Elogium's writer must have fallen asleep in biology class

[Finn]

I don't think Vulcans live quite that long. Sarek was barely over 200 when he died.

Beverly mentioned that line, as if it wasn't exactly unusual, and Archer (or maybe Trip?) made a remark about it as if it was the norm....

Depends on if the Morilogium is delayed by having DNA from another species present. Linnis and Andrew both seemed to mature fast (as Ocampa do), but they might have lasted more than nine years. Or, maybe Talaxian DNA is more dominant than human... it's possible that Neelix and Kes's children would have Talaxian lifespans.

Maybe the caretaker did something to the Ocampans along with regressing their psychic powers as well. The caretaker def babied the Ocampa from realizing their true abilities and potential.

 

[Farscape One]

The Ocampa can only go through the elogium once, as stated by Kes.

In the ending, Kes said the Doctor told her the elogium she was going through was false, meaning even if she attempted to bond with Neelix, a child wouldn't happen.

The idea of the elogium was to make the Ocampa alien enough in comparison to the rest of crew, but it really just comes off as... half baked. Just a badly executed idea that could have used a couple more script passes. (Though I'm not sure if the episode could really have been saved by that.)

 

[Tosk]

The Ocampa can only go through the elogium once, as stated by Kes.

And compared to human puberty by Janeway. Which also happens only once.

it really just comes off as... half baked. Just a badly executed idea that could have used a couple more script passes.

Definitely.

 

[Farscape One]

And compared to human puberty by Janeway. Which also happens only once.

Definitely.

True, but Janeway made that comparison before Kes said the elogium happens only once and therefore can only have a child once.

I think the uncle line by Kes in "TATTOO" is explained by two possibilities. The writers forgot about the 'only once able to be pregnant' thing or 'uncle' means something else to Ocampans than our definition. (I strongly lean toward the first reason, because VOY did that multiple times.)

 

[Oddish]

(I strongly lean toward the first reason, because VOY did that multiple times.)

Agreed, and I think that the uncle reference should be treated as canon because it makes the Ocampa a viable species. The "one child only" notion ensures their extinction.

 

[Guy Gardener]

Agreed, and I think that the uncle reference should be treated as canon because it makes the Ocampa a viable species. The "one child only" notion ensures their extinction.

If the gender of births are split 50/50.

It's almost certainly not the case, but what if the gender split was 1/99?

If in every generation every dude had to bang at the very least 99 women.

A few twins, some triplets, not a kitten like multiple birth norms, but just a few, and the Ocampa could sustain the birthrate decade after decade.

Of course, there could be even less men born each year, 0.01/99 ipso facto men of every generation would be expected to step up and service every woman with a biological imperative to breed.

So from two to 9 years of age, every man is expected to make at least 99 babies with 99 three year old women like sexy clockwork.

It's enough to make one climb through a crack in the shield to the surface.

 

[Oddish]

If in every generation every dude had to bang at the very least 99 women.

1. One child per woman still ensures extinction regardless of ratio.
Start with 1000 Ocampa. 990 female, 10 male.
All 990 are impregnated and have a live child. 980 female, 10 male. Total of 990.
All 980 are impregnated and have a live child. 971 female, 9 male. Total of 980.
971 kids next generation. If you have 10 boys, 961 next. If you have 9 boys after that, 952. It might take a century or so longer, but you're still headed for oblivion, especially once you factor in infertility, infant mortality, and women who just skip out on the whole "let's eat some bugs" thing.

2. Kes's dad seemed to live with the family. If he had to produce offspring with 99 women, he wouldn't have time to settle down with one.

3. The Ocampa in Caretaker didn't appear to be overwhelmingly female.

 

[ussrowe]

Elogium is like Pon Farr in that what information we got on screen seems very limited to when they can have offspring, yet looking at their society as depicted onscreen it can't be true that it's that limited. But that's Trek for you.

 

[fireproof78]

Maybe the caretaker did something to the Ocampans along with regressing their psychic powers as well. The caretaker def babied the Ocampa from realizing their true abilities and potential

This was along the lines of my thinking, that the Ocampan under the care of the Caretaker were modified to limit the population growth until the damage done to their world could be undone. Except, they couldn't, so the Ocampan would just be stuck where they were at once the Caretaker passed away.

 

[Oddish]

Elogium seems to come very late for Ocampa. Human females are fertile in their early teens, or about 1/6 of the way through their nominal (80-90 years) life. If Ocampa women become fertile at 4, that's the equivalent of about 35-40 for a human.

 

[Guy Gardener]

1. One child per woman still ensures extinction regardless of ratio.
Start with 1000 Ocampa. 990 female, 10 male.
All 990 are impregnated and have a live child. 980 female, 10 male. Total of 990.
All 980 are impregnated and have a live child. 971 female, 9 male. Total of 980.
971 kids next generation. If you have 10 boys, 961 next. If you have 9 boys after that, 952. It might take a century or so longer, but you're still headed for oblivion, especially once you factor in infertility, infant mortality, and women who just skip out on the whole "let's eat some bugs" thing.

2. Kes's dad seemed to live with the family. If he had to produce offspring with 99 women, he wouldn't have time to settle down with one.

3. The Ocampa in Caretaker didn't appear to be overwhelmingly female.

1. I said that was hypothetical.
2. I also said that it would still require multiple births to make up for the numbers.
3. Years ago I suggested that their ears were the females sex organs, since the baby was growing between her shoulders, which might mean they need two dudes, one for each ear, at the same time, to make one baby, and after the fact, one dude is the uncle and the other one is the daddy.

 

[Oddish]

Years ago I suggested that their ears were the females sex organs, since the baby was growing between her shoulders, which might mean they need two dudes, one for each ear, at the same time, to make one baby, and after the fact, one dude is the uncle and the other one is the daddy.

Reminds me of Phlox's cogenitor porn.
"I have pictures!"

 

[Ragitsu]

It seems to me that the Ocampan gene pool would benefit from an infusion of Human and/or Vulcan DNA.

 

[WarpTenLizard]

This is addressed in the Star Trek: Myriad Universes novel Places of Exile, which states Ocampa usually bear multiples. Yeah, the episode is a bit…light on biological sense.

Side note, I would’ve love to see Linnis again.

That story did a phenomenal job explaining the Ocampa. Not only with the litters, but the reveal that developing fetuses gain knowledge telepathically from their mother while developing in the womb, explaining how they can walk and talk and such so fast.

As for Linnis, you can see her fight a giant leprechaun in "Leprechaun in Space." No really, Jessica Collins' character in that movie is really similar to Linnis. She's a field medic on a starship and everything.

What if they diddled the birthrate or the life span, and that was the sin that could never be forgiven?

This is personal favorite theory.

 

[Beard of Sisko]

The Ocampa can only go through the elogium once, as stated by Kes.

In the ending, Kes said the Doctor told her the elogium she was going through was false, meaning even if she attempted to bond with Neelix, a child wouldn't happen.

The idea of the elogium was to make the Ocampa alien enough in comparison to the rest of crew, but it really just comes off as... half baked. Just a badly executed idea that could have used a couple more script passes. (Though I'm not sure if the episode could really have been saved by that.)

Half baked is too generous. Quarter baked is more like it

 

[Oddish]

It seems to me that the Ocampan gene pool would benefit from an infusion of Human and/or Vulcan DNA

Something dominant enough to extend lifespans, anyway. My head canon is still that Tom and Harry's DNA were enough to push Linnis's morilogium back to 20 or 25 years of age, and Andrew's out to 40 or 50. Seems reasonable, I think.

Half baked is too generous. Quarter baked is more like it

Or just plain raw.