A blue supergiant, normally the brightest star in Orion (although variable Betelgeuse can occasionally overtake it), and the seventh brightest in the sky. It is 773 light-years from Earth and its name comes from the Arabic phrase Rijl Jauzah al Yusra',” for “the Left Leg of the Central One,” from which “Betelgeuse” also derives.

Rigel is easily the most luminous star in our local part of the Milky Way Galaxy; the next nearest star that clearly outshines it is Deneb, at more than four times the distance. Because of its brilliance and the fact that it is moving through a region of nebulosity, Rigel illuminates several dust clouds in its general neighborhood. Of these, the most notable is the Witch Head Nebula.

In Star Trek, the Rigel system is a densely populated star system, with several inhabited planets, home to a number of different native intelligent species, together with a significant non-native population living in the Rigel colonies. The native species living in the system include the Rigelians, the similarly named Rigellians and the Kaylar. The Rigellians were a sentient species of turtles known to the Federation by the late-23rd century. (Star Trek: The Motion Picture) . Rigelians are believed to have four or five genders, according to information obtained by Doctor Phlox. (ENT: "Cogenitor"). They are known to share a similar internal physiology with Vulcans and Romulans. These similarities, notably to Vulcans, include similar blood chemistries. Rigelians also shared a similar neurology to Vulcans and Romulans, as they too suffered from the neurological disease known as Tuvan Syndrome. (TOS: "Journey to Babel"; DS9: "Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges")

There are also humans living in the Rigel system. (TOS: "Shore Leave"; TNG: "All Good Things...") . In an unknown, alternate future timeframe, Geordi La Forge lived on Rigel III with his wife Leah Brahms and his children. (TNG: "All Good Things..."). In 2266, the Redjac entity, incarnated as "Beratis", killed several women on Rigel IV. After leaving the planet heading toward Argelius II, another murder by Redjac is committed with a knife from Rigel IV's Argus River region. (TOS: "Wolf in the Fold") . In the 24th century, a brilliant astronomer with a fondness for the Betazoid Ambassador Lwaxana Troi resided on Rigel IV. He named a star after Lwaxana, or so she claimed in 2367. (TNG: "Half a Life"). In mid-2370, Rigel IV hosted a nearly week-long conference on hydroponics attended by Keiko O'Brien. (DS9: "The Wire"). Rigel IV was also the site of a pergium refinery. During the Dominion War, a shipment of pergium en route to Rigel IV from the Sappora system had been destroyed by the Jem'Hadar. (DS9: "Prodigal Daughter").

In 2254, a landing party from the starship USS Enterprise, led by Captain Christopher Pike, visited Rigel VII. While inside an apparently abandoned fortress, Pike and crew were attacked by the native Kaylar warriors. (TOS: "The Cage", "The Menagerie, Part I", "The Menagerie, Part II") A view of the surface of Rigel VII was depicted on several viewscreens on Deep Space 9's Promenade and replimat, (DS9: "The Muse") advertising a visit to the "spectacular castles of Rigel VII". (DS9: "What You Leave Behind").

In 2151, the Earth starship Enterprise NX-01 visited Rigel X in its search for Klaang, a Klingon who had been kidnapped from the ship by the Suliban Cabal shortly before. Klaang had previously visited Rigel X to make contact with Suliban dissident Sarin. (ENT: "Broken Bow"). In 2161, Enterprise returned to Rigel X to help Shran rescue his daughter, Talla. (ENT: "These Are the Voyages...") Rigel X was the first and last planet visited by Enterprise. (ENT: "Broken Bow", "These Are the Voyages..."). In the late 23rd century, Rigel XII was the site of a lithium mining operation run by Ben Childress with two partners. In 2266, con artist Harcourt Mudd, using the illegal Venus drug, attempted to sell Eve McHuron, Ruth Bonaventure and Magda Kovacs to the miners. (TOS: "Mudd's Women")

In reality, Rigel is commonly considered to be part of the Taurus-Orion R1 Association and is sometimes classified as an outlying member of the Orion OB1 Association. It is also a multiple star system. The primary, Rigel A, is orbited as a distance of some 2,000 AU (9" angular diameter) by a pair of similar B stars, Rigel B and C, each of magnitude 7.6, which orbit one another closely at 28 AU. Rigel is surrounded by a shell of expelled gas, perhaps shed by its pulsations, stellar wind, or both; the issue remains unsolved. In stellar navigation, Rigel is one of the most important navigation stars, since it is bright, easily located and equatorial, which means it is visible all around the world's oceans.