Humanity loves to explore and be diverse. Why don't others?

Founder

I noticed in Star Trek, Humanity seemed to be the only species who truly cared to explore the universe. Why is this? I can understand that conquest us in Klingon's blood, so that means more to them then exploration. I can even understand that maybe the Rommies are too paranoid to explore. The Vulcans kind of do, but they have a lot of political issues to deal with as do other species. Every so often, VOY ran into a species that was simply exploring, but that was rare. In the episode "Hide and Q", Q gives Riker powers and explains that the Continuum allowed this because they wanted to learn about Humanities rare desire to learn and explore. Do the other species not really care about it because they had been at it for longer than Humans? Why would the Q, "masters" of the universe find this so strange?

My next question is this. I understand that Federation ships had such diverse crews because it wasn't just Earth, but thousands of species joined together. But why did virtually every single other species ONLY have their own species in the ship? When our heroes from any of the shows would go to an alien planet, it was almost ALWAYS only the species indigenous to that planet and not one single "foreigner". Why was that?

The only species I can think that counters what I said are the Sona. They had two other species serving with them. The Dominion doesn't count because they too were made up of dozens of species. I meant like one single empire like Romulans, Klingons, etc.

Superman · Fleet Admiral Joined: 06 Dec 2003 Posts: 10220

lionhead · **Mon May 15, 2006 7:13 am**

1. Human have a huge curiousity. Because you are human yourself you can't imagine other species don't have that, like klingons. a species can be satified with the space they have, the species they have already foud(theklingons never really gave much of interest too humans and vulcans untill the Federation was founded.). However i think that species like Orions and Ferengi do explore a lot, but not with the same purposes as ours.

2. The federation of planets is huge, and its rare too have such a large Alliance between that many species. Now, the Federation was created by Humans, Tellarites and Vulcans but it was the Humans that made it all possible, they made Starfleet the fleet of the Federation and earh the center of the Federation of planets, a symbol for the federations power. With that they made it possible for Federation species too join Starfleet, and many did. Not because it earths Fleet, it was THE fleet of the federation.

the Vulcan fleet is the vulcan fleet, it purpose to protect the vulcans, but the starfleet fleet is the fleet to protect the federation, all planets in the alliance so other species want in on it.

So you see, its the fact there is an Alliance of planets and a fleet for that entire alliance that Multiple species serve on the same ship.

Lord Borg · **Mon May 15, 2006 11:17 am**

Well, I don't know exactly. Each species has thier own "Special" something, like mentioned before with Humans, its the urge to explore/learn. Klingons and Romulans Conquer so thats probably why you only see them and not "forigners" on their ships. All in all... GOOD question..

PrankishSmart · **Tue May 16, 2006 4:32 am**

I supose the Q are explorers, or were. The borg explore other cultures through assimulation.

lionhead · **Tue May 16, 2006 5:26 am**

Of course other s[ecies are curious. But why explore. Why do humans explore? too find new technology and Species, just like the borg do? Except the borg then conquer the species and assimilate them.

Lord Borg · **Tue May 16, 2006 4:53 pm**

Romulans, and Cardassians and untill recently, maybe even still Klingons have shown to be...intollerant of other species. Still one does wonder (I often have m'self) why there arnt others on their ships or such. For the Romulans the Open practice of slavery, along with the occasional bouts of solitude and Xenophobia could explain why their not very...'diverse'

The Cardassians conqure and make the people they control into hard working slaves, no one would dare be on a ship openingly...

The Klingons, they belive in combat, and not much else not many other species are like that. The klingons prefer to make expansion by conquest, NOT diplomacy.

The Ferengi: If you were to look at a starmap of empires, the Ferengi as you can see have a relitivly small ammount of territory compared to others, they prefer to EXPLOIT other races, not allie with them. As such in much of the way of Galatic politics, they remain as neuatral as possible.

The Tholians: Extreamly Exenophobic. They prefer to mind thier own affairs, and others to mind their own affairs. They also are not Humanoid and require unsuall life support protocalls. Not to mention it is rare for Tholians to leave thier territory. Surrounding starsystems are frequently annexed inorder to further issolate themselves.

Thats all for now, i could go on and on and on. I hope people get the idea...

Superman · Fleet Admiral Joined: 06 Dec 2003 Posts: 10220

borgslayer · **Thu May 18, 2006 12:52 am**

Well most species are either exploring their own part of the galaxy or greedy like Ferengis. Other species are not for exploration but more on domination and absolute take-overs of planets.

and on the other hand its just plain not on the script of Rick Berman.

