Post by Twilitbeing on Aug 18, 2008 1:07:50 GMT
I have a tendency to try to explain non-scientific things in scientific ways. Usually no one is interested when I try to talk about it, but I have a feeling people here will be. So, I'm going to take a stab at explaining some features of Seedrians. Nothing here is official; it's based on a combination of what I saw in the anime, my knowledge of biology, and my own imagination.
First, for those who are not familiar with this area of science, I am going to try to briefly explain the life cycle of plants. Plants have alternating forms; each successive generation alternates between a sporophyte and a gametophyte stage, the form and function of which vary greatly between plant species. Gametophytes grow from spores produced by the parent plant, and a single plant has half a set of chromosomes. Each plant is either male or female, and is capable of producing either sperm or egg cells. Somehow, the sperm must reach the eggs in a female gametophyte. The fertilized egg; which has a full set of chromosomes, becomes a sporophyte. A mature sporophyte is capable of producing spores, which will develop into gametophytes and start the cycle again.
From here on, everything is speculation. For starters, I need to explain my views on Seedrians. Despite certain lines from the anime, I do not think that the Seedrians themselves are plants. They are capable of deductive reasoning, creative thought, language comprehension, and emotion; all of these are hallmarks of a well-developed brain. This is something that plants simply don't have. But why, then, do they have obvious plant parts on their bodies? That is one thing I hope to explain.
Here is my version of the Seedrian life cycle. When a Seedrian is born, he or she has a gametophyte plant implanted on his or her body, probably on the head. The plant grows and develops along with its host, drawing on their body for sustenance. This results in the woody horns and leafy headdresses of the male and female Seedrians. The plant probably has some sort of hormonal interface with the host and with other plants, resulting in Seedrians' ability to sense the state of plant life.
At some point later on, probably then the host is nearing death, Seedrians would undergo some kind of ritual, probably similar to the one Cosmo performed just before her sacrifice. This is where I will be stretching science the most. This triggers the gametophyte to begin growth. Somehow, the memories and intelligence of the host Seedrian are transferred into the growing plant. The Seedrian body probably dies soon afterward. The gametophyte then grows into something resembling a tree, but still has the consciousness of its old host inside. The new plants - which I have nicknamed mother- and fathertrees after a similar life form in a book I have read - are not intelligent in the same way as their animal bodies - trees do not possess brains, after all - but they are capable of controlling the tree's growth, and they can communicate with other Seedrians through their ability to sense plant life. This explains how Hertia was able to 'speak' with Cosmo and Galaxina.
Once the plants reach maturity, they begin some form of reproduction that is allowed by their new bodies. (Since they possess flowers, it probably happens with the aid of wind and/or other creatures, similar to pollination on Earth.) After having their egg cells fertilized by the males, mothertrees produce seeds that become, for the most part, ordinary trees - non-sentient and with a double set of chromosomes. The spores that they produce would then be harvested and implanted into newborn Seedrians, completing the life cycle of both organisms.
This leaves several important questions. For example, how are the Seedrians themselves born? My guess is that they are born the same way most other animals are - by combining genetic material from two parent individuals. I won't go into detail; you probably know what I mean. Seedrian society could be quite different from our own; some form of parentage may be assigned based on the ancestry of the child's plant, leading Cosmo to call Hertia her mother.
I'm now going to take some of the more unusual events in the show and fit them to these ideas.
Cosmo's Sacrifice
Evidently, Cosmo's plant had already had its egg fertilized. Some magic in her gem must have given her a temporary shield that allowed her to travel through space to Dark Oak and attach to him. Once there, the energy of the Planet Eggs allowed her sporophyte to grow at breakneck speed, and she was able to control this growth to inhibit that of Dark Oak. Her communication with Tails and the others is a mystery; perhaps the power of the Eggs allowed her to interface with their minds directly or with the Typhoon's comm system.
Dark Oak's Transformation
This is a little harder to explain. The Metarex commanders would have also undergone a high-speed metamorphosis, but they probably had a much greater degree of control - enough to force their plant to grow into an animal-like design. The dragon heads might be controlled by a similar system to that which causes a Venus' Flytrap to snap shut, though obviously much more complex. This, combined with he intelligence of the old Seedrian, might create something on the border between plant and animal.
