacGregor, whose abductor left behind a metallic computer card that would provide the coordinates.
  • BattleTech wargame and related products. The Magistracy of Canopus is an interstellar government.
  • Frontier: Elite II and Frontier: First Encounters, computer games. Canopus has a few colonies dedicated to mining in both Frontier games. Interestingly, two minor planets (both moons of a gas giant and a brown dwarf, respectively) both share the same name of Camp Lawrence.

Capella (Alpha Aurigae)

Chi Draconis

Delta Pavonis

  • Dune (1965), novel by Frank Herbert. The planet Caladan is the third world of the Delta Pavonis system.
  • Revelation Space (2000), novel by Alastair Reynolds. The planet Resurgam and the neutron star Hades are part of the Delta Pavonis system.
  • The novelette "Sundowner Sheila" by F. Gwynplaine MacIntyre (published in Interzone 202, February 2006) takes place on Terra Nova, a planet orbiting Delta Pavonis in synchronous rotation with almost no libration, so that one hemisphere of the planet is in perpetual darkness, and the other hemisphere (known as Nevernight) is in perpetual daylight. "Sundowner Sheila" is narrated by a synthetic human who is assigned to a longitude on Terra Nova where Delta Pavonis is permanently at zenith, so that the sun is always directly overhead and the time of day is always noon.
  • Transformers (1983) animated television series, “The Big Broadcast of 2006” episode. Delta Pavonis IV is the home of a race of humanoid cats. A malfunctioning hypnotic Quintesson signal drives the cats to attack a neighbouring planet of humanoid dogs.
  • In Frederick Pohl's The Voices of Heaven, the protagonist, Barry Di Hoa is frozen and sent aboard a colony ship to the planet Pava in the Delta Pavonis star system.

Delta Sagittarii

  • Into the Sea of Stars (Ballantine Books, 1969) by William R. Fortschen. Colonial Unit 122, populated entirely by women and sustained with a supply of sperm purged of the Y chromosome, begins a voyage to this system in 2053 and is still enroute a thousand years later.

Deneb

Main article: Deneb in fiction

Epsilon Eridani

Main article: Epsilon Eridani in fiction

Epsilon Indi

  • Worldwar novels by Harry Turtledove. Epsilon Indi is one of the subject systems ("Halless") of The Race. Halless also refers to the native planet, Halless, of the Hallesi, one of the two subject species (excluding Humans).
  • Known Space novels and stories by Larry Niven. Home, the most Earthlike planet among the human colony worlds, orbited Epsilon Indi.
  • Star Trek film and television franchise:
  • Space: Above and Beyond, television series. The Epsilon Indi system is the site of the Tellus colony.
  • "Halo (series)", video games. In the Halo expanded universe the planet Harvest, the first world attacked by the Covenant, is in the Epsilon Indi system.
  • Full Thrust, miniatures war game by Ground Zero Games. Epsilon Indi is one of the three systems of New Israel.

Epsilon Pegasi (Enif)

Eta Cassiopeiae

Fomalhaut (Alpha Piscis Austrini)

Gamma Andromedae

Gamma Draconis

Gliese 687

Groombridge 34

  • Space: Above and Beyond, television series. Groombridge 34 is the location of the largest extrasolar USMC fleet base, and is the expected target of the chigs in the pilot episode (though this intelligence is later revealed to be incorrect). It is also the location of the first part of the episode "Mutiny".
  • Macross Plus, OVA anime television series and compilation film. Groombridge 34 is a possible location of the fictitious "Groombridge 1816" (Helios) system, stated to be 11.7 light years[6] from the Solar System, about the same distance as Groombridge 34 (11.62 ly). Planet Eden, located within the Groombridge 1816 system, is the location of the New Edwards Test Flight Center [7] and its major city, Eden City. The name Groombridge 1816 may be an alteration of the name of the real star Groombridge 1618.
  • Halo computer game series. The Groombridge 34 system is the site of a decommissioned construction platform. In 2531, a group of Spartan-IIs are sent to investigate rebel activity at the platform.
  • Frontier: Elite II and Frontier: First Encounters, computer games. This crowded system has three stars, multiple gas giants and numerous planets. It is also heavily developed, with multiple colonies and space stations present within the system.

