*stares at the Star Trek/Federation Milky Way Galaxy map*
AND NOW. I find myself wondering about this panspermia seeding of OTHER GALAXIES.
Because, like, the ENTIRETY of Star Trek takes place in the Milky Way right? The Alpha, Beta, Gamma and Delta Quadrants are all just sections of the Milky Way - and the limits of explored space are actually within the Alpha and Beta Quadrants - with a straight-ish line (plus some rambling) of further exploration in the Delta because of Voyager making its way home.
Even the Founders home world and the whole DS9 collection of new species is in Gamma Quadrant. And that’s reached through a wormhole in the Alpha.
It’s ALL still within OUR OWN GALAXY.
So what about, say, the Andromeda Galaxy?
(I am aware I am doing that thing where we haven’t even finished looking at our own oceans yet and we’re excited about exploring other planets, but still...)
Technically, looking at that map and the projected routes of some of the Enterprise missions? Leaving the Milky Way could happen?
So... like. Has anyone in canon wondered about other Galaxies? And whether they’ve been seeded the same way the Milky Way was?
And considering how fucking long, even with warp travel, it takes to explore even our own Galaxy, how fucking long would it take to get to another one to check it out anyway? I guess they’d have to be able to create wormholes that go that far??
I guess I’m having a Star Trek Ate My Brain day 8l