Changes: Flint

Revision as of 05:53, 5 July 2008

"Are you a student of history, sir?"

"I am..."

-Spock and Flint

Flint was an immortal Human, born as Akharin during the 4th millennium BC in Mesopotamia, on Earth. Over the span of 6000 years, Flint lived many different lives, watched humanity evolve from savagery and barbarism, and knew (and was) some of the greatest minds in history. In 2269, at the age of six thousand one hundred and three years old, Flint was apparently dying from old age after having left Earth and all of its complex magnetic fields within which he had been formed.

Physical characteristics

Flint's cause of immortality was a form of instant tissue regeneration which was coupled with a form of perfect biological renewal. A side effect of this condition was sheer strength twice that of normal Humans.

Flint himself appeared as a medium built Caucasian human with white hair, although over his enormous lifetime Flint's appearance may very well have changed. At various points in history, Flint had taken up several aliases, some of whom looked nothing alike.

Chronology

Early history

In 3834 BC, Flint was born as "Akharin" in Mesopotamia and grew up to become "a soldier, a bully, and a fool". Sometime shortly before the year 3800 BC, Flint was deployed in an ancient battle and fell in combat after receiving a serious wound to his heart. After Flint did not die, he realized his immortal nature and began living a portion of a life, achieving various accomplishments and sometimes marrying (Flint would later state that he had married over a hundred times), then discarding one identity for another before his true nature could be suspected.

Between 3000 and 2000 BC, Flint lived primarily in the Middle East, in particular the lands associated with the Bible. He was at one point the basis for the biblical character of Methuselah. Sometime around 1400 to 1200 BC, Flint (who was now well over two thousand years old) also knew the historical figure Moses.

A thousand years later, circa 970 BC, the now nearly three thousand year old Flint adopted his first (known) alias which would became a major figure in world history this being the Jewish King Solomon. Some four hundred years after that, Flint had moved himself to the region of ancient Greece where at one point he knew the philosopher Socrates. Two hundred years later, in 356 BC, Flint again became a major historical figure when he assumed the alias of Alexander the Great. (TOS: "Requiem for Methuselah")

Key Dates

3834 BC: Born as Akharin
Circa 3000 BC: Lives as Methuselah
Circa 1400 BC: Knows Moses
973 - 933 BC: Lives as King Solomon
Late 5th century BC: Knows Socrates
356 - 323 BC: Lives as Alexander the Great

Anno Domini

By the first century AD (Anno Domini), Flint was approaching 4000 years of age and had lived through nearly the entirety of recorded history (up to that point). By this time, he had lived as at least two world leaders (Solomon and Alexander) and had seen death on a scale beyond imagination. In his own words two thousand years later, Flint "had seen a hundred million fall and had tossed enemies into [death's] grasp". In his later years, these early experiences with human kind would make Flint see Earth as a savage and barbaric place regardless of the era.

Around 30 AD, Flint was again living in the Middle East and at some point became associated with the religious figure Jesus. Again, Flint became the basis for a biblical character when he was known by the name Lazarus.

It is implied that Flint's immortal nature was the basis for the legend of Lazarus rising from the dead.

After the fall of the Roman Empire, Flint appears to have moved into Europe where, in the 6th century, he was residing in England where he became known as the wizard Merlin. For most of the early Middle Ages, the identities and lives led by Flint are unknown; however, in the 14th century he was living in the city of Constantinople where he witnessed the start of the bubonic plague. As Flint would later describe:

"Constantinople; summer, 1334. It marched through the streets, the sewers. It left the city by oxcart, by sea, to kill half of Europe. The rats, rustling and squealing in the night as they, too, died. The rats..."

Key Dates

Circa 33 AD: Lives as Lazarus and (presumably) knows Jesus.
Mid-6th century AD: Lives as Merlin
1334 AD: Lives in Constantinople, where he views the horrors of the bubonic plague

Renaissance

File:Leonardo daVinci.jpg

A holographic representation of Leonardo da Vinci

At the dawn of the so called "Age of the Renaissance", Flint had seemingly abandoned his early ambitions of world leadership and military conquest and instead began to focus on improving the human condition through the study of art and science. Sometime after 1450, he assumed the identity of an Italian under the alias Leonardo da Vinci. This is perhaps one of the most famous identities Flint ever held since while he lived as da Vinci, Flint created works of art which would be well known centuries later. The painting "Mona Lisa" is one such work; it eventually found its way into the hands of the criminal Kivas Fajo after being retrieved by Federation authorities thanks to the efforts of the android officer Data. (TOS: "Requiem for Methuselah", TNG: "The Most Toys")

