#Discovery: The Era of Voyage

[cdr2002]

Deep Space Nine forced the mirror universe to evolve as a concept and explore the idea of inverting the characters on a more individualistic level and opening deeper questions of who each of us could have been if our lives turned out differently and I’m tired of that being abandoned and ignored to cling to the familiarity of the Terran Empire.

[kitmarlowe]

"It’s really important, I think, in any era of Doctor Who, for the Doctor to have an emotional journey, to have an arc and go on a voyage of discovery through their time on the show. I always knew this was going to be the arc for Jodie’s Doctor."

CHRIS CHIBNALL ON THE TIMELESS CHILD

[stra-tek]

Big random list of things that NEARLY happened in Star Trek with no context or citation...

Harry Kim was to appear in Picard season 3 as a Captain (possibly of the Voyager-B)

Sarek was to use the Guardian of Forever to go back in time to become Surak of Vulcan, in a Next Gen episode

An episode was pitched where an NX-01 med tech played by Alice Krige was captured and assimilated by the Borg, becoming their queen

A Star Trek movie was almost made about undoing the Kelvin Universe, and would have had Shatner and Nimoy appear

They considered having Will Riker die, Data become first officer and Thomas Riker the Ops officer in TNG's "Second Chances"

JJ Abrams wanted Nichelle Nichols to cameo as the mother of Zoe Saldana's Uhura

The first season of Enterprise was to be set on Earth, culminating with the launch of NX-01 at the end of the season

They considered a shock reveal in ENT season 4 that it was actually the Vulcans who split off from the Romulans, and Romulus was their original homeworld

William Shatner wanted to return as Kirk from the Mirror Universe, in an Enterprise episode that involved time travel and creating the mirror universe with the transporter

Elnor was going to "explore his sexuality" in early Picard season 2 plans, before a change of showrunner and his character mostly vanishing

The ENT writers wanted Shatner to play Chef, a Kirk look-a-like hired by Daniels and trained to act Kirk-like to give an important speech at some point in history the real Kirk is mysteriously absent from

Data was originally created by mysterious aliens, and was to have a twin sister

Prodigy season 2 writers discussed having Chris Pine's Kirk from the Kelvin universe join the crew for a few episodes

In the originally filmed cut of Star Trek: Generations, Kirk is shot in the back and dies

Very early discussions for what eventually became Star Trek: Picard considered an adaptation of the Star Trek: Destiny novel trilogy

These discussions span off from a Short Treks pitch where a young cadet Jean-Luc Picard met Nichelle Nichols' Uhura

Early plans for the 2009 movie had wholesale destruction of the Prime universe, including the destruction of Earth. Thank Perpetual Entertainment for getting the destruction scaled back to Romulus so Star Trek Online had a Federation left to feature

There's was a story treatment written for Star Trek III: The Search for Spock where Spock stays dead

This one might be a little sus, but Christopher Pike in Discovery season 2 was planned to be very religious and fall to his knees at one point before the Red Angel, and clash with Michael over science vs faith

Early ideas for Star Trek Into Darkness had Benedict Cumberbatch as Robert April, former Enterprise captain turned rogue

Seven of Nine was going to sacrifice herself in order for Voyager to get home

A time travel Justice League of Trek movie by Brent Spiner, bringing together all eras of goodies vs all eras of villains, was considered

Spock shot JFK to fix the timeline in a proposed sequel to The Motion Picture

Ripper/Ephraim was originally going to be a regular, if giant tardigrade, crewmember on Discovery

Prior to Leonard Nimoy's involvement in what would become the 2009 Star Trek movie, a story outline was written about prime-universe cadets Kirk and Spock, in a story inspired by TNG's "The First Duty"

The Enterprise crew went through a black hole, back in time and introduced primative man to fire in another 70's movie script

A TNG movie was written where Picard summons a hologram of James T. Kirk for advice

George Kirk was to be found in the pattern buffer of the wrecked U.S.S. Kelvin 30 years later and resurrected

Voyager's EMH was originally to take on the name of his creator early on in the show, and the first Voyager novels call him "Doc Zimmerman" assuming it would have happened by publishing time

There's concept art where the U.S.S. Cerritos is a Galaxy-class starship

Riker was planned to dislike Data, and treat him poorly because he was an android

They considered making Troi's loss of powers in "The Loss" a permanent thing, because of how much hassle they caused the writing staff

Harry Kim wasn't originally planned to survive Species 8472

[aethon-recs]

This Week in Tomarrymort (28 September – 3 October 2024)

So many updates this week!! I feel like this has been one of the busiest weeks for one shots and new fics, particularly with @tomarrybigbang fics and art posting this week.

