We need to know what happened to the Elerians. If they eventually join the Federation, are they allowed off their home planet? Is every male who comes anywhere near them dosed with antidote? If they learn subtlety they might be able to take over the Federation anyway.
Well, they don't cut off Kirk's private parts when they let him loose at the universe; I don't think there'd be much justification for gelding the Elasians, either. You just have to take your chances with them. Timo Saloniemi
The Elasians females can't use their tears, what happens next? Orion females can't use their pheromones, Earth females can't use our breasts? [/SIZE][/FONT]
OK, so now imagine a teenage Elasian woman going to a Federation school offworld. Better yet, remember they are conniving and seek power. So are they going to try and take over the Federation by stealth or not? And should they? How do humans keep most of the positions of power?
One of the things I hate about Trek is this "one size fits all" attitude towards cultures. We only see one female Elasian, so we honestly have no idea how they vast majority would interact with Federation culture.
For the record, I want Earth females to continue using their breasts.....and since I first saw TOS, as a boy, I always wanted to meet an Orion female as well. Just sayin'.
I don't think that the effects of Elasian tears would be universal, what I took from the episode was that with Humans the effects basically "wears off" after a certain period of time. Kirk was given no cure, but after a few days he was no longer under Elaan's influence. While it charming to say that "the Enterprise was the cure." realistically Kirk's body simply stripped out or destroyed the chemical transmitted in the tears. From that point forward, Kirk perhaps was completely immune to re-exposure. So the effects upon the various males (and females?) of the federation's many species could vary, from total through non-existent.
But based on the exchange between Spock and McCoy we are lead to believe that Elasian males are vicious and arrogant and Elasian females are supposed to have a kind of subtle, mystical power that drives men wild, based on the scientists that made the initial investigation of the Elasians. I would think the scientists observed more than 1 Elasian male and more than 1 Elasian female before making their conclusion about the Elasians behavior. Courtesy of website: http://www.chakoteya.net/StarTrek/57.htm Navigator NCC-2120 USS Entente /\
Kirk was a proven commander of a starship,...mission after mission who brought te ship back in one piece ..so to speak. IMO the CMO of any starship would have knowledge now of the "antidote" to the tears the Elasian women produce.
Well, I am not thinking of Starship Captains. Suppose Elasians want to manipulate men of the Federation with wealth or power to benefit their home world. I suppose they should keep the relationship secret, so some busybody doesn't dose their lover with antidote.
On the other hand, if they did study more than zero Elasian females, their findings (or at least their subsequent reporting thereon) can safely be dismissed as worthless... I wonder if the tears of the males render human (and other) females equally helpless? Timo Saloniemi
I'm pretty sure not Timo, I seem to remember some justification where the females need that defense because of physical weakness.
If it evolved within their species, it must have had some evolutionary advantage. Maybe one female with extra-strong tears could attract a harem of males, brainwashed into monogamy, thus depriving other females of breeding possibilities. The strong-tears females would be like the alpha wolf in a pack, the only one who breeds, thus perpetuating the trait. Either the other females would have to evolve to compete or their genes would die out. It actually makes a lot of sense.