UK = "jam biscuit."
USA = "shortbread cookie with red jelly in the middle."
USA = "shortbread cookie with red jelly in the middle."
What are your controversial Star Trek opinions?
- Thread starter Amasov
- Start date
Sounds too much like a sexual euphemism to my dirty old mind.
I'm sure the real world reason we didn't see other Betazoids in Starfleet was the same reason we never saw any other Vulcans on board the Enterprise besides Spock on TOS**: They wanted to preserve the uniqueness of their regular character. If we see a full-blooded Vulcan or a full Betazoid on the ship, suddenly Spock and Troi don't seem as cool.
**(Outside of Mirror Spock's Vulcan bodyguards in "Mirror, Mirror," of course.)
But very interesting speculation about whether or not full Betazoids are in Starfleet!
Man, Roddenberry sure loved putting nudist hedonistic societies into his future universe. The Deltans, the Betazoids, the Edo from "Justice"... According to his TMP novelization, there are even alcoves in the Enterprise's rec room where crew members can slip away for some quick lovemaking instead, say, their cabins. I think the Writers' Guide for Phase II even said that large swaths of Earth are clothing optional?
Really, it's amazing the man never produced his own Star Trek porn parody. If he'd lived until the streaming age, he would've proposed a Star Trek: Orgy series for Paramount+ and bragged about how he was finally free from the shackles of 1990s' syndicated TV.
Replace your words with I don't think it's unreasonable to expect laws put in place to not allow humanoids with ears or similar to just listen to another person talking without their consent.
When you are out and about, do you switch off your senses, do you stop hearing because other people are around? Do you want a law to make it illegal to hear other folks conversations without their consent? (Apart from the present privacy laws). It would make walking on the street and travelling by public transport a headache.
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''It's me! It's me!''
''What's he saying?''
''Sounds like KISS me, KISS me!''
''Smart-ass mother@#$%er!!!!''
Actually, I meant exactly what I said, so no need to replace my words. People shouldn't be eavesdropping on others, anyway.
And when I am out, I don't try to listen to other people's conversations. Why? Because it's not my business.
Telepaths have no business just going through someone's head without permission. Privacy is something everybody is entitled to.
I restrict my vision so that I don't state too long at ant individual. I don't leer or oogle people as sexual objects. I definitely restrict my sense of touch by not touching, feeling, or groping people without their consent. I don't go around tasting anything in the grocery store that is not clearly a free sample.
As Frosty said above, I don't stand next to or behind strangers as they talk each other or are on the phone. I might unintentionally overhear a snippet of conversation and this might lead to me joining the conversation, but those conversations are public and not private or intimate. If my joining the conversation is not appreciated, I do not continue to listen.
Even my freedom of movement is restricted in public both by my own choice as well as legislation. I can't just walk into any room or any building and I definitely should not stalk people.
These are all aspects of conduct we teach our children or learn when we are extremely young. Don't stare, it's not polite. Put that back, it's not yours or we aren't buying that. Get back here, you are not allowed in there. Don't climb on that. Don't talk to strangers.
And yet there is no formal legislation telling you not to stare when you go out, not to touch items when you are buying, not to bump into people, cos that is touching, no legislation telling you to stop listening to people on the bus, train, out and about.. You are not walking around with your eyes closed and your hands covering your ears or wearing earplugs. Or maybe you do.
The above is completely different from suggesting that in the Trek universe telepaths should be legislated to switch of their telepathic senses and not hear other people's thought. If I was a Betazoid I might support the latter if other people are expected to switch off their senses when they are in public also. Good thing this is all fiction!
It seems like this debate on telepaths is stemming mainly from different understandings about whether or not Betazoids can stop themselves from picking up others' thoughts. Some people think they can and should be able to control themselves, while others insist they cannot. I think TNG itself is rather inconsistent on this point.
(I don't think whatever Lwaxana Troi does can be taken as an indicator of Betazoid society in general, as she seems pretty atypical in most respects. I find it easy to believe she'd just ignore whatever is generally done, because she thinks the rules don't apply to her.)
(I don't think whatever Lwaxana Troi does can be taken as an indicator of Betazoid society in general, as she seems pretty atypical in most respects. I find it easy to believe she'd just ignore whatever is generally done, because she thinks the rules don't apply to her.)
There’s a difference between “listening” and “hearing.”
So the question is do Betazoids “hear” thoughts as they walk about their daily lives? You don’t have a lot of choice over what you hear. You have more choice over what you listen to.
In any event, an anti-mind reading law would be unenforceable, and therefore useless. Much more likely an empath/telepath society would develop social norms and expectations around the issue.
Assuming it’s even an issue for them at all.
There are rules about not touching other people without their consent, such as in the workplace. You also don't just pick up stuff at a store and leave without buying, because that's called theft.
1001001 is right when stating there is a difference between hearing and listening, which is essentially what I was trying to say. I probably wasn't clear about that, so my apologies for the confusion. (Though I did say 'without their consent', which I thought was enough to get the point across.)
Let me clarify... there should be laws in place to stop purposefully reading someone else's mind. Though I frankly don't like the idea that one can even accidentally hear my thoughts, because this can easily be used for bad. For example, what if a telepath happens to be picking up the thoughts of someone logging onto their bank account? They just got access to their life savings. Things like that are why there should be blockers or something to prevent mind scanning, even if it's cursory.
As to these laws not being enforceable, STAR TREK has already used telepathic blocking before, such as a hypospray to dull the telepathic centers of their brain. So there are already ways to make that enforceable.
By permanently dosing people who've nothing wrong with drugs that will destroy their ability to use one of their natural senses?
This is suddenly going down a way darker path than a telepath accidentally learning my bank account number.
Wasn't it "Looks like kiss me, kiss me" right?
That IS right. Glad you're fluent in TA:WP.
I had another boo-boo five minutes ago. I was completely unable to log in until I realized ''Holly Gennaro-McClane'' was NOT my current username. Force of habit; end of digression.
The ethics of “chemical castration” aside, there’s a difference between hearing someone’s PIN number and robbing them.
Stealing someone’s life savings is already against the law. Mind reading is irrelevant.
Making mind reading, by itself, a crime is what I said was unenforceable. How would you know?
And in that same paragraph where I stated that example, I stated it can be used for bad purposes. Which that qualifies.
Regarding the ability to know if you are being scanned, there isn't unless you are a telepath yourself. Which is why I mentioned the telepathic suppression drug. Or at least people take a drug that allows other telepaths to not enter your mind. The franchise has had multiple examples where this would have come in handy.
Fine, fair point. Then create drugs that will block other telepaths from reading you. Non-telepaths can take this so they can be sure telepaths don't scan them.
Sure, I doubt anyone would have any problem with someone who wants to do that doing it. Of course, the existence of a drug that can dull a telepath's abilities doesn't really prove that a drug that can block a telepath from reading you is even possible, let alone safe or easy to make.
The Devore Imperium would doubtless approve... Data says in TNG: "Night Terrors" that "There is no technology to block telepathic transmissions".
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