As always, please feel free to add some extra context to your fic update in the reblog, like a little bit about the chapter(s) updated, as I rely on the authors to share a bit more about their updates, if you’re so inclined! 🤍

A recap of the author notes from last week:

Sits the wind in that quarter by @mosiva (M, 47k, WIP) “Getting close to the end of Sits the wind now! A little bit of omegaverse, a lot of Regency-era romance. Harry is onto approx his fifth change of circumstance so far and Lord Riddle is inching closer to a confession!” Dream a little dream (of me) by @cenedrariva (E, 17k, WIP) “In Chapter 3, Voldemort continues to sneak into Harry's dreams and dismiss his nightmares, until on the last day of the summer holidays, Harry does something unexpected..." War Prize by @duplicitywrites @moontearpensfic (E, 10k, WIP) “Harry is a war bride in a Voldemort Wins AU, but he is also Voldemort's bodyguard. Smack (smut as crack) treated seriously, with dark themes!” I need you to live well by @onehitpleb (T, 2k, complete) “My oneshot is an alternative ending to my gen fic, where Tom grows up and falls in love with Harry. Please read the prequel before reading the oneshot sequel." Touch of Death by @moontearpensfic (E, 3k, WIP) “Touch of Death is pretty much Tom gets knocked up with eggs from an Eldritch (MoD) Harry.”