Leonard da Vinci "died" in 1519 AD after which Flint moved on to assume different unknown identities. He apparently remained in Italy since, circa 1600 AD, he knew the scientist Galileo. Flint eventually left this life as well, moving into the 1700s under several other "names we do not know." (TOS: "Requiem for Methuselah")

1452 - 1519: Lives as Leonardo da Vinci
Circa 1600: Meets Galileo
c. 1455: Acquires a Gutenberg Bible
c. 1623: Acquires a Shakespeare first folio

19th and 20th centuries

At the start of the 19th century, Flint was apparently still residing in Europe and, as early as 1833, he had adopted another alias which could become famous as the musical composer Johannes Brahms. As Brahms, Flint resided mainly in Austria and wrote several musical pieces which would still be popular centuries later. Most of the 19th century was spent living as Brahms, with Johannes Brahms "dying" in 1897. (TOS: "Requiem for Methuselah")

Sometime in the latter 20th century, Flint would acquire a painting by Reginald Pollack or perhaps even lived as Pollack himself.

Key Dates

1833 - 1897: Lives as Johannes Brahms
Late 20th century (circa 1965-1990): Acquires a work of art produced by Reginald Pollack

21st and 22nd centuries

Flint's activities in the 21st and 22nd century are largely unknown as he did not speak of who he was or what was he doing during this period when encountered by Starfleet officers a hundred years later.

Sometime in the 2100s, Flint acquired a bottle of Saurian brandy. He was also presumably still on Earth when the United Federation of Planets was founded in 2161 although, seventy years later, Flint would leave due to "the unpleasantness of life on Earth and the company of people". (TOS: "Requiem for Methuselah")

Flint speaks of a further alias "Abramson" as one of his more famous identities. Nothing else is said about who this person was, but it is possible that Abramson was an alias from the 21st or 22nd century.

23rd century

In 2239, living as the interstellar financier Brack, Flint bought the planet Holberg 917G in the Omega system. It was uninhabited, and he took measures to keep up that appearance. There, Flint engineered a succession of female androids in the quest for an undying love partner. Each bore the name Rayna, and the final, perfect manifestation – Rayna 17 – was not allowed to know of her failed predecessors.

In 2269, the Federation starship USS Enterprise arrived in orbit over Holberg 917G, in dire need of that planet's ryetalyn deposits as an antitoxin for the Rigelian fever which had infected the entire crew. Flint then introduced himself to the landing party, just short of their being killed by Flint's robot M-4.

Hoping to jump-start Rayna 17's emotions, Flint allowed her to interact with the visitors. The android fell in love with James T. Kirk, but could not transfer this emotion back to her disappointed creator. Forced to choose between her suitors and unable to hurt either, she ceased to function much to Flint's horror.

Spock deduced from musical pieces by Brahms (written in modern ink) and da Vinci paintings, all authentic on contemporary canvas, that Flint must be very long-lived. After this was revealed, however, Doctor Leonard McCoy later discovered that Akharin/Flint was finally dying since his immortality had been sustained by Earth's complex fields, and had been sacrificed in the relocation to Holberg 917G. Flint stated that he would devote the time before his imminent natural death to the improvement of the Human condition.

Key Dates

Circa 2210-2220: Assumes the identity of Mr. Brack
2239: Purchases the uninhabited planet Holberg 917G
Circa 2240-2269: Lives as Flint on Holberg 917G
2269: Discovered by the crew of the USS Enterprise

Acquisitions

Flint gathered a large collection of original works of visual art. Some were his own creation (as daVinci); other works included Taranullus lithographs and paintings by Pollack and Sten. Besides his original and unknown Brahms scores, Flint possessed a Shakespeare First Folio and a Gutenberg Bible. (TOS: "Requiem for Methuselah")

Previous aliases of Flint

Akharin • Methuselah • Solomon • Alexander the Great • Lazarus • Merlin • Leonardo da Vinci • Johannes Brahms • Abramson • Brack

Appendices

Background

Flint was played by actor James Daly.
Episode writer Jerome Bixby has said that he chose the name Flint because the character was born in the Stone Age. ^{(citation needed • edit)}
In the Voyager episode "Concerning Flight", Janeway comments that Kirk claimed to have met Leonardo da Vinci. This implies that he broke his promise to Flint to not reveal his identity.
The film The Man from Earth, also written by Jerome Bixby, is about a similar main character; born in the stone age, living indefinitely, and having been or known important historical figures.

