Question concerning TWOK...

Robert Walper · Post by **Robert Walper** » 2004-09-22 12:52pm

This is a question that has been bugging me for quite some time actually. To quote Khan:

"Ceti Alpha VI exploded, six months after we were left here."

"The shockwave shifted the orbit of this planet, and laid everything waste."

Now, I have, for the time being, dismissed this:

...as the cause of said explosion.

Anyone else got any ideas as to what in the Trek universe would obliterate a planet in such a fashion that the resulting shockwave can shift the orbit of a nearby planet?

Yeah yeah, I know...it's a plot device. Humor me with suspension of disbelief.

Post by **Kuja** » 2004-09-22 01:11pm

Who knows? Maybe the people of Ceti Alpha 6 got a little 'adventurous' with some big-bangers and something went terribly wrong. Nobody really knows, even the text commentary on the DVD says so.

Patrick Degan · Post by **Patrick Degan** » 2004-09-22 01:12pm

The only conceivable explanation I can devise is that Khan drew the wrong conclusion from his observation of the event which obliterated an obivously close-in Ceti Alpha VI (a double-planet system similar to Earth/Luna perhaps?). The planet didn't "explode" but was collided into by another body passing close by. It's gravity would have dragged Ceti Alpha V off it's orbit and of course would have wreaked considerable tidal effects in the process, laying waste the planet. Khan might not have seen the cause of planet six's destruction and could only go with what he witnessed and experienced. At least that's the only plausible explanation which makes sense in my view.

The Silence and I · Post by **The Silence and I** » 2004-09-22 08:16pm

Yeah, Khan may have had the bad luck to be in the right star system at the right time to observe a stray planet colliding with a nearby one. That, I think, would play merry hell with the orbits of the other planets in the system.
He may not have noticed one more wandering star until it collided (I imagine that part was quite visible

). Or he may not have mentioned the cause, as it really is irrelevant from his point of view. Planets have been known to self destruct in Trek (don't ask me how), there was one geologically unstable planet in TNG that went boom all on its own. A similar thing could have happened, though a wanderer is more likely.

Alyeska · Post by **Alyeska** » 2004-09-22 08:21pm

In TNG we were introduced to planets that were incredibly unstable and eventualy destroyed themselves due to dilithium deposits. Its possible this is what happened in TWOK.

FTeik · Post by **FTeik** » 2004-09-23 11:29am

Well, how would things have developed, if the planet stayed intact?

DocHorror · Post by **DocHorror** » 2004-09-23 12:30pm

Well Khan would have probalby stayed there in peace. Unless another ship came along and made the same mistake as the Relient.

Though one has to wonder if Kirk told Starfleet where he dumped Khan. If he didn't it might explain why the planet didn't have a quarenteen warring or such.

CDiehl · Post by **CDiehl** » 2004-09-23 01:47pm

What amazes me is not that a planet exploded, but that apparently, Starfleet not only didn't know it happened, they thought the wrong planet exploded. When calling up data on the Ceti Alpha system, you'd expect the Reliant's crew to see that a planet in that system exploded, its remains and a whole neighboring planet apparently switched places in orbit, and that all or almost all the life on the surviving planet died out immediately. Of course, thinking that Ceti Alpha V was the one destroyed would explain why they didn't expect to find people, let alone Khan and his people, there, because they would have assumed they were all dust.

Thag · Post by **Thag** » 2004-09-23 07:25pm

Or, another possibilty could be expanded from Patrick's theory, that all Khan and his people saw was a massive collision. Suppose that, while there was an explosion, Ceti Alpha VI wasn't completely destroyed, just shifted out of position like V. Then, boom, Reliant comes in, counts the planets, and while some have changed drastically, the whole system's accounted for.

Old Plympto · Post by **Old Plympto** » 2004-09-23 08:05pm

Shouldn't Starfleet have an accurate systems map of Ceti Alpha? Where each planet has their own dimensions, distance to sun and other attributes keyed in? They should have at least went "WTF!" at the effect of whatever actually happened on Ceti Alpha 6.

And even if Ceti Alpha 5 shifted its orbit, it can't have moved really far out to still have breathable air which does not sear exposed skin.

Or would it be possible for the planet to have moved the distance equivalent from Earth to Venus?