Why didn't the Organians interfere with the Klingon Federation war?

[Damian]

But Ayelborne said "The mere presence of beings like yourselves is intensely painful to us." It wasn't an optional policy to avoid us; they literally couldn't stand being anywhere near us. So it makes no sense that they could physically possess us, or would choose to do so as a matter of intellectual curiosity. I wish the episode had given the energy beings a different name. Calling them Organians contributed nothing to the story except a continuity headache.

Yeah, I know it's a stretch. Had Ayelborne not made his comment about basically being disgusted by people like Kirk and Kor, maybe it would fit a little better. But it's a tall order to think that in a little over 100 years that they would become disgusted with corporeal beings. I'm sure they thought it would cool to feature the Organians and probably tried to make it fit by "Travis'" line about having to analyze their methods. But it seems out of character for them. Plus, I always took issue with how cruel it made them seem. I can't buy that they'd knowingly allow other ships to be infected just so they could observe their reactions. I'm not sure if they'd care enough to eliminate the problem so future ships wouldn't suffer the same fate, but I can't believe they'd stand by and do nothing just so they could observe.

I'd say the Organians are the only instance where it didn't make sense.

Yeah, I agree, most of the time they just name-dropped species that were only mentioned in later series (particularly the original series). They otherwise were given no background in the later shows so the Enterprise writers were free to flesh them out as they saw fit.

Well, there was the astronomically illiterate use of Rigel in the pilot, but there was nothing specifically wrong with the later use of the Rigelians in season 4.

I was always fascinated with how often Rigel was used, even in the original series. It seems to have an unusual number of class M planets (some barely but still). I thought your novel did a good job to explain some of why that was. I have to admit I was always fascinated by Rigel VII in particular since seeing it in The Cage.

 

[johnnybear]

It wasn't happening in their backyard, so they didn't give a shit.

This is probably very true! The Organians only intervened in the Klingon/Federation conflict due to it possibly affecting their world and it's sector! They were pretty disgusted by humans and Klingons so would have left the 'children' to play outside instead!
Who could write a story where the Excalbians and the Organians destroyed each other? Pitiful!!! The Organians were beyond any of that rubbish and had probably no thoughts of aggression in themselves anywhere and existed in their own dream worlds until disturbed by the Enterprise in Errand of Mercy anyway!
JB

 

[Samuel]

It is worth noting that while the Organians considered interacting with lower species "painful" and "distasteful"...they still apparently knew enough to know that Vulcan merchants in that sector dealing in "Kevas and Trillium" were not uncommon and that identity would be enough to shield Spock from the Klingons.

Of course it could've been simply that Vulcan merchants had showed up on Organia before. Traveling salesman. Meh!.

 

[Christopher]

It is worth noting that while the Organians considered interacting with lower species "painful" and "distasteful"...they still apparently knew enough to know that Vulcan merchants in that sector dealing in "Kevas and Trillium" were not uncommon and that identity would be enough to shield Spock from the Klingons.

They're all-powerful cosmic beings. They could probably read it in their visitors' minds.

 

[kkt]

They're all-powerful cosmic beings. They could probably read it in their visitors' minds.

And yet they could not read that Kirk and Kor would be utterly unconvinced of their bronze age civilization's ability to defend itself and both wish to occupy Organia to keep it from the other.

 

[Samuel]

They're all-powerful cosmic beings. They could probably read it in their visitors' minds.

All I recall about Organians from "Errand of Mercy" is that they were "non corporeal".

Nothing about being all powerful

 

[Christopher]

All I recall about Organians from "Errand of Mercy" is that they were "non corporeal".

Nothing about being all powerful

They could make every control on both powers' entire warfleets too hot to touch, and speak with the leaderships on both Earth and Qo'noS simultaneously through telepathy. They had the power to instantly immobilize both fleets if they didn't agree to stand down. They could also predict that the Federation and Klingons would become allies in the future. Spock said they were as far above us as we are above amoebas. That's pretty powerful.

 

[Timo]

A short list of their superpowers:

- Ability to create the illusion of being medieval humans, possibly erecting a pseudocivilization in an eyeblink.
- Ability to monitor activities in (low?) orbit and over short surface distances without instrumentation that would be visible through the medieval illusion.
- Ability to survive a Klingon firing squad, en masse, unnoticed by the executioners.
- Ability to make weapons heat up, including up there in (low?) orbit.
- Ability to project imagery across interstellar distances while maintaining the medieval illusion.
- Ability to make doors open without touching.

For all we know, all the above feats were as unremarkable as the last one, merely involving the use of technology in combination with disguise. Or then they did it all the Q way, snapping their divine fingers behind their backs. Hard to tell. Everything about projecting themselves across space could be mere lies, too...

The one thing that remains uncontested is their ability to mess with the best sensor and weapons systems the two warring superpowers had to offer. Not almighty, but close enough for all practical purposes.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Samuel]

We don't even know if the Organians didn't rely on technology (like Trelayne) to perform their "miracles".

 

[Christopher]

We don't even know if the Organians didn't rely on technology (like Trelayne) to perform their "miracles".

Is that relevant? The question was how they knew about kevas and trillium as trade items. Whether the ability is innate or technological, a race that can instantly reach across space and superheat or paralyze hundreds of starships and communicate with the leaders of two interstellar powers could also quite easily learn whatever they wanted about the galaxy beyond. The whole premise of the episode's climax depended on the Organians being effectively limitless in their power, able to do whatever they wanted, so that even two great interstellar warfleets would be utterly powerless to resist their dictates. So it's contradictory to believe they couldn't find out some minor bit of trivia about interstellar trade items if they wanted to.

Besides, in the case of Trelane, we were explicitly shown that he depended on technology. No such evidence was offered for the Organians, so assuming they used technology would be ad hoc conjecture.

 

[Valenti]

Christopher, are you getting lazy? Lol.

 

[thribs]

They probably agreed with the Federation this time. That or they moved on by then.

 

[Voth commando1]

As said above the organians did not enjoy interacting with corporeal beings and their enforcement of peace was more because it was centered on Organia itself.

As for the treaty-this was likely signed as a result of their intervention but was not directly enforced by them.

And yeah it wasn't a real war-or at best an undeclared war.

It was more a Klingon-cardassian war with the federation condemning the Klingon's over the whole affair and giving some linited support to the cardassians. With the Klingon's interestingly enough backing the Maquis.

 

[johnnybear]

I think that script writers at this time were doing things more for effect rather than substance! In other words they came up with an idea where the Klingons attack Cardassia and the Federation which had been a Cardassian enemy to that point condemns their own allies for taking such a step while the Dominion are pulling the strings from afar! It panned out to a good idea in the end but it could have gone horribly wrong!
JB