"Venturi Prime is a planet that is like a global museum; the OLD buildings with OLD words, OLD songs, OLD books, OLD clothes, preserving the OLD way that smells of dust and stagnation."

The Venturi are an ancient reptilian member of the Federation. Their planet, Alpha Venturi Major, circles a cooling star. The seas and soil are dying as the sun shrinks. The planet is a theocracy, ruled by a pope. This theocracy has created a world determined by a religious text and decisions are made based on prayer rather than by reason. Natural phenomena are perceived to be religious signs and acts of Gods and demons. The society is created an run by religious tenets and policed to keep them on the straight and narrow. The ruling theocrats determine what is allowed or not, what can be taught a home and schools and what is forbidden. This cements the theocracy in place as determined by scripture and to question it is blasphemy. The ruling theocratic class live in opulence, whilst the remainder of the world lives in the death throes of a dying planet. The United Federation of Planets has been petitioned since the 2280s to provide aid and help the home planet. When efforts were not perceived as sufficient, some of the Venturi sought out their own technological solution. Some of them found ancient butterfly-like starships that they then restored and used for acts of piracy to aid their world.

The Pope has described the plight of the planet as being as the result of sinners and turning their backs on the word of God. Whilst this theocracy was friendly to the United Earth Starfleet and Coalition of Planets, recently the religious order has been critical of the United Federation of Planets, the failure of science to privide a solution has only intensified this criticism and anti-science mantras. Most of the Venturi have opted to stay on their world and this political ‘hot potato’ has kept resurfacing for decades. Protests reached an all-time high when President Ra’ghoratreii announced substantial Federation aid to the Klingon home world of Kronos, a former enemy planet. Ra-ghoratreii showed sympathy but in the end the issue is a dying star, which surpasses Federation scientific abilities at this time.

Starfleet has been addressing the issue on two fronts: an unprecedented scientific race is underway to find a way to reignite the star (successfully achieved by Gideon Seyetik in 2370) or to find an alternative way of heating and lighting the planet. Secondly they are fronting a temporary evacuation programme to get as many Venturi off the planet before the dwindling ecosphere collapses.

Starfleet Academy utilises the plight of the Venturi as an instructional tool. It also replays the Alshoff Incident, where one Venturi- Prelate Alshoff- gained substantial mental powers. The missions help the cadets to question why the Venturi are acting as pirates and to address the very real issue that even Federation member worlds are subject to natural disasters.

Sources:

Starfleet Academy by Interplay Games (1997).

ST:TAS - Jihad.

ST: IV The Voyage Home (1986).

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ST: TNG - Rightful Heir.

ST: DS9 - The Emissary.

ST: DS9 - The Circle.

ST: DS9 - Rapture.

ST: DS9 - Accession.

ST: DS9 - The Reckoning.

ST: DS9 - In the Hands of the Prophets.

ST: DS9 - Tears of the Prophets

ST: DS9 - Image in the Sand.

ST: DS9 - Shadows and Symbols.

ST: DS9 - Covenant

ST: DS9 - Destiny.

ST: DS9 - What We Leave Behind.

DS9 documentary What We Left Behind - Season 8 Writer's Room.

ST: DSC - New Eden.

In the Closet of the Vatican by Frederic Martel

Vatican War by Philip Willan.

The Vatican Diaries by John Thavin.

The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins.

The Four Horsemen by Dawkins, Dennett, Harris and Hitchens.

The Blind Watchmaker by Richard Dawkins.

Enlightenment Now by Steven Pinker.

The Bottom Billion by Paul Collins.

Stigmata (1999)

End of Days (1999)

The Way (2010)

The Two Popes (2019)

Avatar (2009)

An Inconvenient Truth

Before the Flood by Leonardo DiCaprio.

Virunga by Leonardo DiCaprio.

Seaspiracy

Our Planet

Our World by David Attenborough.

On Fire by Naomi Klein

How to avoid a Climate Disaster by Bill Gates

The Next Great Migration by Sonia Shah.