*

Tomarrymort One Shots and Completed Fic

Chapter 7 (completed) of midnight train by @girl-with-goats

Chapter 5 (completed) of Stand my ground by @ciacconne

Chapters 1 and 2 (completed) of Tangled Up by @known-concepts

One Shot | here, despite your destination by @theonceandfuturequeenoftarts

One Shot | Soil by @ratzeebatz

One Shot | forgive me father by @cindle-writes

One Shot | hot and bothered, seething by yourself by @2sidesofthesamesoul

One Shot | Sharp or Dull? by @xodahafez

One Shot | on line sex & rabbit stew by @izharmilgram

One Shot | A real voyage of discovery by @theonceandfuturequeenoftarts

One Shot | the treacle tart chef by @00queasy00

One Shot | Man of the Year by @known-concepts

One Shot | The last enemy to be defeated is death by @thespacebetweenworlds

*

Tomarrymort Ongoing Fics

Chapter 1 of One for sorrow, two for mirth by @easterndreamer

Chapter 1 of A Murder by Crows by @iseliljathedreamer

Chapter 36 of Part One - The Solitude of Suffering by @iseliljathedreamer

Chapters 1 through 4 of The Brief Fiery Plummets by @thefangirlibrarian

Chapter 8 of Do It Over by @thefangirlibrarian

Chapter 14 of Just Business by @holaolla1

Chapter 1 of Among Us by Blossom26

Chapter 1 of Lunacy by @crowcrowcrowthing

Chapter 3 of Lovely Bitter Water by @pagesinmylife

Chapters 1 and 2 of Mending Broken Things by @tommarvoloriddlesdiary

Chapter 4 of Forbidden Darkness by @neurowriter14

Chapter 1 of demons and angels hang with us by @duender-writes

Chapter 1 of Auror Potter by @albondiguilla007

Chapter 19 of Date Ideas for the Linguistically Inclined by Antique_Mango

Chapter 1 of such unholy heaving by @cealesti

Chapter 5 of Fetters of the Damned by @sc0rpiflow3r

Chapter 11 of Saint Harry by @alenablack @chaos-bear

Chapter 126 of Liquida Tenebris (Remastered) by @dymis

Chapter 2 of Goodbye Evergreen by @v33r00 

Chapter 7 of God is a Wizard by @onehitpleb

Chapter 22 of Time Stumbler by Wintumn

Chapter 17 of When time and reasons fail by citrumade

Chapters 39 through 41 of Terrible, But Great by @isalisewrites

Chapter 11 of Of Soulmates and Sweet Suffering by hannah_bean

Chapter 8 of Anytime, Anywhere, Always by @moontearpensfic

Chapter 6 of The Unintentional Consequences of Prison Reform by @badluck

Chapter 4 of i am anonymous, you are a concrete wall by Pensievable

Chapter 17 of Outrunning the Villain in You by @zenyteehee

Chapter 7 of These Fragments We've Shored by @rowena-rain

Chapter 7 of all you do is kill, love snakes, and lie by @soopsiedaisies

Chapter 2 of Older by @v33r00 

Chapter 4 of Dreams Beyond Blood by @hikarimeroperiddle

Chapter 3 of Memories of a Killer by @chemfreak89

*

[star-trek-fandom-confessions]

#775

i always find it a bit weird when people try to argue that Discovery jumped "a bit too far into the future", as in they didn't want the show to take place in the 32nd century but rather in like 26th-31st. It's not like those times are really well defined beyond the occasional Voyager/Enterprise time cop incident, if anything you'd just have more people complaining about how the Federation ships don't conform to the aesthetics of Relativity. And it seems pretty clear to me that they set it in the 32nd century because the last Trek show had its future stuff in the 31st century, so in a sense we're continuing at the point where we left off. On top of that the writers probably wanted to prevent the crew from travelling back, and having the crew end up in any time in the future where time travel is readily accessible (which tbh is basically TOS-Daniels' era) would make that really hard. So setting it in a post-time war era where time travel is banned by the Federation makes a lot of sense to me.

[lonelyroommp3]

last time i was at my mum’s house i found my old ipod i used from like 2013-15 and i am going to go to cex today to get one of the old chargers for it and then we are going to go on a voyage of discovery through all the 8tracks fanmixes i downloaded in my peak les mis fandom era

[tanadrin]

i think you can make a plausible argument that it was the cultural reaction to 9/11 that killed the star trek franchise for a long time. without rehashing the politics of the 00s too much, there were two possible reactions to something like 9/11, what we might term the "oklahoma city" reaction and the reaction we actually got. 9/11 could have been viewed as a major tragedy but ultimately a criminal act, one which had to be dealt with by the civil authorities like the mcveigh bombing or other notable incidents of deadly terrorism on US soil prior to that date. instead though it was largely conceived of as a foreign military threat, encouraged no doubt by an administration that wanted to pursue a more vigorous foreign policy, and we got, well--*gestures at the first two decades of the 21st century*

this really soured the national political mood--it made the cultural zeitgeist one of paranoia and violent revenge fantasies. it gave us 24, and Taken, and while I'm not sure it's wholly responsible for the reboot of BSG (there's a throughline there with Ronald D. Moore's other work) it certainly contributed to an environment that was receptive to it. and i think in that environment 90s end-of-history optimism about the future, though it should have been a welcome corrective to all that cynicism and paranoia, simply felt like an anachronism. enterprise did last a few years, but only four seasons in total, the shortest run since TOS. the only movie we got in that era before the big hiatus was Nemesis, a movie about terrorism and a foreign threat that just felt kind of weird and incoherent.

and that was the problem for star trek in that era: if you take the utopianism out of roddenberry's future, you're not left with anything interesting. utopianism is the whole justification for these guys exploring space and going boldly and whatnot, the whole reason why the federation is worth rooting for over any of the other guys. i think a big reason the jj abrams movies fail to have any real substance is that they try to make star trek an action-adventure thing, when that was never its strong suit--indeed, TOS fight scenes are notoriously bad!--and it really took until discovery before people were willing to make star trek qua star trek again.

but even then, there's a degree of pessimism at the core of (some of) post-hiatus star trek that sits uncomfortably with the show's original utopian vision. some of this is just the usual metastasization of conceits that worked better as one-offs or very sparingly at most, comparable to the way the borg got beaten into the ground by voyager. but the heavy reliance on elements like section 34 and the mirror universe and the postapocalyptic future and the crapsack alpha quadrant of picard all to me speak of a certain yearning for utopia--a nostalgia for the utopias of the 90s--but much greater cynicism about the relevance of utopian fiction to our day-to-day lives.

