DAEDALUS 5

Official Name: Daedalus 5

Nature: Extraterrestrial planet, star system unidentified, galaxy unconfirmed (on the periphery of the Kree system would imply that is was on the periphery of the Greater Magellanic Cloud);
    in the same star system as Daedalus (or Dardalus) Prime

Environment: Barren;
    it apparently had a life-sustaining biosphere prior to its being drained by the Galactus weapon

Gravity: Unrevealed;
    it presumably possessed a gravitational field in which it was comfortable for humans to function) as none of the humans or humanoid aliens made any comment on the gravity being significantly low or high)

Atmosphere: An unspecified combination of gases (at least prior to it being drained by the Galactus-weapon);
    presumably mostly nitrogen and oxygen) as it could be breathed by normal humans

Natural Satellites: Unrevealed;
    three planetary bodies are seen in the sky on some occasions, and their size would seem to make them likely moons

Artificial Satellites: None known

Natives: Unrevealed;
    no native species was discussed

Population: Zero;
    there were hundreds to thousands of United Force troops stationed there before it was struck by the Galactus weapon

Capital City: Apparently inapplicable;
    the United Front had an unspecified number of bases present

Government: None;
    formerly the United Front

Languages: None
    formerly unrevealed;
    everyone seemed to be speaking English, despite only a small number of people being from Earth; presumably universal translators were in operation

Monetary Unit: None;
    formerly unrevealed

National Defense: Inapplicable (even prior to being drained by the Galactus-weapon, there were not known nations)

Major Resources: None;
    formerly unrevealed

Planetary Defense: None;
    briefly the Guardians of the Galaxy;
    formerly the United Front

Places of Interest: None;
    formerly the

Prominent Residents: United Front (Drax/Arthur Douglas, Firelord/Pyreus Kril, Gamora, Kika, Kree forces (notably Lar-Ka and House Fiyero representatives (all deceased), Ronan), Mari, Nova/Richard Rider, Praxagora, Red Shift, Skrull forces, Peter Quill (previously and again-to-be Starlord), Stardust; various unidentified), Cammi Benally, Kl'rt (Super-Skrull), Mari

Visitors: Annihilation Wave (notably Extirpia); Annihilus was briefly present in its orbit, as were Thanos, Skreet, and the Galactus-weapon), Centurions, Delinquent, the Mad Thinker's "Most Powerful" android, Paibok the Power-Skrull, Ravenous and his Currs, Terrax the Tamer (Tyros of Lanlak), 

First Appearance: Annihilation#1 (October, 2006)

History:
(Annihilation#1 (fb) - BTS / Annihilation Saga) <Annihilation Day plus 183> - The United Front -- a collection of forces ("anyone or anything still able to hold a weapon") opposing the Annihilation Wave -- established a base on Daedalus 5 on the periphery of the Kree system. Nova (Richard Rider) served as the commander-in-chief, with Peter Quill as his second-in-command.

(Annihilation#1) - As the Annihilation Wave attacked the command center, Firelord, Red Shift, and Stardust were active in Daedalus 5's orbit, taking out Annihilation Wave ships and preventing them from assaulting the ground forces. 

    The United Front held the Wave off until their force fields collapsed, but as the UF retreated to their second perimeter, Rider attacked the ground forces directly and ordered his location to be bombed to facilitate the retreat. Rider apparently lost a leg during the battle and/or the bombing.

(Annihilation#1 (fb) - BTS / Annihilation Saga) <Annihilation Day plus 204> - Firelord took down Annihilus' queen Extirpia, who had been coordinating the Wave's hive-mind, allowing the UF to fight off the unorganized insectoids.

(Annihilation#1 (fb) - BTS) - Red Shift and Stardust brought the inert Firelord as well as Extirpia back to Daedalus 5.

(Annihilation#1 (fb) - BTS) - Firelord was examined by staff including the Rigellian Mari, who had no idea what to make of his Galactus-altered form. Extirpia was physically and mentally restrained.

