Preservers
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| Preservers | |
|---|---|
| Affiliation | None |
In the fictional universe of Star Trek, the Preservers are an ancient race of aliens who visited Earth thousands of years ago and removed some human specimens from the planet. The aliens then "seeded" these humans on other planets within the galaxy that had similar Earth-like environments.
No one is sure why the aliens did this, and most speculate that it was part of a great experiment to test the adaptability of humans, whom the aliens believed would one day serve as their replacements. It appears that the Preservers themselves were a dying race and no longer exist. The only evidence of their culture are ancient artifacts and ruins that litter various humanoid worlds. Many races that have been encountered have a sketchy pre-history, some unable to explain their sudden appearance on their worlds, while other cultures have clearly documented evidence that they are not native to their home planets.
The Preservers are discussed explicitly in the Star Trek: The Original Series episode "The Paradise Syndrome", in which Preserver technology inadvertently (and temporarily) erases Captain Kirk's memory, and the amnesiac Kirk settles down in a Preserver-seeded society of Native Americans. Although popular in fan fiction, the Preservers are never again featured in explicit canon. In the Star Trek Voyager episode "Natural Law" an unidentified race that may be the Preservers erects a forcefield to protect an indigenous culture on a Delta Quadrant planet. The idea that the Preservers are the "Ancient Humanoid" aliens featured in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "The Chase" is uncertain and debated amongst Star Trek fans. Although their "seeding" actions seem to parallel that of the Preservers, the Ancient Humanoids may in fact be a different culture entirely, as they were active billions of years before the actions of the Preservers. Screenwriter Ronald Moore has reportedly stated that the two races are, in fact, the same.[1]
In William Shatner's novel Preserver, the Preservers are said to be responsible for other duplicate Earths (such as Miri's homeworld) and transplanted human civilizations (Magna Roma of "Bread and Circuses", Omega IV from "The Omega Glory") seen in the original series.
The Preservers are apparently distinct from the "sky spirits" encountered in the Voyager episode "Tattoo," who also visited primitive humans.
[edit] See also
- Preservers article at Memory Alpha, a Star Trek wiki
- Panspermia (Exogenesis)
- Ancient humanoid
- Ancient astronaut theory for the 'real world' version of this idea
- Elder race
