See Also: 'Shadows of P'Jem' Episode Guide

Aspects of the upcoming 'Shadows of P'Jem' were inspired by the Original Series episode 'Journey of Babel,' writer Michael Sussman said recently.

"The planet in 'Shadows of P'Jem' is Coridan, which of course was mentioned in 'Journey to Babel,' when we first meet the Andorians," Sussman told Star Trek: The Magazine (via TrekWeb). "It was fun to finally go to that planet, see what these people are like, and set up all sorts of interesting backstory. In the show, Coridan is a planet with three billion people on it, and 100 years from now, it's a planet that Spock's father says is underpopulated."

Sussman said continuity buffs would get a kick out of the episode, which will also expand the geo-political layout of the 22nd century Trek universe.

"Now we've set up that there's a war on this planet, what's going to happen?" he said. "Is this war going to wipe out all these people? And we've established that the Vulcans have a relationship with the government, and a lot of people don't approve of it. This is all background and subtext and I don't know if enough will be apparent, but it's something extra for the fans who look for little echoes."

'Journey to Babel' and the TNG episode 'Sarek' established that Coridan was admitted into the Federation in 2267 as a result of the Babel conference. The planet's successful application was attributed to Ambassador Sarek.

The full interview with Sussman and his writing partner Phyllis Strong can be found in the March issue of Star Trek: The Magazine, on newsstands now and available for online ordering. Alternatively, further details from the article can be found here at TrekWeb.

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