[seriesdepelicula]

Colección series vintage, hoy STAR TREK : THE ORIGINAL SERIES (TOS) , en español se llamó VIAJE A LAS ESTRELLAS y también LA CONQUISTA DEL ESPACIO. Es una serie de TV de ciencia ficción creada por Gene Roddenberry y que salió al aire en tres temporadas entre los años 1966/1969 y con 80 capítulos con 29 para la 1ra , 26 para la 2da y 24 para la tercera y última, mas un capítulo extra en el año 1988. La serie esta ambientada en el siglo XXIII y sigue las aventuras de la nav e espacial ENTERPRISE NCC-1701 al mando del Capitan JAMES T.KIRK (𝗪𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗺 𝗦𝗵𝗮𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿), su primer oficial el Sr SPOCK (𝗟𝗲𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗡𝗶𝗺𝗼𝘆), el oficial medico en jefe LEONARD McCOY (𝗗𝗲𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗞𝗲𝗹𝗹𝘆), la oficIal en comunicaciones NYOTA UHURA (𝗡𝗶𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗲 𝗡𝗶𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗹𝘀), los pilotos SULU Y CHEJOV (𝗚𝗲𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗲 𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗶 y 𝗪𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗞𝗼𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗴) y el ingeniero de a bordo SCOTTY (𝗝𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗗𝗼𝗼𝗵𝗮𝗻), todos ellos convertidos en celebridad con el paso del tiempo, algunos mas otros menos. Cuando la serie se estreno en 1966 no fue un éxito de inmediato pues la audiencia era baja y también los ingresos por publicidad e incluso antes de finalizar la 1ra temporada ya se hablaba de una cancelación.Su productor original Gene Roddenberry se alejó en la 3ra temporada y al final de esta, la serie fue cancelada. Sin embargo la serie fue extremadamente popular luego de una redifusión en la década del 1970, tanto que fue seguida de 10 series más y algunas de pronto estreno.

1-Star Trek: La serie animada: Se emitió entre 1973 y 1974.  2-Star Trek: The Next Generation: Se emitió entre 1987 y 1994.  3-Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: Se emitió entre 1993 y 1999.  4-Star Trek: Voyager: Se emitió entre 1995 y 2001.  5-Star Trek: Enterprise: Se emitió entre 2001 y 2005.  6-Star Trek: Discovery: Se emitió entre 2017 y 2024k.  7-Star Trek: Picard: Se emitió entre 2020.  8-Star Trek: Lower Decks: Estreno 2020 y concluye a final 2024. 9-Star Trek: Prodigy: Se emitió entre 2021 y 2024. 10-Star Trek: Strange New Worlds: Estreno 2022 y aún al aire.   11-Star Trek: Starfleet Academy: Se estrenará en 2025.

Obviamente que la franquicia no se quedo solo en la creación y emisión de series, sino que también se crearon películas, que hasta la fecha son 6 con los personajes de la serie original, el Capitán Kirk, Spock, Uhura y otros.

1-Star Trek:The Motion Picture (1979). 2-Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982). 3-Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984). 4-Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986). 5-Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989). 6-Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991).

Con el resurgimiento de la franquicia, gracias a una nueva serie llamada Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987), llegaron otra saga de películas con el Capitán Picard (𝗣𝗮𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝘄𝗮𝗿𝘁), que en total fueron estas 4:

1-Star Trek: Generations (1994). 2-Star Trek: First Contact (1996). 3-Star Trek: Insurrection (1998). 4-Star Trek: Némesis (2002).

La franquicia se tomo unos años de descanso, hasta que en el 2009, Lanza una película, que fue finalmente trilogía, con el Capitán Kirk mas joven, interpretado por 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀 𝗣𝗶𝗻𝗲.Las películas fueron:

1-Star Trek (2009).   2-Star Trek Into Darkness (2013). 3-Star Trek Beyond (2016).

También habra una película nueva, que retomará el personaje de la emperadora Philippa Georgiou, interpretado por la actriz 𝗠𝗶𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗲 𝗬𝗲𝗼𝗵, cuyo personaje apareció en la serie Star Trek Discovery (2017):

1-Star Trek: Section 31 (2025).

