Could Star Trek's Badlands Exist?

The Badlands are an area in the Alpha Quadrant near the Cardassian Border that is known for its continual Plasma Storms. What lies within, are there other locations like it in the galaxy and how does it function? Let's explore the notorious zone that has Starfleet scared to delve into.
Chapters
00:24 Location
01:04 What are They?
03:56 What is Within?
06:23 Is it Unique?
07:46 Could it Exist?
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This Video is for critical purposes with commentary.
Outro Animation made by @icarogabriel17

[@SKy_the_Thunder]

Random idea: The Badlands could be the effect of a "Subspace Star" expanding into Realspace. Subspace has features that allow forces to travel over much longer distances at much greater speeds, so any collection of mass inside it will affect a much larger area. It's exceedingly rare for such a "star" to form there, and much rarer for one to overlap a galaxy in Realspace. However, when that happens, it creates a feedback loop where interstellar dust and gases are caught in the gravitational and magnetic effects and agitated. The resulting fields then end up anchoring the "Subspace Star" to that location in context to the galaxy. In this case the Badlands represent a very shallow gravity well, by stretching the effect of the "Subspace Star"'s mass across a vastly larger area. This is enough to largely keep the plasma contained (leakage and newly caught dust/gases roughly balance each other out), but doesn't really provide any central point for it to coalesce. What little gravitational pull there is towards the center is balanced out by the magnetic fields inside said "Star". These are what creates the distinct sheets and bands of plasma present in the area, representing the layering of magnetic field lines and their interference patterns with each other. Such a collection of mass in Subspace will also strain its fabric much more than the neutral space, explaining the irregularities that are observed in that regard. And it would also explain why it is the focal point for the Caretaker. Any technology that works at extreme distances will be more precise if it has something to lock onto. And such a collection of mass in subspace may be a natural focal point (or "lens") for whatever targeting system the Caretaker's Array used. That would enhance the resolution of ships they can target, making everything easier. The fact that it's not uncommon for ships to just disappear there is only an accidental benefit.

[@thegreenmanofnorwich]

Oh I rather like that! A sort of accretion disc of space and subspace

[@BlazingOwnager]

My theory has always been that it is not a natural area, but created by the Prophets to imprison the Pah-Wraith. Or, it was Pah-Wraith territory that was contained by the Prophets. "Imagine it! An entire universe, on fire!"

[@woahdudeitsme9742]

Woah cool theory

[@enisra_bowman]

ye, sort of similar to the Maw in Star Wars (where the famous Kessel Run takes place)

[@amazedsatsuma]

yea I won't be shock if there is a Pah-Wraith/Prophets connection...like it was Pah-Wraith territory before the prophets trap them in the fire caves of Bajor

[@johnhefner2004]

I like that idea! Like the Celestial Temple (wormhole) is heaven and the Badlands is hell. Plus they are near each other

[@shiningarmor3597]

Agree with different idea, instead it is a scar in space due to the war between the two

[@williammobley9634]

My theory is that, related to the Badland's proximity to the artificial Worm Hole near Bajor, the Badlands could be a failed experiment of The Prophets (from a time before they were the Prophets in our limited linear perception) in an effort to create the Worm Hole in the first place. The ability to make and control a worm hole is up there with the ability to create a black hole. The gravitational stability needed for the Badlands, existing as two disks, would be consistent with two singularities existing in parallel to one another and feeding off one another - but somehow scaled down to the point of not creating actual black holes. What "device" being used to create cosmic-level phenomena is up there with the Q in technology levels and outside of our ability to even recognize as technology. The fact that the Prophets are also "non-linear" in their perception also lines up somewhat with the Q continuum. Perhaps in the eyes of the Q, the Prophets are like primates to them and we humans like lab mice in complexity.

[@3Rayfire]

Alternate theory, the Caretaker targeted the Badlands because it was the type of environment that Sporocystian lifeforms like the Nacene originated from, since he was looking for a compatible life form. Thus why he kept taking space faring carbon based humanoid life, the only things in that environment using technology.

