Could Cochrane of Alpha Centauri mean Alpha Centauri project/institute?

[Mysterion]

Star Fleet Technical Manual introduced the idea that Alpha Centauri was one of the five founders of the Federation. It also gave Alpha Centauri an elaborate emblem which includes Greek letters and the likeness of a centaur. Of course the more likely explanation is that it was an earth colony. However, later sources like the Starflight Chronology and Star Trek Maps and the FASA RPG and Worlds of the Federation ran with the idea that it had been seeded with transplanted Greeks. This was apparently done by the Preservers in the 3rd century B.C. I’m not pushing this idea as an article of canon, but it is one of those neat little “traditions” from the noncanon publications which has really grown on me.

I dismiss the Preservers idea for A. Cent in favor of the initial colony being founded by a lot of academics/scientists/etc. (like Cochrane), thus the Greek imagery in the emblem. Any way, this is why he's "Cochrane of Alpha Centauri" - he's one of the founding fathers.

 

[Tenacity]

They certainly didn't look like humans the next time we saw them in DSC.

They didn't look like Klingons either.

 

[johnnybear]

They didn't look like Klingons either.

Certainly didn't! More like conkers with eyes!!!
JB

 

[Timo]

All this talk about "Metamorphosis" motivated me to pop the episode in last night. Interestingly, Shatner doesn't say "Zephram Cochrane of Alpha Centauri" as one phrase, like "Lawrence of Arabia." He says it as two questions: "Zephram Cochrane? Of Alpha Centauri?" I'm sure that everyone here can somehow use that to justify their own personal theories about Cochrane and where he was really from, but I thought it was interesting to note.

Well, Cochrane is a name like any other - but today you'd be hard pressed to run into a Zephram. Kirk already knows the guy's surname yet no wheels are turning in his head. But then he gets the given name, and immediately jumps to this conclusion. So him adding "of Alpha Centauri?" isn't IMHO evidence of there being other options, of a famed Zephram Cochrane of Minnesota or Tel Aviv existing, say - but indeed of there being this one and only Zephram Cochrane of any fame, the guy who's additionally somehow associated with Alpha Centauri.

It doesn't close any doors as regards "why of AC?". But it's just a case of Kirk making doubly sure, so it doesn't necessarily mean that "of AC" would be all that important in the life and career of the man, or not as unique as his name. Sort of like "Von Braun? The V2 guy?" as opposed to "Von Braun? The Moon shot guy?"; both work, even if folks may debate which was more important or groundbreaking, and even if von Braun didn't do either of those things by himself and Hitler and Armstrong would more deservingly be the folks uniquely associated with the V2 and the Moon shot, respectively.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Ronald Held]

ZC was the founder of the first Alpha Centauri colony and lived there until he flew into space to die?

 

[Timo]

Or just planted his foot on an extrasolar planet the very first. And then flew back, collected the cash from the X-Prize, and signed the papers confirming him as not just the owner of all warp IP rights, but of every square meter of the surface of Alpha Centauri IV, too.

Just how profound effect the meeting with our TNG heroes had on the character is then evident in that he actually did at least two days' worth of honest work in his later life.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Dukhat]

ZC was the founder of the first Alpha Centauri colony and lived there until he flew into space to die?

Who said he founded the colony?

 

[Mysterion]

Who said he founded the colony?

Nobody that I recall, but then again no one has said otherwise either. So take your pick, I guess.

 

[Ronald Held]

I was speculating as to why he might be associated with Alpha Centauri

 

[Mysterion]

I was speculating as to why he might be associated with Alpha Centauri

My personal speculation is that Cochrane is known as Cochrane of Alpha Centauri because he was involved with one or more of the following events:

A) First crewed flight to A.Cent
B) Founding the colony in the A. Cent system
C) Moving to A Cent and becoming a very prominent citizen of the colony.

But this is just me, and your mileage may vary.

 

[JonnyQuest037]

Or just planted his foot on an extrasolar planet the very first. And then flew back, collected the cash from the X-Prize, and signed the papers confirming him as not just the owner of all warp IP rights, but of every square meter of the surface of Alpha Centauri IV, too.

Just how profound effect the meeting with our TNG heroes had on the character is then evident in that he actually did at least two days' worth of honest work in his later life.

There, my headcanon is pretty much what was in the beginning of the novel Federation.

