Horta Facts and Biology - Janus Hominidae

H is for Horta!

The Horta, introduced in the TOS episode "The Devil in the Dark" and originating on Janus VI, is a fine example of silicon-based life. Just as a human moves through air, the Horta is able to move through rock with incredible ease by secreting an extremely corrosive acid from their bodies. This creates the tunnels in which they reside - and through tunneling, they also gain nourishment from the rock. They may exist for periods of time in an oxygen atmosphere, but they did not evolve in this type of environment.

Illustration by Don Ivan Punchatz

The Horta are, because they are silicon based and not carbon based like most life forms, difficult to detect with tricorders and are invulnerable to type one phasers (they can be injured by an adjusted type two phaser).  Until the Horta was discovered on Janus VI in "the Devil in the Dark", there were no known silicon based life forms (even the Tcha'besheh or A'kweth is largely unknown).

The Horta do not posses any type of technology or weaponry - the acid produced by their bodies is not only for moving through rock, but for self defense as well.

Scanned from "Worlds of the Federation"

Approximately every fifty or sixty thousand years, all but one Horta dies. This lone Horta will then become the mother to thousands of eggs (silicone "nodules"), from which offspring will hatch. The eggs are stored in the "Vault of Tomorrow" in the "Chamber of Ages". It is then up to her to raise the young and protect them, a task which includes passing on the legends and myths of their society's history.

There have, according to many novels by Diane Duane, been Horta on starships such as the Enterprise, and according to the TNG novel "Dyson Sphere", Starfleet has starships entirely operated by Horta. I will go no further into the many appearances of Horta in comics and novels, or games at this time.

"Cellular" structure - Star Fleet Medical Reference Manual

According to the Star Fleet Medical Reference Manual:

"The Horta's internal structure is similar to that of a geode. At it's center lies a molten mass where the eggs develop after having seperated from the block of genetic material that serves as the ovary. Also located at the center is the brain, which is kept at a superheated temperature by the encompassing fluid. Thin veins of flowing magma radiate from the brain and form concentric curcles of nervous tissue in the Horta's plastic-like mesos, or middle layer." 

On the underside of the Horta, are a kind of cilia upon which it moves. Below is a diagram from the same manual, with corresponding labels underneath:

Star Trek Medical Reference Manual

A - Nervous system

B - Central nervous system

C - Mesos

D - Cutis

E - Acid jets

F - Magma duct

G - Protos musculus

H - Flexible mantle

I - Ovary

J - Atrium

K - Ovum

L - Shag

Eel-birds of Regulus V

E is for Eel-bird!

Very little is known about the Regulan eel-bird - only one reference has been made to the species canonically (whenever a Vulcan explains the Pon Farr), and there have been only a couple of references within literature.

An Eelbird, as illustrated by the legendary Don Ivan Punchatz

Native to Regulus V, the eel-bird was first mentioned by Spock in TOS: Amok Time in an attempt to explain the Pon Farr - "There are precedents in nature, Captain. The giant eel-birds of Regulus Five, once each eleven years they must return to the caverns where they hatched." The eel-bird's eggs have been consumed as food by various humanoids.

In the eBook "The Darkness Drops Again", we were introduced to a sub-species known as the pygmy eel-bird. This sub-species' feathers would reflect the UV rays of the planet's sun, so that they appeared to be a shiny purple. This may also explain the coloring in Don Ivan Punchatz's illustration (shown above) for "The Worlds of the Federation".

The Worlds of the Federation and Don Ivan Punchatz - 1989

"The Worlds of the Federation", written and illustrated by Shane Johnson, is one of my favorite resources. Inside this 155 page book one finds a historical overview of the United Federation of Planets, the Planetary Classification System (UFP Standard), and overview of all member worlds as well as their planet's primaries and ambassadors - as well as an overview of Neutral, Independent, and Hostile Worlds. One may also find each planet's system profile, planetary emblem, and continental profile.

While Shane Johnson illustrated the pages with drawings of continental systems, ambassadors, emblems, etc. - it was Don Ivan Punchatz who created the stunning color art we see on the cover, as well as inside on the glossed pages (which I will cover at a later date). I will focus now on the image on the front cover:

We also find the same image spread across two pages inside, allowing us to experience this masterpiece in great detail. For those who are unaware of the races depicted, I will go over them and state the episode they first appeared in: (Referring the the images below, Starting in top left, moving clockwise)

• Melkot - Melkatians were seen in TOS: Spectre of the Gun
• Klingon - The Klingons are well known, but first appeared in TOS: Errand of Mercy
• Gorn - First seen in TOS: Arena
• Tellarite - First seen in TOS: Journey to Babel (one of my favorite episodes, as we see Sarek and Amanda for the first time)
• Tribbles - First seen in TOS: The Trouble with Tribbles
• Bynars - First seen in TNG: 11001001
• Benzite - First seen in TNG: Coming of Age

To enlarge the image, right click and open in a new tab or window.

Moving on to the second page, we see the USS Enterprise NCC-1701-D over top of the five remaining races:

• Romulan - First seen in TOS: Balance of Terror (played by Mark Lenard, the same man who played Sarek)
• Andorian - First seen in TOS: Journey to babel (What is interesting about this image - is that the Andorian shown below, Thelev, was actually an Orian Assassin in disguise, and not an Andorian at all)
• Phylosian - First seen in TAS: The Infinite Vulcan (another great episode)
• Ferengi - First seen in TNG: The Last Outpost
• Saurian (juvenile) -  First Seen in Star Trek: The Motion Picture (although Saurian Brandy has been enjoyed in TOS episodes beforehand)

I am absolutely in awe of this piece of art. I have been a fan of Don Ivan Punchatz for a while now, and a lot of his work can be found online - do a quick search on google images and you will understand. Everything he does is absolutely amazing.