[@ShaunSalter]

From an outside-of-the-Trekverse perspective, I always thought that the Badlands were suspiciously familiar. Then I remembered Iain M Bank's Culture series where he described the hyperspace interface between the energy grid surface of an earlier universe and the surface of our universe, and painting a word picture very similar to the picture-picture of Star Trek's Badlands. The tornado energy connections between one surface and the other being energy tethers generated by the gravity of Suns and singularities. Beautiful writing and a spectacular background to a Space Opera, and I'd be surprised if the show writers weren't familiar with "Consider Phlebas" or "The Player of Games"

[@Demonic_Tang]

I always interpreted the badlands as a supernova remnant powered by a magnetar

[@nickmalachai2227]

Congratulations: this is the first Star Trek thing to ever give me existential terror.

[@DissociatedWomenIncorporated]

What about Mr. Data’s terrifying approximation of a grin when he’s practicing ballroom dancing in “Data’s Day”?

[@nickmalachai2227]

@@DissociatedWomenIncorporated That's fine. This is the entire sky for entire star systems becoming a roiling hell that can kill you at any moment. That triggers every instinct in my body to get as far away as possible as quickly as possible. Reminds me of Subnautica. The deep sea monsters weren't a problem, but I literally couldn't look up because of that massive planet in the sky.

[@sharonec5419]

You mean the Borg did not scare you the first time you seen them. If not then you must not have seen them in TNG first but maybe Voyager. Dam you Voyager for ruining the Borg.

[@mrJety89]

Not as bad as Data's beard

[@nickmalachai2227]

@@sharonec5419 My dad showed me TNG at an early age, but technically the first time I saw the Borg was the start of First Contact. I'm not afraid of the Borg, because that's orders of magnitude more manageable than "Oh, this celestial body is going to collide with your planet" or "these multiple star systems? Yeah, it's hell."

[@jacksoneddy4372]

Your channel is criminally underrated! You produce such high quality videos, better than some much larger channels! Love your content!

[@CaptainKwame1773]

I agree. I feel his takes are always so obejctively clear and helps produce an understanding of the canon in ways that other channels couldn't touch! Lol

[@xhawkeye8717]

Here, here!

[@tonydagostino6158]

Ah, Rick's Mom using an alias

[@pcmacintyre]

The only remaining Xindii spheres would be a good explanation.

[@Monody512]

Or the second attempt to break through, purely from the other side this time.

[@liamscienceguy8153]

You say it covers 84 parsecs. Taking that literally, the badlands are larger than the ENTIRE KLINGON EMPIRE. So I’ll assume your source meant cubic parsecs, making it approximately 11 light-years in diameter

[@thegreenmanofnorwich]

I think a smaller diameter makes sense. While the size of the Klingon Empire isn't especially consistent, much less well-defined, it has to be a significant portion the size of the federation in order to pose an existential threat.

[@liamscienceguy8153]

@@thegreenmanofnorwich i would agree - parsecs are a bit of a silly unit anyway. I was going off of Mandel’s Star Charts book’s depicted size of the empire and the badlands.

[@ThorstenWirth]

Fermi bubbles exist. So maybe a fast spinning super massive black hole with two rotational axies?

[@TheGuardianofAzarath]

my theory is either a magnetar or black hole dead center in the badlands keeping it going

[@BlazingOwnager]

I believe it is either the doing of the prophets, or the imprisoned pah-wraith. If you think about it being contained Pah Wraith territory, it really fits with the line "Imagine it, an entire universe - on fire!"

[@andromedafan]

In beta cannon there is a smaller plasma storm like the Badlands near Vulcan called the Goldin Discontinuity.

[@ravinraven6913]

I believe that this could happen in real life. Imagine giant stellar "nurseries" Multiple stars formed at the same time in specific locations. When they went super nova they created multiple "nebula", where smaller stars formed. I also Imagine there are many things outside the Badlands that would keep it localized and consistent. Like the moon affects our water, so too will these objects affect the particles. It's the typical 3 body problem but with unknown variables. There has to be something to be adding to it as well, maybe the maquis? Maybe they created that subspace thing you mentioned. But there has to be something there before these 3 bodies came together to create the badlands. Like a gravity void or the opposite, gravity wells with no observable singularities, and something in the middle is preventing the two "tides" from meeting. Some sort of anti gravity where only the cyclones are strong enough to merge them temporarily? And that would have to be due to quantum tunneling? entangled matter on opposite sides?

