Hephaistos IV

Hephaistos IV is a fictional planet featured in the 2000-2005 science fiction television series Andromeda. It was briefly seen in the series' pilot episode "Under the Night".

Description
Hephaistos IV is an M-class world and the fourth planet from the star Hephaistos in the Hephaistos System. A dry and arid planet, its dominant life forms are the Nietzschean race who make up 70% of the planet's population.

History
In the Systems Commonwealth year CY 9784, a rogue black hole had emerged in the Hephaistos System and the Nietzscheans chose this as their opportunity to spring their attack on the Commonwealth. They drew the Commonwealth's attention by attacking a small courier ship called the Alacritous Missive. The pilot of the ship issued a distress beacon that was picked up by the High Guard ship, the Andromeda Ascendant, who responded to the call and went to the Hephaistos System under the belief that they were rendering aid to refugees. When they arrived however, they found a massive fleet of 10,000 Nietzschean ships waiting for them. Captain Dylan Hunt deployed battle drones to combat the incoming fighters, but even though the Andromeda was the flagship of the Commonwealth, it was no match for such an overwhelming force. Ultimately, Dylan was forced to order his crew to abandon ship. Only his pilot, Refractions of Dawn, refused the order and stayed by Dylan's side.

Adding to the intensity of the matter, Hunt's first officer, Gaheris Rhade - a Nietzschean, seemingly betrayed Captain Hunt by killing a gunnery sergeant, a security officer and the pilot. Hunt and Rhade faced one another on the bridge of the ship, but as their personal battle wore on, the Andromeda Ascendant drifted closer to the event horizon of the black hole. Dylan managed to get a fatal shot against his opponent, but it was at that moment that the gravitational time dilation effect of the black hole overwhelmed them and the Andromeda was frozen on the edge of the singularity.

With the Andromeda incapacitated, the Nietzscheans achieved a clear victory over the Commonwealth and thus began a series of intense conflicts that would ultimately bring the millennia-long glory of the Systems Commonwealth to an end.

Points of Interest

 * Hephaistos black hole: A rogue black hole emerged in the Hephaistos System appearing dangerously close to Hephaistos IV. The Nietzscheans took advantage of its proximity and used it to lure the High Guard starship Andromeda Ascendant to the system under the guise of rendering refugee aid. They used this opportunity to ambush the Andromeda, thus provoking a battle that would ultimately spell defeat for the Commonwealth and usher in the era of the Long Night.

Notes & Trivia

 * Hephaistus IV takes its name from Hephaestus, the Greek God of fire and craftsman.