Mars

Mars after Terraforming

Mars (or Sol IV) is the fourth planet of the Sol system, located in Sector 001 of the Alpha Quadrant.

Moons

Mars has two small moons named Phobos and Deimos.

History

Fossil remains of Martian insectsDue to its similarity with Earth, scientists believed it might hold life as well. In the early years of space exploration, various theories and projects were made to justify this. Eventually, scientists from Earth discovered microscopic evidence of ancient life on Mars in 1996. Larger fossils were discovered later on. (TNG: "The Last Outpost", "Datalore")

The two insects were seen on library computer viewscreens in TNG Season 1. The okudagram images were taken from the Spaceflight Chronology. In the book, the insect remains were described as silicon-based lifeforms about three centimeters long. Their age was silicon isotope dated to be several million years. The fossils were discovered in the year 2021. This date would contradict the fact that silicon-based life was considered only a theoretical possibility until 2267, as established in "The Devil in the Dark". In 1947, several members of the United States military thought Quark, Rom and Nog were from Mars. Jeff Carlson and Faith Garland wondered if they might be able to have their honeymoon there. (DS9: "Little Green Men")

In 1997 the NASA rover Sojourner became the first craft to explore Mars; the location later became a Mars Heritage Site.

In 2032, a manned Earth mission to Mars, the Ares IV, took place under the command of Lieutenant John Kelly. (VOY: "One Small Step"; ENT: "Demons") In 2269, James T. Kirk argued in favor of having Sargon and his companions take over the bodies of the crew, and emphasized the benefits that it might possibly have on mankind, he explained, "they used to say if man could fly, he'd have wings. But he did fly. He discovered he had to. Do you wish that the first Apollo mission hadn't reached the moon or that we hadn't gone on to Mars or the nearest star?" (TOS: "Return to Tomorrow")

In 2372, Captain Benjamin Sisko and Constable Odo planned for Joseph Sisko and Jake Sisko to take a transport to Mars to avoid being caught in Admiral Leyton's coup d'état. (DS9: "Paradise Lost")

The Kyrians in 3074 believed that Mars was the home of the USS Voyager, and not Earth as was the truth. A backup version of The Doctor corrected this error. (VOY: "Living Witness")

Political

Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards over Mars.As the first Human colony on Mars was established in 2103, the Fundamental Declarations of the Martian colonies were an important step in the pursuit of individual rights. Among the first colonists were relatives of Jean-Luc Picard (Star Trek: Generations). Utopia Planitia was established along with the Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards in geo-synchrynous orbit above, where many famous vessels including the USS Enterprise-D and the USS Defiant were built. Mars was also an important part in the defense of the Sol system and the location of the Mars Defense Perimeter. (TOS: "Court Martial"; TNG: "The Best of Both Worlds"; Star Trek: The Next Generation Technical Manual)

It is not clear when the Martian colonies joined the United Federation of Planets.

Terraforming

Mars was the first planet to be terraformed by Humans. Colonists originally dwelt within domed cities while the verteron array was used to redirect comets and asteroids towards the Red Planet to impact in the polar caps. This freed carbon dioxide and released it into the atmosphere, increasing the planet's temperature and water volume. By 2155, conditions in the lowlands of the Martian surface were sufficiently altered to allow Humans to roam freely without heavy environmental suits. (ENT: "Demons")

Literature

Mars was often featured in science fiction stories of the 20th century. In 1953, Benny Russell met a vendor in Harlem who found "men from Mars" to be unrealistic. After Douglas Pabst told Russell an African-American in charge of a space station was "not believable", Herbert Rossoff angrily retorted "and men from Mars are?" (DS9: "Far Beyond the Stars")

Other uses

A product known as "Mars Toothpaste", based on the name of the Roman God, was manufactured on the fourth planet of the 892 system in 2268. (TOS: "Bread and Circuses")

Alternate timelines

In an alternate timeline, Mars was wiped out by the Xindi following their destruction of Earth in 2154. (ENT: "Twilight")

Mars of 2371 was affected by the death of Gabriel Bell in 2024. (DS9: "Past Tense, Part I")