Star Trek: 10 First Contacts We Need To See

It is always a little clumsy to engage in a discussion of comparative interspecies technological development without knowing the evolutionary history of both planets — one could have millions of years on the other, for example. Nonetheless, the Bajorans do deserve credit for having travelled through space at a time when humans were still hundreds of years away from getting an object into orbit, to alter Jake Sisko's unhistorical comparison a little.

Around Earth's 16th century, the Bajorans were already using 'lightships' equipped with solar sails, propelled through the void by photons (and tachyon eddies). Bajoran scholars had speculated that some of these 'lightships' had made it all the way to Cardassia Prime, but, of course, the Cardassians themselves contested the 'theory' of 'ancient contact,' calling it a 'Bajoran fairy tale.' That was until Benjamin and Jake Sisko proved 'ancient contact' was possible after all, and in a remarkable coincidence, Bajoran lightships were 'discovered' at crash sites on Cardassia Prime the same day.

Having seen the historical re-enactment (plus grav plating), it would certainly be fascinating to go back and grab a glimpse at the real thing — to see the ancient Bajorans arrive at Cardassia Prime. Did any of their ships make it safely to the surface? If so, what happened next between the two peoples? Someone grab the Orb of Time, and let's get going!