[@DarkSapiens]

Man, the title of this video thoroughly baited me, and as I started watching I was thinking of possibilities and implications where those effects to be real… only for you to mention them one by one later on. Really great job here :)

[@NCC-72545A]

One option the careers could do is make it to where an ancient device is constantly generating the badlands while it hides with in subspace.

[@strandedtimetraveler8435]

ala the Sphere-Builders in Enterprise?

[@NCC-72545A]

@strandedtimetraveler8435 Not sure exactly what you mean. But the Sphere-Builders are completely different things entirely. As the guy said in the video, the badlands are a massive plasma storm. The covers.I think a sector and a half of space. the things that the NX-01 encountered in the Delphic Expanse were intense Gravimatric distortions similar to Quantum singularity. These nomalies were literally reconfiguring that region of space, causing anything from our universal to die, be destroyed at the cellular, microscopic, and subatomic levels, or the case of the natural laws of physics not to apply.

[@mrJety89]

The badlands are the outcome of an ancient doomsday device, that failed to destroy it all; a misfire I think, but nobody knows for sure

[@SolarMechanic]

... it was me, I left the oven on, I'm SO SORRY!

[@Feyyore]

Really feels like the aftermath of some ancient subspace based device. Similar to an Omega incident xD

[@TacComControl]

"Bathwater only ripples when you disturb it" ...Does it count as disturbing it if I bottle it and sell it? On an unrelated note, hey E-girls, where ya at...

[@oisinm332]

How about the Void in Voyager.

[@ColinCunningham-z3b]

Another great video. Your one of my favorite creators

[@endy9059]

I like to think it's artificial. Be one hell of a moat.

[@Alteringrealitystudios]

Splened sector splendid.

[@davidrobertson5700]

Been waiting for this video, thank you

[@vic5015]

The Bermuda Triangle of space.

[@DocWolph]

A hyperactive stellar nursery, perhaps? Because of all the wide spread activity in that region no single star can form. But if one does form it will be something that has not been seen since the dawn of the Universe, a Quasi-Star, as star so big its core is a black hole.

[@AnthonySmith-wc8ky]

I always wondered if it was a stellar nursery like the Orion Nebula. Massive stars, close together, reasonably frequent (million year) supernovae. Still I think the plasma in the Interstellar medium there is only going to get to 100s of Kelvin not 1000s.

[@furnacebay5305]

Fantastic video as always. My enjoyment of Star Trek only grows with your videos as a companion.

[@thebaccathatchews]

I maintain it was created during the Q Civil War, along with numerous other anomalies as they battled forward and backward through time.

[@Novarcharesk]

It was there for thousands of years before the events of that. Voyager was even there before the Q stuff.

[@thebaccathatchews]

The Q are nonlinear. The war would have affected the past, present, and future. The Badlands could have existed for thousands while its origins were caused by future events. Time travel lets Effect come before Cause.

[@keanueraine]

The Q can go backwards and forwards in time with a snap of their fingers. They make Timelords look like peasant children. Forwards, backwards, meaningless to them. If they need something to happen a million years ago to influence something right now, this instant, /snap......its created right now......in the past...influencing this very moment now....to achieve the future result they want. Edit: For example; The sole reason for the badlands to exist could be the Q needed it to exist so that Voyager would enter it so that Q could interact with Janeway to solve and end the Q civil war.

[@Amoschp524]

I always figured it was the result of some experiment gone wrong from the Preserver period or before. It does remind me of the Great Barriers at the edge and center of the galaxy, so I wonder if there could be a connection between the Badlands and Barriers.

