Desert planet

This article is about the type of planet. For the Finnish electronic music band, see Desert Planet (band).

A desert planet is a single-biome planet on which the climate is mostly desert, with little or no natural precipitation. Desert planets are known to exist; Mars is often considered a prime example. Indeed, many terrestrial planets would be considered desert planets by this definition. However, the term is often used to refer to desert planets that remain hospitable for life.

A relatively common motif in science fiction, the concept includes both real and fictional planets, and is sometimes accompanied by elements of hydraulic despotism. Perhaps the most famous fictional examples are Arrakis, the setting for much of the Dune series of novels by Frank Herbert, and Tatooine of the Star Wars universe.

Habitiability

A recent study has suggested that not only are life-sustaining desert planets possible, but that they might be more common than Earth-like planets. ^[1] The reason for this prediction is that, when modeled, desert planets had a much larger habitable zone than watery planets.

The same study also speculates that Venus may have once been a habitable desert planet a long time ago. It is also believed by many that the same may have been true for Mars, and that life on Mars may exist even in the modern era. (This has yet to be determined)

Despite how they are commonly portrayed, a habitable desert planet would probably not have a completely uniform climate. It would likely have some amount of surface water near its poles, and would be substantially more hospitable at certain latitudes; temperate regions might be possible.

In fiction

Mars as a desert planet

Before, and certainly after, the results sent back by the Viking landers, some science fiction set on Mars portrayed it as a desert planet. Science fiction stories that do so include:

• The anime series Cowboy Bebop repeatedly portrayed Mars as a prominent colonized world in the 21st century. It serves as a central hub for the solar system after Earth was left uninhabitable following the warp gateway disaster.
• Leigh Brackett's Martian stories, in which Mars is largely desert with sporadic oases of civilization.
• Larry Niven's "Known Space" novels and short stories (including Eye of an Octopus and Protector), where water is completely alien to the biochemistry of the planet's inhabitants.
• Ray Bradbury's "The Martian Chronicles" collection of short stories depict Mars as a mostly hospitable desert home to first an indigenous Martian civilization, who are displaced by an encroaching homo sapiens population. The stories use a "Cowboys vs Indians" theme which benefits from the red desert backdrop of Mars.
• Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars trilogy, where Mars is gradually terraformed from a frozen desert planet to a more hospitable Earthlike environment.
• Martian Time-Slip, by Philip K. Dick, in which Mars has been colonized by Earth's UN; scarce water is closely apportioned, and the president of the Water Workers Union is one of the more powerful figures.
• The 2000 film Mission to Mars is about a difficult rescue attempt following a disaster during the first manned NASA voyage to this red wasteland that is Mars; humanoid Martians are discovered to have once been native inhabitants, and the Cydonia Mensae 'face formation' is used as a major plot device.
• The 2000 film Red Planet is about a terraforming expedition from Earth to Mars gone awry due to voracious indigenous Martian insects; Earth's Australian and Jordanian deserts were used as filming locations.
• In the Star Trek universe, Mars is the first planet to be terraformed by the people of Earth and by the 24th century its orbital Utopia Planitia Shipyards are a key Starfleet facility.
• The Sands of Mars by Arthur C. Clarke
• The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch, also by Philip K. Dick, set primarily on Mars. Drafted colonists, such as those in the ironically-named Fineburg Crescent region, relieve the bleakness of Martian life by huddling in "hovels" and taking psychedelic drugs.
• Total Recall, in which Mars is inhabited by mutants and labourers, and air is supplied at a tax.

Titan as a desert world

• Cowboy Bebop episode "Jupiter Jazz" features Saturn's moon Titan as a terraformed desert-world similar to Saharan conditions.
• The DC Comics universe portrays Saturn's moon Titan as home to a race of telepaths; the most prominent example of a superhero from Titan is Saturn Girl, a founding member of the 30th Century Legion of Super Heroes.
• Flight on Titan (1935), short story by Stanley G. Weinbaum: an Earth couple struggles through the cold, windswept Titanian desert.
• In the Star Trek universe, Humans have established a series of domed settlements on Titan by the mid-21st century, one of which became a safe haven as Earth was ravaged by WWIII; Zefram Cochrane spent time on Titan, and later Enterprise [NX-01] Comm. Charles Tucker III nearly died in a training mission on the harsh lunar surface; the moon was a favored way-point for Starfleet spacepilots attempting the dangerous Titan's Turn stunt maneuver; by the 24th century this desert-world had been terraformed.
• Titan (1997), novel by Stephen Baxter: NASA's mission to Titan turns bad following a disastrous landing, and the astronauts must struggle to survive; Baxter writes vivid depictions of what a hypothetical journey through the Saturnian system might be like.
• In the Transformers universe, Saturn's moon Titan is a desert-world inhabited by a neolithic pagan humanoid species; the Quintessons briefly establish a ground base which they ultimately abandon; later the super-Destron Metrotitan is constructed on Titan, taking its name after the moon.
• Part of The Invisible Enemy, an episode of Doctor Who takes place on Titan.

