Genesis Planet

The Genesis Planet was a celestial body created from the Mutara Nebula, following the detonation of the Genesis Device in 2285. Despite its very short existence, this remarkable planet played a crucial role in the history of the galaxy via the resurrection of Captain Spock.

The planet owes its existence to the Genesis Device: a technology developed by Carol Marcus and her son David, intended as a terraformation tool to nearly instantly convert a lifeless world into a habitable one, including the creation of life itself (specifically vegetation, as it wasn't supposed to create animal life). The potential to weaponize the device wasn't unnoticed. Since the original world's matter was to be cannibalized and recycled into new matter, its use on a world that already had life would be catastrophic.

Originally intended to be used on the barren planetoid Regula, in the Mutara Sector, the Genesis Device was stolen by Khan Noonien Singh aboard the USS Reliant. Following Khan's defeat against the USS Enterprise in the Battle of the Mutara Nebula, the device was detonated inside the nebula itself rather than on any planetary surface as intended. As a result, it coalesced matter from the nebula to create a new planet, in orbit around an unnamed sun. Meanwhile Captain Spock, who had sacrificed his life to save the Enterprise, had his body placed in a torpedo casing and launched towards the planet at the conclusion of his funeral service.

The Genesis Planet evolved as rapidly as predicted, and soon became a thriving world covered in vegetation and perfectly habitable for humanoid life. Different types of terrain ranging from snow-covered to temperate to desert areas coexisted, in what David Marcus has described as "all the varieties of land and weather known to Earth within a few hours walk".

Unfortunately, however, this development was short-lived, and the planet was shown to be extremely unstable: a fact attributed to Marcus having used equally unstable protomatter to speed up the Genesis Device's creation. As the planet continued to change, its different environmental areas mixed up, resulting in surreal scenery, such as cactus-like plants covered in snow. It was discovered that the planet was "ageing in surges", and would soon no longer be able to hold its own physical structure.

The torpedo casing containing Spock's body was also affected by the Genesis Device. Microbes in the casing's surface evolved into macroscopic worm-like creatures: the only animal life present on the Genesis Planet. Spock's body was revived and rejuvenated in the form of a child. Like the planet itself, with which he shared some form of connection, Spock too aged in surges and returned to his original age.

With a few minutes left to the planet's detonation, the ground began to shake and seas of molten lava were formed on its surface. After battling with the Klingon Commander Kruge, who wanted to claim the Genesis Device for the Empire, Admiral Kirk rescued Spock and left the planet aboard Kruge's ship. The planet was destroyed soon afterwards, and the whole Genesis project deemed a failure.