Did the people of Sarpeidon take a short cut to evolution?

[The Laughing Vulcan]

The story has it that seeing their sun about to go nova, the people of Sarpeidon used a time portal called the Atavachron to escape into the past of their own world. In the episode we also see that it's used as a penal device to send criminals to inhosptable eras, while those escaping try to fit in as much as possible with their target destinations.

But can you imagine sending 6 billion people into Earth's past. That's bound to have an effect. So it must have been with Sarpeidon. It could be something as 'simple' as a predestination paradox, that the people simply had to come back in time to establish a history which would lead to the invention of a time machine that would eventually send people back in time to establish a history... In fact, Sarpeidon could have a unique history in that the planet may have been colonised by the people from the future, that intelligent life on that planet may just be a quantum abberation.

But what if it isn't a loop but a spiral? We've seen in TNG's Cause and Effect that one iteration in a time loop can differ from the others, so what if each iteration of Sarpeidon's history actually advanced the people further and further down the evolutionary path. The first time, it may have been a lucky scientist who created a time machine, and escaped with a few others into the past. Once there, he changes Sarpeidon's history so technology advances faster and time travel is perfected so that more people can escape in the next loop. Eventually, the number of advanced people escaping into the past alter societal and genetic history to a degree that the process gains momentum.

Within a few iterations, the people of Sarpeidon are advancing from cavemen to Q-Hood in what to observers looks like just a few thousand years. The Enterprise must have visited on one of the earlier iterations.

 

[Michael]

Maybe the Atavachron not only sends people back in time but also into a parallel universe where nothing would have any influence on Sarpeidon's present. Just my theory though.

 

[JNG]

The first time, it may have been a lucky scientist who created a time machine, and escaped with a few others into the past. Once there, he changes Sarpeidon's history so technology advances faster and time travel is perfected so that more people can escape in the next loop.

That's some fitting in, all right.

 

[erastus25]

I think the answer is that anything is possible. ST has never presented a truly consistent set of temporal mechanics, which makes a lot of sense as it allows the writers to do pretty much whatever they want, but it also prevents us from figuring out what the true (albeit, ultimately fiction) nature of Sarepidon is.

That being said, if I were to guess, I would say that the invention of the time machine is some type of causality loop spiral effect that you discuss. The Sarepidons did not seem to have any advanced space travel, otherwise they would have colonized other systems, yet they were able to invent a highly functional time machine capable of looking in to the past and sending people to specific places and times. Perhaps, the supernova created some kind of causality loop and every time it happened the Sarepidon's sent themselves hints on how to build a time machine. Thus, they develop a time machine but not warp flight because of interference in their natural evolution. Then, what we see, is the successful culmination of this causality spiral.

 

[Ronald Held]

I expect that the people sent to the past contributes to their society to allow it to develop to get to the point where the Atavarchron can be invented and send said people into the past.

 

[EEE]

Time paradox conclusions are much like Garak's stories... they are all correct. Especially the incorrect conclusions.

 

[erastus25]

Time paradox conclusions are much like Garak's stories... they are all correct. Especially the incorrect conclusions.

Especially in the ST world.