The Christmas Star system's inhabitants were an unnamed, ancient humanoid species who inhabited a distant star system, which was the site of a supernova that was visible on Earth as the Star of Bethlehem, otherwise known as the Christmas Star. Their homeworld, while appearing somewhat Earth-like before its destruction, had an unknown environment, which sported many large mushrooms.
Biology[]
The Christmas Star system's inhabitants had a Human-like appearance, but bore turquoise skin with a very light pink hair tone. Other aspects of their physiology is unknown.
Culture and society[]
A city built by the Christmas Star system's inhabitants
The Christmas Star system's inhabitants had developed a highly advanced society. They appeared to have highly valued the arts, and came to peace with their inevitable destruction once their sun started to collapse, leaving these thoughts in the form of a poem for any species who discovers their remains, along with other remains of their culture. In their time of existence, they came to see the true beauty of the universe. They had achieved 1,000 years of peace before their destruction. A painting of the species, showcasing what appears to be three young males, shows them only wearing a loincloth-esque covering. It is unknown if this painting showcases their average clothing, clothing they wore at some point in their history, or clothing meant to be used the way Human swimsuits are used, as the subjects were on the shores of a body of water. Their language, while unknown, was able to be deciphered by Humans, as it bore several equivalents to English.
Technology[]
The Christmas Star system's inhabitants were able to construct cities, appearing to have achieved an advanced technological stage. However, they appeared to have not achieved spaceflight, or at least did not develop any crafts capable of planetary evacuation. It is also possible that they were merely unable to reach the next star system, as the nearest system was extremely distant. Their technology also appeared incapable of shielding them from the supernova, although they were able to create a single structure with the durability to survive the blast, stocked with a signal emitter that other spacecraft can detect.
History[]
The Christmas Star system's inhabitants had existed several thousand years in the past. They became a highly developed species, achieving a thousand years of peace. In this time, they gained an understanding of the true beauty of existence. Near the year 3120 BC, they detected their star about to collapse. Unable to save themselves, they instead built a facility that could survive the incoming destruction, stocking it with every piece of their culture they wanted to preserve, their people coming to peace with their inevitable extinction. Due to their planet being very distant from their star to begin with, about the same distance that Pluto is from Earth's sun, the facility survived as the surface of the planet was scorched to rock. The star went supernova in the year 3120 BC, and the blast killed all members of the Christmas Star system's inhabitants. The light from the supernova was visible on Earth the day Jesus was born, becoming known as the Star of Bethlehem. Thousands of years later, a Human deep space expeditionary team detected the signal coming from the cultural preservation facility. A team of workers was sent into the facility, creating a breathable atmosphere within it and starting to recover the artifacts. Two astrophysicists on the expedition's main craft, an athiest named Dr. Chandler and a Jesuit priest named Fr. Matthew Costigan, who had debated over the existence of God and whether or not the universe was governed by random chance, entered the facility to investigate it as well. By that time, the alien computer databases were being downloaded and deciphered, and both doctors are distraught by seeing the remains of the dead species, making their argument over religion turn bitter. Later, Fr. Costigan calculates the time when the star went supernova, finding that it was visible on Earth as the Star of Bethlehem, while Dr. Chandler and other researchers continue to decipher the alien texts, finding a poem meant for those who find their facility. Fr. Costigan was distraught by his discovery, demanding to know why God chose for this star to be destroyed when countless uninhabited systems existed. Dr. Chandler, now apologetic for his previous words, meets with Fr. Costigan again, with the deciphered poem. The poem reveals that the Christmas Star system's inhabitants were at peace with their fate, and do not wish for any who find them to mourn them, as their time had come, and they only hope that the light from their demise can shepherd new worlds into the same level of peace that they had achieved. With these words, Dr. Chandler states that regardless of whether the supernova was by will of God or random chance, it is now their duty to carry on the light of the dead culture, and hopes that they could one day pass it on to another civilization.
Appearances[]
- "The Star," by Arthur C. Clarke (1955)
- The Twilight Zone, s01e13c, "The Star" (1985)
Notes[]
- In the original story by Arthur C. Clarke, the story ended with the priest's faith being shaken upon learning of the truth behind the supernova. The adaptation in The Twilight Zone was altered to give a more upbeat ending.
- While Dr. Chandler remarks that the aliens were Humans, possibly due to their very close physical appearances, the Christmas Star system's inhabitants had no relation to Humanity aside from the legacy of their star. The original story also added that their culture was extremely close to that of Earth, which may have influenced that thought.