The dream of fans of the Star Trek series has gone to dust…
“Long live and prosper!”
Among the members of the USS Enterprise is Spock (played by Leonard Nimoy Then Zachary Quinto), second in command, originally from the red, hot, moonless planet, commonly known as Vulcan. A sci-fi location that fans dream of. Some have even searched for the existence of a similar planet for years, much like the Holy Grail of SF.
For this, the creator of Star Trek gave them some instructions. With the help of scientists, Gene Roddenberry established in 1991, that IF the planet Vulcan were to exist, housing an advanced and intelligent civilization, it would certainly have to be sixteen light years from Earth, and more precisely in the 40 Eridani system.
Science fiction or reality? Hope was reborn in 2018 when a scientific study detected a signal of activity and confirmed (with a pinch of salt) the existence of an exoplanet in this star system. Fans immediately seized on the news, and the planet was obviously named Vulcan. Was Roddenberry right? Spock could exist! Well no…
A few days ago, NASA denied the presence of the planet Vulcan in an article titled: “Spock’s home planet goes…poof!” With more modern and efficient tools, this new analysis has proven that the scientists of the time were right to already have reservations, and that the fans should not have gotten so carried away. No planet Vulcan therefore, but a simple signal linked to the activity of a nearby star.
Sadness for fans of the cult series created in 1966 and since expanded into various films and series. But we shouldn’t despair… perhaps one day researchers will get their hands on Tatooine?
Quentin Tarantino would have made “the best Star Trek film”: “It was stupid!”
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