Inheritors of the Earth by Chris D. Thomas.

The World Without Us by Alan Weisman

Drought, Flood, Fire - How Climate Change contributes to catastrophes by Chris C Funk.

The Unatural World by David Bielle.

Humans of Climate Change by Kaden Hogan.

The Fragile Earth by David Remnick and Henry Finder.

The Sixth Extinction by Elizabeth Kolbert.

Extinctions: Living and Dying in the Margin of Error by Michael Hannah.

Under a White Sky: The Nature of the Future by Elizabeth Kolbert.

Field Notes from a Catastrophe by Elizabeth Kolbert.

Net Zero by Dieter Helm.

Losing Earth: The Decade We Could Have Stopped Climate Change by Nathaniel Rich.

Rewilding the Sea by Charles Clover.

The Book of Hope by Jane Goodall.

A Trillion Trees by Fred Pearce.

The End of Nature by Bill McKibben.

Alpha Venturi Major

The cooling planet has a climate that now approximates the warmth of an Earth Spring of circa 10-20 Celsius and drops to -50 Celsius or more in winter. The twilight of 8 months of the year only allows a short time for crops to grow; Federation agricultural technology has used giant hydroponics farms and advanced fertilisers to accelerate crop growth and keeps the ecosphere functioning. The longer-term fear is the death of the forests, trees and oceanic algae that help to generate oxygen for the planet. This insurmountable issue will eventually mean that there is not enough oxygen to support Venturi life on the planet.

The main spaceport delivers food and other aid, as well as emigrating Venturi. Starfleet has been attempting to alter the atmosphere to try to keep the warmth in, using reflectors to try and capture more light and heat for the planet; maximising what output the star is providing, to bring a few more decades’ breathing room to find a solution one way or the other.



The Papal Inquisition Service

This is the security arm of the Holy Order of the Venturi. The PIS answers to the Pope and his council of Cardinals. The PIS covers all aspects of security on Alpha Venturi Major, according to the religious doctrines. Religious crimes against the prime commandments carry the highest penalties. Murder and blasphemy are rated the most severe crimes, balanced by the aspect of forgiveness by either the victim or the family of the victim.

Prefect Yintex is the current head of the PIS. A former Prior of the Convent of New Risac, Yintex was selected, after extensive religious trials and interrogation, to become the new head of the Papal Inquisition Service. His uncle was a respected Cardinal in the Holy Order and put in a good word for the young Yintex, who joined the monastery at a young age. He showed he possessed the virtues of piety, learning and austerity, mastering the spirituality and defensive arts of the Venturi faith.

The PIS consists of Holy Offices across the planet, administering religious justice to the people, headquartered in the Palace of the Holy Order. Protecting the faithful and punishing the sinners. It’s motto is: "spread sound Venturi doctrine and defend those points of Venturi tradition which seem in danger because of new and unacceptable doctrines". The PIS employs cardinals, bishops, priests and canon lawyers.

The PIS retains some of the advanced interrogation technology from the time before the Fall. This technology is not spoken of, and denied to Federation representatives. This advanced Venturi technology can perform interrogations, forcing the victims to speak truthfully. It can also be used for cognitive re-programming. It is rumoured that the PIS has more technology in reserve to maintain its undisputed position in government. As the planetary situation continues to deteriorate, this rumour could be pressed into being revealed as either truth or fiction.

Cult of Alshoff

This cult sprang up in 2288 after the incident with the enhanced Venturi known as Alshoff. The cult centres on Alshoff as a prophet for the restoration of the Venturi home world. They have a few high-profile followers in the Venturi government and their influence extends as far as the Federation Council. The cult has taken over many of the religious buildings on Alpha Venturi Major and has regular pilgrimages and services to mourn the lack of help. Some Venturi have attempted to mimic the method of Alshoff to enhance their mental abilities but to no avail.