Quedo grabado para siempre en nuestros oidos el introito de la serie original y todas las demás, la voz de su capitán que decía “El espacio: la ultima frontera. Estos son los viajes de la nave estelar «Enterprise», en una misión que durara cinco años, dedicada a la exploración de mundos desconocidos, al descubrimiento de nuevas vidas y nuevas civilizaciones, hasta alcanzar lugares donde nadie ha podido llegar antes”. Mi puntaje para esta icónica serie es 8/10.

[demilypyro]

I never saw TOS and couldn't get into Discovery but as far as the Next Generation-DS9-Voyager-Lower Decks era goes my Star Trek knowledge might as well be encyclopedic

[disco-archetypes]

ENCYCLOPEDIA - It was on her advice that Irene La Navigateur sponsored a number of voyages into the pale. A costly, often tragic endeavour, ultimately vindicated by the discovery of the *New New World*, the piece of reality you're standing on...

ENCYCLOPEDIA - She was crowned two years after the first expedition returned, setting in motion what is widely considered the greatest era in history -- the Dolorian Era.

YOU - I don't care.

ENCYCLOPEDIA - Okay. When her innocence was declared -- and the queen she had advised for years fell on her knees before her -- she was so overcome with emotion that her *lungs* started *glowing* in her chest...

ENCYCLOPEDIA - Bystanders reported golden filaments lighting the already sunlit chamber around her, clearly visible beneath her dress. I repeat: *Her lungs started glowing*. Do you care now?

[thesims4blogger]

New The Sims 4 Survey Asks Players About Future Expansion Packs

There is a new official The Sims 4 survey asking players about potential expansion pack ideas they could develop in the future, based on nine different concepts.

This is not the first time EA asks players for feedback on ideas for upcoming packs. Titles like Snowy Escape were heavily hinted in official surveys years before their release.

With that said, it is uncertain if any of these nine expansion pack ideas will see the light of day, or how much they will change upon development. You can read a brief description of each of the nine concepts below.

Make sure you take the survey and let the team know what you want to see in The Sims 4.

“Traverse an uncharted, otherwordly extreme environment where civilization has collapsed and nature has reclaimed the remnants of a once-great city, your Sim must adapt to survive and work together to thrive.”

“Journey with your Sims through an adventurous exploration of coastal landscapes to discover prehistoric and marine fossils and other natural wonders, showcase your unique discoveries to inspire conservation and adventure skills.”

“Experience a modern monarchy, where you’ll build your legacy through grand estates, political intrigue, and luxurious fashion. Rise from commoner to ruler, forge alliances, and navigate royal rivalries in a culturally rich, high-stakes drama of power, influence, and exclusive living.”

“Shape your Sims’ fate in a gritty city. Will they become notorious criminals, vigilante for justice, or play both sides? Navigate from small-time pickpocketing to high-stakes heists, and decide your path in a world full of shady deals and intense stakeouts.”

“Transport your Sims to a neon-lit cyberpunk future where you can enhance their human or robot lives with cutting-edge tech, explore gritty careers, and navigate complex relationships between Sims & robots, in a whimsical dystopian world.”

“Create an adventure-filled sleepaway camp where kids discover new hobbies, uncover camp secrets, and forge lifelong friendships, all while exploring beaches, lakes, and rivers under the care of dedicated counselors.”

“Customize your travel van and live on the road. Explore picturesque destinations, trade with the locals, and work on your mechanic skills. Prepare for your retirement and expanded elder adventures.”

“Step into a lively 80s/90s retro world in a bustling mall setting, enjoying classic, throwback activities and unique storylines that reimagine the era with nostalgic charm and unforgettable drama.”

“Dive into a vibrant ocean world and explore hidden treasures, meet marine life, build your seaside dream, and sail between charming coastal towns. Every dive and voyage offers new discoveries.”

[startrekprodigyfan]

Since I’m on a bit of a nostalgia rant for Star Trek, here’s something I miss. Comfortable environments. I know on the original show it’s meant to be kinda like submarines in space, but by the TNG era they didn’t need to go that route. They kept the color palette warm and homey. There was carpeting, friendly shapes, bright ambient lighting. It’s very safe and friendly.

Even on voyager there was a certain level of homey vibes. The bridge was more metallic, but the chairs were leather and comfortable looking and the floor was still carpeted.

Contrast that to Strange New Worlds and Discovery by extension. Everything is either mono color, or filled to the brim with too much shit going on. Everything is shiny, and glossy, and bright, and reflection filled, or clinically cold, and empty, and sterile. I don’t feel “At home” here.