Groombridge 1618

  • Mindbridge (St. Martin's Press, 1978), novel by Joe Haldeman. A planet orbiting Groombridge 1618 serves as the homeworld for the psi-amplifying "Groombridge Bridge" and the L'Vrai race, and is reached by the faster than light system, the "Levant-Meyer Translation"
  • Frontier: Elite II and Frontier: First Encounters, computer games. Groombridge 1618 is uninhabited in the Frontier series.
  • Revelation Space, novel by Alastair Reynolds. The planet Turqoise, a Pattern Juggler world, orbits Groombridge 1618.
  • Calculating God, novel by Robert J. Sawyer. Beings from a planet orbiting Groombridge 1618 send a starship to make Betelgeuse go supernova, an event which threatens the death of humanity, as well as the Wreeds and Forhilnors, two races that had recently contacted humanity.

Iota Horologii

  • Iota Cycle, novel by Russell Lutz. Iota Horologii is a setting for colonization and terraforming. It has six planets, the second, Asia, being Iota Horologii b. The planets are named after the continents of Earth, in order from closest to the star: Australia, Asia, Europe, Africa, America, and Antarctica.
  • Outre Mer, novel by Michael Puttré. The earthlike moon Outre Mer orbits the gas giant Adonis, the second planet of Iota Horologii. It is populated by human refugees, descendants of adbuctees taken by the Greys, inhabitants of the systems of Zeta Reticuli. The world is also the home of the Duranni, an intelligent aboriginal species.
  • Halo video game series. In the series, Soell is the traditional name given to Iota Horologii, the star that Threshold, Basis and Installation 04 orbit.

Izar (Epsilon Boötis)

Kapteyn's Star

Lacaille 9352

Lalande 21185

Lambda Serpentis

Mintaka (Delta Orionis)

  • "Who Watches the Watchers", episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation television series. Mintaka III is a planet inhabited by Mintakans, a Vulcan-like race at a pre-industrial level of development under observation by Federation personnel. After the events in this episode, a tapestry provided by the Mintakans to Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the starship Enterprise-D would be seen adorning the chair in his office or quarters.
  • Red Shift, novel by Alan Garner. The lead characters are fixated on Orion in general and Mintaka in particular.

Mira (Omicron Ceti)

  • A Relic of the Empire, short story by Larry Niven. Pirates raiding Puppeteer ships hide on a planet orbiting Mira Ceti.
  • Star Trek film and television franchise:
    • "This Side of Paradise", episode of Star Trek (TOS) television series. The Enterprise arrives at Omicron Ceti III, the site of a colony established years earlier but whose inhabitants were believed killed by radiation. Upon visiting the planet, the Enterprirse crew is surprised to find the original colonists alive and behaving somewhat oddly.
    • "Conspiracy", episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation television series. The Enterprise secretly meets three other Federation starships above Dytallix B, the fifth planet in orbit of Mira and one of seven once mined for the Federation by the Dytallix Mining Company. It is a tidally locked planet long deserted. On its surface, Capt. Picard meets with the captains of the three other starships to discuss suspicions of a possible conspiracy and infiltration of Starfleet Command. In the same episode, Lt. Cmdr. Data names the "red giant known as Mira" but an on-screen graphic identifies this system as the fictional Mira Antlia, perhaps to distinguish it from the Omicron Ceti system mentioned in the original series.

Mizar (Zeta Ursae Majoris)

  • Enigma and Empery (books 2 and 3 of the Trigon Disunity series of novels) by Michael P. Kube-McDowell. The Mizar system is home to powerful and xenophobic aliens.
  • The Demon Princes series of novels by Jack Vance. Mizar has at least two inhabited planets and at least six in total.
  • The Heart of a Star, issue 3 of The Sandman: Endless Nights comic book. Mizar appears as an anthropomorphic star, a female made of blue flame. Mizar serves as the host of an assembly of various cosmic entities, and as the creator of the palace where they meet; she is described as having "power to spare".
  • "Allegiance", episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation television series. Mizar II is the home planet of the pacifistic green humanoid Mizarians.
  • BattleTech wargame and related products. Mizar hosts a habitable planet noted for its luxurious resorts and vain inhabitants.
  • The Daedalus Encounter, video game. Takes place on Mizar[citation needed].
  • "Sign In Stranger", song in The Royal Scam album by Steely Dan. Contains the lyric, "Have you heard about the boom on Mizar Five? / People got to shout to stay alive"
  • Frontier: Elite II and Frontier: First Encounters, computer games. The Mizar system has no permanent habitations - settlement would be nearly impossible here anyway, as the system simply consists of two stars in binary orbit.
  • Way Station by Clifford Simak. A mathematical model developed on Mizar is mentioned early in the book, the main character of which is a human caretaker of a secret alien "bus stop" in Wisconsin.

