tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Mon May 17 16:15:08 1999
[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next]
RE: No place like the Homeworld!
jIghItlh quljIb:
>Based on the BoP 1.25 LY = ca. 1 loghqam ("space-step") I am led to
believe that the Klingon year is that length.
ja' qa'ral:
> I like your reasoning, but (going back a few weeks) I'm unclear as to why
you think Qo'noS has a more distant orbit than Earth. yIQIj! (In my
admittedly crude understanding, a habitable world with a distant orbit
would require a correspondingly larger, hotter, and short-lived star, which
might burn out before beings who value honor had a chance to develop.)
Not by much. The Homeworld's sun need be only a smidgeon (astronomically
speaking) hotter than ours to maintain a "life-zone" that includs a planet
with an orbital period of ca. 1.25 years. Remember, early in the Sol
system's history, Mars was more habitable than Earth. Alternatly, Qo'noS
might be closer to its sun than we ours, but the stars gravity less,
giving it a longer orbital period.
jIghItlh je:
>I am also reasonably certain that the Homeworld's axial tilt is greater than
that of Earth's, causing extremes in temperature and weather that are
reflected in Klingon culture.
qa'ral:
> For contrast (not proof), here are some Homeworld data I pulled off the
web: "The planet tilts only a few degrees on its axis, resulting in very
little seasonal change. A high, dense layer of carbon dioxide in the
upper atmosphere retains heat, creating a greenhouse effect that renders
the planet's overall temperature high for a Class M world. Since there
are no great bodies of water or variations in land area elevation, weather
across the planet is consistent with the exception of the poles, which
average a few degrees cooler." If memory serves me, this comes from Shane
Johnson's "The Worlds of the Federation", which probably does not rank
high on the list of authoritative sources. >
Almost a word for word description of Klinzhai. Unvaried terrain suggests
to me one of two things: either the Homeworld is geologically very old or
very inactive. Unvaried terrain also breeds unvaried cultures; compare the
steppes of Russia with the moutainous Balkins. Hardly Klingon no matter
which way you look at it.
quljIb