Cultural study and development of the Prime Directive...

[T'Girl]

There something about this episode that puzzled me for years, the Fabrini set out on this multi-generational journey to a new world. For some reason I've made the assumption that they (their ancestors) have never been to the destination world, but they would have wanted to go to a "class-M" type world where they could flourish.

How did Kirk and company know that Daran Five wasn't the intended destination?

That the Yonada wasn't going to collide with Daran Five (Spock's prediction), but instead go into orbit and colonize the world, the Fabrini probably thought the world was uninhabited by intelligence.

Perhaps their telescope were just a bit better than ours and they could make out Daran Five and knew it to be in the right orbit, and had a correct type atmosphere.

 

[Warped9]

^^ That's a very good point and it would have been more interesting if Daran 5 had been revealed to be the actual destination. If all the ancestors could do was build a generation worldship then it's reasonable to assume they had never been to any other star systems. And 10,000 years ago it's quite possible that any sign of advanced civilization didn't yet exist on Daran 5 or it hadn't been colonized yet.

 

[Gary7]

How did Kirk and company know that Daran Five wasn't the intended destination?

Well, Yonada was on a collision course with the planet. And there was an obvious discrepancy in the control room:

SPOCK: There seems to be a weakness in one of the eight tubes.
KIRK: Enough to turn it off course?
SPOCK: Yes. Let me check that engine. A very simple problem, easy to correct.
SPOCK: I believe we can attempt the course correction, Captain.
KIRK: Good. Going back to marked headings.
SPOCK: Guidance control's taking over. I believe we can allow this ship to go back to its automatic control.
KIRK: Steadying on course marked in red.

So, there was a definite course specified (in red) and Yonada had deviated from it due to a an equipment flaw. Spock was able to correct the problem (astonishing that it was so 'easy to correct'--wouldn't the control system be more robust not to be tripped up by a simple problem?) and set controls back on course. Automatic guidance takes over afterward.

If Darren 5 was the intended destination, they wouldn't have been off course. And the trajectory would've been correct for an approach that would put them in orbit of the planet... which wasn't the case once the course correction was made.

KIRK: Fabrini descendants are scheduled to debark on their promised planet in approximately three hundred and ninety days. I think that we could manage to be in that vicinity at that time, if you wanted to thank the Fabrini personally.

Well, with that kind of precision, certainly the Enterprise would be able to determine the destination! But alas, no mention of any specific planet. It would've been fascinating to hear something like this:
UHURA: Captain, we double checked the information relayed to us from Mr. Spock. Yonada's destination is Octarius 2, which is in fact a Class-M planet that has no population to speak of; just a few nomadic visitors, probably prospectors.



The Fabrini were highly advanced and must have had some way of scanning the depths of deep space (considering the ship they created, perhaps some kind of probes were sent out). They find a suitable planet that they know is far enough away to take several generations to reach, so they build a world ship to take the people there. I wonder how they were transferred to the ship without knowing where they were going? They didn't appear to have transporter technology, so being ferried into orbit would have given the feelings of weightlessness. Perhaps they were sedated. Clearly, the inhabitants were totally deceived of their situation (being on an enormous ship with a destiny to another world). Even Natira didn't know of the true purpose. I suspect the Oracle would have informed her at the appointed time and then there would be the re-education of the population.

 

[Warped9]

I believe the original passengers knew they were on a spaceship, but that awareness was lost over succeeding generations.

 

[RAMA]

Yes I am sure you find it "sickening" since you'd jsut love to go off and invade any country that disagrees with us probably, like Iraq, North Korea...

I actually a lefty Democrat and don't promote anyone being invaded. Can't help that you don't know the difference between helping someone and invading them.

RAMA really needs to look into "false dichotomies." The opposite of non-interference is not war. Do you really think anytime someone is willing to help that they have an ulterior motive of exploitation and domination in mind?


that's a fairly paranoid viewpoint.

My point is BillJ has stated several times he is FOR invading countries for their own good, so its not a very far step to what I suggested. Several others in PD debates have said the same thing...its ok to attack others even when their planet is nowhere near our spacelanes and they offer no threat outside their planet. Apparently in the ST context, its also ok to influence and strong-arm planets into establishing cold war era-like bases even as far as ignoring the PD to do so.

 

[BillJ]

My point is BillJ has stated several times he is FOR invading countries for their own good, so its not a very far step to what I suggested.

You take the most illogical leaps of any poster I've ever seen on these boards. And that is really saying something.

 

[T'Girl]

Well, Yonada was on a collision course with the planet.

But from 392 days of travel away, how would you tell a collision course, from a interception course? And given that they were only 392 days from their ultimate destination, and Daran Five wasn't said destination, where were they in fact going? Kirk's statement to McCoy indicated that the travel time to the correct destination, 390 days, virtually was the same.

It would have had to have been a different class M planet, and with the near identical journey times, the correct planet really couldn't have been in another star system.

Class M planets can't be just anywhere, Daran Five's population of 3.7 billion would seem to indicate a advanced/semi-advanced civilization. If the Fabrina destination planet were something like a double planet with Daran Five, circling each other like the Romulan home world and Remus, you think that the inhabitance of Daran Five would already be there.

If Daran Stevens Five were a federation member (not clear), and had space travel (and warp drive), then they would definitely be on a inhabitable second world in their own star system.