History of Sigma Iotia II

Sigma Iotia II is the homeworld for the Iotians, a pre-warp capable humanoid species.

In the mid-22nd century, the Iotian civilisation was in the beginning stages of industrialisation. In 2168, the starship Horizon discovered the planet and made first contact with the Iotians. The Iotians were found to be an extremely intelligent and imitative species. The first contact occurred before the Prime Directive was adopted by Starfleet.

The Horizon left behind a number of textbooks and technical manuals but he book that became most influential was a text published on Earth in 1992, called Chicago Mobs of the Twenties. This text became something of a "Bible" for the Iotian culture for decades to come. The Iotian population completely mimicked their society on the criminal underworld of Prohibition-era Chicago, that was described in great detail in the book.

The Horizon was lost shortly after it left Sigma Iotia II but the Federation investigated the cultural contamination a hundred years late because a report was sent by conventional radio. In 2268, USS Enterprise arrived to visit the planet. Captain James T. Kirk of ultimately put Bela Okmyx in charge and used the gangsters' resources to guide the Iotians into adopting a more ethical system of government.

The capital of Iotia is Chicago, a close copy of the real city of Chicago of Earth in 1928. Rather than a lake, it sits beside an ocean.