Fictional desert planets

Other desert planets have been used as story motifs in fictional works:

Planet	Source	Year	Medium	Details	Reference
Abydos	Stargate (and later in the TV series Stargate SG-1	1994	Film
Altair IV	Forbidden Planet	1956	Film		[2]
Anarres	The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin	1974	Novel	Not strictly a desert planet; has oceans and is predominantly steppe
Arrakis (aka Dune)	Dune by Frank Herbert, and subsequent works in the Dune universe	1965	Novel	Homeworld of the Fremen and source of the valuable spice melange	[3]
Athas	Dark Sun setting for Dungeons & Dragons	1991	Role-playing game
Bara Magna	Bionicle	2009	Toy line	Large utopian planet struck by a cataclysm 100,000 years previous
Beachworld	"Beachworld" by Stephen King	1985	Short story
Byss	Star Wars: Dark Empire	1991–1992	Comic book
Canopus III	Star Trek: The Animated Series episode "The Eye of the Beholder"	1974	Animated TV series
Cardassia IV	Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode "The Homecoming"	1993	TV series
Ceti Alpha V	Star Trek: The Original Series episode "Space Seed"	1967	TV series	Devastated by destruction of nearby Ceti Alpha VI
Dorvan V	Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Journey's End"	1994	TV series
Dozaria	Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode "Indiscretion"	1995	TV series
Fire	Lexx season 3	1999	TV series	An afterlife planet for the souls of deceased people, who made unvirtuos choices when they were alive. The inhabitants build their cities high above the ground to avoid the deadly heat eminating from the planet's core.
Fyrine IV	Enemy Mine	1985	Film
Gamma X	Les Maîtres du temps	1982	Animated film
Geonosis	Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones	2002	Film
Gunsmoke	Trigun		Manga series
Imecka	Dragonball GT	1996	Anime
Kerona	Space Quest: The Sarien Encounter	1986	Computer game
Kharak	Homeworld	1999	Real-time strategy video game	Planet bombed by the Taiidan Empire
Khoros	Ben 10	2005–2008	Animated TV series	Homeworld of the alien Fourarms
Klendathu	Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein, and subsequent works	1959	Novel	Homeworld of the Arachnids
Kolarus III	Star Trek Nemesis	2002	Film
Korhal	StarCraft and subsequent games in the StarCraft franchise	1998	Real-time strategy video game	Once-lush throne world of the Terran Dominion
Korriban	Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic	2003	Computer game
M6-117	Pitch Black	2000	Film	Gas giant's moon
Marak's World	Hammerfall (and later 2004's Forge of Heaven) by C. J. Cherryh	2001	Novel
Ocampa	Star Trek: Voyager	1994–1997	TV series	Devastated homeworld of Kes and the Ocampa
Osiris IV	Futurama episode "A Pharaoh to Remember"	2002	Animated TV series
Perdide	Les Maîtres du temps	1982	Animated film
Plyuk	Kin-dza-dza!	1986	Film
Resurgam	Revelation Space by Alastair Reynolds	2000	Novel
Salt	Salt by Adam Roberts	2000	Novel
Socorro	Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game adventure The Black Sands of Socorro	1997	Role-playing game
Starbuck	Galactica 1980 episode "The Return of Starbuck"	1980	TV series
Tallarn and other planets	Warhammer 40,000 universe		Miniature wargame
Tatooine	Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope	1977	Film
Titania	Star Fox 64 for Nintendo 64	1997	Video game
Tophet	Roughnecks: Starship Troopers Chronicles	1999	Animated TV series
Torga IV	Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode "The Ship"	1996	TV series
Toroth	Star Trek: Enterprise episode "Desert Crossing"	2002	TV series
Trisol	Futurama episode "My Three Suns"	1999	Animated TV series
Tyree	Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episodes "Image in the Sand" and "Shadows and Symbols"	1998	TV series
Unnamed planet	Snare by Katherine Kerr	2003	Novel
Unnamed planet	Star Trek episode "Arena"	1967	TV series
Vega	Spaceballs	1987	Film	Home planet to Schwartz-master Yogurt
Vulcan	Star Trek: The Original Series, and subsequent works in the Star Trek universe	1966	TV series

See also

• Ocean planet
• Exoplanet
• Planets in science fiction

References