Delphic Expanse

From the Encyclopedia of Speculative Fiction - http://encyclopedia.wizards.pro

The Delphic Expanse was an area of space about 50 light-years from Earth. While its exact dimensions are unknown, Vulcan scientists estimated the Expanse to have been about 2,000 light-years across in the 22nd century.

At that time, it was also surrounded by thermobaric clouds that made it difficult to enter and exit. It was generally avoided by Vulcan ships because of various spatial anomalies existing inside; in some parts of the Expanse the known laws of physics did not seem to apply.

In the 2130s a Klingon ship emerged from the Expanse; its entire crew was anatomically inverted but still alive. After this incident the Klingon High Council forbade all ships from entering the Expanse. The Vulcan ship Seleya was pulled into the Expanse in December 2152; all contact was lost. The crew of the Vaankara, sent to investigate, went mad and killed each other within two days of entering the Expanse. (ENT: "The Expanse", "Impulse")

In 2153, the Enterprise (NX-01) entered the Expanse in search for the Xindi, a race native to this region, who were believed responsible for an attack on Earth that killed seven million humans.

The Triannons called the Delphic Expanse the "Chosen Realm"; they believed it had been created by beings they called the Makers as a paradise for their eventual return. They thought the Makers were using the anomalies to reshape the Chosen Realm into a new form. Events would eventually show that the Triannons were essentially correct. (ENT: "Chosen Realm", "Azati Prime")

On this mission, the crew learned about the existence of ancient spheres scattered around the Expanse, which are responsible for the spatial anomalies and eventually the Expanse itself. (ENT: "Anomaly") The Delphic Expanse had been created by the Sphere Builders as part of the Temporal Cold War; the Expanse was designed to continue growing indefinitely, gradually altering the space-time continuum in the Milky Way Galaxy to make it habitable for their kind. They were destined to be defeated at the Battle of Procyon V by the United Federation of Planets in the 26th century. The Xindi attempt to destroy Earth was also part of their plot to manipulate the timeline, implemented to prevent the founding of the Federation.

The Delphic Expanse ceased to exist when the space within the Expanse was restored to normal in 2154 after Enterprise destroyed Sphere 41, one of the most important of the Spheres. The destruction of this Sphere caused a chain reaction, destroying the others and removing the source of the spatial anomalies that had plagued travellers within the Expanse. (ENT: "Zero Hour")

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Location

The location of the Delphic Expanse in relation to the known geography of the Alpha/Beta Quadrant area of the 23rd and 24th Centuries is unclear at best. We know that the Expanse's thermobaric clouds -- its "border" -- was approximately fifty light-years from Earth. Some have theorized that the Delphic Expanse may have been located in the area of space that included Ferenginar and Cardassia Prime, to explain why it is that these two races, already space-faring by the time of the 22nd Century, would go undetected by the Federation until the 24th Century -- presumably, the Federation would have kept some distance away from the area of the former Delphic Expanse following the Xindi Crisis, expanding instead towards Romulan and Klingon space until the late 23rd or early 24th Century. This is supported by the non-canonical Star Trek: Star Charts, which, while written prior to the third season of Star Trek: Enterprise, depicts the Cardassian Union, Ferengi Alliance, Tzenkethi Coalition, and Breen Confederacy as being roughly fifty light-years from Earth.

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