Hodgkin ' s Law of Parallel Planetary Development Hodgkin ' s Law of Parallel Planetary Development was a biological theory first postulated by A . E . Hodgkin . The theory was that similar planets with similar environments and similar populations tended to gravitate toward similar biological developments over time . Although initially applicable only to biology it was later expanded to include a tendency to move toward similar sociological developments as well with sentient beings . ( ; ) The theory . Just as the finches of the Galapagos Islands provided the crucial biological clues that Charles Darwin used to develop the theory of evolution , the termite s of Loracus Prime were the inspiration behind Hodgkin ' s law of parallel planetary development . The theory was the brainchild of biologist A . E . Hodgkin , who first visited the planet Loracus Prime as part of a science survey mission . As Hodgkin noted in his log , the native termite life of Loracus was remarkably similar to that of Earth , , and several other Class M worlds . At first , Hodgkin considered the possibility that termites were brought to Loracus by early space travelers , or even that they were a meteorite - borne species , but he quickly realized that Loracus Prime ' s location in the middle of the Gagarin Radiation Belt ruled out either possibility . In fact , travel to the Loracus system had been all but impossible until the then - recent era of relatively clear stability of Loracus ' s star . After careful testing of the termites ' DNA , Hodgkin determined that the genus was clearly native to Loracus . This set up the question : why there was such an amazing similarity to terrestrial termites ? Over the next decade and a half , Hodgkin slowly puzzled out the theory that would rock the biological world as profoundly as Darwin ' s had centuries earlier . ( ) The next development in the theory was the realization that there was a tendency toward sociological as well as biological similarities where environmental conditions were similar . For instance , by the 2260s Starfleet and other exploratory organizations had discovered numerous planets with humanoid populations that shared certain social constructs . Family units , spoken languages , furniture , space travel , dispute resolution through an organized legal process , organized war waged by governments – all of these were aspects of society that appeared to transcend any one single planet ' s societal development . ( ) The Hodgkin theory was adapted to explain the observed instances of similarities in societies that had never had previous contact with each other developing along similar lines . The theory did not require identical development of a society , it simply offered an explanation for similarities . Finding nearly identical development was " virtually impossible " ( as Spock remarked about the planet Ekos ) , and when found to be close to identical was viewed as an " amazing " example of Hodgkin ' s Law ( as Captain Kirk remarked about the society on the planet 892 - IV ) . ( ) Biological examples . Beginning with the lowly termites on Loracus Prime , there have been numerous examples of parallel biological development observed over time . Animals as diverse as the dog and the targ , the Capellan power - cat and the " sehlat " all independently developed fur , mouths , four legs , head s , tails , eye s , and other similar attributes , despite none of them being native to the same planet . Most striking is the apparent biological preference for the humanoid form for sentient lifeform s , observed across species as diverse as Vulcan s , Klingon s , Denobulan s , Humans , and Ocampa . Part of this is doubtless due to the actions of an ancient humanoid species , one of the oldest known sentient species , and possibly the first humanoid race in the Milky Way Galaxy . According to a message the humanoids left behind , encoded in the DNA of various humanoid species and discovered in 2369 , they had seeded many worlds , including Earth , with DNA " seed codes " that encouraged the development of similar humanoid life . ( ) Sociological examples . Many worlds have independently developed in ways that support the application of Hodgkin ' s law to societies . Several worlds in particular visited by the in the 2260s showed exceptional examples of societies that developed in ways that were extreme examples of Hodgkin ' s Law . Omega IV . Prior to the 23rd century , Omega IV had developed two cultures similar to those found on Earth : American s and Asia n Communists . The state of the cultures reached levels similar to those of Earth ' s 20th or 21st century before devastating bacteriological wars brought about a collapse of both civilizations . While independently developing an economic system based on capitalism and profit is not itself remarkable ( e . g . , the Ferengi ) , what set this planet apart for purposes of the Hodgkin theory was the extraordinary similarity of names , symbols , and even documents to those found on Earth . The name of one culture – the Yang – was clearly a derivation of " Yankee " , while the name of the other culture – the Kohm – was equally clearly a derivation of " Communist " . The Yangs had , prior to the wars , developed a flag and even a preamble to a Constitution that were virtually identical to those of the United States of America in the early 21st century on Earth . ( ) 892 - IV . The planet 892 - IV had a land - mass / ocean ratio similar to Earth , although it possessed a significantly different topography . But in an " amazing " example of Hodgkin ' s law , it saw the development of a society that was remarkably like that of Earth ' s Roman Empire , although they used " colloquial 20th - century English " instead of Latin . It also independently developed its own Jesus Christ and associated religion based on his being the son of God . A major difference , however , was that unlike Earth the Empire had not fallen by the time of the " Enterprise " visit in 2268 . At that time the Roman Empire dominated the planet , but at a 20th century level of technology . ( ) Earth Two . Unique in the annals of parallel planet development , in 2267 the USS " Enterprise " discovered the Earth Two . It was a world physically identical to Earth : it had the same mass , circumference , density , atmosphere , flora , and fauna . Even the topography was identical . The inhabitants of this world were virtually indistinguishable from Humans as well , although a biological accident had killed every single adult and left the remaining prepubescent children with extraordinarily long lifespans . The planet ' s inhabitants had reached at least a level of technology and architecture typical of the United States circa 1960 prior to the disaster . ( ) Other possible explanations . Hodgkin was originally concerned that the similarities he saw regarding the termites on Loracus Prime were the result of contamination . While he ultimately dismissed that as a possibility , later discoveries have shown that there was far more biological and cultural contamination in the distant past than was known during his time . Some major events that might provide either alternative or supplementary explanations for developments thought to be examples of Hodgkin ' s law include numerous visitors to Earth and other planets in the distant past ( including Apollo , the Megan s , and Kukulkan ) , as well as : Background information . " Hodgkin ' s Law " was a writer ' s device used to reconcile science - fiction themes with obvious budget limitations . Gene Roddenberry wrote in his original pitch : Even within the Original Series an alternative to " Hodgkin ' s Law " in the form of the Preservers from was presented as an explanation for " " why there were so many humanoids scattered through the galaxy . " " In TNG the Ancient humanoid s from were yet another alternative to " Hodgkin ' s Law " . Both these races not only provided a source for possibly all of the Galaxy ' s remarkably Human - shaped life but the ability for alien species to cross - breed as well . The explanation for the similarities between Humans and many alien species bears a number of similarities to non - canon ical explanations of the mirror universe . In several novels and comic books , writers have attempted to define a point at which the mirror universe and our universe diverged , given the overwhelming similarities in physical appearance of people and places .