Is the Earth in peril of being taken over by Star Trek’s Klingon Empire? Well if you are to believe the carvings on a meteorite found on a mountain bike trail in Scotland, our planet has been claimed for the Empire and the invasion will start soon.
Klingon invasion starts in Scotland?
There is what appears to be a meteorite on a mountain bike trail in Glentress Scotland. Although it doesn’t look like a fresh landing, there is still what seems to be a path gouged out in the forest suggesting its path of landing. But the real mystery is when you look closer and see that there is an inscription on the rock. Here is a photo.
The Glentress "Meteorite" (Photo: The Scotsman)
The above picture doesn’t show the full inscription on the six ton marble ‘stane’, which is:
Vu’Ha’mo’nganpu’u"a’vaD yuQvam DoQ tlhIngan wo’Mab mub ‘oH naghvam’e’Tugh mapaw, Sanna’llj wlwuqta’
Any Star Trek fan should be able to recognize the inscription is not the ancient Scottish language or even any language of this Earth, but it is indeed Klingon! And the ominous English translation is:
Due to bad management by its current inhabitants, the Klingon Empire claims the right to take this planet for the benefit of the greater universe. This rock is an official legally binding claim marker. We will be arriving soon, your future is assured.
So should we all start learning Klingon and the ways of Kahless to prepare for our subjugation to the Empire? Perhaps not. As it turns out the Meteorite is one of seven different sculptures commissioned by the Scotland Forestry Commission (and partially financed by the EU). In 2008 the "7 Stanes" mountain biking centers opened in southern Scotland and each features a stone sculpture or ‘stane’ (stone in the Scots language). The sculptures were created by artist Gordon Young who has just revealed the truth about the Glentress stane to the Scotsman, saying he chose the Klingon theme as a fun tribute to Star Trek and because he "heard that Scotland was a stronghold of Trekdom". The apparent gouge created by the meteorite can also be explained as it was artificially created by The Forest Commission to enhance the mystery.
Another angle of the Glentress "Meteorite" (Photo: Gordon Young)
Pretty cool for a work of public art. Q’Pla!
To learn more about the 7 Stanes Bike trails and sculptures visit the official site at 7stanes.gov.uk or the artists’ official site at www.gordonyoung.net .