Habitat ring
The habitat ring (in red) of Deep Space 9
Thehabitat ring was a section ofStarbaseDeep Space 9, and otherNor-classspace stations (such asEmpok Nor) which provided accommodation for the station's personnel, residents and guests.
Overview[]
The habitat ring was the inner of the two rings that made up the structure of Deep Space 9. It was connected to the outdocking ring by threecrossover bridges which continued through to themid core. An additional three smaller crossover bridges connected the habitat ring to themid core section only.
Accommodations[]
A section of the habit ring showing arrangement of quarters
Under the originalCardassian arrangement, of the thenTerok Nor, the habitat ring contained 452 large residential quarters, typically spanning four or five window bays, for high ranking officers and 231 smaller quarters, typically two or three window bays, for lower ranking officer andBajoran nationals who worked for the Cardassians. Under the Federation the quarters were used byStarfleet and Bajoran crew members, visiting dignitaries, commercial operators and some transient ship crews. An addition 343 quarters were also available in the mid core.
Following the handover to Federation control many of the non-load bearing walls were moved or removed to create custom spaces, including duplicate personal services to those available on thePromenade, such as emergency medical services and additional laboratory areas.
Typically residential spaces in the habitat ring faced out intospace with views throughtransparent aluminum windows, the opacity of which could be controlled by the residents to allow more or less sunlight into their quarters. Quarters typically included areplicator and wash facilities. Not all wash facilities in the original Cardassian configuration includedsonic showers so many were rotated out from other starbases and salvage when the Federation took control of the station.
Twenty-five percent of the quarters were fitted with the necessary life support equipment to sustainclass H,K andL conditions and an addition three percent were capably of supportingclass B,N andC environments, in the later case featuring forcefields and materials which could withstand the environments available. (DS9reference:Technical Manual)
Runabout pads[]
Section showing the interior of a runabout bay
When the Starfleet took control of the station the habitat ring was also fitted with six launch and maintenance bays forrunabouts andshuttlecraft. The bays were positioned at sixty degree intervals and featured a retractablelaunch pad which raised up to allow easy launch of the small-craft. The pad retracted into a bay capable of supporting a single runabout and at least two shuttlecraft and provided an area for maintenance and loading of different runabout modules. All quarters in the vicinity of the bays were either converted into engineering support areas or shielded against potential emissions and accidents. Quarters more than two levels away received minor soundproofing. (DS9reference:Technical Manual)
Tactical systems[]
The habitat ring was also the location of DS9's threedefence sails which containedphasers,torpedo systems andtractor beams. (DS9reference:Technical Manual)
History[]
In2370 Suite 959 in the habit ring became the temporary home of a clutch ofHortaeggs. The eggs were protected by astasis field to prevent them prematurely hatching while still on the station. UnfortunatelyNog andJake Sisko decided toborrow one of the eggs and in doing so deactivated the stasis field. Shortly after the Horta hatched and burrowed out of the suite and quickly made there way into the rest of the station. LaterOdo, in aPied Piper like move, took on the form of an adult Horta and managed to lure the babies back into the habitat ring into a single large residential suite. Unfortunately once they were all in one of the Hortas burrowed out intospace. Odo was able to seal the hole but the rest of the Horta's soon began to spread out into the station once more. (DS9novel:Devil in the Sky)
In2376Istani Reyla hid theOhalu Prophecies in a section of the habit ring before she was murdered. (DS9novel:Avatar, Book One)
Appendices[]
Connections[]
External link[]
- Habitat ring article atMemory Alpha, the wiki for canonStar Trek.