The Orpheus Mining Complex, also known as the Orpheus Mining Facility or simply Orpheus, was a mining facility and colony that was constructed on Luna in 2090 and also capable of operating as a warp driven vessel. It remained in operation well into the 22nd century.
The patch that all miners wore, and the insignia of the station, had a Latin saying on it "sine qua non", which literally means "without which not", that translated into "the essential ingredient", "something essential", or "cannot live without".
History[]
Establishment[]
The colony was established by John Frederick Paxton's father in 2090, where he built it from the ground up. The colony could not use artificial gravity because it would be impractical, so miners and employees were required to take injections of myofibrilin. Knowing that mining could be a temporary operation if the resources being mined were depleted, Paxton's father took the industrious action of designing Orpheus to be mobile. The mining facility could literally launch off the surface of the moon and relocate to another planet. John Frederick Paxton would later take advantage of this design feature when attempting to further the goals of the xenophobic group which he led, Terra Prime.
Relocation[]
By 2155, John Frederick Paxton owned and operated Orpheus, which he inherited from his father. Using the mining facility as a base of operations for Terra Prime, he relocated Orpheus to Mars, where he hijacked the verteron array. Threatening to use the array to destroy Starfleet Command, he demanded that all non-Humans leave the solar system. Orpheus was infiltrated by a team from Enterprise NX-01, led by Captain Archer. Archer was successful in taking control of the facility, but was unable to stop the verteron array firing sequence, which Paxton had locked. Fortunately, Commander Tucker was able to re-target the array, which fired harmlessly into the Pacific Ocean. (ENT: "Demons", "Terra Prime")
Personnel[]
Appendices[]
Appearances[]
- ENT:
- "Demons"
- "Terra Prime"
Background information[]
Orpheus was a noted musician, poet, and prophet in Greek mythology.
In the final draft script of "Demons", Orpheus was initially described as "a hi-tech facility bordering a wide crater."
When the facility began its launch from Luna, a scripted scene description likened it to a spider, stating, "Like some gargantuan spider folding up its legs, gigantic struts retract from the lunar surface into the main body of the complex."
In the final draft script of "Terra Prime", Orpheus was referred to as a "massive ship" and a detention cell aboard Orpheus was scripted to be "a redress of the [ship's] Crew Quarters."
Originating as stock set pieces of vacuformed plastic sheets designed for Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, the corridors of the mining complex were a modification of the set for the interior of the USS Defiant in "In a Mirror, Darkly, Part II", which was previously a redress of the Xindi weapon in "Zero Hour". (ENT Season 4 DVD text commentary)
From the Star Trek Encyclopedia, 4th ed., vol. 2, p. 114, "Because Peter Weller, the actor who played John Paxton, also played the title character in the cult science-fiction film The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the Eighth Dimension, and because "Demons" director LeVar Burton confessed to being a fan of the film, actor Weller might be glimmpsed using a replica prop from that film, an "oscillation overthruster" as a control device in the Orpheus complex. Careful study of the Orpheus control room might reveal other replicas of the gizmo, used as set dressing."
In the first draft script of aborted film Star Trek: The Beginning, set in 2159, Orpheus Mining Colony (along with Lunar One Colony) reported to Starfleet that New Berlin had been attacked, during the initial assault in the Earth-Romulan War.
External link[]
- Orpheus Mining Colony at Memory Beta, the wiki for licensed Star Trek works