Highlights
- In the Star Trek universe, seemingly beautiful planets can be dangerous or dull to live on, like Platonius with its telekinetic powers but non-existent immune system.
- Vulcan may be interesting to visit for its history and culture, but its arid climate, harsh deserts, and destructive storms make it difficult to live there.
- Risa may be a paradise for visitors, but its lack of defenses leaves it vulnerable to invasions, making it more suitable as a resort rather than a permanent residence.
The Star Trek universe might seem like a better place to live when it’s all about high-tech space stations and holodeck recreation. No matter where quadrant the stories, shows, and movies take audiences, there’s always a beautiful new planet to visit, but just because something is pretty doesn’t mean that it isn’t dangerous or dull.
Some of the worst planets to live on in Star Trek might look decent at first, but that’s how people are tricked into going there in the first place. In some cases, Starfleet explores a strange planet because of a mission or experiment and end up trapped there. Some planets are nice for visits or short stays but nobody wants to live there.
7 Platonius
Star Trek: The Original Series (Season 3, Episode 10: Plato’s Stepchildren)
The plight of Parmen and his fellow Platonians is an example of how something that seems flawless can turn sour or even life-threatening. The Platonians are the results of a eugenics program that took place in their home world, and the atmosphere and setting of their new home have given them handy telekinetic powers.
The Platonians want nothing, as any whim or desire can be fulfilled by using their powers or commanding a servant to do so. However, the trade-off is an almost non-existent immune system, which means that even the common cold or a simple cut means certain death. All this and no doctor in sight makes this one of the worst Star Trek worlds for someone to want to live in.
6 Vulcan (Ni’Var)
Star Trek: The Original Series (Season 2, Episode 1: Amok Time)
The tourism value of visiting Vulcan is better than actually visiting the place. That’s not to say humans can’t be happy here, they would have to make peace not only with the lack of any emotional expression but also with the arid climate and thin atmosphere along with little green space and even less water.
The vast deserts that make up most of Vulcan’s surface are home to some harsh and destructive electrical storms, making travel difficult or impossible. Given the history and culture, it would be an exciting place to visit, but living there would be difficult.
5 Ceti Alpha 5
Star Trek: The Original Series (Season 1, Episode 24: Space Seed)
Ceti Alpha 5 was a nice place when Captain Kirk marooned Kahn Noonien Singh and his crew there in the TOS episode “Space Seed.” Then its sister planet, Ceti Alpha 6, exploded and shifted the orbit of the planet, killing virtually all of the indigenous life and making it a dangerous wasteland.
The only life forms left were Kahn, his crew, and a savage little creature that fed on human brains. It might be one of the most inhospitable places in the whole universe, with anyone even visiting falling victim to the brain-eating critters or a first-generation Augment with a bad attitude.
4 Risa
Star Trek: The Next Generation (Season 3, Episode 19: Captain’s Holiday)
The name for this planet likely comes from the Spanish word that means “smile” or laugh” which might be true for visitors but not for inhabitants. Risa is a “pleasure planet” designated The food is great, the scenery is even better, and everyone sits around and does nothing all day. Imagine trying to get anything productive or time-sensitive done on a planet like this.
The temperate climate is an artificial one built by the native Risians, and they spent a lot of time and resources to maintain it to support their vast tourism industry. They have few weapons or defenses as a result, which leaves the planet vulnerable to invasions and economic disasters. Risa is a paradise, but one that should be used as a resort, not a place to live.
3 Shore Leave Planet
Star Trek: The Original Series (Season 1, Episode 14: Shore Leave)
It takes a while for the crew of the Enterprise to figure out the secret of this planet, and until they do, this is a horror episode. It’s based on the same premise as the movie “Forbidden Planet” in which subconscious thoughts are manifested into reality, and that’s just as terrifying as it sounds.
In this case, the so-called “real hallucinations” aren’t harmful, and even things that look threatening are either fake or temporary. Another example of a planet that might be fun for a vacation or shore leave, but it’s one of the worst planets to live on.
2 Sigma Iotia 2
Star Trek: The Original Series (Season 2, Episode 20: A Piece of the Action)
Plenty of dinner parties use this motif for the fun and games aspect but imagine living on a planet where this is the whole culture, right down to the goofy accent. The gangster world of Sigma Iotia 2 would be fun at first, but only as long as it takes to snap a few pictures and drive a vintage car. Spock is right when he refers to the altered state of his planet as a “contamination.”
In this case, a previous intergalactic visit failed to follow the Prime Directive by leaving a 1990s book about gangsters lying around. Even though everyone is armed to the teeth, they’re not the sharpest knives in the drawer, and Kirk outsmarts them without breaking a sweat. It’s not just a silly world, it’s a boring, stupid one. However, The Captain’s mission was to correct this mistake so things may have improved since the Federaton’s last visit.
1 The Halkan Homeworld
Star Trek: The Original Series (Season 2, Episode 10: Mirror, Mirror)
The first Star Trek episode that featured the Mirror Universe was more about showing how the Federation behaves versus the Empire when it comes to negotiations, but a detail that everyone misses is the world caught between them. The planet is never named other than being dubbed the Halkan’s homeworld, and their pacifist culture has left them at the mercy of anyone who wants their rich dilithium resources.
With no weapons and no alliances, the Halkans have little to bargain with other than their mineral supply, an essential component for powering starships. When someone is after a resource that valuable, and they have the firepower to make an offer the inhabitants can’t refuse, what’s to stop them?