Apocrypha

Flint is featured as a supporting character in the novel Federation, where his primary guise as a billionaire industrialist seems to have already begun devoting himself to the betterment of the Human condition. He also appears in The Eugenics Wars: The Rise and Fall of Khan Noonien Singh, Volume One as Dr. Wilson Evergreen, the leader of an Antarctic station preparing to repair damage to the ozone layer, where he meets Gary Seven and is "killed" by a young Khan Noonien Singh. He also appears in the novel The Cry of the Onlies, where he comes aboard the Enterprise to help defeat a cloaking device he invented. Later on, the crew of the USS Enterprise-D had an encounter with him in the novel Immortal Coil. He also made an appearance in the story "Immortality Blues" in Strange New Worlds 9, living in New York City when World War III began.

External links

Template:NCwiki
A fan essay on the life of Flint

@@ Line 6: / Line 6: @@
 == Physical characteristics ==
 Flint's cause of immortality was a form of instant [[cell|tissue]] regeneration which was coupled with a form of perfect [[biology|biological]] renewal.  A side effect of this condition was sheer strength twice that of normal [[Human]]s.
@@ Line 12: / Line 11: @@
 == Chronology ==
-=== The Ancient World ===
+=== Early history ===
-[[Image:Pyramid, The city on the edge of forever.jpg|thumb|The Ancient World]]
 In [[Early history|3834 BC]], Flint was born as "Akharin" in Mesopotamia and grew up to become ''"a [[soldier]], a [[bully]], and a fool"''.  Sometime shortly before the year 3800 BC, Flint was deployed in an ancient battle and fell in combat after receiving a serious wound to his [[heart]].  After Flint did not die, he realized his immortal nature and began living a portion of a life, achieving various accomplishments and sometimes marrying (Flint would later state that he had married over a hundred times), then discarding one identity for another before his true nature could be suspected.
@@ Line 30: / Line 28: @@
 === Anno Domini ===
 By the first century AD (''Anno Domini''), Flint was approaching 4000 years of age and had lived through nearly the entirety of recorded history (up to that point).  By this time, he had lived as at least two world leaders (Solomon and Alexander) and had seen death on a scale beyond imagination.  In his own words two thousand years later, Flint ''"had seen a hundred million fall and had tossed enemies into [death's] grasp".''  In his later years, these early experiences with human kind would make Flint see Earth as a savage and barbaric place regardless of the era.
@@ Line 50: / Line 47: @@
 [[Image:Leonardo daVinci.jpg|thumb|A holographic representation of Leonardo da Vinci]]
 At the dawn of the so called "Age of the Renaissance", Flint had seemingly abandoned his early ambitions of world leadership and military conquest and instead began to focus on improving the human condition through the study of art and science.  Sometime after 1450, he assumed the identity of an [[Italy|Italian]] under the alias [[Leonardo da Vinci]].  This is perhaps one of the most famous identities Flint ever held since while he lived as da Vinci, Flint created works of art which would be well known centuries later.  The painting "[[Mona Lisa]]" is one such work; it eventually found its way into the hands of the criminal [[Kivas Fajo]] after being retrieved by [[United Federation of Planets|Federation]] authorities thanks to the efforts of the [[android]] officer [[Data]]. ({{TOS|Requiem for Methuselah}}, {{TNG|The Most Toys}})
-:''The first scene from {{VOY|Dragon's Teeth}} is set in 1484 which would have been in the middle of Flint's life as da Vinci.''
 Leonard da Vinci "died" in 1519 AD after which Flint moved on to assume different unknown identities.  He apparently remained in Italy since, circa 1600 AD, he knew the scientist [[Galileo Galilei|Galileo]].  Flint eventually left this life as well, moving into the [[18th century|1700s]] under several other "names we do not know." ({{TOS|Requiem for Methuselah}})
@@ Line 61: / Line 56: @@
 === 19th and 20th centuries ===
 At the start of the [[19th century]], Flint was apparently still residing in Europe and, as early as 1833, he had adopted another alias which could become famous as the [[music]]al composer [[Johannes Brahms]].  As Brahms, Flint resided mainly in Austria and wrote several musical pieces which would still be popular centuries later.  Most of the 19th century was spent living as Brahms, with Johannes Brahms "dying" in 1897. ({{TOS|Requiem for Methuselah}})
