Places of
Interest: Homeworld:
planet Ardana. It is the Federation's only source for Zenite.
Major Cities:
Stratos - The capital city. Built in the 14th century, it is the
galaxy's finest example of sustained
anti-gravity levitation and magnificent
anti-gravity engineering in general. Stratos is the home of Ardana's
aristocratic ruling population. It is known
throughout the Federation for its art and culture.
"The Cloud Minders" [TOS]
A view of the city of Stratos was depicted on
several viewscreens on Deep Space 9's promenade and replimat.
"The Muse" [DS9]
The view of Stratos was accompanied by a text
suggesting a visit to the Cloud City or Risa, (indicating it
probably became a typical tourist destination by
this time.)
"What You Leave
Behind" [DS9]
(Executive Producer Manny Coto has
mentioned on several occasions that if Star Trek: Enterprise
had a
season five, they would have done a prequel
episode to "The Cloud Minders" which would have
featured the city of Stratos.)
Culture:
Ardana is a Federation member world. It is the only known planet that
mines Zenite. The planet's capital city
of Stratos is an anti-gravity elevated metropolis known for its art and
culture. The humanoid inhabitants of Ardana
were divided into two castes, a labor class of Troglytes and an
intellectual ruling class of Stratos city-dwellers.
<>The upper social class of Ardana subjugate the lower peasant
class, known as Troglytes, to mine for Zenite.
Despite its membership in the Federation Ardana employs torture and
capital punishment.
History: 14th century:
The cloud city of Stratos is built.
2269:
The USS Enterprise came to obtain
zenite for use to prevent a bacterial botanical plague on Merak II.
"The Cloud Minders" [TOS]
Ships: Shuttle - Relays onboard a Retellian cargo vessel were
taken from an old Ardanan shuttle. They were jury-
rigged to regulate power flow to a biopod, but they
weren't designed to handle that much current.
"Precious Cargo" [ENT]
