That's asking for virtual immortality short of dying by outside factors.
As a audience member, I would find that highly unbelievable.
That's the step too far to ask for believability within fiction IMO.
Human lifespan in the Star Trek universe
- Thread starter Nyotarules
- Start date
As a audience member, I would find that highly unbelievable.
That's the step too far to ask for believability within fiction IMO.
I do think it would be weird and would make the characters less relatable, but I don't think it is unbelievable at all. Bodies are just machines, at some point it will become possible to fix pretty much all defects.
If we make that ceased to die of treated or treatable natural causes I agree (with the additional proviso of new or mutated acute diseases).
Someone who doesn't seek medical treatment for issues, doesn't exercise or socialise, and has a poor diet (and yes, these people will still exist, though not in Starfleet) could still die of 'natural causes'. They are probably a lot rarer than in modern day and most probably don't get to the dying stage as much as in modern day either).
As with all machines, a machines core engine will fail at some point beyond repair, that time frame just might be lengthen such that it won't be so soon on a human time scale, but I do believe it will happen.
But asking for effective immortality is a bit much IMO. How do you fix death from natural old age?
See: "The Schizoid Man"
Some jellyfish are effectively immortal, so it is already physically possible without any outside help. 'Natural old age' is just bunch of physiological processes. Either stop those processes from happening or reverse their effects. If for some reason it is not possible to stop cells from degrading, then insert nanites which fix all damage into the body. If you have an ability to turn living beings into energy and back again, or to create complex material objects out of pure energy, then repairing some ageing cells should not be that hard at all.
Even the oldest humans today don't make it passed their 110s, except for Jeanne Calment (1875-1997) who lived to be 122. (link)
Given that the Federation doesn't believe in genetic engineering, it would make the most sense that -- with the state of their health care -- that humans would live passed 100 but not passed 120. On average. Thus McCoy being able to say, at 137, "What's so damned troublesome about not having died?!"
"The Admiral," to quote Worf, "is a remarkable man."
Given that the Federation doesn't believe in genetic engineering, it would make the most sense that -- with the state of their health care -- that humans would live passed 100 but not passed 120. On average. Thus McCoy being able to say, at 137, "What's so damned troublesome about not having died?!"
"The Admiral," to quote Worf, "is a remarkable man."
I don't see that as a natural solution.
The JellyFish, to my understanding reverse aging by getting younger and age in reverse. But the thing is, you're asking for a effective "Youth Serum" / Immortality "Serum". The holy grail of many folks. Something like that shouldn't ever be that easy to create. Especially a universal one.
It may not be easy, but it is probably way easier than turning people into pure energy and then back again.
Wasn't there an anti-aging drug on Cerebrus? "Too Short a Season" makes you wonder if Admiral Jameson might have been fine if he'd just used them in moderation instead of taking all of his and his wife's doses.
Trek's bonkers universe even has species which age backwards (that Voyager one where Tuvok's shuttle crashes and whose name eludes me) which makes very little sense.
Trek's bonkers universe even has species which age backwards (that Voyager one where Tuvok's shuttle crashes and whose name eludes me) which makes very little sense.
It was a good twist, and it put Janeway in her place lol
I could easily imagine that longevity isn't significantly prolonged on average, but that the average person says fitter longer.
An example from canon would be Picard who was 59-74 played by the (fit for his age) 47-62 year Patrick Stewart.
An example from canon would be Picard who was 59-74 played by the (fit for his age) 47-62 year Patrick Stewart.
If given the choice of aging backwards or having an option to turn into an Energy being with a potential humanoid form? I'd choose Energy Being.
I'm just taking that concept & borrowing bits & pieces of "aging lore" from the "Crest of the Stars" Sci-Fi Anime series and mixing my own variation on the concept.
What if we are meant to 'evolve' into ghostly energy beings anyway! By eliminating death with medical procedures (and I'm not talking about the odd operation for bad diseases or injuries) and reversing the aging process aren't we condemning ourselves to a stagnant, horrible eternal life? Increase the life span by a few years certainly but to live forever, all of us, would mean no retirement date, no fear of anything, no love for life and the chances of a governmental tyranny would be obvious!
JB
JB
We all evolve into salamanders didn't you watch Voyager?
We all evolve into salamanders didn't you watch Voyager?
Then are we the Axilotols?
JB
Well, Jameson wasn't trying to cure old age, but to reverse the effects of the horrible disease that stopped him from being a starship captain at the mere age of 80 or so. Supposedly, a proper cure would have left him looking much as he did, wrinkles and all, but holding the same vibrant pose as Picard does, and winning fisticuffs against random Reman rabble. It may well be that the cure he got, with unwanted fountain-of-youth aspects, never had much chance of working well on him.
Sounds natural enough to me - that is, unnatural. What species would not choose to genetically engineer its individuals to enjoy a second childhood as their standard mode of death?
Timo Saloniemi
In the year 3535
Ain’t gonna need to tell the truth, tell no lie
Everything you think, do and say
Is in the pill you took today
Similar threads
