Not that I watch Voyager often, but i happened to watch 'Elogium' the other day. In 'Caretaker' it was noted that the Ocampa seemed to be a dying species, despite the Caretaker's help. I think I have figured out why.
In 'Elogium' Kes said that once an Ocampa enters this phase, they will only reproduce once, and if they do not mate before the Elogium is finished they will not be able to bear young. In the episode where Kes gets chroniton irradiated and we witness her birth, she seems to be an only child.
That means that if for every two Ocampa that mate and render the female barren, only one offspring is produced. The population would halve itself every generation! The only way they could create population growth is if the were born in multiple births, with twins to maintain the population status quo or triplets or higher to promote an increase? I wonder if they thought of this when they wrote that episode?
Posted by The Red Admiral (Member # 602) on :
Good spot, it's not something I ever picked up on as Elogium was one of the few Trek episodes I've only seen once, so unremarkable was it.
Posted by Aban Rune (Member # 226) on :
I guess you could argue that twins or triplets are common and Kes' was unusual due to the fact that she mated with a human. Of course, Kes' own birth would then have been unusal as well.
Also, it's possible that Ocampan females are much more common than Ocampan males and that the males take 5 wives and have one child with them all. This would still add up to a dying civilization, but it would slow it down a good bit. Instead of one baby for every two people, you'd have 4 babies for every 5 people every generation.
This is the part where I realize that I got my math wrong and have actually come up with a solution that will make them extinct in 3 generations....
Posted by Omega (Member # 91) on :
Maybe they're like Hutts, and switch genders every now and then. Of course, that would just leave the population breaking even.
Multiple births are about the only solution that I see.
Posted by CaptainMike (Member # 709) on :
The fact that they give birth standing up, holding a bar, seems to indicate that evolution would have had them living in forests. I'm trying to think of the factors of being removed from the forest that might cause them to have reduced fertility. Of course, the harsh climate of Ocampa today surely doesnt provide any of the natural habitat which would allow them to thrive. Thats exactly the reason the Caretaker gave them replicators and a constant power supply, to ensure they could live on a barren lifeless planet, out of guilt for robbing their world of it viability. The question is, if he realized that their population was dropping so rapidly, why not use any of his resources to help them instead of just giving them food to expedite their population dwindling. Is a species erasing itself over a handful of generations in comfort the better alternative to putting them in a scenario where life is nowhere near as pleasant or easy, but may allow their species to continue under its own resources? It makes you question the entire reason that Voyager had to stay there for seven years.. they made that sacrifice so that the Ocampa would be safe.. safe to die out within a few generations?
Posted by Omega (Member # 91) on :
You think the forcefield might have had some negative effects on them? Or perhaps the replicated food itself? Maybe Banjo Man wasn't as benevolent as we thought...
Posted by Woodside Kid (Member # 699) on :
Or as intelligent, either. You reduce a planet's ecosystem to virtually zip, and you decide to bury the survivors underground? It never occurs to you to, maybe, TAKE THEM SOMEWHERE ELSE?
If you want another example of poor conception in creating a reproductive strategy (sorry about that pun ), consider the Horta. Every 50,000 years the entire race dies, leaving one individual to rear the offspring. Consider the poor mother, having to put up with a million kids going through the Horta equivalent of the terrible twos!
Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on :
Unless the Horta have, say, some sort of genetic memory.
As for transporting the Ocampa...how do you propose this be done?
Posted by Omega (Member # 91) on :
The Caretakers obviously had a vessel capable of crossing intergalactic distances. That vessel carried enough material aboard it to construct one space installation of moderate size, and one of far greater size. I'd say that carrying a few thousand Ocampa shouldn't have been any problem.
Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on :
A few thousand? So the huge Ocampan underground city from "Caretaker" holds fewer people than my hometown?
I'd say there were several million people on Ocampa by the time Voyager got there, and depending on their developmental level at the time of the accident, we're talking about moving potentially billions of people.
Posted by CaptainMike (Member # 709) on :
Well, if Ocampa was originally a thriving world it would more likely be a few billion Ocampa, but i believe it would have been in Caretaker's power. But then again, he seemed to be having rather a hard time even giving them energy i the end, so maybe he knew something we didnt about his limitations. Maybe he realized he was just a plot device and resolved to stay put?
*Thanks for posting at the same time as me!* GMTA
[ October 14, 2001: Message edited by: CaptainMike ]
), consider the Horta. Every 50,000 years the entire race dies, leaving one individual to rear the offspring. Consider the poor mother, having to put up with a million kids going through the Horta equivalent of the terrible twos!