I miss when Star Trek was comfortable.

[galactic-pirates]

Honourable mentions go to the Enterprise E which I didn't have space to list separately (sorry Worf), the Protostar from Prodigy and anything else I didn't have room for (they really should up the 10 limit). If your favourite didn't make the list please say in tags/reblog what it is :)

[stra-tek]

Klingon D7/K'tinga Battlecruiser continuity DEEP DIVE!

Where it all began in TOS, designed by W. Matt Jeffries. The name D7 was an on-set in-joke between Shatner and Nimoy which stuck.

When Star Trek rebooted it's Klingons for The Motion Picture, they added tons of surface detail to the Klingon Battlecruiser too. The name "K'tinga" was given in the TMP blueprint pack (although the model was called "Koro class") and it stuck. This was considered the Klingons' equivalent to the refitted Enterprise seen in the movie.

Deep Space Nine's "Trials and Tribble-ations" crossed DS9 over with TOS' "The Trouble With Tribbles", and the DS9 VFX crew built all-new physical models for visual effects - and Greg Jein chose to add a green tint and K'tinga-style surface detail to the TOS D7 battlecruiser, making us all wonder if they were really meant to be the same ship type all along.

Voyager's "Prophecy" would show us a Klingon "D7" battlecruiser in the Delta Quadrant. Although called a D7 in the script, the CG model is clearly based upon the TMP K'tinga, with the extra hull detailing.

Doug Drexler designed this ���️D4 Battlecruiser for Star Trek: Enterprise's "Unexpected" as a predecessor for the ship seen in TOS. But The Powers That Be decided the ship didn't have enough windows (yes, really) and requested the D7/K'tinga CG model from Voyager be used instead⬇️ putting it's first appearance 150 years earlier in 2151.

For the TOS Remastered HD TOS project, the original look for the Klingon D7 Battlecruiser was retained, albeit in a somewhat low-poly PS2-ish form

The Klingon Warbird, seen during the Kobayashi Maru sequence of the 2009 reboot movie (and more so in the deleted scenes, surrounding the damaged Narada before Nero's imprisonment at Rura Penthe), was literally the TMP K'tinga with extra stuff bolted on and smaller windows implying an upscaling to match the enormous Starfleet ships in the Kelvin universe.

The Pike-era novel Children of Kings would reconcile the huge Klingon Warbird by saying it was a larger version of the Battlecruiser (of course, Klingons are no strangers to upscaling their Bird of Prey) and most feared ship in the Klingon fleet

Fast forward to 2017. Star Trek: Discovery has rebooted the look of the Klingons again and this time their ships as well, ten years prior to TOS. And in "Choose Your Pain" this ship ⬆️ (called Sech-class in behind-the-scenes art) is called a D7. But then fast-forward to season 2, when 5 concurrent series' of Trekspam were planned out, tying more closely into previous canon and Discovery backpedaled somewhat on it's unique designs - and a "new" D7 battlecruiser (a more modest updating of the Klingon D7/K'Tinga design, upscaled like the Kelvinverse version to match the bigger Discovery/Strange New Worlds ships) was planned as a unified design to united the 24 Klingon great houses, ignoring ENT: "Unexpected" and Disco's own "Choose Your Pain":

So yeah, the D7 class may or may not be the same as the K'tinga class, and it appeared "first" in 2151 and again in 2257.

[talonabraxas]

Quetzalcoatl 🐉 Talon Abraxas

Creation Myths

Quetzalcoatl-Ehécatl and his crafty brother Tezcatlipoca were in the business of creation. In some incredible escapades, they created the earth, sea and night sky and were regents of the first two ‘suns’, or world eras of the existing five. When the brothers separated the sky from the earth, they even turned into the trees that held the two apart, earnings the names of Quetzalhuéxotl and Tezcacahuitl.

Quetzalcoatl’s life-giving ability gave rise to many of the things around us. On a lone voyage, he went to find the bones of the dead in the underworld, known as Mictlan. After many trials and tribulations he was able to escape Mictlan and carry the bones to Tamoanchan, home of the gods. He ground the bones and mixed them with his blood, creating the first humans of the 5th (and current) sun.