Spoiler: Federation (novel)

Cochrane was backed by Flint/Micah Brack, who releases the specs of Cochrane's warp engine royalty-free across the galaxy, giving everyone the means to create warp drive. (Sort of like Jonas Salk did with the polio vaccine.) Thus, Cochrane's invention really does help unify the galaxy.

 

[Timo]

Spreading it across the net to all the nations of Earth would probably suffice; the "galactic" fame would come from humans then spreading to those "thousand planets" and more.

But Cochrane selling exclusive rights to the United States would explain a thing or two as well...

Flying to Alpha Centauri would probably be a thing Cochrane would wish to demonstrate ASAP. Things like life support would not be relevant: Earth would have plenty of experience in building spacecraft that can survive on their own for decades. But building a version of the engine that would be reliable enough for the brief hop to a neighboring star and back would establish the technology as practicable, rather than something comparable to the early rockets which really were no good for either transportation or destruction. So I could see Cochrane taking his Bonaventure frame, still in orbit, shelving the original small crew pod that now sat on terra firma, bolting on a larger ovoid, painting it orange and yellow, and for a bit of peace of mind placing a circular shield between it and the engine... And off he went. Plus then back, and perhaps he never ever tried spaceflight again, until the time came to consider suicide?

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Dukhat]

My personal speculation is that Cochrane is known as Cochrane of Alpha Centauri because he was involved with one or more of the following events:

A) First crewed flight to A.Cent
B) Founding the colony in the A. Cent system
C) Moving to A Cent and becoming a very prominent citizen of the colony.

But this is just me, and your mileage may vary.

C seems the most logical choice.

 

[Tribble Threat]

I like this Alpha Centauri Project or Institute idea. Or Alpha Centauri Inc. It seems a lot more logical than the obvious ideas that he lived at Alpha Centauri, and it's just as cool!

 

[Henoch]

If Cochrane was bold enough to test pilot his own warp engine prototype, then it seems logical that he would be bold enough to demonstrate his production design, long range warp engine by traveling to Alpha Centauri and back. Hence he became known as "Cochrane of Alpha Centauri". The rest of his team has been forgotten in history...

 

[Timo]

...Really, who learned of the first flight? All sorts of players would wish to suppress the event. And while Vulcans probably would say Hello to all the peoples of Earth regardless of the suppressing, the details would still get buried in obfuscation, patent trials and sometimes a couple of feet of concrete. Cochrane might well need a second stunt to really make a name and sell his product - or to save his dear life when the Men In Black came a'knockin'.

Whether he'd then go altruist is a different matter, and a distinct possibility. But the tropical island and the girls would probably remain prime motivators for a while, and Publicity Is Life might be his rallying cry till matters settled down. After all, anonymity in Montana wasn't doing his life all that much good, and indeed nearly cost it.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Maurice]

He discovered the space warp for Earth and traveled to Alpha Centuari. Why need it be come complicated than that?

 

[Timo]

For the history of this thing? I mean, the above is already a complication, as the original assumption surely would have been that Cochrane was a human from the Earth colony of Alpha Centauri, perhaps/probably having been born there.

We had to adjust our ideas when we learned more about the history of Earth's space program, the role of warp in it, and the actual dates of TOS and the warp invention. The current model fits what little was said in TOS, but it's hardly the only one that could have been put together back then (even discounting the ones based on misunderstandings or omissions of bits of TOS evidence). So narrowing it down, and testing the limits of the possible, is a natural thing to do, at every stage of this process we call Trek. And now's as good a time as ever, seeing that there are still parameters to be narrowed down.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Henoch]

Early TOS history does show that Earth developed space flight and interstellar exploration much earlier than retconned by TNG...thru DISCO. Every time there is a retcon, I feel like someone (probably the Trek production staff ) is manipulating the space-time continuum. So far, they haven't retconned the Kirk we know, out of existence...yet.

 

[Tenacity]

A) First crewed flight to A.Cent
B) Founding the colony in the A. Cent system
C) Moving to A Cent and becoming a very prominent citizen of the colony.

D) A. Cent was a research organization put together to research and build a warp drive.

If Cochrane was bold enough to test pilot his own warp engine prototype

In First Contact, Cochrane came off as anything but bold, it took a lot of convincing to get him to do the first flight.

He discovered the space warp for Earth and traveled to Alpha Centuari. Why need it be come complicated than that?

Or, Cochrane headed the team that built the first warp ship, flew one flight, collected his money (definitely didn't "give away" the plans), never went into space again until he did so to die.