There is another way of looking at the right place/right time equation. Someone conceptualized the workings of the ship. Where did their idea originate? At some point the idea had to have come from something observed in the natural world and available to virtually everybody to observe and use as creative fodder. In a sense the world offers what the mind is prepared to find. (Like when you buy a new car and suddenly that kind of car seems to be everywhere because now your mind is attuned to seeing it). So the possibility is that some other observation would have led Colt to the same end solution or maybe a different solution once he was geared to “see” it.
Thanks for expounding on (and IMHO, reinforcing) my premise. Samuel Goldwyn was quoted as saying, “The harder I work, the luckier I get.” Certainly, one must make efforts, be willing to take chances/risks, and strive to get ahead. Having said that, we are all blessed with unique talents, gifts and indeed flaws. If that is what one means by “luck” then so be it. I think truly successful, self-made people have made serious, honest self-assessments, and in knowing exactly what “capital” they have to work with can use it to the greatest advantage. People who inflate, or undervalue their talents will never aspire to what they otherwise might have.