Hitler was an anomaly. Khan was the result of deliberate tampering of the human genome. If Hitler had been the result of any specific human intervention, it's a safe bet that action would be prohibited now.
Spoilers Starfleet needs to revise its policies on "Augments"
- Thread starter dswynne1
- Start date
I agree, there are problems with it. But every policy, fear, or belief that is untrue will be proven untrue by time and evidence. Until it is, what can we do? Until we see that it never was true/isn't actually true/isn't true anymore, we act based on what we (think we) know.
Hitler was one man who took a whole gang of people and a nation with him. My point still stands, we in the real world do not hold a whole nation or ethnic group responsible for the actions of the past. The all Augmented beings are bad concept is only canon due to silly writing, nothing more.
Last edited:
There is no evidence to collect, its a fictional world , a few lines in a script can reverse the policy.
I meant in the real world. And maybe life will imitate art (moving from prejudice to truth).
In the real world, some truths had to be forced on the table, name one civil right that was handed to the persecuted by the persecutee without years of fighting or bloodshed.
Last edited:
(perhaps a bit offtopic, but ...)
I agree to that if by 'anomaly' you meant just the 'wrong' combination of factors coming together at an inopportune time (vengeful disposition, rhetorical and political talents, problematic life experiences, problematic political climate and social problems in Germany that gave him the opportunity to exploit the situation and come into a position of power, etc., etc. etc.). Not if by anomaly you meant that he was a rare fluke of nature, a one-of-a-kind being.
I meant the former.
So, Trek can explore that.
There would have to be limits, though. If a person was specifically engineered to have performance far beyond the human norm, I would have serious reservations about that. If a person was engineered to correct a disability (even one that could have been addressed another way, like Jules Bashir's), I might be more understanding.
However, once it becomes fashionable to eliminate "imperfections" from the genome, that could lead humanity to a very dark place indeed.
However, once it becomes fashionable to eliminate "imperfections" from the genome, that could lead humanity to a very dark place indeed.
If humanity lives in a Trek society where the present day prejudices on skin color, hair colour, disability, gender, sexual orientation no longer exist, then what else would be considered dangerous to eliminate?
They should in SNW with Una's Court martial, but she loses or resigns when a deal is made
Last edited:
Agreed. Trek deals with social issues. Use this story.
It could end with April wanting to promote Pike to the Admiralty. Pike resists but April tells him its the price the brass are offering to keep Una out of jail. But the compromise they come up with is the role of Fleet Captain?
My problem with the augmentation ban is that it is too broad, too general and not within the proper context. Augmentation for military applications? BAN IT. Augmentation in order to provide an unfair advantage for positions in Starfleet and the Federation? BAN IT. Adapting oneself to a planetary environment? OKAY. Being the result of a lab experiment that gives NO discernable benefits (like Dal)? FINE. BTW, it's understandable why the Angosians were trying to hide Roga Danar away, when trying to apply for Federation membership; probably it was because of the ban on augmentation (TNG: "The Hunted"). Basically, the issue should be looked at on a case-by-case basis, with context thrown in for good measure. Heck, I would hate the idea that a "Captain America" type would be discriminated against, since he is technically an augment.
Going over the Memory-Alpha article on Genetic Engineering, it seems that the ban only covers enhancing people, at least the 24th Century.
As we have several examples of curing diseases or preventing abnormal things from happening before and after DS9 established the ban.
https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Genetic_engineering
As we have several examples of curing diseases or preventing abnormal things from happening before and after DS9 established the ban.
https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Genetic_engineering
To be clear, TOS itself never established that there was any kind of ban on genetic engineering in the Federation or on Earth. It just seemed to be a passe thing since humanity had tried it at some point on a notable scale and it didn't work out so great. The ban was shoehorned in after-the-fact by DS9.
Kor
Kor
You've seen "Gattaca" right?
No, but this topic is based on the Trek fictional universe, not the Gattaca one
