Mordan IV

Mordan IV

Mordan IV is the fourth planet in the Mordan system. It is a Class M planet inhabited by a humanoid species called the Mordanites. In 2364, Karnas was the leader of the planet.

Traditionally, the population of Mordan was made up of a number of different tribes, each with its own leader. In 2319, the leader of one of the tribes was assassinated by his enemies from another tribe. His son, Karnas, was determined to avenge his father's death. To this end he took hostage the 63 passengers aboard a starliner, and demanded weapons from Starfleet in exchange for their release. Two negotiators were sent in by Starfleet, and both of them were killed. Then Commander Mark Jameson was dispatched to Mordan, successfully negotiating the release of the hostages. Unknown to Starfleet, Jameson had given Karnas the weapons he wanted, but troubled by his breaking of the Prime Directive, he also gave weapons to Karnas' enemies. This caused a bloody civil war between the two factions, which ended in Karnas becoming leader of Mordan in 2359.

Much of the original capital city was destroyed during the civil war, only the tunnels beneath the city surviving intact. Five years later, the Federation Ambassador, Hawkins, was taken hostage by Karnas in an attempt to lure Jameson to Mordan. Karnas blamed Jameson for the forty years of civil war. He initially blamed the kidnappings on terrorists, but Jameson realized that Karnas was responsible. He mounted a failed rescue attempt, and when Karnas requested his life in exchange for the hostages, he agreed. Jameson died in front of him due to an age-reversing drug he had taken, but Karnas was satisfied he was dead, and released the hostages. (TNG: "Too Short a Season")