Nu Ophiuchi

  • Tékumel, books and games by M. A. R. Barker. Nu Ophiuchi is the sun (Tuleng) for the system which includes the planet Tékumel.

Omicron Persei

  • "11001001", Star Trek: The Next Generation episode. The USS Enterprise was delayed at Omicron Persei before reaching a Starbase.
  • Futurama, animated television series. The Omicronians claim to be from Omicron Persei 8, 1000 light-years from Earth. Living in the 31st century, the Omicronians receive and are fans of 21st-century television broadcasts from Earth.

Phecda (Gamma Ursae Majoris)

Polaris (Alpha Ursae Minoris)

Pollux (Beta Geminorum)

Procyon

  • Viagens Interplanetarias, series of novels and short stories by L. Sprague de Camp. The Procyon system contains the inhabited planets of Osiris, Isis, and Thoth.
  • Known Space series by Larry Niven. The human colony world of We Made It orbits Procyon. Pierson's Puppeteers are said to have evolved in a solar system with a star similar to Procyon (which later became a red giant).
  • Terran Trade Authority books by Stewart Cowley. Procyon is orbited by three planets, the middle of which, Sisuphos, is a barely habitable mining world.
  • Star Trek, film and television franchise:
    • Star Trek: Star Charts, reference book. Procyon VIII, or Andor, is stated to be the planet which the moon Andoria orbits. This conjecture is not supported by onscreen evidence in any Star Trek film or television episode.
    • "Azati Prime", episode of Star Trek: Enterprise, television series. Procyon is the scene of the Battle of Procyon V, a Federation victory in a war against an alien species known as the Sphere Builders. The USS Enterprise-J took part in this battle. In 2153, Captain Jonathan Archer was brought 400 years forward in time to witness part of the battle.
  • Frontier: Elite II and Frontier: First Encounters, computer games. Procyon is represented as an uninhabited, worldless binary star system.
  • Lost Colony, computer game. The planet Procyon III orbits the star Procyon.
  • In Treasure Planet, Captain Amelia, captain of the R.L.S Legacy mentioned Procyon in one of the scenes, saying "Late of a few run-ins with the Procyon Armada, nasty business, but I won't bore you with my scars;". Which had the connections with the PC video game.
  • Treasure Planet: Battle at Procyon, video game. Procya in the Procyon system is the homeworld of the Empire's worst enemy, the Procyon Expanse.
  • Escape Velocity, computer game by Ambrosia Software. The Procyon System is a major hub in Confederate space.
  • Escape Velocity Nova, computer game by Ambrosia Software. The Procyon System begins the game as an uninhabited system connecting to four others, but one of the minor mission strings terraforms one of the planets into the world Nirvana.
  • Cabal Online online role-playing game. Procyon is one of the Seven Great sages of that game. He is the main Sage of Continent Huan. After the dissolvement of the Tower of Sages, he creates his own faction and goes against Capella.