There, I'm done. For those of you who actually took the trouble to read all that, thank you. If anyone has any questions or comments, feel free to ask.
First, for those who are not familiar with this area of science, I am going to try to briefly explain the life cycle of plants. Plants have alternating forms; each successive generation alternates between a sporophyte and a gametophyte stage, the form and function of which vary greatly between plant species. Gametophytes grow from spores produced by the parent plant, and a single plant has half a set of chromosomes. Each plant is either male or female, and is capable of producing either sperm or egg cells. Somehow, the sperm must reach the eggs in a female gametophyte. The fertilized egg; which has a full set of chromosomes, becomes a sporophyte. A mature sporophyte is capable of producing spores, which will develop into gametophytes and start the cycle again.
From here on, everything is speculation. For starters, I need to explain my views on Seedrians. Despite certain lines from the anime, I do not think that the Seedrians themselves are plants. They are capable of deductive reasoning, creative thought, language comprehension, and emotion; all of these are hallmarks of a well-developed brain. This is something that plants simply don't have. But why, then, do they have obvious plant parts on their bodies? That is one thing I hope to explain.
Here is my version of the Seedrian life cycle. When a Seedrian is born, he or she has a gametophyte plant implanted on his or her body, probably on the head. The plant grows and develops along with its host, drawing on their body for sustenance. This results in the woody horns and leafy headdresses of the male and female Seedrians. The plant probably has some sort of hormonal interface with the host and with other plants, resulting in Seedrians' ability to sense the state of plant life.
At some point later on, probably then the host is nearing death, Seedrians would undergo some kind of ritual, probably similar to the one Cosmo performed just before her sacrifice. This is where I will be stretching science the most. This triggers the gametophyte to begin growth. Somehow, the memories and intelligence of the host Seedrian are transferred into the growing plant. The Seedrian body probably dies soon afterward. The gametophyte then grows into something resembling a tree, but still has the consciousness of its old host inside. The new plants - which I have nicknamed mother- and fathertrees after a similar life form in a book I have read - are not intelligent in the same way as their animal bodies - trees do not possess brains, after all - but they are capable of controlling the tree's growth, and they can communicate with other Seedrians through their ability to sense plant life. This explains how Hertia was able to 'speak' with Cosmo and Galaxina.
Once the plants reach maturity, they begin some form of reproduction that is allowed by their new bodies. (Since they possess flowers, it probably happens with the aid of wind and/or other creatures, similar to pollination on Earth.) After having their egg cells fertilized by the males, mothertrees produce seeds that become, for the most part, ordinary trees - non-sentient and with a double set of chromosomes. The spores that they produce would then be harvested and implanted into newborn Seedrians, completing the life cycle of both organisms.
This leaves several important questions. For example, how are the Seedrians themselves born? My guess is that they are born the same way most other animals are - by combining genetic material from two parent individuals. I won't go into detail; you probably know what I mean. Seedrian society could be quite different from our own; some form of parentage may be assigned based on the ancestry of the child's plant, leading Cosmo to call Hertia her mother.
I'm now going to take some of the more unusual events in the show and fit them to these ideas.
Cosmo's Sacrifice
Evidently, Cosmo's plant had already had its egg fertilized. Some magic in her gem must have given her a temporary shield that allowed her to travel through space to Dark Oak and attach to him. Once there, the energy of the Planet Eggs allowed her sporophyte to grow at breakneck speed, and she was able to control this growth to inhibit that of Dark Oak. Her communication with Tails and the others is a mystery; perhaps the power of the Eggs allowed her to interface with their minds directly or with the Typhoon's comm system.
Dark Oak's Transformation
This is a little harder to explain. The Metarex commanders would have also undergone a high-speed metamorphosis, but they probably had a much greater degree of control - enough to force their plant to grow into an animal-like design. The dragon heads might be controlled by a similar system to that which causes a Venus' Flytrap to snap shut, though obviously much more complex. This, combined with he intelligence of the old Seedrian, might create something on the border between plant and animal.
There, I'm done. For those of you who actually took the trouble to read all that, thank you. If anyone has any questions or comments, feel free to ask.