Spoilers Star Trek: Starfleet Academy 1x02 – “Beta Test”

[Greg Cox]

Spock did describe as living among "other humans" that implies they are an Earthborn race. Pelia has also only ever referenced her time on Earth as far back as Pythagaros and not once brought up a homeworld. They have never been referred to as visiting Earth, refugees on Earth just living there. While absence of evidence is not evidence of absence the suggestion that they are from Earth has more going for it than them being from elsewhere.

That's my impression as well. That they're just a splinter of humanity with very long lifespans. Not extraterrestrials.

Not unlike Flint in "Requiem for Methuselah."

He wasn't an alien either.

 

[cooleddie74]

Born in Mesopotamia in 3834 B.C. and lived about 6,000 years.

 

[ToddCam]

If they are human derived, what does Lanthanite mean? Are they descended from someone named Lanthan? A place called Lanthan? And what does half-Lanthanite mean? Half-mutant? They only live half as long?

 

[JirinPanthosa]

Finally saw this, I give it 9. Really good episode, better than I thought Starfleet Academy would be. Just seeing they're not just making the show about a bunch of cadets, they're using it to show the entire rebuilding of the Federation. And from the perspective of a damaged boy who was let down by what the Federation became pre-Disco.

This episode made me really optimistic about the show.

 

[Nerys Myk]

If they are human derived, what does Lanthanite mean? Are they descended from someone named Lanthan? A place called Lanthan? And what does half-Lanthanite mean? Half-mutant? They only live half as long?

It means one parent was a Lanthanite and one wasn't.

 

[ToddCam]

It means one parent was a Lanthanite and one wasn't.

Yes, I get that. But what is its meaning beyond that?

 

[Nerys Myk]

Yes, I get that. But what is its meaning beyond that?

It means the child inherits some characteristics from the Lanthanite parent and some from the non-Lanthanite parent. Being longer lived than other humans would be one of those. At this time, that's the only thing that separates Lanthanites from other humans.

 

[Detached Nacelle]

Yes, I get that. But what is its meaning beyond that?

We dont know enough about Lanthanites to really say. Pelia is 5000 years old and we dont know how much longer she'll live. Do Lanthanites have a lifespan or can they never die of old age? We don't know. They clearly age physically but how exactly that functions compared to their actual age is again unclear as Pelia has looked like a 70 year old human for over 200 years at least.

The Lanthanite genes obviously offers longevity as Nahla is 422 years old but exactly how long she will live for could be anything. Potentially thousands of years left on the clock even as a hybrid.

 

[Greg Cox]

If they are human derived, what does Lanthanite mean? Are they descended from someone named Lanthan? A place called Lanthan? And what does half-Lanthanite mean? Half-mutant? They only live half as long?

Who knows where the name came from? Groups of Earthlings often come up with distinctive names for themselves or for other peoples.

Pretty sure Mennonites and Moravians and and Protestants and Rastafarians are not aliens.

 

[Charles Phipps]

When Caleb said "Look out, there's a Borg!" I wonder if that was a hint that even though the Picard series finale implied that the Borg threat was pretty much gone by the end of that episode, they somehow became a threat again after Picard. Like maybe 500 years later or something?

Actually, this is the one time the show didn't get continuity wrong. The Borg as we know them are exterminated by Jurati's nice Federation-friendly Borg exist.

 

[Detached Nacelle]

Lanthanite might mean something in their society's native tongue.

It might be their name for where their tribe originated.

It could literally be their species name Homo Lanthanite.

There are likely many questions we will just have to answer ourselves.