Proxima Centauri

  • "Proxima Centauri" (1935), short story by Murray Leinster. A group of humans travel to the star in a huge ship, and are subsequently ambushed by a race of plant men.
  • Orphans of the Sky (component stories first published 1941) by Robert A. Heinlein. The generation ship Vanguard was originally destined for Proxima Centauri
  • The World in Peril (1955-6), third series of the Journey Into Space radio series by Charles Chilton. At the end of the series, the Martian Invasion Fleet, including many humans who have led unhappy lives on Earth, leave for Proxima Centauri, even though they will not reach it within their life-spans.
  • The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch (1965), a novel by Philip K. Dick, portrays a man who on his long journey to Proxima Centauri is becoming obsessed by a divine power.
  • Captive Universe (1969) novel by Harry Harrison, Proxima Centauri was the intended destination for a generational starship converted from the hollowed out shell of the asteroid Eros.
  • Terran Trade Authority books by Stewart Cowley. Proxima Centauri is the home system of the Proximans, adversaries of Terrans and Alphans during the Proximan War.
  • Babylon 5 television series. "Proxima" is an Earth Alliance colony. It secedes from the Alliance in 2260 for political reasons and is blockaded. It is liberated by John Sheridan in late 2261.
  • Event Horizon, film. An ill-fated spacecraft uses an experimental faster-than-light technology to travel to Proxima Centauri. A malfunction of the stardrive sends the ship to an out-reality dimension that could be identified as Hell.
  • Destroy All Humans!, computer game. The protagonist race comes from Gorta in the Proxima Centauri system.

Regulus (Alpha Leonis)

Rigel (Beta Orionis)

Main article: Rigel in fiction

Ross 128

Ross 154

  • Frontier: Elite II and Frontier: First Encounters, computer games. The moon Merlin orbits a gas giant planet of Ross 154. Merlin is an ice world similar to Europa. Its primary export is fish, harvested from the liquid ocean that exists below the icy crust. Importing luxury goods from Sol and illegally exporting animal skins to Barnard's Star is a profitable enterprise. Ross 154 is the primary starting point of Frontier: Elite II.
  • Night’s Dawn Trilogy, by Peter F. Hamilton: Nyvan, a “terracompatible planet” orbiting Ross 154, was the second Human colony of more than 600 as of 2611, the trilogy’s fictional present. An important part of the 2nd volume plays in Tonala, one of Nyvan’s many countries.[8]

Ross 248

Rukbat (Alpha Sagittarii)

  • Dragonriders series of novels by Anne McCaffrey. Rukbat is the star about which the planet of Pern orbits. McCaffrey calls Rukbat a yellow class G star, but it is actually a blue class B dwarf star.
  • Sailormoon manga comics., The Galaxy Cauldron, source of all life, lies within Zero Star, which is in the center of Alpha Sagittarii.

Sheliak (Beta Lyrae)

  • "The Soft Weapon", short story in the Known Space series by Larry Niven. Humans and Kzinti dispute the ownership of a Slaver stasis box at Beta Lyrae. The story was later adapted to become the Star Trek: The Animated Series episode "The Slaver Weapon".
  • "The Ensigns of Command", episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation television series. Sheliak is the home system of Sheliaks, who view humans as inferior. The Enterprise-D is dispatched to evacuate human colonists from Tau Cygni V, which is ceded to the Sheliak by the Treaty of Armens.
  • The Tail of Beta Lyrae (1983), computer game by Philip Price. Set in an asteroid belt within the Beta Lyrae system.
  • Frontier: Elite II and Frontier: First Encounters, computer games. Beta Lyrae is one of the few hand-coded systems. It has an unusual property: If the system is entered, the game crashes as a result of the code being unable to handle the mechanics of a contact binary. This can not be observed, however, without a heavily modified ship or unless the player manipulates the game in some way, as Beta Lyrae is so distant from the core systems.
  • The Battletech sourcebook "Invading Clans" states that a planet in orbit around Sheliak was the site of one of the more unusual fights in the original Clan invasion, Operation Revival. Being an unarmed planet, the Ghost Bears were instead challenged by the Sheliak All-Star Professional Football team, hoping that the Clans were unaware of the rules and thus could be defeated. However, due to Football being popular among the Ghost Bears, and the Ghost Bear team being staffed by 'Elementals', genetically engineered soldiers averaging eight feet tall and 400 pounds each, the Sheliak team was defeated 84-3, and surrendered the planet to the Ghost Bears during the post-game show.
  • In the first Marathon game, the AI Durandal tells the player that he will go to Beta Lyrae to "see if it's as beautiful as everyone insists."