Lord Borg · **Thu May 18, 2006 2:09 pm**

Valathous · **Sun May 21, 2006 10:37 pm**

I don't think that it's so much that the other species were made to be less inclined to explore. I think it has more to do with Gene Rodenberry (and now those in charge) wished to demonstrate all the good qualities that humans have or can have. He wanted emphasis on how humans could progress with these qualities, especially if we kept evolving both as people and technologically.

neo_viral

Founder · **Mon May 22, 2006 2:44 pm**

All of you have really fantastic answers. Thanks for the responses. Although, I don't think I really made my question clear and I'm sorry about that.

I understand why the Humans are the focal points and why they do this and that OUTSIDE of the ST world. Mainly because like you all said, Roddenberry wanted to make Humanity very enlightened and such.

I meant within the ST universe. Q commented on how his species is shocked at the amount of growth in humanity. Why is that? Why don't any other species have this...growth. Perhaps it was simply a plot point to make Humans seem more important? Also, just because Q never commented on other species, doesn't mean they have their eyes on others. Oh well...

Good responses though.

Lord Borg · **Mon May 22, 2006 4:24 pm**

lionhead · **Mon May 22, 2006 6:23 pm**

Lord Borg · **Mon May 22, 2006 6:25 pm**

lionhead · **Tue May 23, 2006 8:27 am**

he might say that to the vulcans he meets too.

You know how he is like.

Lord Borg · **Sat May 27, 2006 5:14 pm**

Maybe but there have been refernces to Humans moving and expanding at an extradanory rate. They reached warp five in 80ish years. It took the Vulcans about 100 or more to reach warp 2

lionhead · **Sun May 28, 2006 2:11 am**

yeah, but that was because the Vulcans didn't have a clue how too go at Warp 5. But in our situation the Vulcans already had the Technology but where holding the Humans back from reaching their goal or they would have gottten it a lot sooner.

But basically, the reason why human have gotten Warp 5 so soon is becasue the Vulcans already knew how to go a warp 5. or else it would have taken us much longer to invent it.

Lord Borg · **Sun May 28, 2006 2:11 pm**

Actually the Vulcans felt no real reason to "push it". Even with out Vulcan help, Humans reached warp 5 in 80 years. Soval commented on how frightning that the Humans are doing in a century what took the Vulcans HUNDREDS of years to do.

lionhead · **Sun May 28, 2006 5:42 pm**

Archer said that his father could have gottn the warp 5 done much sooner but the Vulcans held back just enough Information that he couldn't complete it. He could just because the vulcans already knew how or it wouldh ave taken us Hundred of years as well.

The vulcans where right though, humans can't get all that technology too soon, that wouldn'be healthy.

You know the prime directive and why its made. Its not only for Alien species.

Lord Borg · **Sun May 28, 2006 5:43 pm**

uh, we didnt do it in 80 years because someone else had it. It was said the Vulcans held back the workd, that they did, if the vulcans gave humans their work, NX-01 would have done warp 6 or 7

lionhead · **Sun May 28, 2006 5:46 pm**

Indeed, but it can't. It could do 5, not becasue we are so fast at Inventing, but because the Vulcans had given the potential of the Technology, the knowledge of its existance.

If first contact wasn't made and Zefram Cochrane had to come up with a faster ship by himself, and later other it wouldh ave taken us Hundreds of Years as well.

Lord Borg · **Sun May 28, 2006 5:48 pm**

Eh, it wouldnt have taken us hundreds of years, because it took Vulcans hundreds of years just to get warp one ships going, Earth was doing it shortly after firist contact. Infact, warp five would have happend sooner if they hadnt held it back not in a sense of giving the tech but in a sense of (No, dont dothe test now, wait 50 years)

lionhead · **Sun May 28, 2006 5:54 pm**

i don't believe that. Maybe it was because Vulcans had taken out their emotion by the time the made warp lfigth that they didn't find need to go faster then light so soon as Humans do, sure in comparison with Vulcans we are fast with inventing and reaching goals.

But what about other species like Orions and the Voth? wheren't they just as fast with inventing new technology for their goals?

Also, perhaps its the fact that Humand had pretty much exterminated War, Hunger and Disease in just a few year because of the arrival of the Vulcans that our Species flourished, kinda like a golden age. The Vulcans never had a Golden age, they never had any help from an Advanced species. maybe thats the reason why their progress to Warp 2 was so slow.