[@TheGreatGooglyMoogly430]

A couple of theories I've had: The caretaker's displacement wave created the badlands as a side effect. It's an area where space and subspace are inverted. That is to say this it what subspace would look like if you could travel there. It is an extremely hot and volatile nebula. It is the remnants of a supernova that had a subspace component like when the Hobus star went supernova.

[@misterpeterman]

This was really interesting. I look forward to seeing what other exotic locales you choose to investigate.

[@jacara1981]

Its almost a crime that Star Trek introduces these kinds of things (Badlands, both Galactic Barriers ect) but doesn't follow up on them. At first glance when looking at something that shouldn't exist I would start wondering what or who could make them. They keeps missing the chance to introduce a hyper advanced race, doesn't have to be around anymore. The Progenitors, Iconaians, and so on are advanced but nothing on the scales that could create these. Then you have other races that have come from outside the galaxy, they are almost always one off episodes. I mean these are beings that can cross the space between galaxies and the very next week were off on a episode about cooking, or whos dating who.

[@sea75300]

The novels "The Badlands" were the first Star Trek novels I got some 20 years ago 🙈. As far as I remember, Bones had to deal with radiation of some kind.

[@keithtorgersen9664]

The only seemingly worse phenomenon is chaotic space because you don't even know when it will emerge, and the likeliness of communicating with the aliens who reside there seems to be fairly low.

[@PandoraKin564]

I see it as a micro nebula that happens to have high magnetic fields and huge gravitational bodies inside. In person it likely be invisible but on sensors would see this in other spectra. Like how the Horsehead nebula is a lot more defuse than infared susgests. Then again the Pah Wraiths may be involved.

[@framwinkle]

A Q probably sneezed, just to see what it was like, and POOF! Badlands.

[@kv-2panthera4]

the lands so bad that they had to put all of the forbidden knowledge inside (disco reference)

[@milkcookies7753]

The badlands are located in Birmingham in the UK

[@mrJety89]

The thing is, magnetic sheaths of this size can only realistically be supported by some kind of an extention of the galactic magnetic sheath, that is trapping the energy of the stars within, like a magnetic bottle of sorts. With the plasma from the stars accumulating over millenia, eventually reaching some sort of equilibrium between energy accumulation and dissipation, and what we see on star trek is the equilibrium state of the whole system

[@glitterboy2098]

some sort of subspace phenomena might help explain why the caretaker was able to reach out and pull ships from the region while across the galaxy. (presumably he was pulling ship from other parts of the galaxy as well, perhaps from near other strange stellar phenomena)

[@glitterboy2098]

thinking on it.. the visual effect of the badlands in DS9 and Discovery kinda resembled the 'thermobaric clouds" surrounding The Delphic Expanse, and the visual effect for the "future delphic expanse" at the battle of procyon in ENT "Azati Prime" has a bit of the look of the interior of the badlands as well. since the delphic expanse was a region caused by the intrusion of a transdimensional realm into our own universe, its possible that the badlands were a similar case of the fabric between realities being thin. which honestly between that and the wormhole, might also help explain why the Mirror Universe was able to crossover to DS9 so easily.

[@theishiopian68]

You know, we have seen subspace phenomena that can trap matter and energy in a particular location. The Tychons rift comes to mind. Perhaps this is a similar, but more diffuse phenomena that has been gathering ambient particles from space for a very long time.

[@byronhunter6893]

I vaguely recall that ground map 🤔

[@shaeker]

The exhaust port of a white hole. Things go into a black hole, gotta come out some where I guess lol

[@HoneySyrups]

Great work as always!

[@jamesalder8628]

Reminds me of the Door to Hell in Turkmenistan. A natural gas deposit that was lit in the 1980s to burn off excess. It still burns today.

[@MonCappy]

This is entirely speculative on my part, but I can imagine the vicinity of an active quasar might resemble the badland. I mean you do have massive clouds of gas outshining a galaxy in its vicinity. Perhaps the actual environment near the vicinity of its event horizon is so dense with infalling matter sound can be transmitted.