(Annihilation#1) <Annihilation Day plus 206> - Rider -- whose leg had been replaced by Medicos -- and Quill visited the inert Firelord and then Extirpia.

(Annihilation#2) <Annihilation Day plus 212> - Phyla-Vell arrived on Daedalus 5, after which Ronan slew the House Fiyero agents who tried to arrest him. 

    Praxagora and her associates then arrived with the seeming corpse of Kl'rt (aka the Super-Skrull).

    Teleporting in via Thanos' technology, Ravenous -- joined by six of his Currs, the Elan Delinquent (formerly the Infant Terrible), the Mad Thinker's "most powerful android," Paibok the Power-Skrull, and Terrax the Tamer (with the Delinquent and Terrax, at least, under the influence of worm-like creatures infesting and controlling their bodies) -- confronted the United Front.

    Nova had Quill summon Red Shift and Stardust down from space to aid in the fight. The Front gained an advantage in the fight, but then the Centurions -- 100 superhuman warriors from each of the worlds controlled by Annihilus -- teleported in.

(Annihilation#3) - Red Shift was the first to realize that the entire planet was lost. He instructed Stardust to clear an evacuation corridor for the emergency ships.

    Teleporting into the Annihilation Wave's perimeter around Daedalus 5, Annihilus destroyed his own excuses-offering fleet.

    Having devised the means to use technology to harness Galactus' power to devour worlds while feeding the energies obtained into Annihilus' fleet, Thanos used Daedalus 5 as a demonstration of this weapon.

(Annihilation#3) - Ronan and Ravenous' battle revived Firelord.

(Annihilation#3 (fb) - BTS) - While Ravenous escaped, the energies unleashed in the subsequent battle served to revive Kl'rt from his inert state.

(Annihilation#3) - Drax advised Nova that they needed to depart the planet immediately or all would perish.

    While Gamora battled Terrax, she was pulled away by Stardust for immediate evacuation; Nova advised her to get her Graces gathered up and running.

    While the rest of the United Front (as well as Cammi, Mari, etc.) fled in a starship, Drax dove back to battle the Annihilation Wave.

    As Thanos unleashed the Galactus Weapon, Red Shift and Stardust held back the assault long enough for the United Front's ship to escape the planet; both heralds were believed to have perished in the process.

    For everyone successfully evacuated from Daedalus 5, a dozen were left behind.

(Guardians of the Galaxy VII#11) - In preparation for a battle with rogue/dark Olympians, Nova (Rider) had the Guardians of the Galaxy gather on the dead world of Daedalus 5, both to avoid endangering any other sentient life and counting on his knowledge of the terrain to give them the advantage. 

    Rider, Drax, Gamora, Moondragon, Phyla-Vell, Prince of Power, and Star-Lord gathered there. However, as Groot piloted the ship carrying himself, Hercules, Noh-Varr, and Rocket (and the the tech they needed to combat the gods)  into the atmosphere, dark/rogue Zeus blew up the ship, seemingly killing everyone aboard. 

    Regardless, the remaining Guardians prepared to make their stand against the Olympian Gods (Apollo, Artemis, Athena, Hephaestus, Hera, Hermes, and Zeus)

(Guardians of the Galaxy VII#12 (fb) - BTS) - Noh-Varr's Pocket Battlefield saved himself, Hercules, and Rocket, although Groot's body was destroyed, leaving only a head.

(Guardians of the Galaxy VII#12) - The Guardians battled, defeated, and banished the Olympian gods, during which time Rocket had the Prince of Power restore Groot.

    Having waited as back-up in case they were needed against the Olympians, Kl'rt and a space fleet then greeted the heroes and noted the Galactic Council was prepared to fund a more organized Guardians of the Galaxy.

Comments: Created by Keith Giffen and Andrea DeVito.

