Re: Agreed that it is a rather strange twist and seems very sudden to happen within a generation - Edit 1
Before modification by DomA at 25/04/2012 04:15:13 PM
... just that I found it incredibly strange. From the columns we know that channeling is noticeably absent from Rand's ancestry in the patrilineal line, and from the Queens of Andor's relationship with the Tower and Elayne's status as first channeling Queen in however long, we can deduce that Rand also has no noticeable channeling ancestry in the purely matrilineal line. That doesn't mean he shouldn't be able to channel, as you point out, I just find that to be a peculiar choice on RJ's part since he intended channeling to be genetic.
But going back to the Seanchan it seems plausible that as they now enslave both channeling genders that they would have quickly snapped up many of the recessive gene pool and thus culled the ability in others rather quickly ... This to DomA's point above that it doesn't take much for a double recessive gene sequence to be erased from a population.
What is a bit more surprising is that it won't take long post TG for the channelers to realize two channelers always produce a channeler, and for channelers to favor such unions (conveniently, most AS and a great deal of Asha'man are single...). In fact, the White Ajah already deduced that, they just couldn't make anything of their theory (except for BA Whites sparking strife and dissent by bringing up the idea even though it was non viable, which Alviarin precisely did.. with Sheriam fuelling the fire by accusing the Red of culling out the ability and Verin also involved in the debates...) because they feared producing some male sparkers (a PR fiasco) and increasing the odds of male sparkers in the general populace.
But not long post TG the channelers will know, and facing the Seanchan as they do in Aviendha's version of the future, you'd think they care to preserve the channeling lines as a matter of survival. But in Aviendha's future it seems the BT/WT have not reunited either. For that matter, it sounds like the world isn't united for very long to face the Seanchan. Aviendha's vision is really like a series of missed oppportunities and bad choices, there's more to it than the Aiel resuming the war.