Distant Origin
Encyclopedia
"Distant Origin" is an episode of Star Trek: Voyager
, the 23rd episode of the third season.
It is an individual from a technologically advanced species, judging by its synthetic clothing, a gold and black Starfleet
uniform with a Maquis
insignia. (The specific human is Lieutenant Hogan, killed in the earlier episode "Basics.") The scientists analyze the bones in their lab. The creature was an endotherm
, probably a mammal
, unlike the reptilian
Voth. Still, the genetic similarities intrigue the scientists and they make a dangerous hypothesis, one which will need strong scientific evidence to convince the dogmatic elders of Voth society that their theological explanation for the origin of their species is not total truth. The archaeologists surmise that the creature in their lab evolved on a distant planet, and that the Voth evolved on the very same planet. This is the basis of the "Distant Origin Theory", one which is not accepted in Voth society because it contradicts doctrine that states that the Voth are the "first" race, which evolved in the area of space they now occupy and have ruled over for many millions of years.
A few Voth scientists are closet believers in Distant Origin and have worked to present evidence that might support their ideas. These scientists are considered subversive by many, but Professor Gegen is determined to prove Distant Origin, risking his career to bring his society out of ignorance and belief in myth.
Further analysis of the creature's garments and information from traders and merchants bring the archaeologists closer to finding the crewmates of the endotherm. They seek his ship, Voyager, and its crew, which call themselves "humans". Once they track down the ship, Gegen and Veer shield themselves and venture on board to observe their distant relatives. The humans are certainly mammalian, complete with a strange odor and a lack of scales. The scientists observe an intriguing courtship ritual between a male (Paris
), and a female (Torres
). The society of the humans is apparently rigidly hierarchical, perhaps a matriarchy
as evidenced by the dominance of one female (Janeway
).
The ship's sensors detect some sort of cloaked intruder on board. The crew goes on alert and seeks out the invisible infiltrators. Chakotay
's phaser set to the right frequency brings the Voth into phase, and in a panic, Veer shoots him with a poison dart. Tuvok
stuns Veer, and Gegen grabs the tranquilized Chakotay and transports back to his ship with him, where he plans to study the live human. In Sickbay, The Doctor does the same with his patient, who has just put himself into a state of hibernation
. The Doctor discovers the genetic similarity. By running models on the holodeck he and Captain Janeway discover that the Voth are descendents of hadrosaurs
, probably of genus Parasaurolophus
.
There is no time for more research, however, when Voyager is accosted and beamed into the belly of a massive city-ship and shut down. It's the Voth, who plan to destroy the humans as threats to doctrine.
The Voth elders take Gegen into custody and put him on trial for heresy
. Even though he brings Chakotay with him into the courtroom as evidence of the genetic link between Voth and human, the head elder, Minister Odala, presents findings from obviously doctrine-loyal scientists that explain the similarities as random convergence. She then introduces the star witness against Gegen, his assistant Veer. The younger Voth has been coerced into recanting his claims supporting Distant Origin. Odala gives Gegen a chance to recant his as well.
Odala is disgusted by Gegen's assertions regarding the truthfulness of Distant Origin. She notes that the Voth have been spacegoing for so many millions of years and have dominated their area of space since ancient times; they couldn't possibly be refugee "immigrants" from a faraway planet crawling with mammals. Chakotay points out that the doctrine of the Voth has been changed many times to conveniently explain truth via myth. The minister dismisses this and gives Gegen one final chance. He refuses to retract his theories and Odala convicts him of heresy and remands him to a prison colony. She then condemns the crew of Voyager to the same fate.
To prevent the imprisonment of the humans, Gegen retracts the science he believes so strongly in, and states that he is wrong. Defeated and hopeless, he agrees to take a position in another area of research. Minister Odala releases Chakotay and demands the humans leave Voth space forever. But as Chakotay and Gegen are saying good bye to each other, Chakotay presents him with a globe of the Earth. Gegen tells him that one day, all Voth will realize that the Earth is their home.
