fajrdrako | Star Trek Voyager: Natural Law... (Reply)

The other day I watched the Star Trek Voyager episode "Natural Law" with my friend Sandi, and I found it thought-provoking enough to discuss with

maaseru and

walkingowl so I thought I'd mention it here.

I watched Star Trek Voyager for at least part of its first year on the air, but it annoyed me, and I soon stopped watching. I don't think I ever saw anything after the first year at all.¹ This was the first time I ever saw Seven of Nine. If I may say so - what an utterly boring character! Perhaps she has more personality in other episodes?

Anyway, the things I found interesting.... A little explanation of the plot first²: In this story, Seven of Nine and Chakotay fall through a force field onto a planet in an area that is segregated for an indiginous population, the Ventu. They have a primitive technology - clothes, fire, face-paint, things like that, and every sign of curiosity and high intelligence - but no spoken language. They looked basically human, but I saw no indication that they had vocal chords. They didn't speak or make any noises. They used sign language to communicate. They imitate Chakotay and Seven of Nine in gestures and looks but they don't attempt to speak.

It turns out that the rest of the planet has a civilization as technically developed as the Federation, or not far off, and they can and do talk vocally. The Ventu were separated by this force field imposed by aliens who thought the mainstream society of the planet would exploit and destroy the Ventu civilisation. As soon as Janeway removes the force field, the cultural interference (with some benign intent) begins. Janeway restores the force field and goes away, leaving the planet pretty much as it used to be. Good Federation housekeeping, Prime Directive and all. But...

I was thinking about human history as we know it. It seems to me that communication by spoken language (emphasis here on the 'spoken') has been the prerequisite for every known civilisation. Could civilisation evolve without spoken language? In this Star Trek story it hadn't done so, and I didn't know if they meant to imply it could not, or to imply it would, given time. And what's the reality? Did human history happen the way it did by chance, or does spoken vocal language make a difference to socialization in a way other forms of communication do not? Could human history have happened differently? If it could have, why has it not - among other primate groups, for example? Have there ever been homo sapiens civilizations, or even isolated cultural groups, where spoken language was not a factor? I don't mean subcultures, or major groups within a culture, like schools for the deaf or monks who take vows of silence - as far as I know, they exist within larger, speaking civilizations already developed.

The issue in the episode is that the aliens in the past thought the peaceful, environmentally-friendly Ventu needed to be protected from the mainstream civilisation, so they isolated them. This protection struck me as being a prison for them. They were living in it prosperously, but they didn't seem to be growing and evolving. And in the episode, as Janeway and the mainlanders argue about what to do with and for the Ventu, no one even suggests asking the Ventu what they want. That struck me as being very officious - they might prefer to be outside their prison, regardless of the risks. Or they might prefer to keep their safe isolation - though it seems abominable to be that they weren't at least given the key to the force field. Shouldn't they have the right to self-determination regarding their own fate? Was it assumed they wouldn't understand the consequences? Isn't that denying them an opportunity to change - if they wanted change?

¹ I did once write a Chakotay/Paris slash story, which was fun. I didn't like Paris, and used the story as a chance to attack him creatively.

² I missed the first few scenes so there might have been more explanation that I didn't get.