In another act as creator, Quetzalcoatl threw his semen at a rock and from it grew a bat that approached the fertility goddess Xochiquetzal (Quetzal Flower), biting her between the legs. From her wound burst beautiful flowers that the bat took to the lord of the underworld, Mictlantecuhtli, who bathed them in the water of his subterranean rivers and perfumed the blossoms.

Many other creation myths revolve around Quetzalcoatl, some including the creation of the maguey plant, and the discovery of corn

Quetzalcoatl was often represented as the life-giving wind, with a beak or mask protruding from his face. With this appendage he was able to sweep the roads clean before the arrival of the rain gods (pic 5). Under the guise of wind, he was called Quetzalcoatl-Ehécatl and was considered a great cultural hero. This image from the sixteenth century Codex Borbonicus (pic 8, right) shows his conical hat made from the fur of an Ocelot. A recurring feature in Quetzalcoatl-Ehécatl’s iconography is a conch chest ornament. Called ehecacózcatl (wind jewel), the shell has been interpreted as an association with the womb and the generation of life. The conch shell is symbolic of the ancestral bones from which Quetzalcoatl created humankind as we know it.

Quetzalcoatl-Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli, the Morning Star

The legend of Ce Acatl Topiltzin Quetzalcoatl goes on to tell us that after a long pilgrimage towards the east, our hero found himself so thoroughly defeated by his brother Tezcatlipoca that he threw himself on a burning pyre in an act of self-sacrifice. From the smoking remains rose the morning star, Venus, who is represented by Quetzalcoatl in his guise of Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli. He accompanies the sun across the sky during the day. This image from the Codex Borgia (pic 9) shows Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli displaying the quincunx: five circles associated with Venus. His hair is red and his body painted with red and white stripes. He is featured on the left in the upper and lower panels of the page. On the right hand side is Quetzalcoatl-Ehécatl.

Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli served as patron deity of astrological knowledge and was of profound importance in religious books in the Central Highlands and Oaxaca. Used for divination, these documents were called Tonalamame (sing. Tonalamatl), and displayed the portents of the 260 day lunar calendar known as the Tonalpoualli (Counting of the Days). Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli was considered patron of this calendar (Yólotl González-Torres,1991).

Xolotl, the Evening Star

Tlahuizcalpentecuhtli could only guard the sun as it crossed the daytime sky. However, Quetzalcoatl had another invocation that would help Venus through the underworld as the Evening Star: Xolotl, the dog (pic 10). Considered by some to be Quetzalcoatl’s double, assistant or twin, Xolotl aided Quetzalcoatl when he descended to the Mictlan to recover the bones of humankind. In Náhuatl, the word Xolotl was often associated with the concept of twins and physical deformity, so statues of the deity often portray a dog with twin heads, or ragged ears and running sores.

Interests: Saving the world (or making it), preserving life, cultivating knowledge and recognising beauty.

Day Sign: Wind

Trecena (13 day week): 1 Jaguar. According to sixteenth century friar Bernadino de Sahagún and his native informants, he also presided over 1 Reed. This last period was considered to bring bad luck because it was represented by Quetzalcoatl in his forceful guise of Wind. The trecena was marked by the Aztec nobility who made offerings in Calmecacs, learning institutions for noble children. Children born during 1 Reed were thought to be ill-fortuned, and the calendar foretold that all they gained in life would be “taken by the wind” (Sahagún, book III, chapter VIII). To save children born during the worst phase of 1 Reed, the Aztecs held childrens’ naming ceremonies on or after the 7th day of the week (7 Rain) as the following days were more auspicious.

Powers: As we know from stories of old, Quetzalcoatl’s physical powers and intelligence knew no bounds. But what were his monster-killing, sky-lifting and star-forming capacities in the face of his sneaky brother Tezcatlipoca? Quetzalcoatl and Tezcatlipoca were brothers in divine myths, where they worked together as creators, and against each other in acts of destruction. In the Legend of the Suns, their battles saw them topple each other as regents of individual worlds. As humans, Tezcatlipoca’s trickery thwarted the priest Quetzalcoatl (myth of Ce Acatl Topiltzin Quetzalcoatl). The cosmic battle between the two brothers has been interpreted as a dualistic opposition between creative and destructive forces (Taube, 1993, p82).