Was Kirk at risk from cancer from eating a proto-matter apple in TWOK?

[Xerxes1979]

Don't tell me it was an apple from the Enterprise as "by the book" would have dictated standard field rations.

It could have been a hydroponically grown apple from Regula One, but why wouldn't they all just eat in the mess hall?

Some of that apple would have ended up as fat cells or mineral in his skeleton. As this matter destabilized would this not damage chemical bonds of his DNA promoting cancer?

 

[number6]

Re: Was Kirk at risk from cancer from eating a proto-matter apple in T

That would explain the bloating.

 

[Jose Tyler]

Re: Was Kirk at risk from cancer from eating a proto-matter apple in T

I suppose it is possible, but I would imagine medical technology was advanced enough around 2285 that it would be diagnosed and any damaged DNA would be fixed by McCoy at Kirk's next visit to sickbay. As somebody who's father just died this year from cancer, I'd like to think so...

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Re: Was Kirk at risk from cancer from eating a proto-matter apple in T

Perhaps the problem wasn't as serious in the underground caves - that wasn't as massive a scale as the planet itself. The protomatter may only have been dangerous when in such large quantities as to produce the Genesis planet.

Since we don't see anything happen to the underground Genesis (i.e. it doesn't destabilize and explode like the planet did), I'm going with that.

 

[RoJoHen]

Re: Was Kirk at risk from cancer from eating a proto-matter apple in T

He pooped it out before it became an issue.

 

[Therin of Andor]

Re: Was Kirk at risk from cancer from eating a proto-matter apple in T

Maybe David didn't add protomatter to the matrix until after the Genesis Cave experiment? Protomatter enabled the Genesis Device to work on a planetary scale.

 

[JohnChod]

Re: Was Kirk at risk from cancer from eating a proto-matter apple in T

Maybe David didn't add protomatter to the matrix until after the Genesis Cave experiment? Protomatter enabled the Genesis Device to work on a planetary scale.

Haven't watched it in a while, but that's what I thought. Protomatter in Genesis Cave - not, but on Genesis Planet - yes.

 

[Smellincoffee]

Re: Was Kirk at risk from cancer from eating a proto-matter apple in T

Maybe David didn't add protomatter to the matrix until after the Genesis Cave experiment? Protomatter enabled the Genesis Device to work on a planetary scale.

Seemed like the cave was small scale and more Carol's work, while David took responsibility for the big planet-shaper.

 

[Valin]

Re: Was Kirk at risk from cancer from eating a proto-matter apple in T

Seemed like the cave was small scale and more Carol's work, while David took responsibility for the big planet-shaper.

The dialogue in TWoK would seem to support the hypothesis that Carol was responsible for the cave:

KIRK: You did all this in a day?
CAROL: The matrix formed in a day. The lifeforms grew later at a ...substantially accelerated rate.
McCOY: Jim! This is incredible. Have you ever seen the like?
CAROL: Can I cook or can't I?

 

[bullethead]

Re: Was Kirk at risk from cancer from eating a proto-matter apple in T

I thought the whole problem with the Genesis planet was that it turned a nebula into a solar system, which it wasn't supposed to do. If it was applied correctly to a lifeless planet, it wouldn't be a problem, since the device wouldn't have to create a planet and star, just a self-sustaining biosphere.

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

Re: Was Kirk at risk from cancer from eating a proto-matter apple in T

He pooped it out before it became an issue.

Either that or he had galaxy scale indigestion when the apple started breaking up.

 

[tafkats]

Re: Was Kirk at risk from cancer from eating a proto-matter apple in T

In the Trek universe, cancer was cured sometime in the 21st or 22nd century.

Personally, I'm hoping we don't have to wait that long.

 

[Alrik]

Re: Was Kirk at risk from cancer from eating a proto-matter apple in T

Maybe David didn't add protomatter to the matrix until after the Genesis Cave experiment? Protomatter enabled the Genesis Device to work on a planetary scale.

Seemed like the cave was small scale and more Carol's work, while David took responsibility for the big planet-shaper.

^
This is pretty much how I've always looked at it.

 

[The Dominion]

Re: Was Kirk at risk from cancer from eating a proto-matter apple in T

In the Trek universe, cancer was cured sometime in the 21st or 22nd century.

Personally, I'm hoping we don't have to wait that long.

Cancer is a broad thing, I think it will be cured in stages over time.

 

[wahwahkits]

Re: Was Kirk at risk from cancer from eating a proto-matter apple in T

Kirk doesn't do cancer

 

[Maurice]

Re: Was Kirk at risk from cancer from eating a proto-matter apple in T

He pooped it out before it became an issue.

That would give the term "explosive diarrhea" a whole new meaning.

 

[CoveTom]

Re: Was Kirk at risk from cancer from eating a proto-matter apple in T

Kirk's body is more resiliant than any mere planet. He can handle protomatter.

 

[The_Baroness]

Re: Was Kirk at risk from cancer from eating a proto-matter apple in T

In the Trek universe, cancer was cured sometime in the 21st or 22nd century.

Personally, I'm hoping we don't have to wait that long.

It's not likely to be cured before the 21st century.....:-S

 

[Mr Silver]

Re: Was Kirk at risk from cancer from eating a proto-matter apple in T

Who says that the apple Kirk ate was a product of the Genesis experiment? It could have been that Carol had stocked the cave with enough supplies to "last a lifetime" in case they had evacuate the station and hide inside Regulus.

I think David's dabblings with protomatter were confined to the planetary version of the Genesis experiment, evidenced by the fact that the Genesis Cave has remained for quite some time whilst the planet destroyed itself within a few weeks at most.

Even if the Genesis Cave was protomatter infested and had Kirk's apple been Genesis produce, I doubt it would give him cancer. After all, the protomatter planet regenerated Spock and rapidly evolved the microbes, if anything the same effect would simply regenerate Kirk's digestive tract and give him the colon of a much younger man!

 

[Grant]

Re: Was Kirk at risk from cancer from eating a proto-matter apple in T

He pooped it out before it became an issue.

That would give the term "explosive diarrhea" a whole new meaning.

Amazingly the fecal matter reverted back to its healthy orignal state--- just like Spock. Hell you could just live forever off all the food that way.