Ocampa
Encyclopedia
Ocampa is the fictional home planet of the Ocampa, a fictional race of elf
-like humanoids in the science fiction
television series Star Trek: Voyager
.
Originally surface dwellers and the dominant species of their homeworld, the Ocampa exhibited phenomenal mental powers far in excess of any similar race in Star Trek
canon. Their amazing mental abilities were offset, however, by their extremely short nine-year lifespan. (This is in marked contrast to the usual practice of making alien races longer-lived than humans.)
, the planet's atmosphere was "completely devoid of nucleogenics". The intergalactic explorers, upon realizing their mistake, took upon themselves the responsibility of caring for the Ocampa. The Caretakers
built a massive underground cavern with access to the only remaining natural water source on the planet, and supplied it with energy via transmissions from a gigantic orbiting station. From this station, the "Caretaker" dutifully watched over the Ocampa, supplying every need and protecting them from every danger. As a result of this life of absolute ease, the Ocampa eventually stopped using their mental powers and, due largely to their short lifespans, eventually forgot about them completely. Over time, the Ocampa became completely dependent upon the Caretakers for all necessities of life. Their planet's surface, while ruined by desertification
, was sparsely inhabited by the Kazon-Ogla, a subsect of the Kazon
race.
The Ocampa remained in this state until the only Caretaker remaining on the station began to die. This Caretaker reasoned that only his own offspring would be able to carry on his work of protecting the Ocampa, and so began a galaxy-wide search to find a genetically compatible race through which it might produce offspring. This search consisted of a long series of trans-galactic ship-jackings, which is how the Federation
Starship Voyager
came to be in the Delta Quadrant. Another starship, the Equinox was pulled across shortly before Voyager was.
Elf
An elf is a being of Germanic mythology. The elves were originally thought of as a race of divine beings endowed with magical powers, which they use both for the benefit and the injury of mankind...
-like humanoids in the science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
television series Star Trek: Voyager
Star Trek: Voyager
Star Trek: Voyager is a science fiction television series set in the Star Trek universe. Set in the 24th century from the year 2371 through 2378, the series follows the adventures of the Starfleet vessel USS Voyager, which becomes stranded in the Delta Quadrant 70,000 light-years from Earth while...
.
Originally surface dwellers and the dominant species of their homeworld, the Ocampa exhibited phenomenal mental powers far in excess of any similar race in Star Trek
Star Trek
Star Trek is an American science fiction entertainment franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. The core of Star Trek is its six television series: The Original Series, The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise...
canon. Their amazing mental abilities were offset, however, by their extremely short nine-year lifespan. (This is in marked contrast to the usual practice of making alien races longer-lived than humans.)
History
The development of the Ocampa race was interrupted when an exploratory vessel from another galaxy chose to visit the Ocampa homeworld. The propulsion system of the intergalactic vessel caused an irreversible chain reaction in the atmosphere of the planet destroying the ability of the atmosphere to carry on a rain-cycle. According to Captain JanewayKathryn Janeway
Kathryn Janeway, played by Kate Mulgrew, is a fictional character in the Star Trek franchise. As the captain of the Starfleet starship USS Voyager, she was the lead character on the television series Star Trek: Voyager, and later, a Starfleet admiral, as seen in the 2002 feature film Star Trek...
, the planet's atmosphere was "completely devoid of nucleogenics". The intergalactic explorers, upon realizing their mistake, took upon themselves the responsibility of caring for the Ocampa. The Caretakers
Caretaker (Voyager episode)
"Caretaker" is the first episode of Star Trek: Voyager. It was originally shown as one double-length episode, but has been split into two parts for repeats...
built a massive underground cavern with access to the only remaining natural water source on the planet, and supplied it with energy via transmissions from a gigantic orbiting station. From this station, the "Caretaker" dutifully watched over the Ocampa, supplying every need and protecting them from every danger. As a result of this life of absolute ease, the Ocampa eventually stopped using their mental powers and, due largely to their short lifespans, eventually forgot about them completely. Over time, the Ocampa became completely dependent upon the Caretakers for all necessities of life. Their planet's surface, while ruined by desertification
Desertification
Desertification is the degradation of land in drylands. Caused by a variety of factors, such as climate change and human activities, desertification is one of the most significant global environmental problems.-Definitions:...
, was sparsely inhabited by the Kazon-Ogla, a subsect of the Kazon
Kazon
In the Star Trek fictional universe, the Kazon are a Delta Quadrant race. The Kazon are technologically inferior to the United Federation of Planets as it exists in the twenty-fourth century...
race.
The Ocampa remained in this state until the only Caretaker remaining on the station began to die. This Caretaker reasoned that only his own offspring would be able to carry on his work of protecting the Ocampa, and so began a galaxy-wide search to find a genetically compatible race through which it might produce offspring. This search consisted of a long series of trans-galactic ship-jackings, which is how the Federation
United Federation of Planets
The United Federation of Planets, also known as "The Federation" is a fictional interplanetary federal republic depicted in the Star Trek television series and motion pictures...
Starship Voyager
USS Voyager (Star Trek)
The fictional Intrepid-class starship USS Voyager is the primary setting of the science fiction television series Star Trek: Voyager. It is commanded by Captain Kathryn Janeway....
came to be in the Delta Quadrant. Another starship, the Equinox was pulled across shortly before Voyager was.