[@enisra_bowman]

what about "something something Dark Energy something Subspace/Realspace effect"? while not to confused with Dark Matter, we don't know such little about it that they could throw it in

[@morpho9989]

How about the first invasion of Bajor for your next video?

[@XiaOmegaX]

I read a theory once that they exist due to "some connection" to the galactic barrier

[@kitfo18]

What if the caretaker's search had created the badlands? Maybe something it did created a temporal flux of some kind that created the issue in the past and this is just the current version of it.

[@thegreenmanofnorwich]

It's a little bit inconsistently presented, but it seems like the plasma storms are common, and there will always be a couple around, but that there weren't permanent storms, or at least not all of the storms were permanent Maybe there's something like a subspace singularity that causes some sort of high energy interface between supspace and space.

[@02ujtb00626]

Maybe the same subspace phenomenon that oscillates a graviton ellipse between normal space and subspace is the same phenomenon that somehow allows the badlands a stable area to exist. Or....maybe the badlands give "birth" to an occasional graviton ellipse as a way to expel excess energy the badlands create. That would explain why the ellipse is unstable (the oscillation) as it has left the region that keeps it stable...

[@DanielSolis]

My head canon: The Badlands are what would've happened if the Federation hadn't solved the warp speed subspace damage problem.

[@botondkalocsai5322]

I suspect that the badlands would make for a great extra-dimensional alien incursion story arc, where the badlands itself would be a side effect of the incursion attempt.

[@The_Lucent_Archangel]

Curious how the Mirror version of the Badlands has a green appearance.

[@casbot71]

Now that the Caretaker is no longing attempting to date r@pe passing ships, and the whole Cardassian Marquis thing is history, Starfleet can finally investigate and undertake a full detailed examination with experienced scientists.... opps, all the experienced scientists were just killed by Borg controlled ensigns. _All_ the experienced scientists.

[@LoneTiger]

The Badlands could be the result of a star cluster that did not spread out and instead torn itself apart rather than merging, leaving mass-objects big enough to interact with each other's gravity and keep plasma rolling and turning, if you want a real-life example, think of the Badlands as Jupiter clouds, but instead of being inside a planet, they are outside and being kept in motion by external forces.

[@markswang8987]

it is a big universe out there it certainly could.

[@mphelps1013]

Getting strong Bryce 3D vibes here.

[@sardonicspartan9343]

Well, it can't get any worse at this point.

[@oliverfranke7650]

Um, technically 99 % of all matter in the universe is plasma. And it doesn't seem like the Badlands are a particularly hot and dense plasma, otherwise ships wouldn't be able to move insode the Badlands. Except for the plasma eddys. So the only real question here would be, why the gas isn't dissipating into the surrounding area, lowering the gas density inside the badlands and therefore making "cool down" the plasma and what keeps the plasma excited.

[@TARDISver40]

Orange storm bad!

[@Kyrinson]

My theory is that the Badlands are a manifestation of a Q's indigestion after eating something that they shouldn't.

[@CosmicCorviknight]

Maybe the Badlands appeared one day when a member of the Q Continuum sneezed or farted?

[@Tall_Order]

Orange Lands Bad lol

[@Scarasyte]

Orange Lands INDEED Bad.

[@keanueraine]

Call the Badlands a massive 4d star that lives in Q space. What we can travel through and explore is it's shadow. Just like how the 3d representation of a 4d tesseract cube shape is the shadow of the actual 4d tesseract. In Q space/subspace the star might be the size of Betelgeuse where in real space it's much much bigger just like your shadow on the side walk can be much much longer than you are. Edit, new thoughts and spelling.

[@RockRedGenesis]

My theory at the time was that the Badlands might have been some kind of holdover, or left behind, somehow from the collapse of the Expanse and it's sphere network in 2154 by Enterprise. However, I do realise my theory has no basis, as we don't really know if the expanse was localised and how far it reached. We do know that the Cardassians did go into the Beta Quadrant as early as the 2150's, as evidenced by the Cardassian Isolinear chip on the Automated Repair Station seen in Dead Stop. Then again a Vaadwaur is somehow seen on the station and that's never been explained.. Again, my theory is fairly baseless, but at the time, I figured why, outside of a few isolated incidents, like the episode Acquisition, why races like the Ferengi, the Cardassian and Breen were not encountered by Starfleet until the 24th Century. And that the Badlands and some other anomalies are leftovers due to the damage done to space by the Expanse.

