Allegiance

[Sionnach Glic]

Pretty much, yeah.
When you think about it it makes getting lost in the DQ just to save this lot rather pathetic. The entire race would have probably died out by the time Voyager got back from its 70 year long journey.

And let's not forget just how stupid the actual mating process itself is. I think OVEG's video review points out the idiocy quite nicely.

[Teaos]

You wonder what there population was once and what happened to screw up their DNA.

[Captain Seafort]

It's possible that the entire species was designed as a slave race, or as pets, with most of the population produced by cloning. It's the only way their reproductive system makes sense - as a means of ensuring that any rebellion that established an independant population would collapse within a few generations.

[stitch626]

Wow, that is probably the only explanation that would make sense. I kinda like it. And perhaps, when the Caretaker took over, he made something that could clone the majority of their population. That would explain why many of them look the same. Or it could be the creepy clothes.

[Sionnach Glic]

Not a bad idea, Seafort.
Hell, it's the only explaination I can think of that would allow the race to come about at all.

[Reliant121]

I think the pet explanation is best. Pets dont last lifetimes normally, and a slave is not very helpful living for such a shorft period of time.

[Teaos]

Oh well at least Janeway risked the lives of her crew for a good reason then...

[Reliant121]

[Mikey]

If that reproductive cycle has always ben the Ocampan standard, how did they survive long enough to become the culture which Voyager encountered? I know they were under the protection of the Caretaker, but they were around before it's presence.

[Sionnach Glic]

Perhaps they had a really large population before their reproductive system took a turn for the stupider?

[Blackstar the Chakat]

No surprise there - the species' sexual dimorphism proves pretty conclusively that they're not hermaphrodites.

Aren't there real species of animals that can change genders? I know some species of frog have been known to do that(and that proved conviniant for the writer of Jurassic Park), so changing genders at some point in their life cycle might not be out of the question.

Does anyone know why they wrote off Kes?

[Blackstar the Chakat]

First of all, the slave/pet idea doesn't quite work, as they had legends of their ancestors have great mental powers that were lost due to their relyance on the Caretaker.

Second, I came across a possible solution to the Ocampa problem. While the Ocama only mate once it might be possible that Ocampan women store the father's genetic material like a queen bee.

[Graham Kennedy]

Even if both males and females could reproduce, and the urge to do so was so strong that every single one normally would, there would still be attrition. There must be those who die before reproducing through accidents, illness, crime, war, whatever.

And a 50% population decline per 8 years would be horrendous. Even after 40 years their numbers would be cut by 97%! After 80 years they would be down by more than 99.9%! There's just no way they would be a viable species.

[Graham Kennedy]

First of all, the slave/pet idea doesn't quite work, as they had legends of their ancestors have great mental powers that were lost due to their relyance on the Caretaker.

Second, I came across a possible solution to the Ocampa problem. While the Ocama only mate once it might be possible that Ocampan women store the father's genetic material like a queen bee.

Kes repeatedly stated that her elogium was the only chance she would have to have a child. If she could store the sperm, there would be no angst about it; do the nasty with neelix and then pop a kid or kids out whenever she's ready.

Although I do admit, the thought of doing the nasty with Neelix may be cause for angst in itself.

[Sionnach Glic]

Evidence points towards the Ocampa not changing gender over the course of their lives, by the way. We saw in one episode a future-Kes which was older and still clearly female.