Best Planets To Live On

Sometimes a place is so alluring and comfortable that it’s hard to leave. Just like travelers of old, those from the future who venture through space often find similar places that feel like home.

The galaxy is a big place, and according to Star Trek, exploring and discovering this vast space is part of the adventure. Home is where you hang your hat, or in this case, your gravity boots or red shirt.

6 Trill

Star Trek: Deep Space 9 (Season 3, Episode 4: “Equilibrium”)

Trill is a planet inhabited by three different races, two of which are humanoid, and the third being the symbiont race that joins with them. Other than the intriguing culture, the environment itself is similar to Earth when it comes to water coverage, but with an interesting twist because the oceans are purple instead of blue.

The lore of Deep Space 9 has a fair amount of information about the residents of Trill, mostly because of the popular character Jadzia Dax. However, the planet itself was described in more detail in other Star Trek shows, like Discovery‘s “Forget Me Not” and Picard‘s “The Last Generation.”

5 Earth

Star Trek TOS: (Season 1, Episode 28: “The City on the Edge of Forever”)

Humans might have a boundless appetite for adventure, but it seems that one of the overall themes of Star Trek is that there’s no place like home. There have been times in the history of planet Earth when it hasn’t been a great place to live, but in the Star Trek era, specifically when it’s a member of the Federation, the third planet from the sun in the Milky Way galaxy might be one of the best places to live in the whole universe.

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Earth appears in a variety of Star Trek shows, but it first appears in one of the best-known TOS episodes, “City On The Edge Of Forever” along with notable appearances in several movies and other forms of media. With some exceptions, this is an uplifting story of humanity improving into an ideal, even utopian future, and we even managed to preserve some of the environment.

4 Omicron Ceti III

Star Trek TOS: (Season 1, Episode 24: “This Side Of Paradise.”)

Another mysterious planet that was part of the adventures in The Original Series, the crew of the Enterprise were surprised to find anyone alive on Omicron Seti III because of the radioactive Berthold rays that constantly bombard the planet. Still, thanks to the special spores that have evolved on the planet, not only do humanoids survive but they don’t get sick, their old wounds are healed, and they live much longer and walk around in a happy euphoria.

The catch is that the spores only affect humans in this way, but the radiation has destroyed all other animal life on the planet. So no cats or dogs, but also no insects or reptiles, which can be good or bad depending on a person’s tastes.

3 Ardana

Star Trek TOS: (Season 3, Episode 21: “The Cloud Minders”)

It’s not so much Ardana itself, which is mostly a rocky and barren planet, but the exquisite floating city of Stratos that hovers above it in the lower atmosphere. The society of Ardana is concerned with intellectual pursuits, art, and beauty, which you can see in their culture and daily life, and it’s such a pleasant lifestyle that it even enchants the stoic and logical Spock.

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When the crew of the Enterprise first visited Ardana in “The Cloud Minders,” a trip that was intended as a routine check on their mining progress became a political mission to free enslaved workers. The crew of the Enterprise left the government in better shape, and less inclined to drug and enslave people based on their economic status, so as long as heights aren’t a problem, it’s an even better place to live.

2 Pollux IV

Star Trek TOS: (Season 2, Episode 4: “Who Mourns For Adonais”)

Pollux IV is a fairly common Class M planet, which means it’s suitable for human life when it comes to climate and geography. What makes this common planet even more interesting is the ancient Greek art and architecture that were left behind by the previous inhabitants.

It seems that beings who fancied themselves as deities on Earth, specifically those from the Greek pantheon, made this place their home after being exiled from the Earth, and decorated it accordingly. After Captain Kirk and his intrepid crew visited during the episode “Who Mourns For Adonais,” the last of them faded into oblivion, leaving behind a lovely Earth-like planet with a Mediterranean aesthetic.

1 Bajor

Star Trek: The Next Generation (Season 3, Episode 5: “Ensign Ro.”)

Most people think of Bajor only as a planet torn apart by civil war and Cardassian exploitation, but to be fair, that’s how it was first presented in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode “Ensign Ro.” The story of Bajor is a lesson in how conflict can change the reputation of a place, and how that reputation sticks for years to come, but it doesn’t define it entirely.

There’s a memorable bit of dialogue in an episode of Deep Space Nine, “Favor The Bold,” in which Sisko describes Bajor as the best place to live and retire. He describes its geography and climate in glowing terms. He says no matter where he ends up in the galaxy, for either travel or work, his ideal home would be on Bajor.

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