[@geofftottenperthcoys9944]

Poor Eddy, getting blamed again.

[@matthewhenthorn3343]

Theory: Could it be some sort of diffused blackhole? an area of space less than one hundred parsecs across, filled with charged particles, potentially creating a magnetic field by sheer proximity. I remember seeing something about blackholes actually being fairly hollow. I need to do more research but I'm holding it out there.

[@AeronHale]

We can probably blame Q, Iconians, or Daniels like most things in Trek lol.

[@TsorovanZero]

Or the prophets in this case, since they're pretty close by.

[@doubt3430]

i mean its not exactly the same but the inside of galactic bands ESPECIALLY closer to Sagittarius A* is completely uninhabitable because of the sheer amount of radiation, plasma and other sorts from the sheer amount of large, active and slightly angry stars

[@crippletime]

Algorithm comment

[@bladeofakira]

Algorithm reply

[@shaytepes7351]

Bleep bleep bloop

[@christopherluke9658]

Whir Click!

[@cyberdinedog2097]

For the algorithm

[@nathanielmeade5731]

AL GORE FOR THE ALGORERYTHME!!!

[@muffin2007]

Badlands were created by the Caretaker

[@shindoushuichi0287]

tempestuous? really making me break out the damn dictionary on that one.

[@sharonec5419]

All the poor Eddies stuck in the badlands lol. What did they too have to call the badlands their home lol.

[@TestUser-cf4wj]

Home to many Eddies, like Philadelphia.

[@MaverickBlue42]

It's well known that actual nebulae are rife with coalescing magnetic fields, which can be measured by the varying polarization of the light they emit. In the real world, you probably wouldn't want to venture into a nebula, they'd behave a lot more like the "bad lands" in Star Trek than they would like the nebulae in Star Trek....

[@GrandGoblin]

I always assumed it had something to do with Bajor's Pah Wraiths. "An entire galaxy set in flames!" It's close proximity to Bajor seems to be too coincidental with the shown powers of these Aliens. Perhaps it's a result or the conflict between the two Wormhole Alien factions.

[@originaluddite]

Eddy's in the spacetime continuum...

[@comentedonakeyboard]

Perhaps a side effect of the Bajoran Wormhole

[@merafirewing6591]

So essentially the Badlands is an even worse version of the Bermuda Triangle.

[@Momo-tc7sc]

For the algorithm!

[@sulljoh1]

My God.. It's Full Of Orange.. 😧

[@feralprocessor9853]

Right off the bat, orange all around.

[@TJMODLA]

If the badlands are mostly Plasma, does that make it basically one giant star?

[@grahamturner1290]

🖖

[@AC20sAkimbo]

It probably is an anomaly that will last a comparatively short amount of time by astrological terms.

[@JohnHirtle-q9s]

Here be dragons

[@JubeiKibagamiFez]

9:29 Is anyone else getting video suggestions around the last two minutes of the video???

[@ets2atstruckermartin527]

We did not see the cardassian border in 3 D just in 2D I want see the border in 3D as well - never seen that borders are passed above and under it

[@michaelernst3731]

Looks like a Nebula.

[@dot2562]

Hi youve been rick！！！

[@chiefwiggi]

🎉

[@am-no7ek]

I've learned to believe that the most unimaginable stuff can exist in space naturally. I doubt nothing because space itself is inconceivable.

[@feralprocessor9853]

SCIENCE!!!

[@aaronsouthard8366]

Let's be honest with ourselves It's the warp. 😂

[@fishbaitx]

for the algorithm

[@olivergaither]

Shouldn’t it be called Bad Space?

[@daveh7720]

Dr. McCoy named it. Before he was a ship's surgeon he was a cowboy.

[@invictus2578]

So basically, the badlands are a flat star