How do members of Starfleet look at death?

[ReadyAndWilling]

Does anyone know if this is ever talked about on the show?

When someone in Starfleet loses someone close, like a friend, do they view it as just losing a really big value in their life?

Thanks

By the way, are there any Ayn Rand followers on here?

[I Am Legend]

They think they go to Stovokor.

[SilentP]

It probably depends upon the individual and their culture's beliefs really. Worf, for example, believed in Sto'Vo'Kor, and acts, in his own way as if that's what will happen, even if he acknowledges the fact that others have differing views. I think the TNG episode where Geordi and Ro get 'phased' and believe they are dead, they talk a bit about their culture's respective beliefs (or it may of just been funerals, it's been a while).

[The Badger]

To answer the second question first, at least one of our members, Rush Limborg, has been influenced by Rand. Read his fanfic here:
http://trekbbs.com/showthread.php?t=103207
for more details (it's also a darn good read).

And yes, I think Star Fleet by it's very nature would respect the cultural beliefs of it's individual members.

[Warp Rider]

For some reason I could see someone going to the rare music files on the ship computer, and play "Another One Bites the Dust". XD

[Dark Journey]

I think one of the biggest douche-chill lines of the first season was in Neutral Zone where Beverly comments to Picard that people in the 20th century were terrified of death. Not like those evolved 24th centuryers who can't wait for it to come.

[The Wormhole]

Starfleet officers probably just view death an an everyday thing. After all, on any given day a Red Shirt is killed on an away mission, a starship is destroyed by an alien force, and so on in that order.

[JarodRussell]

I could be wrong, but haven't we seen those main character grieving about the loss of their close comrades and family members many, many, many, many times?

[sbk1234]

If they wear a red shirt, they better get pretty comfortable with the idea.


Seriously, in TOS episode The Corbomite Maneuver, Bailey seemed pretty upset about the prospect of dying. Others in other episodes showed remorse when someone died, so there must be still many who don't look upon death so casually.
In TNG, it was made a very big issue in that episode with the bratty kid whose mother died and WOrf took care of him. Even on Voy, when the Doctor let one crew member die to save Harry, it was a tramatizing situation for him. Likewise, when his holographic daughter died in that other episode. (No, I don't remember the titles much after TOS.)

[The Wormhole]

JarodRussell wrote:

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I could be wrong, but haven't we seen those main character grieving about the loss of their close comrades and family members many, many, many, many times?

Yes, I know. I was making a joke.

[hofner]

Well. for Spock death was just a passing phase.

Somebody to Spock: Aren't you upset at all those people dying on that planet?
Spock yawns: Been there, done that.

Robert

[JarodRussell]

The Wormhole wrote:

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Yes, I know. I was making a joke.

I know. I was refering to the whole thread.

[ReadyAndWilling]

SilentP wrote:

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It probably depends upon the individual and their culture's beliefs really. Worf, for example, believed in Sto'Vo'Kor, and acts, in his own way as if that's what will happen, even if he acknowledges the fact that others have differing views. I think the TNG episode where Geordi and Ro get 'phased' and believe they are dead, they talk a bit about their culture's respective beliefs (or it may of just been funerals, it's been a while).

Okay, I meant humans of Starfleet.

[SilentP]

ReadyAndWilling wrote:

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Okay, I meant humans of Starfleet.

Then it would just be down to individuals. A comparable question would be asking how do the humans of any armed force today views death, since we have a fair few religions with members in service, as well as atheists.

Sure, they may be able to bring people 'back' from worse health than they can now, but it's not exactly been that much of a change from our era, or at least from what we see in the show.

[Sector 7]

TOS took it a little more in stride than TNG, IMO. The 23rd century seemed to be more dangerous to explore. By the 'enlightened' 24th century space travel was more safe. [You believe that don't you?]

[FordSVT]

Dark Journey wrote:

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I think one of the biggest douche-chill lines of the first season was in Neutral Zone where Beverly comments to Picard that people in the 20th century were terrified of death. Not like those evolved 24th centuryers who can't wait for it to come.

I'm pretty sure that was a direct reference to 20th century fears of nuclear war. For a long time people thought there was a really good chance we were all going to die by the bomb. It was not abstract. Looking at it from a historical perspective I'm sure the average American in the 1980s did think a lot more about death than people in the 23rd century. And remember those people would have lived close to the time the Eugenics wars occurred, lord know what the political climate was on earth at the time. They were freezing themselves and going into orbit, using sleeper ships.... seems a bit death-obsessed to me.

[EnsignRicky]

As part of the job?

[Theodore Jay Miller]

Like this:

http://trekmovie.com/wp-content/uplo...hesdeadjim.jpg

[Alidar Jarok]

Don't hotlink images without hosting it yourself

[JuanBolio]

Starfleet officers boldly subject themselves to death without the slightest hesitation. They know that when they die a copy of them complete with all their memories will materialize on the surface of a nearby planet.