+Sometime in the latter [[20th century]], Flint would acquire a painting by [[Reginald Pollack]] or perhaps even lived as Pollack himself.
-:''In {{TNG|Time's Arrow, Part II}} Data and company are transported back in time to San Francisco in 1893.  During this year, Flint would have been living in Austria "finishing up" his years as Johannes Brahms.''
-[[Image:First World War.jpg|thumb|The horrors of war]]
-In the [[20th century]], Flint would see the horrors that mankind was capable of as he witnessed several major wars beginning with [[World War I]] in [[1914]].  Flint’s identities during the 20th century are for the most part unknown; however in [[1930]] (unbeknownst to Flint) two [[time travel]]ers would appear in [[New York City]] who Flint would encounter three hundred and sixty nine years later.  The two were [[James T. Kirk]] and [[Spock]], sent back in time by the [[Guardian of Forever]].  The two eventually returned to their own time and, from the perspective of Kirk and Spock, they would meet Flint only two years later. ({{TOS|The City on the Edge of Forever}})
-[[World War II]] began in [[1939]] and Flint also was witness to the start of the [[Earth Cold War]] in the [[1950s]].  Flint also saw the launch of man’s first [[satellite]] ([[Sputnik]]) in [[1957]], and shortly thereafter a group of [[Vulcan]]s crash landed on Earth in [[Carbon Creek]], [[Pennsylvania]].  Flint was not involved with this "unofficial" first contact but would also live to see the formal first contact between Humans and Vulcans in [[2063]]. ({{ENT|Carbon Creek}}, {{film|8}})
-Sometime between 1960 and 1990, Flint would acquire a painting by [[Reginald Pollack]] or perhaps even lived as Pollack himself.  Three more time travel incidents would occur during this period indirectly related to Flint, this being when the {{USS|Enterprise|NCC-1701}} traveled back in time twice to the [[1960s]] and some twenty years later the Enterprise command crew journeyed to the city of [[San Francisco]] in 1986.  During the later time travel trip, James T. Kirk had already met Flint in the future but did not seek him out in the past. ({{TOS|Tomorrow is Yesterday}}, {{TOS|Assignment: Earth}}, {{film|4}}
-:''If Flint had lived as Reginald Pollack, this would have been his main identity for most of the 20th century and the identity he held during the time travel incidents where ''Star Trek'' characters traveled back to this era.  The real Pollack lived from 1924 to 2001.''
-The [[Eugenics Wars]] occurred in the [[1990s]], however what Flint was doing during this period of time is entirely unknown.
 '''Key Dates'''
 *[[19th century|1833 - 1897]]: Lives as [[Johannes Brahms]]
-*[[1914]]: Witnesses the start of World War I
-*[[1930]]: James T. Kirk and Spock, who would met Flint in 2269, travel back in time.
-*[[1939]]-[[1945]]: Flint witnesses World War II
-*[[1957]]:Witnesses the launch of Sputnik.
 *Late [[20th century]] (circa 1965-1990): Acquires a work of art produced by [[Reginald Pollack]]
-*[[1986]]:  The command crew of the USS ''Enterprise'' who, from their perspective, encountered Flint seventeen years before, travel back in time to San Francisco.
-*[[1992]]-[[1996]]: Flint witnesses the [[Eugenics Wars]]
-*[[2000]]: The 20th century ends.
 === 21st and 22nd centuries ===
+Flint's activities in the [[21st century|21st]] and [[22nd century]] are largely unknown as he did not speak of who he was or what was he doing during this period when encountered by [[Starfleet]] officers a hundred years later.
-Flint's activities in the [[21st century|21st]] and [[22nd century]] are largely unknown as he did not speak of who he was or what was he doing during this period when encountered by [[Starfleet]] officers a hundred years later.  Flint did have the distinction of being a human being who witnessed all three World Wars since World War III began in [[2033]].  This perhaps shaped Flint's attitude in the years to come as he saw Earth as an extremely barbaric and savage place.
 Sometime in the [[2100]]s, Flint acquired a bottle of [[Saurian brandy]].  He was also presumably still on Earth when the [[United Federation of Planets]] was founded in [[2161]] although, seventy years later, Flint would leave due to ''"the unpleasantness of life on Earth and the company of people"''. ({{TOS|Requiem for Methuselah}})
-:''An interesting fact is that Flint would have been living during the entire run of ''[[Star Trek: Enterprise]]''; since its cancellation, several writers have suggested that a story involving Flint was in the works for the unmade fifth season.''
-'''Key dates'''
-* [[2033]]: World War III begins
-* [[2063]]: Vulcans make [[first contact]] with humans