Like the Holy Order governing the Venturi, the Cult displays its roots as a breakaway cult with a similar power structure and traditions. The leader of the cult inevitably is named Alshoff as a physical reincarnation and embodiment of the original Alshoff. Some say that due to the extreme mental abilities of the original Alshoff that, like a Vulcan Katra, the essence of Alshoff has been able to be transferred from one individual to another.

The Papal Inquisition Service and Federation Security are monitoring everything to do with the Cult; Starfleet Security, with assets from Starfleet intelligence, have provided assistance to contain what has proven itself to be a dangerous, radicalised organisation.

The Cult has discovered that the Venturi civilisation was once far more advanced than it is now. The religious Holy Order of the Venturi assumed leadership only a few thousand years ago, after bloody civil wars killed millions of Venturi in an episode that mirrors the fate of Atlantis. The Holy Order set about burying the technology of the past to secure a peaceful present. The Cult has located the butterfly ships that were used in 2288, amongst other technological marvels. Their understanding of this technology is limited, but they hope to use it to both restore the planet and cement their position as the true rulers of Alpha Venturi Major.

The Cult has discovered 'butterfly' ships and other technologies, long buried by the Venturi in their distant past. They are attempting to use this technology to restore their own world; these new discoveries are also used by a minority to carry out acts of piracy against Federation transports and other ships. This has caused great consternation in the Federation Council; a member race prepared to perform acts of piracy against other Federation ships is unacceptable. The Butterfly ships are said to be 70 000 years old.

Global Politics:

With the encroaching issues of famine and ecosystem collapse from the cooling sun, the Venturi government is struggling to maintain control of the situation. Despite the Federation aid that is delivered daily, many have petitioned the government to withdraw from the United Federation of Planets, citing the Humans, Vulcans, Andorians and Tellarites have preferential treatment; even the Klingons have had more positive results from the Federation aid.

This political stance has been taken further by Venturi politicians to appeal to the outer colonies of the Federation, pointing out the them-and-us differences between the luxuries and perfect lifestyles of the central core worlds and colonies versus the life on the outer worlds. Some of the outer colonies have shown a sympathy to the Venturi, seeing them as the old and wise race being patronised and humoured by the Federation Council on Earth.

The fear of losing not just their homes but their whole civilisation: monuments, buildings, cemeteries and battle grounds, mountains, hills, rivers, sacred places and other personal places means that the Venturi people are facing the obliteration of what they are. It is this fear that threatens to bring the population down into anarchy. Fringe groups and anarchists have attempted to bring about just such a coup, only with Federation assistance has the government continued to function. The government buildings themselves are cordoned off and people are checked before they can approach.

The Federation Science Council and Vulcan Science Academy have annexes on Alpha Venturi Major studying the progress of stellar diminution and the effects on the ecosphere. Both of these programmes are seen as a visible sign of Federation intention to address the changes, both were driven by President Ra-ghoratreii, afraid of the negative influence the Venturi protests were having.

Senator Olriff

Venturi representative on the Federation council on Earth for the last nine years. Outspoken in his views of both the poor standing of the Venturi in the eyes of the Federation and their home world’s plight, Olriff is one of the more colourful characters on the floor of the senate. Despite the common acknowledgement that the Venturi are an old and honoured race, that honour does not seem to extend beyond to their standing in the Federation council, they are not members of the Security Council and do not share the esteem that the Vulcans and Andorians possess for simply being founder members.

Olriff was selected by papal decree in agreement with the council of cardinals. His brief was to keep the pressure on the Federation President and keep the Federation Science Council working on a solution to the plight of Venturi Major. The senator has been seen over the years in many memorable clashes with the president and senior senators over the resources used to save the Venturi world over evacuating them. Heated, impassioned speeches have been directed at the Earth and Vulcan representatives.

Olriff has been famously implicated in a scandal involving sensitive information being leaked to the Federation News Network, yet another means that the outspoken senator has applied pressure to the Federation council. Like all Venturi in the religious order of state, Olriff wears flowing, flamboyant clothes; this attire only adds to his presence when he is seen on screen ranting about the plight of the Venturi people, of how the Federation has decided they are only destined to be refugees. Think of the Reverend Ian Paisley in Northern Ireland...