Star Trek: Voyager
Star Trek: Voyager is a science fiction television series set in the Star Trek universe. Set in the 24th century from the year 2371 through 2378, the series follows the adventures of the Starfleet vessel USS Voyager, which becomes stranded in the Delta Quadrant 70,000 light-years from Earth while...
, the 23rd episode of the third season.
Plot
Professor Gegen and his assistant, Veer, two Voth palaeontologists, make a shocking find on a nearby planet: the skeletal remains of a creature whose genome is so closely related to their own that it could only have evolved on the same planet as the Voth did.It is an individual from a technologically advanced species, judging by its synthetic clothing, a gold and black Starfleet
Starfleet
In the fictional universe of Star Trek, Starfleet or the Federation Starfleet is the deep-space exploratory, peacekeeping and military service maintained by the United Federation of Planets . It is the principal means by which the Federation conducts its exploration, defense, diplomacy and research...
uniform with a Maquis
Maquis (Star Trek)
In the American Star Trek science-fiction franchise, the Maquis are a 24th Century paramilitary organization or terrorist group first introduced in the 1994 episode "The Maquis" of the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, who subsequently also appeared in Star Trek: The Next Generation and...
insignia. (The specific human is Lieutenant Hogan, killed in the earlier episode "Basics.") The scientists analyze the bones in their lab. The creature was an endotherm
Warm-blooded
The term warm-blooded is a colloquial term to describe animal species which have a relatively higher blood temperature, and maintain thermal homeostasis primarily through internal metabolic processes...
, probably a mammal
Mammal
Mammals are members of a class of air-breathing vertebrate animals characterised by the possession of endothermy, hair, three middle ear bones, and mammary glands functional in mothers with young...
, unlike the reptilian
Reptile
Reptiles are members of a class of air-breathing, ectothermic vertebrates which are characterized by laying shelled eggs , and having skin covered in scales and/or scutes. They are tetrapods, either having four limbs or being descended from four-limbed ancestors...
Voth. Still, the genetic similarities intrigue the scientists and they make a dangerous hypothesis, one which will need strong scientific evidence to convince the dogmatic elders of Voth society that their theological explanation for the origin of their species is not total truth. The archaeologists surmise that the creature in their lab evolved on a distant planet, and that the Voth evolved on the very same planet. This is the basis of the "Distant Origin Theory", one which is not accepted in Voth society because it contradicts doctrine that states that the Voth are the "first" race, which evolved in the area of space they now occupy and have ruled over for many millions of years.
A few Voth scientists are closet believers in Distant Origin and have worked to present evidence that might support their ideas. These scientists are considered subversive by many, but Professor Gegen is determined to prove Distant Origin, risking his career to bring his society out of ignorance and belief in myth.
Further analysis of the creature's garments and information from traders and merchants bring the archaeologists closer to finding the crewmates of the endotherm. They seek his ship, Voyager, and its crew, which call themselves "humans". Once they track down the ship, Gegen and Veer shield themselves and venture on board to observe their distant relatives. The humans are certainly mammalian, complete with a strange odor and a lack of scales. The scientists observe an intriguing courtship ritual between a male (Paris
Tom Paris
Thomas Eugene "Tom" Paris, played by Robert Duncan McNeill, is a character in the television series Star Trek: Voyager. Paris serves as the chief helmsman and an auxiliary medic aboard the USS Voyager...
), and a female (Torres
B'Elanna Torres
B'Elanna Torres is a main character in Star Trek: Voyager played by Roxann Dawson. She is portrayed as a half-human half-Klingon born in 2349 on the Federation colony Kessik IV. Torres joined the Maquis in 2370 and was serving on the Val Jean when brought to the Delta Quadrant...
). The society of the humans is apparently rigidly hierarchical, perhaps a matriarchy
Matriarchy
A matriarchy is a society in which females, especially mothers, have the central roles of political leadership and moral authority. It is also sometimes called a gynocratic or gynocentric society....
as evidenced by the dominance of one female (Janeway
Kathryn Janeway
Kathryn Janeway, played by Kate Mulgrew, is a fictional character in the Star Trek franchise. As the captain of the Starfleet starship USS Voyager, she was the lead character on the television series Star Trek: Voyager, and later, a Starfleet admiral, as seen in the 2002 feature film Star Trek...
