I've been noodling my old fanfic again after a long hiatus and realized I needed to iron out a few things that have always been a bit fuzzy: the race known as the Monoliths, and the place they live: Spacetime-6.
Monoliths
Homeworld
A multi-dimensional realm called "Spacetime-6"
Short Summary
"Monoliths" is what the very few humans who are aware of their existence call them. It is not known what the Monoliths call themselves. They are a truly alien life form, simultaneously existing in three dimensions of space and three of time. Monoliths generally take on the form of massive stone blocks or wooden trunks, carved or natural, when manifesting themselves.
Relative Influence
Through gentle guidance and cryptic hints usually given in the form of visions and dreams, Monoliths can potentially affect the course of all history, though the extent of their actual involvement remains completely unknown.
Public or Secret
Though technically not a secret, Monoliths are almost completely unknown and unsuspected. They are all around us, yet almost impossible to physically encounter.
Languages
Monoliths communicate through visions and dreams.
Area of Operation
The entire multiverse and even beyond, apparently.
Appearance
To human eyes, Monoliths generally take on the form of massive stone blocks or wooden trunks. If stone, they can be spectacular natural formations, or carved blocks like menhirs, either singular or in formations. If wood, they usually appear as ancient totem poles or trees that are unique and special in some way. Other styles are also possible, such as ice and crystal, etc. They can weigh anywhere from a few hundred pounds to a few hundred tons. They can be found all around the Earth in places such as the Canadian tundra, the Salisbury Plain in England, the Mojave desert in California, and the cliffsides of Rapa Nui. Most planets in the Federation and probably beyond have similar natural/artificial formations scattered across their surfaces. For example, the giant tufa on Vulcan's Forge and the frozen helix spires on Andor.
Monoliths exist in three dimensions of space and three of time. They have no power of independent movement in the space dimensions, but can move freely in all three dimensions of time. Because of this fundamental difference from almost all other life known to science, which moves in space but is fixed in time, humans with only a very few exceptions throughout the ages are unaware of the Monolith's true nature. Ancient peoples, recognizing spiritual power in them, have used them for millennia as elements in temples or as totems, carting them at great expense all across the countryside. Some shamans and various other rare humans, sometimes through the use of hallucinogens and secret rituals, have learned to traverse the time dimensions and converse with the Monoliths.
Spacetime 6
Spacetime 6 is the dimensional realm in which the "Monoliths" exist.
Spacetime-6 is a continuum composed of 3 dimensions of space and 3 dimensions of time.
Dimensions of Space
The three dimensions of space are familiar to us: length, breadth, and height, or forwards/backwards, left/right, and up/down. Spatial movement is possible in different combinations in these three dimensions, and we are familiar with movement of this type. Movement in three time dimensions can be difficult to imagine for us 3-dimensional space beings. Normally, we are fixated into moving through time in only a single direction, forward, and only at a fixed rate. We normally don t even have the ability to speed up or slow down except through relativistic effects, much less go backwards in time, but one can use the three dimensions of space as analogues for the three dimensions of time to make understanding a little easier.
Dimensions of Time
Time 1 - Forwards/Backwards
The forwards/backwards time dimension is the easiest to imagine. It allows movement into the future or past. It changes your calendar date. (Illustrated in pretty much any time travel episode in any scifi franchise.)
Time 2 - Left/Right
The left/right motion in time is like stepping sideways across to neighboring parallel universes. You step over from your timeline to the one next to yours, which is a little different from your original. The farther you move, the more reality diverges. The calendar date remains the same, but reality changes. It's still today, but it's a different today. Call them parallel universes, quantum realities, or divergent world-lines. (Illustrated in TNG "Parallels", Trek episodes about the Mirror Universe, and any Stargate SG1 episode where they use the "quantum mirror" device to go to a reality where Sam has long hair and is married to Jack.)
Time 3 - Up/Down
Vertical up/down motion is the weirdest to our limited understanding. Moving in the third time dimension means venturing away from the plane of reality altogether either up into the realm of thought and dreams, or down into the realm of nightmares. The farther you travel up or down, the farther you recede from actual Reality into the Imaginary. Again, the calendar date stays the same, and your quantum universe doesn't change, but the Real becomes Imaginary. (Illustrated in TNG "Where No One Has Gone Before", TNG "Journey's End", TAS "The Magics of Megas-Tu".)
In this way, combining motion in the three dimensions of time allows the Monoliths to travel to any time, in any quantum parallel universe, and in any way they can imagine in their dreams.
Existence vs Motion
Most life forms as we know them exist in three dimensions of space and are fixed in one dimension of time moving forwards. The Monoliths, however, while they also exist in the same three space dimensions, they do not have the freedom of movement in space, but they do have the freedom of full movement in all three time dimensions.
Notes
The notion that the up/down dimension of time allows the practitioner to enter the realm of dreams and nightmares, could suggest a "scientific" way to introduce " magic" into the story. The TNG stories featuring Wesley and the Traveler spoke of the link between space and time and thought, and I always thought that was a very tantalizing tease that I was sad to see never developed to any significant degree. Then of course there is the TAS episode "The Magics of Megas-Tu", with actual magic, but that"s probably a whole other discussion.
