In the fictional Star Trek universe, Project Genesis was a process of rapidly terraforming worlds to make them suitable for settlement and food production. The idea of Project Genesis was first introduced in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. It was described as "life from lifelessness," and as Spock noted, it was perfectly named after the first book of the Bible. To put it in the words of Dr. McCoy, "According to myth, the Earth was created in 6 days. Now, watch out. Here comes Genesis. We'll do it for you in 6 minutes.", implying that an instant terraformation device like Project Genesis can bring dead planets and other dead environments back to life, suitable for humans and other creatures. Project Genesis may refer to: Genesis class, a cruise ship. ... Image File history File links Emblem-important. ... The current Star Trek franchise logo Star Trek is an American science fiction entertainment series and media franchise. ... Artists conception of a terraformed Mars in four stages of development. ... Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (Paramount Pictures, 1982; see also 1982 in film) is the second feature film based on the popular Star Trek science fiction television series. ... For other uses, see Spock (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Genesis (disambiguation). ...

The Genesis Project was developed by a team of Federation scientists, led by Dr. Carol Marcus and her son Dr. David Marcus, working in an orbital laboratory in orbit around the Class D planetoid Regula. In the fictional universe of Star Trek, Dr. Carol Marcus was one of the leading molecular biologists in the Federation. ... In the fictional universe of Star Trek, David Marcus (2261 - 2285) was the son of James T. Kirk and Dr. Carol Marcus and a major character in the films Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and Star Trek III: The Search for Spock. ...

The process

Project Genesis used an energy matrix to rearrange matter at the molecular stage into life-giving matter of equal mass. This energy matrix was programmable so that the end result could be customized to current needs. When detonated, the energy matrix was designed to cover a dead planetary body and begin the transformation process. Within minutes, the matrix would spread over the entire planet, rearranging the matter that it came across. Soon afterward, the planet would develop a habitable biosphere suitable for transplanting life forms.

However, where life already existed, Genesis "would destroy such life, in favor of its new matrix," giving it potential to be a terrible weapon of mass destruction, making it infinitely capable of surpassing the most powerful of weapons.

History

The Genesis Project was first proposed to the Federation in the early 2280s, although events in the PC game, Star Trek: 25th Anniversary, suggest that an even earlier date as one of its missions features a younger Carol Marcus performing preliminary work on a project that is hinted to be what would eventually become Genesis. Over a span of several years following the Federation proposal, the scientists would develop the Genesis matrix and a three-stage test. The first stage was conducted in their laboratory in orbit around Regula. This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... In the fictional Star Trek universe, Regula is the planetary object where Stage 2 of the Genesis Project is conducted and where Space Station Regula 1 orbits. ...

For the second stage, Starfleet engineers took ten months to excavate a large cavern within Regula I. The scientists then released the Genesis matrix in to the cavern, and within a day, a habitable biosphere developed within that cavern. As Carol Marcus later explained, the life forms "grew later, at a substantially accelerated rate." This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ...

The third stage test was to be on a planetary scale. The Genesis team contracted with Starfleet to find a "completely lifeless" planet to conduct the test, and the starship Reliant was sent to scout. When they investigated Ceti Alpha VI, they encountered the exiled Khan Noonian Singh, who hijacked the Reliant and learned of the Genesis Project. Khan Noonien Singh Khan Noonien Singh is a fictional villain in the Star Trek universe. ...

After two battles with the Enterprise, Khan was defeated and the Reliant about to be boarded. In a last act of vengeance, he set the Genesis torpedo to detonate. Thanks to Spock's sacrifice, the Enterprise suddenly regained warp power and narrowly escaped. When the torpedo exploded, it destroyed the Reliant and the Mutara Nebula, formed a small hot star and formed the Genesis planet where the nebula used to be. A variety of plant life forms grew and spread across the surface. The Genesis effect also regenerated the dead body of Captain Spock. For other uses, see Spock (disambiguation). ... This article or section should include material from Project Genesis, eliminating duplication and integrating references. ...

The planet ultimately proved to be unstable. David Marcus revealed in Star Trek III that he used proto-matter - a substance so dangerously unstable that scientific ethics eschews it - as part of the matrix. It soon became evident that Spock's body and the planet were linked - both were aging at a rapid rate. Within a matter of weeks, the planet had rapidly aged and died a violent death by explosion. Just before the planet died Spock was removed from the planet, having reached the same age that he did before his death on the Enterprise. Spock's body was taken to Vulcan, and both his body and the katra carried in fellow crewmember Leonard McCoy were successfully reintegrated. Spock soon completed retraining and was reinstated in Starfleet as a Captain. In the Star Trek science fiction universe, Proto-matter is a dangerously unstable substance. ... The planet Vulcan viewed from orbit. ... In the fictional Star Trek universe, katra is the immortal, living spirit of a Vulcan. ...

The Genesis Project was deemed a failure, and future terraforming efforts were done using a slower, more methodical process that would take many years to transform a planet into a habitable world.

By the time of The Next Generation, the future of the project was revealed through the "Genesis Wave" books. In this book, aliens had kidnapped Dr. Marcus, and tricked her into developing a Genesis matrix for them. The aliens then sent the wave crashing through the galaxy. By the time they were stopped, billions had died, and a large number of planets had been transformed.

An evaluation of Genesis

In the "Genesis Wave" book, the idea was proposed that if Genesis was used in the manner for which it was intended - i.e. on an actual planet, rather than in the middle of a nebula - it would have created a stable planet, even with a protomatter based matrix. But because it wasn't used that way, it was postulated that the wave didn't have the energy to properly do the job. While not canon, it does offer a reasonable explanation of why the Genesis planet was so unstable.

In the original design, Genesis would have been used on a dead planetary body, and the wave would be able to concentrate on just rebuilding that world. However, when the torpedo was exploded, it was not used as designed. The torpedo was detonated inside the heavily damaged starship Reliant, which was itself inside a nebula of highly charged gaseous particles. As a result, it had to basically create an entire star system from scratch - a G type star, as well as the planet itself. However, the original design did include a subroutine for star creation, that was utilized for the creation of the Genesis planet's sun, and presumably there was a planet formation routine as well that were both flexible enough to create an active solar system, even from nebula material. Otherwise the torpedo would not have been able to form those coherent structures for even a short time.

The non-canon novelization of The Wrath of Khan indicated that it was possible to use the Genesis Device to create a solar system, but that the scientists in charge were concentrating on using Genesis on a single planet.

The inconceivable power of the Genesis device - and the unspeakable consequences if the technology fell into the wrong hands - is offered as an explanation why the Federation abandoned the technology, rather than attempting to perfect it. It is suggested in "Genesis Wave" that Starfleet Intelligence actively sabotaged the efforts of the Romulans and Cardassians to replicate the technology, and that the disastrous explosion of the Klingon moon Praxis was actually due to the catastrophic failure of an experimental Genesis matrix.

See also

• Genesis Planet