204: Galileo’s Lizard

Distant Origin.

Dinosaurs may have been smarter than we think. Some of them may still be. That’s because they live in space and fly around in ships based on technology 65 million years more advanced than that of Starfleet. When that asteroid headed for Earth all those years ago, these hadrosaurs said sayonara to the planet’s mammals.

In this episode of The Ready Room, we’re joined by Zachary Fruhling and Aaron Harvey to discuss one of Voyager’s most unusual stories, “Distant Origin.” Does the science work? Does it even matter? We follow Voth scientists Gegen and Veer as they put together a galaxy-spanning puzzle made of 47 pieces. We discuss how the story parallels Galileo, Star Trek’s evolutionary arrow, the holodeck as a scientific instrument, the mating rituals of mammals, and more.

Plus, in our news segment, we debate the new name for the JJ Abrams rendition of Star Trek and take a look at the newly refurbished USS Enterprise model, now back on display at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.

News
The Kelvin Timeline (00:03:30)
The Enterprise Returns to the Smithsonian (00:13:05)
Sponsor: The Eaglemoss Official Star Trek Starships Collection (00:21:26)

Feature: Distant Origin
Synopsis and Initial Thoughts (00:26:40)
The Science (00:38:06)
Leaving Home (00:44:46)
An Evolutionary Direction (00:49:29)
Technological Advancement (00:51:59)
Galileo’s Lizard (01:00:00)
The Design and Creative Elements (01:13:10)
The Holodeck as a Scientific Tool (01:20:30)
Final Thoughts (01:24:51)
Closing (01:32:13)

Hosts
C Bryan Jones and Zachary Fruhling

Guest
Aaron Harvey

Production
C Bryan Jones (Editor and Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Norman C. Lao (Executive Producer) Charlynn Schmiedt (Executive Producer) Renee Roberts (Associate Producer) Zachary Fruhling (Associate Producer) Sam Piassick (Associate Producer) Kay Elizabeth Janeway (Associate Producer) Tim Robertson (Associate Producer) Richard Marquez (Production Manager) Will Nguyen (Content Manager)