).
The ship's sensors detect some sort of cloaked intruder on board. The crew goes on alert and seeks out the invisible infiltrators. Chakotay
Chakotay
Chakotay , played by Robert Beltran, is a character in Star Trek: Voyager. He is the First Officer of the USS Voyager.-Character biography:...
's phaser set to the right frequency brings the Voth into phase, and in a panic, Veer shoots him with a poison dart. Tuvok
Tuvok
Tuvok is one of the main characters on the television series Star Trek: Voyager. Tuvok is a Vulcan who serves as the ship's chief of security and its chief tactical officer. Tim Russ portrayed Tuvok throughout the show's run, from 1995 to 2001....
stuns Veer, and Gegen grabs the tranquilized Chakotay and transports back to his ship with him, where he plans to study the live human. In Sickbay, The Doctor does the same with his patient, who has just put himself into a state of hibernation
Hibernation
Hibernation is a state of inactivity and metabolic depression in animals, characterized by lower body temperature, slower breathing, and lower metabolic rate. Hibernating animals conserve food, especially during winter when food supplies are limited, tapping energy reserves, body fat, at a slow rate...
. The Doctor discovers the genetic similarity. By running models on the holodeck he and Captain Janeway discover that the Voth are descendents of hadrosaurs
Hadrosaurid
Hadrosaurids or duck-billed dinosaurs are members of the family Hadrosauridae, and include ornithopods such as Edmontosaurus and Parasaurolophus. They were common herbivores in the Upper Cretaceous Period of what are now Asia, Europe and North America. They are descendants of the Upper...
, probably of genus Parasaurolophus
Parasaurolophus
Parasaurolophus is a genus of ornithopod dinosaur that lived in what is now North America during the Late Cretaceous Period, about 76.5–73 million years ago. It was an herbivore that walked both as a biped and a quadruped. Three species are recognized: P. walkeri , P. tubicen, and the...
.
There is no time for more research, however, when Voyager is accosted and beamed into the belly of a massive city-ship and shut down. It's the Voth, who plan to destroy the humans as threats to doctrine.
The Voth elders take Gegen into custody and put him on trial for heresy
Heresy
Heresy is a controversial or novel change to a system of beliefs, especially a religion, that conflicts with established dogma. It is distinct from apostasy, which is the formal denunciation of one's religion, principles or cause, and blasphemy, which is irreverence toward religion...
. Even though he brings Chakotay with him into the courtroom as evidence of the genetic link between Voth and human, the head elder, Minister Odala, presents findings from obviously doctrine-loyal scientists that explain the similarities as random convergence. She then introduces the star witness against Gegen, his assistant Veer. The younger Voth has been coerced into recanting his claims supporting Distant Origin. Odala gives Gegen a chance to recant his as well.
Odala is disgusted by Gegen's assertions regarding the truthfulness of Distant Origin. She notes that the Voth have been spacegoing for so many millions of years and have dominated their area of space since ancient times; they couldn't possibly be refugee "immigrants" from a faraway planet crawling with mammals. Chakotay points out that the doctrine of the Voth has been changed many times to conveniently explain truth via myth. The minister dismisses this and gives Gegen one final chance. He refuses to retract his theories and Odala convicts him of heresy and remands him to a prison colony. She then condemns the crew of Voyager to the same fate.
To prevent the imprisonment of the humans, Gegen retracts the science he believes so strongly in, and states that he is wrong. Defeated and hopeless, he agrees to take a position in another area of research. Minister Odala releases Chakotay and demands the humans leave Voth space forever. But as Chakotay and Gegen are saying good bye to each other, Chakotay presents him with a globe of the Earth. Gegen tells him that one day, all Voth will realize that the Earth is their home.