Olriff has been making some in-roads into gaining support from the outer colonies and non-founder members of the Federation. He has made the case, successfully some would say, that the Federation council is a clique of founder members who for a half dozen worlds who dictate terms for the remaining dozens of members. Worlds near the Klingon and Romulan borders, as well as some of the newer members have been swayed into siding with the wisdom of the ancient, honoured Venturi for a reform of the Federation council to make a more even representation.

Federation security has a file on the Senator, as has Starfleet Security. The activities and movements of the Senator have been monitored in a low-key manner by order of the President and close aides. The potentially-subversive activities of the Senator provoking this extreme move. After the emergence of the Cult of Alshoff, the Federation council and Federation Security have been more weary of potentially radical Venturi. Much in the same vein how CND and communist party members have been monitored historically in the UK...

Pope Akariv

Leader of the Venturi people and top tier of the theocratic venture culture. Akariv was chosen by the council of cardinals to succeed as pope. The holy order of the Venturi are still recovering from the actions of Prelate Alshoff in 2288. Akariv, formerly Bendex, adopted the name of one of the founding fathers of Venturi society. As with the catholic pope. The Holy Order is in a time of great strife: the planetary decline continues, whilst rioters, anarchists and the renegade Cult of Alshoff threaten to challenge their authority. An authority that has been set in stone for eons. The Pope and cardinals have been deep in meditation and prayer for an answer to their plight. The Federation council has been chastised for falling short of a result; the evacuation of the cultural home of the Venturi has been seen as an unacceptable answer.

With the planet in terminal decline, the pope tends to remain with his people—partly as a symbol of hope for the people, partly out of fear of a coup whilst he was away. The Holy Order has seen many of their religious locations and churches taken by the Cult of Alshoff; they are trying to regain their property by using the Papal Inquisition Service but this has had a limited effect. A cross between the Spanish Inquisition and the FBI.

Modern Venturi history:

The Venturi became Federation members around the time of Jonathan Archer. The planet was only observed as a culture with a late stage star, with unusual gravimetric readings. The culture was found to have warp technology and were approached for First Contact by NX-04, U.S.S. Discovery. They were offered membership to the Federation and aid to keep their planet habitable. Despite the religious overtones, it was found that the Federation ideals of peace and democracy appealed to the Venturi.

Later it was discovered their sun was dying, rapidly cooling much faster than expected. Whereas the star would have normally be expected to progress over millennia, the rate of decay was vastly accelerated to the point that by the late 2280s the crops were failing and planetary evacuation was the only option.

The star has been the subject of multiple studies by science vessels, all seeking to find the answer to the rapid decline. A recent study by a specialised Oberth class starship has confirmed the presence of some technology present (with possible Venturi aspects). The device is thought to be some sort of stellar stabilisation technology of a level never seen before. Due to the location of the device within the chromosphere of the sun, it is not possible to either approach it, nor remove it. The device possesses a strong gravimetric property and it is unknown what effect removing the device will have. Transporter locks are ineffective with the gravimetric interference.

It is thought that the device works by using the sun’s own energy to create a gravimetric field to counteract the natural tendency of the exhausted star to collapse. The star has now reached a critical tipping point of mass and is now catching up with thousands of years-worth of decay.

The device is an ancient Venturi sun-stabiliser that has kept the Venturi civilisation going for hundreds of thousands of years before the Fall. The existence of the device was forgotten over time and it is only now the device has malfunctioned that the star is now destabilised. Perhaps the device is merely broken, or perhaps it cannot compensate for the stress of maintaining a star long overdue collapse and has reached a tipping point: explaining neatly how the Venturi have so suddenly got a stellar disaster on their hands within decades not millennia.

2288 - Alshoff Incident raises the profile of the Venturi plight.

