Did they all die at the same time? What was the cause of death and could there have been at least a few who were able to escape the planet and built a new home somewhere else?
What happened to the Kataanians?
- Thread starter Unimatrix Q
- Start date
I think the intent of the writers is that they all died, went extinct and Picard is the sole testament to their existence. It's certainly gives the episode the most poignancy.
I wonder was it a sudden death for the whole population or was it an slower process, like them getting cancer or starving as the conditions on the planet didn't allow growing food anymore?
IIRC, their sun went supernova and instantly wiped out all life on the planet. The drought was just a build-up to that.
Perhaps they got motivated and used a few centuries well in industrializing, finding a way to create a life support system for their rockets, and achieved interstellar flight?
We know approximately when their sun blew - one thousand years prior to the adventure, as per the studies our other heroes conducted while Picard was dreaming. A character in the simulation indicated she had been dead for a thousand years, too. Assuming she (the simulation) knew, we are still left with that leeway of a few centuries.
However, the system our heroes decided was the origin of the probe was more than a lightyear away. A lightyear in a thousand years is extremely good going for the probe, from a society as primitive as described in the dream. So we're left with two very different interpretations that are both more likely than the above scenario:
a) The sun blew a thousand years ago, but the simulation describes the launch of a probe ten thousand years ago; in the meantime, the Kataani civilization may have perished, emigrated or evolved, or whatever. The character of Eline, the ironmonger's wife, simply quoted an untrue number of elapsed years, using poetic license - either because the simulation would be unaware of the length of time passed and/or because it couldn't or wouldn't insert such knowledge into the behavior of the characters.
b) The simulation is balderdash, an idealized depiction of a golden age in the history of Kataan, either imaginary or real but in any case unrelated to that specific historic era that witnessed the launching of the probe and the soon-to-follow end of the world.
Timo Saloniemi
We know approximately when their sun blew - one thousand years prior to the adventure, as per the studies our other heroes conducted while Picard was dreaming. A character in the simulation indicated she had been dead for a thousand years, too. Assuming she (the simulation) knew, we are still left with that leeway of a few centuries.
However, the system our heroes decided was the origin of the probe was more than a lightyear away. A lightyear in a thousand years is extremely good going for the probe, from a society as primitive as described in the dream. So we're left with two very different interpretations that are both more likely than the above scenario:
a) The sun blew a thousand years ago, but the simulation describes the launch of a probe ten thousand years ago; in the meantime, the Kataani civilization may have perished, emigrated or evolved, or whatever. The character of Eline, the ironmonger's wife, simply quoted an untrue number of elapsed years, using poetic license - either because the simulation would be unaware of the length of time passed and/or because it couldn't or wouldn't insert such knowledge into the behavior of the characters.
b) The simulation is balderdash, an idealized depiction of a golden age in the history of Kataan, either imaginary or real but in any case unrelated to that specific historic era that witnessed the launching of the probe and the soon-to-follow end of the world.
Timo Saloniemi
depends on their technological level. if they had no spacecraft, i guess that was the only way they had to sustain their civilisation. they could have put some tech or writings in their probe too.
The "save them all" scenario is a bit iffy in that time was of the essence. A probe, or even ten thousand probes, just stumbling onto a savior culture in the available few centuries or millennia would be extremely unlikely, even if the probes were broadcasting interstellar-quality SOS at great power.
And the probe our heroes met was apparently not broadcasting anything, which would indeed be more realistic for the technology level. OTOH, the probe matched course with the starship, which is an unrealistic feat and might suggest a high output power system aboard, thus a way to send a signal, too.
In any case, sending out signals at lightspeed (that is, radio waves) sounds a better way to do it than sending ten thousand probes. Unless the natives could do warp engines but not subspace radio. Warp is insanely easy to invent, as evidenced by Earth coming up with it in the 21st century already. And basically nobody has subspace radio before or without warp drive.
Timo Saloniemi
And the probe our heroes met was apparently not broadcasting anything, which would indeed be more realistic for the technology level. OTOH, the probe matched course with the starship, which is an unrealistic feat and might suggest a high output power system aboard, thus a way to send a signal, too.