Monoliths
Homeworld
A multi-dimensional realm called "Spacetime-6"
Short Summary
"Monoliths" is what the very few humans who are aware of their existence call them. It is not known what the Monoliths call themselves. They are a truly alien life form, simultaneously existing in three dimensions of space and three of time. Monoliths generally take on the form of massive stone blocks or wooden trunks, carved or natural, when manifesting themselves.
Relative Influence
Through gentle guidance and cryptic hints usually given in the form of visions and dreams, Monoliths can potentially affect the course of all history, though the extent of their actual involvement remains completely unknown.
Public or Secret
Though technically not a secret, Monoliths are almost completely unknown and unsuspected. They are all around us, yet almost impossible to physically encounter.
Languages
Monoliths communicate through visions and dreams.
Area of Operation
The entire multiverse and even beyond, apparently.
Appearance
To human eyes, Monoliths generally take on the form of massive stone blocks or wooden trunks. If stone, they can be spectacular natural formations, or carved blocks like menhirs, either singular or in formations. If wood, they usually appear as ancient totem poles or trees that are unique and special in some way. Other styles are also possible, such as ice and crystal, etc. They can weigh anywhere from a few hundred pounds to a few hundred tons. They can be found all around the Earth in places such as the Canadian tundra, the Salisbury Plain in England, the Mojave desert in California, and the cliffsides of Rapa Nui. Most planets in the Federation and probably beyond have similar natural/artificial formations scattered across their surfaces. For example, the giant tufa on Vulcan's Forge and the frozen helix spires on Andor.
Monoliths exist in three dimensions of space and three of time. They have no power of independent movement in the space dimensions, but can move freely in all three dimensions of time. Because of this fundamental difference from almost all other life known to science, which moves in space but is fixed in time, humans with only a very few exceptions throughout the ages are unaware of the Monolith's true nature. Ancient peoples, recognizing spiritual power in them, have used them for millennia as elements in temples or as totems, carting them at great expense all across the countryside. Some shamans and various other rare humans, sometimes through the use of hallucinogens and secret rituals, have learned to traverse the time dimensions and converse with the Monoliths.
Spacetime 6
Spacetime 6 is the dimensional realm in which the "Monoliths" exist.
Spacetime-6 is a continuum composed of 3 dimensions of space and 3 dimensions of time.
Dimensions of Space
The three dimensions of space are familiar to us: length, breadth, and height, or forwards/backwards, left/right, and up/down. Spatial movement is possible in different combinations in these three dimensions, and we are familiar with movement of this type. Movement in three time dimensions can be difficult to imagine for us 3-dimensional space beings. Normally, we are fixated into moving through time in only a single direction, forward, and only at a fixed rate. We normally don t even have the ability to speed up or slow down except through relativistic effects, much less go backwards in time, but one can use the three dimensions of space as analogues for the three dimensions of time to make understanding a little easier.
Dimensions of Time
Time 1 - Forwards/Backwards
The forwards/backwards time dimension is the easiest to imagine. It allows movement into the future or past. It changes your calendar date. (Illustrated in pretty much any time travel episode in any scifi franchise.)
Time 2 - Left/Right
The left/right motion in time is like stepping sideways across to neighboring parallel universes. You step over from your timeline to the one next to yours, which is a little different from your original. The farther you move, the more reality diverges. The calendar date remains the same, but reality changes. It's still today, but it's a different today. Call them parallel universes, quantum realities, or divergent world-lines. (Illustrated in TNG "Parallels", Trek episodes about the Mirror Universe, and any Stargate SG1 episode where they use the "quantum mirror" device to go to a reality where Sam has long hair and is married to Jack.)
Time 3 - Up/Down
Vertical up/down motion is the weirdest to our limited understanding. Moving in the third time dimension means venturing away from the plane of reality altogether either up into the realm of thought and dreams, or down into the realm of nightmares. The farther you travel up or down, the farther you recede from actual Reality into the Imaginary. Again, the calendar date stays the same, and your quantum universe doesn't change, but the Real becomes Imaginary. (Illustrated in TNG "Where No One Has Gone Before", TNG "Journey's End", TAS "The Magics of Megas-Tu".)
In this way, combining motion in the three dimensions of time allows the Monoliths to travel to any time, in any quantum parallel universe, and in any way they can imagine in their dreams.
Existence vs Motion
Most life forms as we know them exist in three dimensions of space and are fixed in one dimension of time moving forwards. The Monoliths, however, while they also exist in the same three space dimensions, they do not have the freedom of movement in space, but they do have the freedom of full movement in all three time dimensions.
Notes
The notion that the up/down dimension of time allows the practitioner to enter the realm of dreams and nightmares, could suggest a "scientific" way to introduce " magic" into the story. The TNG stories featuring Wesley and the Traveler spoke of the link between space and time and thought, and I always thought that was a very tantalizing tease that I was sad to see never developed to any significant degree. Then of course there is the TAS episode "The Magics of Megas-Tu", with actual magic, but that"s probably a whole other discussion.