2291 - Hirayama takes aid to Alpha Venturi Major en route to the Tabula Rasa systems.

2293 - Protests after Federation announces aid package to Qo'noS.

2299 - President Ra-ghoratreii announces a new aid package to Venturi. A renewed effort to sell the idea of a new Homeworld as the best option.

Politics:

The collapsing ecosphere is bringing out extremism on both sides. Religious devotees are praing and self-immolating in an attempt to appease the almighty. Younger Venturi are rebelling against The Faith and 5000 years of tradition. They're looking at the reality and science for answers. Their older relatives are trying to silence and re-educate them. The Pope addresses the people regularly to reassure that their prayers are working. Blame is placed on science and the sins of the unfaithful. The Papal Security Services regularly pull people in for transgressing the religious codes and dress codes. These morality police have re-education centres and punish those who break the laws.

Venturi and relationship with Federation Council:

Currently, the Federation Council has an uneasy relationship with the Venturi. They're old members of the Federation, going back to the time of Jonathan Archer. There's a sense of loyalty to the planet as an old member. With the stellar cooling and collapse of the ecosphere, the council has ordered Starfleet to set up a centre for studying the impact and trying to slow the disaster, whilst evacuation plans are considered. The papal council refuse to accept evacuation. The Starfleet Biological and environmenal science mission on Alpha Venturi has security issues and is treated with distain by the papal government.

Section 31:

Science Vs. Religion:

This is the debate promised in Star Trek: Discovery season 2, that was briefly touched upon in the episode New Eden and then never dealt with again.

Science and Religion are very bad bed partners. Religion doesn't open up to any debate whatsoever. The congregation are read passages from the holy text and told this is the one and only truth. It never changes and is NEVER up for debate. Science, on the other hand, deals with theory formation, testing and retesting that theory. Rejecting ones that have no supporting evidence and continuing with the ones evidence supports. It isn't opinion that drives science, it is evidence and testing that theory, constantly.

Religion shuts down debate: "God said it", as a closing statement, not a question. God did it, God said it, God made is so; these are closed comments made by believers to state how and why the World was made and why thinsg are in the Bible as they are. It doesn't inveite question and is worded as an unquestionable fact. As people don't like the unknown, by having a magic, omnipotent being as the final answer, this makes all answers to questions 'known'. Science has no sacred cows. It doesn't have faith or immoveable values. It deals in impartial statements of a theory and then testing. If evidence doesn;t support a theory, it is rejected. Science isn't afraid to say it doesn't know or that it was wrong as the information was the best that was available with the methods of testig at the time.

Religion is stuck in the past, of the time of it's creation. Old sacred texts, old robes, old languages like latin and old ways. Science deals with the present and predicts towards the future; it moves with the times and drives progress. Science doesn't moralise, but is driven in a moral way.

There is a reason why there is Blind Faith and not Blind Science. Religious people have a tendency to justify apparent discretions in the religion and do not open it up to be wrong. Ever. Science revolves around testing, retesting and peer review. If a paper is bad science or methodology, it is actively called out and corrected.

Historically the church has been against anyone who undermined their intellectual authority. Galileo Galilei was told to recant his theory that the sun is at the centre of the universe as God created the Earth and therefore it must be the celestial body at the centre. Religion at its worst, demanding the facts fit the faith, not the evidence driving the theory. Galileo refused and was executed by the church.

The Catholic church demands that priests abide by a vow of chastity. This tied up sexual energy finding outlets in the forms of homosexuality and paedophilia. A vow that goes against biology. The vows of poverty, where a priest must have no wealth, yet the church has the biggest palaces, libraries and other buildings. Vast tracts of lands and demands donations each week for people to pay their way into heaven. Gross hypocrisy of the worst kind.

Religion is the cause of most wars, each faith proclaiming itself to be the latest and last word from God. Until the next prophet. Religions build on the highest ground, build on top of the last religions to show they are the new authority and even resort to defacing old faiths or downgrading them from being a religion to being just a myth - like with Norse, Roman and Greek. Science progresses. Old ideas are remembered and the buildings are universities and colleges, not built on hills. Religion has an ego that must be massaged.

