"Cogenitor" discussion

[Guy Gardener]

You're assuming that one sex effort, from three people, or two people and an it, creates one baby?

Unsustainable!

Obviously the script said that the couple on board G'Kar's ship was trying to make "a" baby, becuase these are the people that invented the Ocampa, where it takes two people to make one baby, and they can only get pregnant once, which means that each generation will be half the size of the last, until there are no more babies.

Vissians might deliver litters of babies more often than a single blessed darling, which will allow for population growth, without having constant access to congenitors.

 

[Tribble Threat]

Perhaps there would be a massive decrease in population, but that's not the same thing as extinction. And the males, females, and Cogenitors who do reproduce would be the ones who respect each other. Having a few people sold on the black market, with police trying to stop this market, is better than lots of people sold legally, and police trying to stop the people trying to fight against this. And since the Cogenitors are a small part of the population, maybe some of the Cogenitors would be selling their enzymes, but they'd be the ones keeping the profit.

 

[DonIago]

So...let's assume you bring this proposal to the Vissians, and they say 'Thanks; we'll take it under consideration.' Do you just walk away at that point?

 

[Guy Gardener]

If you can milk a congenitor, and use their enzymes later, then that makes this episode even more bizarre. That means that this "family" decided to rent a slave, rather than buy a quart of enzyme from, the local dispensary.

This now becomes about hipster authenticity, rather than life and death.

Also planetary models usually have groups of "things" that reproduce in a similar method, so apart from milking Vissians, there is probably some cow alternative that makes totally fine babies, which a hipster would turn their nose up at for being inauthentic.

Another thing...

How calm G'Kar was during this episode... He didn't threaten anyone, or lock torpedoes on Enterprise at all... Is it possible that the Vissians we met were exaggerating about how legal and common place what they were doing was?

They were just trying to get out of this, without the Vissian police getting a good look at what was going on?

If the Mob controls the illegal supply of congenitor slaves, then the mob will be irked if you "lose" a congenitor, but they will be double irked if the police start asking questions.

Is it possible that G'Kar is a mob lieutenant, and every couple in the crew, is passing the same congenitor around, and then they are back to port for a new crew of idiots hard up for a baby... If congenitors are so valuable, why the hell take them to space?

 

[Merlyn Emerald]

The Vissians have the right to do as they seem fit

Keep in mind the most important thing - no one has the right to interfere in a foreign culture, whatever it may be.

 

[Guy Gardener]

Keep in mind the most important thing - no one has the right to interfere in a foreign culture, whatever it may be.

Intergalactic space is like international waters.

No laws, and no police.

One ship, either the human ship or the Vissian ship, is not an entire culture.

Also, the Vissian ship was more powerful than Enterprise.

Archer (ney Trip) only got to make a moral stand, because G'Kar allowed the younger race with the shitty ship to express it's backward awful ideals like they were grown ups, which they were not.

 

[Dryson]

Keep in mind the most important thing - no one has the right to interfere in a foreign culture, whatever it may be.

That is true, as long as the involvement doesn't include a request for help from a culture that would involve the complete anihillation of a people, if Star Fleet doesn't help.

What is also true is, no government has the right to infringe on a person's choice, such as the case of Cogenitor Charles.

Archer allowed his own shortsightedness to get involved with his descision to allow Cogenitor Charles to be taken back to its planet, as a hostage now, instead of a citizen.

Archer could have traded tech with the Cogenitor planet in exchange for Cogenitor Charles, but Archer failed that first contact handshake as well.

 

[DonIago]

You're assuming the Vissians would have wanted any of the tech Archer was in a position to trade enough to let Charles leave.

I suppose fighting to keep Charles even if it a) damaged Vissian culture, and b) incited a war between Earth and the technologically-superior Vissians would have been a preferable option?

 

[Tribble Threat]

What is also true is, no government has the right to infringe on a person's choice, such as the case of Cogenitor Charles.

Archer allowed his own shortsightedness to get involved with his descision to allow Cogenitor Charles to be taken back to its planet, as a hostage now, instead of a citizen.

Absolutely true. I want to watch a show about people helping people be free. The writers could have explored the complexities of the situation, and had Charles be free in the end, or continue the fight for freedom.

 

[DonIago]

I think you're looking for a show that doesn't have a Prime Directive then.

 

[Guy Gardener]

Later on... Archer said that there are no slaves on Earth, freed three Orion Slave girls, and they enslaved him.

 

[Hopeful Romantic]

Since we have a much more recent discussion of "Cogenitor" going on in this thread, please continue your thoughts over there.

*thread closed*