Sigma Draconis

  • Honor Harrington series of novels by David Weber. The Honorverse version of the Sigma Draconis system includes the technologically advanced planet Beowulf, adjacent to a wormhole.
  • Rollback by Robert J. Sawyer. Central to this 2007 novel are signals received in 2009 and 2049 from Sigma Draconis.
  • "Spock's Brain", episode of Star Trek (TOS) television series. Planets III, IV and VI of Sigma Draconis are all Class M, capable of supporting human life, but III and IV are still incapable of space flight, while VI is in an ice age; a visit to VI reveals that the planet once supported a civilization with very high technology.
  • Total Eclipse (Doubleday, 1974) by John Brunner has several missions to the third planet during the years 2020-2028 by the Stellaris, a ship that can travel through "qua-space"
  • In the 1971 novel The Byworlder by Poul Anderson an alien coming from Sigma Draconis is central to the plot. His spaceship is a coveted prize for all Earth nations.
  • In the 1991 novel A Woman of the Iron People by Eleanor Arnason, explorers from Earth unexpectedly discover that a planet of Sigma Draconis has intelligent life.

Sirius

Main article: Sirius in fiction

Tarazed (Gamma Aquilae)

Tau Ceti

Main article: Tau Ceti in fiction

UV Ceti

In Timemaster by Robert L. Forward, a wormhole is opened between Earth and this location, 8.9 ly distant

Van Maanen's Star

  • A World Out of Time (1976), novel by Larry Niven. Van Maanen's Star is the first target intended for protagonist Jerome Corbell's terraforming loop.
  • Frontier: Elite II and Frontier: First Encounters, computer games. The Van Maanen's Star system is the home of a radical religious sect that believes in suffering as the key to salvation. Mining is done without machines, and any surplus money that is not needed to satisfy basic requirements like oxygen, food and water is burned in a sacred ceremony. The system is only accessible with a special permit. Due to the banning of ordinary trade items, Van Maanen's is a haven for smugglers.

Vega

Main article: Vega in fiction

Wolf 359

Zeta Aquilae

Zeta Orionis

Zeta Reticuli

  • The Silicon Embrace (1996), novel by John Shirley. A race of aliens from Zeta Reticuli influences the evolution of humanity.
  • Alien (1979), film. Lambert, the navigator, declares that the spaceship Nostromo is "just short of Zeta II Reticuli" presumably referring to Zeta² Reticuli. The system contains a moon called LV-426 or Acheron.
  • Space: Above and Beyond (1995), television series. Zeta Reticuli is the home system of the Chigs and the location of celestial body 2063F (the Chig homeworld), 2064K codenamed Anvil, 2064F's moon, 2064R and Ixion.
  • In the Known Space universe, Zeta Reticuli is the home system of the Pierin.
  • The Bushido Incident (Daw Books, 1992) by Betty Anne Crawford. Japan and Korea fight a war there in 2055. In 2073, the indigenous ZR2 race share their vast medical knowledge with humans in exchange for being able to send ill ZR2s to Earth.
  • "Squeeze", episode of the television series The X Files. Agent Mulder refers to the alien species that allegedly crashed at Roswell in 1947 as Reticulan, presumably because they originate from Zeta Reticuli. He goes on to posit that Reticulans remove the livers of their human victims because of an iron deficiency in Zeta Reticuli.
  • In the MMORPG MapleStory, aside from the humans and other creatures inhabiting the "Maple World", the only other life forms are from a planet orbiting Zeta Reticuli.
  • In the TV Series Seven Days, the Roswell saucer was said to belong to the Greys from the Zeta Reticuli star system. The saucer used Element-115 for its propulsion, and this fuel source was harnessed by Project Backstep for time-traveling.

References

  1. ^ Sector 001: Vulcan's Sun
  2. ^ Known Space: The Future Worlds of Larry Niven
  3. ^ MemoryAlpha:Beyond Antares
  4. ^ Resnick, Michael. Battlestar Galactica 5: Galactica Discovers Earth. Berkley Books. ISBN 042504744X. {{cite book}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  5. ^ Eisner, Will. Life on Another Planet. Kitchen Sink Press. ISBN 9780878163700. OCLC 46688772. {{cite book}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  6. ^ Egan Loo (1977-05-11). "Atlas: Eden". Macros Compendium. Retrieved 1997-05-11. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  7. ^ Egan Loo (1977-05-11). "Atlas: Universe". Macros Compendium. Retrieved 2002-09-16.
  8. ^ Ross 154 in the Confederation Handwiki
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