Religion is like child who refuses to give way to adulthood, despite it being detrimental, unhealthy or leading to distress. Priests tell us what God thinks and humans need God to get them through difficult decisions or times, to fall back on faith - rather than asking our friends or seeking help from each other as a species.

God and/or religion are against cultural progress. The evidence for this comes from the Bible itself:

1. The Original Sin in Genesis was the eating of the apple from the tree of Knowledge. Eve ate the apple and realises she is naked, amongst other things. She then persuades Adam to eat the apple too and they are cast out from Paradise/Garden of Eden as a result of losing their ignorance. So God didn't want humans to be sentient? Only the ignorant can live in paradise?

2. The story of the Tower of Babel. Humans build the Tower to be closer to God and to co-operate and achieve something for themselves. God destroys the tower and scatters humanity. Not content with the destruction and moving people around, He also scarmbles their languages so they cannot speak to each other. So God doesn't want humans achieving anything themselves and is vindictive enough to utterly make sure this feat cannot be repeated (until the Egyptians and Incas do it with slaves...).

3. Eve ate the apple and gained knowledge. The story is she was tempted to do so by the serpent on the tree. After gaining knowledge, she then selflessly wants Adam to be knowledgeable too. A a result, Eve is villified for being sinful. When Cain kills Abel, ther seems to be little qualitative difference between murder and obtaining knowledge. Mary Magdalene is the first to see the resurrected Jesus. In her (now-apocryphal) testament, it's Mary Magdalene who sets up the church and tells the disciples Jesus is risen. In the rewrite, Peter starts the church and Mary Magdalene is recast as a prostitute. The Bible slurring her reputation, because she's a woman.

4. In Catholicism and other strict interpreations of Christianity (and other major religions) women are NOT allowed to be priests or have the top roles. There's never been a female Archbisop of Canterbury or York, never a female head of the Islamic faith or Judaism, church elders cannot be women in many churches. Just for being a woman. This is sexism and because a religion is frozen at the cultural time that the holy texts are written, this 'cultural attitude fo men of that time' cannot be corected as the Bible and other texts cannot be changed from their original wording. Pope Joan in the middle ages was a woman. She served as pope for two years. Her bust as pope was taken down in the Siena Cathedral and modern scholars now consider her to be 'fictional'. Again. heaven literally forbid a woman to run the church. Despite the Almighty having never destroyed Rome in anger at a woman having the to job.

According to the Bible, Sodom and Gamorrah were destroyed for their gross behaviours (perhaps some reference to sodomy and anti-homosexuality). God eventually sends a flood to destroy most of humanity as they're too sinful. So mass genocide to wipe the board clean and start again.

As the quote at the start of this page makes clear, religions are frozen at the time that their holy text sets down the 'rules'. As the text cannot be updated ever again, this freezes the cultural values at that time. Thousands of years later, there's a cognitive dissonance between the religious values and the cultural values of the time. It is, therefore, perhaps inevitable that religions will fail and collapse as they fail to keep up with the values of the society. As with the Tower of Babel, the internet allows people to come together and achieve things themselves.

It is perhaps the biggest irony that religion demands people to be faithful, yet has no faith at all in humanity.

Author notes: Venturi Prime and the Venturi are a story of two modern aspects: Climate Emergency and the clash of religion with science. In the face of a catastrophe that threatens the planet, the Venturi religious leaders reject science as the solution and resort to hope and prayers. As with shootings in American schools, this term of phrase has been used repeatedly to no change. The planet is cooling and the ecosphere is collapsing. Starfleet Science has missions there, along with the Vulcan Science Academy, to study the phenomena. The Faith has its own Revelations and things are proceeding as the Faith would say it should. The clash of reason with faith is one of the things that the nefarious Section 31 will have issue with - as the unwritten season 8 of Deep Space Nine would have addressed.