In any case, sending out signals at lightspeed (that is, radio waves) sounds a better way to do it than sending ten thousand probes. Unless the natives could do warp engines but not subspace radio. Warp is insanely easy to invent, as evidenced by Earth coming up with it in the 21st century already. And basically nobody has subspace radio before or without warp drive.
Timo Saloniemi
Why not? neither parts are not in congruence.
Well, I always thought the probe was technologically primitive alright. And among the materials onboard, was Kamin's diaries, perhaps some footage and the flute. And just like the Hotel Royale aliens, perhaps some off-screen alien altruists came across the probe, upgraded it, took the diaries and constructed a psychic representation of Kataan to be conveyed to the next humanoid the probe comes across. Or maybe there was no Kamin, it was simply a Kataanian novel by a Kataanian author describing the lives of an ordinary family as the planet experiences its death throes.
That'd work like a charm!
OTOH, one thing worth noting is that the technology to mess with the minds of our heroes is seldom described as "advanced", and indeed there are many episodes where primitives wield it. Furthermore, Quark in "Jem'Hadar" tells us the best scientific minds in Alpha Quadrant haven't come up with a way to shield against telepathic intrusions, so the Kataani mind ray pushing through the E-D shields is pretty much consistent with everything else, down to and including Kataani reliance on primitive rocketry.
Timo Saloniemi
OTOH, one thing worth noting is that the technology to mess with the minds of our heroes is seldom described as "advanced", and indeed there are many episodes where primitives wield it. Furthermore, Quark in "Jem'Hadar" tells us the best scientific minds in Alpha Quadrant haven't come up with a way to shield against telepathic intrusions, so the Kataani mind ray pushing through the E-D shields is pretty much consistent with everything else, down to and including Kataani reliance on primitive rocketry.
Timo Saloniemi
Well, it could be mere souped up Virtual Reality technology. Kamin's settlement might be this planet's equivalent of the Hamish and that the real heavy duty technology is developed in other cities on other continents. What Picard experiences is alot like a game of sorts and maybe that's the technology that's at play here.
Judging by what Picard saw via his mind probe, Kataan going belly up was no big loss ...
They may have had a capital city or some state facility that made technology. The administrator who became Picard's friend as an old man visited the towns to get their views. So together with their King, Queen, President, Emperor, Parliament or whatever they had some big R&D facility. Or they knew for centuries about the supernova and finally were able to come up with a solution.
Wasn't it "just" a nova instead of a supernova? If it was a supernova, i don't believe the probe could have survived.
I remember reading a fanfic that had federation archaeologists making excarvations on the planet. There wouldn't be a planet left if it was a supernova.
Data specifically says the star "went nova". It's difficult to tell what Trek era heroes would mean by "nova", though: today, it's reserved more or less exclusively for a specific type of event that is only possible in white dwarves that form close binaries with another star. And we know from Picard's dream that Kataan was not one half of a close binary.
Probably, "nova" in the future simply means "starburst lesser and less terminal than supernova", and includes various mechanisms ranging from today's binary pair gorgefest to assorted natural stellar hiccups to deliberate bombing by a technologically advanced species. Who knows, perhaps Kataan got bombed, too?
Timo Saloniemi
Probably, "nova" in the future simply means "starburst lesser and less terminal than supernova", and includes various mechanisms ranging from today's binary pair gorgefest to assorted natural stellar hiccups to deliberate bombing by a technologically advanced species. Who knows, perhaps Kataan got bombed, too?
Timo Saloniemi
Had the brilliant scientists of Kataan focused less on mind-zapping technologies and more on space-faring ones, they would've been able to $ave their planet ... and Picard some grieving as well. I've always found "Inner Light" to be particularly overrated. I don't know how this whole idea got started with Picard wanting to be a Family Man, all of a sudden. It weakened the character, honestly. Maybe Sir Patrick Stewart requested the change, looking for something meatier to do. But I liked how he was before ... snooty and self-satisfied. He was doing exactly what he wanted with his Life and if he found out he had fathered an unknown kid or two, along the way, well ... he's a Frenchman. It's to be expected.
