10 Strangest Worlds In Star Trek

1. T'Khut

Star Trek The Animated Series Yesteryear TKhut
CBS Media Ventures

Most readers will be familiar with Vulcan, and many will be aware of its current or future name, Ni'Var. Yet how many will be aware of the planet's binary twin, T'Khut? This planet is strange because, depending on the day and the person speaking, it both exists and doesn't.

In the first televised episode of The Original Series, The Man Trap, Spock states that Vulcan has no moon. However, in Yesteryear, there is clearly something in the sky over Vulcan's horizon. This something would go on to be called T'Khut - depending on the source, and the time of the year.

T'Khut was 'accidentally' created by an animation artist during production on Yesteryear, one who evidently didn't receive the note that Vulcan should be moon-free. The theatrical edition of The Motion Picture also featured a moon or planetoid in orbit over Vulcan, but this was removed from the director's cut.

Fonata helped reconcile this error, first through print publication in 1975 via a series of stories and then later in Jean Lorrah's 1984 novel The Vulcan Academy Murders. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds finally re-canonised the planet in the first season, depicting the planet on a star chart, hovering in orbit of Vulcan. 

The 1994 novel Sarek by A.C. Crispin further explains that the planet has different names for various times during the year - which also helps to explain the titles (including The Watcher) that it had been given in the course of its rather odd existence. 

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Seán is the host and head writer/presenter for TrekCulture, as well as a writer/presenter on WhoCulture and WhatCulture Horror. He has authored two novels, dozens of short stories, and hundreds of articles for WhatCulture. He holds a Master of Arts in Creative Writing from University College Dublin. As part of his work with TrekCulture, Seán has been invited to participate in collaborations with Roddenberry Entertainment, as well as contributing to several Star Trek community projects. An avid fan of Star Trek, Doctor Who, and the horror genre at large, Seán's expertise has helped develop these channels to the successes they are today. As host of the Ups & Downs series on TrekCulture, Seán has become internationally recognised for his positive yet critically informed approach to reviewing every episode of modern Star Trek, ensuring he is one of the go-to voices in the Trek community. Favourite Quote to describe himself: "I'm serious about what I do, just not always about the way that I do it"