What are the Prophets?

[DevilEyes]

Bajorans in the future may have developed technology that allowed them to transcend. For all we know, the Q Continuum could have been corporeal, and discovered technology that made them near Gods.

But even if they could, would they want to?? I can't see every single Bajoran deciding that it would be a great thing to get rid of their bodies and their way of life, forget what linear time is, and turn into something completely different - any more than I can see every single human deciding such a thing!

 

[TiberiusMaximus]

^Yeah, that doesn't make sense to me either. How do you 'forget' what time is? And then not know what flesh-and-blood beings are? And yet still be of Bajor?

I do like the way that link describes the Prophets as seeing time the way we see space, and seeing events more like items that they place on a shelf. Interesting.

But no, I don't think they're evolved/ascended/transfigured Bajorans.

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

Off-shoot of the Talosians, there I said it.

The Talsoians were prone to some level of interference .

How about Organians 2.0 ?

 

[Nightdiamond]

They seem different from the other types of Entities we've seen, like Q.


They appear to be energy beings-they can be contained in objects, or even attacked with other types of energy.

They also don't "vanish" or teleport themselves like other entities, they seem to have to physically travel from one place to another.

They seem to do things indirectly when outside the wormhole, which makes them a good candidates for being alien energy beings- though they could just as easily have been Bajorans that 'evolved' to that state.

From inside the wormhole, that's whole other story...

 

[neozeks]

But even if they could, would they want to?? I can't see every single Bajoran deciding that it would be a great thing to get rid of their bodies and their way of life, forget what linear time is, and turn into something completely different - any more than I can see every single human deciding such a thing!

True, but who says it has to be every single Bajoran? We don't know how many Prophets there are. And for all we know, maybe they didn't (wouldn't) even know what the true consequences of the 'transfiguration' would be.

 

[Nerys Ghemor]

Am I the only one who finds the idea of some corporeal beings evolving into non-corporeal rather stupid? Evolutionary changes happen as an adaptation to the environment. What possible environment conditions would cause this kind of 'evolution', and why wouldn't they cause the same for the neighboring Alpha Quadrant species?

Trek seems to think that it's an inevitable "next step" for any race.

The only thing I could think MIGHT cause it (and of course it doesn't apply IRL) is tapping some kind of psychic or other power that causes the transformation. But still, it doesn't seem logical.

 

[Cepstrum]

Well, to be be Cepstrum, I'm the one that put the "e-word" in the poll. I guess I should have used "transfigured" instead, hee.

Yeah, I know; I was being a jerk for some reason. I'm well aware, as another poster noted, that Trek often invokes "evolution" in a rather odd way.

Please accept my apologies for the needless disparagement. I *knew* what you meant. It's just a Trek thing. I have no idea why I suddenly ranted like that.

Rats.



The really weird part is that as a relatively advanced speciialist research electrical engineer (which does NOT imply that I'm smarter than anyone else; merely that I have a lot of science training), I have *no problem* with Trek's dubious science and copious technobabble. In fact, I *love* it!

Additionally, I'm no expert in Evolutionary Theory. I have no idea whether it's the correct model, nor do I care. I *do* sometimes take advantage of its principles, however, when designing algorithms.

 

[Photon]

Off-shoot of the Talosians, there I said it.

The Talsoians were prone to some level of interference .

How about Organians 2.0 ?

Even better

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

^ And per Enterprise, we know the Organians can possess human bodies. Though this came later as far as storytelling goes.

 

[DS9 Gal AZ]

No worries, Cepstrum.

 

[flemm]

The transfiguration of the Bajorans wouldn't be the result of evolution, or even necessarily of a conscious choice. It would more likely just be what naturally happens when a Bajoran dies. The corporeal form perishes, but the eternal "pagh" returns to its home in the Celestial Temple.

The Prophets don't understand linear existence because they have no direct knowledge of it. The "pagh" does not exist after linear existence, but eternally outside of it. Basically a sci-fi take on the religious notion of the eternal soul and the transitory shell of the flesh.

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

Possibly the Prophets were an earlier life-form from the planet Bajor or a primary race as opposed to the Bajorans we know.

Didn't TNG have a story where there were 2 races on a planet, and 1 was "transcending" ?

 

[Cepstrum]

No worries, Cepstrum.

Thanks, DS9 Gal AZ.

I'll try to be more polite next time. It's an interesting question/thread.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

They're wormhole aliens. You AQ types and your silly superstitions.

 

[DS9 Gal AZ]

Whereas "The Founders really are gods."

 

[LeadHead]

Isn't it obvious? They're some of the last remaining First Ones and the Wormhole is their JumpGate to Hyperspace!

 

[DS9 Gal AZ]

I smell a crossover ...

 

[Marie1]

I picked other- I think they're a race of powerful aliens that at times try to help the Bajorans, and others...

 

[Quinton O'Connor]

Isn't it obvious? They're the Ancients, and they seeded human life throughout the galaxy so long ago. We are all related to them, and though incredibly rare, it is not impossible for us to ascend and reach their higher plane.

I wonder if Sisko ever bumped into Daniel Jackson? They sure were there often enough.

 

[TiberiusMaximus]

^And then there's the other Ancients, like "Einstein" and "Jack"...although those Ancients understood time...and how it wounds all heels...

I can almost picture Sisko and a Prophet having this conversation...

Prophet: Time.
Sisko: Flies.
Prophet: Time.
Sisko: Bandits.
Prophet: Time.
Sisko: Wounds all heels.
Prophet: Time.
Sisko: Rosemary and...
Prophet: Time.