    Annihilation Day is the day that Annihilus' Annihilation Wave first entered Earth's universe, and so that "plus" refers to the number of days after that event. I'm not certain that works out in terms of Marvel Time, but I also don't know of anything that has specifically contradicted it as yet.
    Thanks to Donald Campbell for reminding me of the Annihilation Saga, which helped to pin down some addition time periods.

    The status of Daedalus 5 prior to it be chosen as a base by the United Front is unrevealed. Was it inhabited?...Were its people wiped out by the Annihilation Wave?...the world may never know...or, it might, if someone decides to tell the tale. Ewing used it 15 years (real time) after its biopsheric energies were drained by the Galactus-weapon...there's hope for it to appear again.

    The status of Daedalus 5 prior to it being drained by the Galactus-weapon is not 100% certain. While some planets upon which Galactus feeds are completely destroyed and left as space debris, some only have their bio-spheric energy drained and are unable to support life. That's a little vague, as some worlds still have atmospheres, and they would still have sunlight...but, regardless, Daedalus 5 was apparently bereft of life, which is why Nova chose it as the location from which to confront the rogue Olympian gods.

    In Guardians of the Galaxy#11-12, the planet is called Daedalus-5, but what's a hyphen among friends?

Profile by Snood.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Daedalus 5  has no known connections to

• DAEDALUS - Athenian architect in Greek mythology, father of Icarus, who perished by using Daedalus-created wings to fly too high; in Reality-616, this is possibly the Eternal Ikaris, who adopted the name of his son after his death
• DAEDALUS WING - stolen from Lila Cheney, used by Balthazar to survey his Used Goods Emporium on Cygnus Prime--X-Factor I#111
• DAEDARITION of the Hyborian era - created a set of wings for flying--Conan the Adventurer#10
• other "Daedalus" or wing-creating architects characters, groups, items, events, races, or places...

Firelord, Red Shift, and Stardust had all been fighting the Annihilation Wave in space to keep them from attacking the UF on two separate fronts.      Daedalus Prime is named when Firelord confronted Extirpia aboard her flagship (see note).      Extirpia was coordinating the Annihilation Wave’s assaults on the United Front on Daedalus 5, and after Firelord stopped her, the UF was able to easily defeat the disorganized insectoids. --Annihilation#1 Note: Are these two different worlds, with Daedalus Prime being another world in the same system, and with Extirpia keeping her flagship somewhat remotely located?      That is my ASSumption.     As seen in the heading of the image to the right, it was actually called "Dardalus Prime," with an "r" replacing the "e."      Maybe it was Dardalus Prime, but I am ASSuming it to be a typo...

images: (without ads)
Annihilation#1, pg. 2-3, panel 1 (Annihilation Wave assaulting command center with various force fields);
       pg. 8-9 (Orbital perimeter; Galactus Heralds vs. Annihilation Wave);
       pg. 14 (Rider blowing base up);
       pg. 15 (Daedalus/Dardalus Prime orbit);
       pg. 17, panel 1 (turret base; landscape);
    #2, pg. 8, panel 1 (United Front base);

Appearances:
Annihilation#1-2 (October-November, 2006) - Keith Giffen (writer), Andrea DeVito (artist), Andy Schmidt (editor)
Annihilation#3 (December, 2006) - Keith Giffen (writer), Andrea DeVito (artist), Daniel Ketchum (assistant editor), Andy Schmidt (editor)
Annihilation Saga (2007) - by Michael Hoskin (writer), Cory Levine & Michael Short (assistant editors), Jennifer Grunwald & Mark D. Beazley (associate editors), Jeff Youngquist (editor)
Guardians of the Galaxy VII#11-12 (April-May, 2021) - Al Ewing (writer), Juan Cabal (artist), Kat Gregrorowicz (assistant editor), Darren Shan (editor)

First posted: 07/26/2023
Last updated: 07/27/2023

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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