Phage Virus Vectors

[Dingo]

I wonder if the Vidiian Phage was airborne or waterborne or spread by other organisms. I figured it was similar to the various plagues of the Middle Ages, spread by both animal and airborne vectors.

Judging from what we've seen (or did any novels reveal) what were vectors of the Phage?

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

I wonder if the Vidiian Phage was airborne or waterborne or spread by other organisms. I figured it was similar to the various plagues of the Middle Ages, spread by both animal and airborne vectors.

Judging from what we've seen (or did any novels reveal) what were vectors of the Phage?

We have no idea, since we never saw anyone catch it. Apparently the Vidiians couldn't spread the Phage to other species.

 

[Anwar]

The Phage only seemed to affect the Vidiians themselves. The transplanted organs only decayed after being part of the Vidiians' bodies for a while so apparently it's not contagious outside of the Vidiians themselves. It affected Denara Pel when she was a young girl so maybe it starts with the onset of what is (hypothetically) Vidiian puberty.

 

[RyuRoots]

As SFDebris pointed out, if the Vidiians aren't born with the phage, how hard would it really have been to set up a quarantine of some sort?

 

[nx1701g]

Interestingly, in Think Tank, it was established that the Phage had been cured. I wonder if it was created by a predecessor to the Think Tank since it seemed that they arranged their miracles in advance.

 

[Guy Gardener]

I wonder if the Vidiians and the Kobali would have got on?

 

[Anwar]

As SFDebris pointed out, if the Vidiians aren't born with the phage, how hard would it really have been to set up a quarantine of some sort?

It's possible that the Vidiians WERE born with the Phage but it didn't manifest until puberty, and remained undetectable before that. As in, they couldn't tell who was infected and who wasn't with the carriers spreading it somehow and no one able to detect it until it was too late.

 

[kimc]

Interestingly, in Think Tank, it was established that the Phage had been cured. I wonder if it was created by a predecessor to the Think Tank since it seemed that they arranged their miracles in advance.

That's in interesting theory...

 

[Anwar]

The Phage was been tormenting the Vidiians for 2000 years by the time Voyager came along. The Think Tank must've been going on real long-term plotting for that scheme.

Or, Korris was just lying to amp up their reputation.

 

[Meredith]

As SFDebris pointed out, if the Vidiians aren't born with the phage, how hard would it really have been to set up a quarantine of some sort?

It's possible that the Vidiians WERE born with the Phage but it didn't manifest until puberty, and remained undetectable before that. As in, they couldn't tell who was infected and who wasn't with the carriers spreading it somehow and no one able to detect it until it was too late.

What if it were a RNA retrovirus hiding in junk DNA?????

I don't see why the Vidians didn't go total cyborg in the face of their disease????

 

[Anwar]

Because the Phage is such that they'd have to totally roboticize themselves (including their brains) eventually.

 

[Finn]

As SFDebris pointed out, if the Vidiians aren't born with the phage, how hard would it really have been to set up a quarantine of some sort?

It's possible that the Vidiians WERE born with the Phage but it didn't manifest until puberty, and remained undetectable before that. As in, they couldn't tell who was infected and who wasn't with the carriers spreading it somehow and no one able to detect it until it was too late.

What if it were a RNA retrovirus hiding in junk DNA?????

I don't see why the Vidians didn't go total cyborg in the face of their disease????

oh boy. Yet another possible explaination of Borg origins.

 

[Tallis Rhul]

Because the Phage is such that they'd have to totally roboticize themselves (including their brains) eventually.

Agreed. Not to mention the fact that the synapses that interfaced with the implants could decay and die due to the Phage.

Some of the ideas mentioned here would seem to indicate that it's a genetic disease (even though that would contradict the fact it's a phage, which is a particular sort of virus iirc). Anyone agree?

 

[Jimmy_C]

Maybe the virus inserts itself into the victim's DNA?

 

[StarryEyed]

Interestingly, in Think Tank, it was established that the Phage had been cured. I wonder if it was created by a predecessor to the Think Tank since it seemed that they arranged their miracles in advance.

Bingo!

I never liked the idea of any diseases in Star Trek because the technology we saw should have been able to cure anything. The phage really reeked of being artificially created. I never thought about the Think Tank having done it themselves (perhaps in the past via time travel) but it fits.

It would have been cool if "The Think Tank" had been a 2-parter or even a multi-part arc with Seven seriously considering joining them - and discovering that they did indeed invent the phage. It would have really established the Think Tank as despicable villains.

 

[All Seeing Eye]

Well even in an episode of DS9 the Dominion was able to infect a planet of people which was passed on genetically and was therefore not contagious to others.

Perhaps the think tank did infect them in the hopes of studying how they would react to it. Perhaps they were hoping the Vidiians would create new technology which the think tanks could get their hands on and improve on.