Talos IV
Talos IV is Class-M planet first encountered by the human crewmembers of SS Columbia, a survey vessel that crashed on the planet in 2236. The inhabitants of Talos IV, the Talosians, had been a technologically advanced culture but a nuclear holocaust left the planet virtually uninhabitable and killed most of the Talosians.
The survivors of the nuclear war congregated in underground dwellings where they became dependant on illusion technology that had been developed by their ancestors. The Talosians became bored, per se, with the content of the illusions that they had. There dependence upon these illusions for mental stimuli caused the Talosians to begin capturing space travelers to use as the living basis for there illusions.
When the SS Columbia crash landed on Talos IV one human female survived, a girl named Vina. The Talosians used Vina as a source for their illusions, but after studying her for many years the Talosians decided that they needed to obtain a human male to be her mate. This decision was one that was considered to be both beneficial to her and to the Talosians. Giving her the companionship of a real human male would help Vina to be happy and it would also provide the Talosians with more fodder for their illusions.
Using their telepathic abilities and their illusion-creating technolgy the Talosians lured the Federation starship USS Enterprise NCC-17101 to Talos IV in an attempt to capture Captain Christopher Pike and make him Vina's mate. In 2256 Pike was captured by the Talosians who found him most intriguing. Captain Pike was able to force the Talosians reveal things as they truly existed without the use of their illusion technology when he discovered the Talosian telepathic capabilities were impaired by the emotion anger.
When the Federation realized the immense danger that the Talosians posed to anyone who might be tricked by their illusions or telepathic capabilities they declared the planet Talos IV off limits to all Federation citizens. In fact Starfleet established General Order 7 which made contact with Talos IV a crime punishable by death. By the year 2266 Talos IV was the only law which compelled the death penalty left on the books in all of Federation law.
The Talosians used their telepathic abilities to maintain contact with Christopher Pike even after the USS Enterprise rescued him from the Talosians. It was in 2266 that Talosians offered Captain Pike the opportunity to return to Talos IV and live the rest of his life within the world of their illusions. Given the opportunity to live in a life enhanced by the illusions that the Talosians could provide Captain Pikechose to return to Talos IV. Captain Pike had been seriously injured in an accident and was almost completely paralyzed, the world that the Talosians offered was one where he could live perpetually as a healthy young man without the fetters of his physical impairment.
It was at that time that the first officer of the USS Enterprise, Mr. Spock, who had served under Captain Pike comendered the Enterprise, with the aid of the Talosians, with the intention of returning Captain Pike to them. Despite opposition from Starfleet and the commander of the Enterprise, Captain James T. Kirk, Mr. Spock successfully returned Pike to the Talos IV where he happily lived out the rest of his life.
Mr. Spock was acquited of violating General Order 7. Despite the fact that starfleet allowed Captain Pike to live on Talos IV despite the fact that it was illegal according to Federation law, General Order 7 is still in the full effect of law.
The following prescription is in effect for all Federation citizen: "Under Starfleet General Order 7, all contact with the planet Talos IV is forbidden under the penalty of death."