-* [[2161]]: The United Federation of Planets is founded
-* [[2169]]: A bottle of Saurian brandy from this year is acquired by Kirk.
 :''Flint speaks of a further alias "[[Abramson]]" as one of his more famous identities.  Nothing else is said about who this person was, but it is possible that Abramson was an alias from the 21st or 22nd century.''
 === 23rd century ===
 In [[2239]], living as the interstellar financier [[Brack]], Flint bought the [[planet]] [[Holberg 917G]] in the [[Omega system]]. It was uninhabited, and he took measures to keep up that appearance. There, Flint engineered a succession of female [[android]]s in the quest for an undying love partner. Each bore the name [[Rayna Kapec|Rayna]], and the final, perfect manifestation – Rayna 17 – was not allowed to know of her failed predecessors.
@@ Line 123: / Line 89: @@
 == Acquisitions ==
 Flint gathered a large collection of original [[arts and music|works of visual art]]. Some were his own creation (as daVinci); other works included [[Taranullus]] lithographs and paintings by [[Reginald Pollack|Pollack]] and [[Sten]]. Besides his original and unknown Brahms scores, Flint possessed a [[William Shakespeare|Shakespeare]] First Folio and a [[Johann Gutenberg|Gutenberg]] [[Bible]]. ({{TOS|Requiem for Methuselah}})
+{{Aliases of Flint}}
 == Appendices ==
@@ Line 131: / Line 98: @@
 * Episode writer [[Jerome Bixby]] has said that he chose the name Flint because the character was born in the Stone Age. {{incite}}
 * In the ''[[Star Trek: Voyager|Voyager]]'' episode {{e|Concerning Flight}}, [[Kathryn Janeway|Janeway]] comments that Kirk claimed to have met Leonardo da Vinci.  This implies that he broke his promise to Flint to not reveal his identity.
+* The film ''{{w|The Man from Earth}}'', also written by [[Jerome Bixby]], is about a similar main character; born in the stone age, living indefinitely, and having been or known important historical figures.
-* An interesting tie-in to most ''Star Trek'' episodes involving time travel is that a past version of Flint would have been alive when the ''Star Trek'' characters were back in the past.  This is especially true for the 20th century, where characters from every major ''Star Trek'' series and motion picture have at one point journeyed.
-* The film [[Wikipedia:The Man from Earth|''The Man from Earth'']], also written by [[Jerome Bixby]], is about a similar main character; born in the stone age, living indefinitely, and having been or known important historical figures.
 === Apocrypha ===
-Flint is featured as a supporting character in the novel ''[[Federation (novel)|Federation]]'', where his primary guise as a billionaire industrialist seems to have already begun devoting himself to the betterment of the Human condition.  He also appears in ''[[The Eugenics Wars: The Rise and Fall of Khan Noonien Singh, Volume One]]'' as Dr. Wilson Evergreen, the leader of an Antarctic station preparing to repair damage to the ozone layer, where he meets Gary Seven and is "killed" by a young Khan Noonien Singh.  He also appears in the novel ''[[The Cry of the Onlies]]'', where he comes aboard the {{USS|Enterprise|NCC-1701}} to help defeat a [[cloaking device]] he invented.  Later on, the crew of the {{USS|Enterprise|NCC-1701-D|-D}} had an encounter with him in the novel ''[[Immortal Coil]]''.  He also made an appearance in the story "Immortality Blues" in ''[[Strange New Worlds 9]]'', living in [[New York City]] when [[World War III]] began.
+Flint is featured as a supporting character in the novel ''[[Federation (novel)|Federation]]'', where his primary guise as a billionaire industrialist seems to have already begun devoting himself to the betterment of the Human condition.  He also appears in ''[[The Eugenics Wars: The Rise and Fall of Khan Noonien Singh, Volume One]]'' as Dr. Wilson Evergreen, the leader of an Antarctic station preparing to repair damage to the ozone layer, where he meets Gary Seven and is "killed" by a young Khan Noonien Singh.  He also appears in the novel ''[[The Cry of the Onlies]]'', where he comes aboard the ''Enterprise'' to help defeat a [[cloaking device]] he invented.  Later on, the crew of the {{USS|Enterprise|NCC-1701-D|-D}} had an encounter with him in the novel ''[[Immortal Coil]]''.  He also made an appearance in the story "Immortality Blues" in ''[[Strange New Worlds 9]]'', living in [[New York City]] when [[World War III]] began.
 === External links ===
 * {{NCwiki}}
 * [http://www.pjfarmer.com/secret/Immortal/flint.htm A fan essay on the life of Flint]
-{{Aliases of Flint}}
 [[Category:Humans]]