Genetic engineering

[Solarbaby]

We are told how wrong it is that Julian Bashir was genetically engineered. But I recently watched TNG Unnatural Selection for the first time in years and the Gagarin research station was doing just this!

In fact they weren't just engineering the mental parts of the humans but created an invasive immune system that would actively kill any foreign lifeforms. There was no mention of this being wrong or illegal. This is the same thing as creating supermen like Khan

So how come in DS9 it is frowned upon? What's so wrong about Julian's engineering (that actually helped him to function better as a person emotionally and mentally and physically) compared to the children on the Gagarin research station who are for all intents and purposes biological weapons that must remained forever quarantined ?

Did someone just make a big goof writing the DS9 saga? Or did something change?

 

[Admiral Shran]

Personally, I think it's just a mistake on the part of the writers - they probably didn't remember that episode from TNG Season Two.

However, I think it can be explained away. The researchers were clearly trying to keep the genetic engineering a secret. After all, neither Pulaski nor Data had any idea what was going on until circumstances forced the researchers to tell them.

It could also be that genetic engineering was, in fact, illegal before Unnatual Selection, but that enforcement of the ban had become very lax since the time of the Augment Crisis of 2154. Following the events of Unnatual Selection, the UFP government might have decided to come down hard on any future examples they found out about.

 

[Solarbaby]

That's a good reasoning. |I can see the point of the physical offensive immune system engineering scaring Starfleet Medical to enforce total ban. However I think that Starfleet would have been equally or more concerned with Soong's augments and later the 2 attempts for power control by Khan. They were even more a problem since they were driven to ignore the law and use force to attain power. Whereas the children were just an unnatural accident with no intent to do harm.

Khan had the potential to destroy the Federation with the Genesis device. Surely that would have sent a message to Starfleet to enforce the ban permanently.

Also if the ban really only did become absolute zero tolerance from Unnatural Selection why was Bashir and his parents held accountable? They had done it years before Unnatural selection. Plus they knew it was illegal and of the consequences at the time suggesting that the ban was already at a zero tolerance level throughout the Federation.

I think you are right its just a bad mistake by the writers.

 

[Jono]

The Federation allows some genetic engineering, specifically to correct medical conditions so it would have to do research in this area somewhere. The Darwin facility might have a special permit, much like how places in the real world would get what could be consider (or be) biological weapons so to study and work on counter measures.

As for Bashir, his procedure was more of an enhancement, it is dubious that he medically needed genetic tinkering, which is allowed by the Federation. His mirror universe counterpart seem on the ball and he would have been unlikely to have had genetic enhancements.

 

[Admiral Shran]

Even with Khan's two attempts to regain power, it had been 88 years since his last attempt by the time of Doctor Bashir, I Presume. Again, maybe enforcement had just become lax in the intervening period with no major genetic engineering crisis.

As for why Bashir and his parents were held accountable - politics. The UFP didn't discover Bashir's genetic engineering until after they had decided to take a hard-line stance. They couldn't just let them off the hook by saying "oh well, they did it when we weren't looking." Add to that the fact that Bashir had proven himself to be trustworthy and a good Starfleet officer. So, instead of coming down hard on him, Starfleet and the Federation government worked out a deal where Richard Bashir took the blame. That way everyone got what they wanted - Bashir got to remain in Starfleet and the government got to say that it came down hard on this criminal offense.

 

[Timo]

I don't see much contradiction between "Unnatural Selection" and "Dr Bashir, I Presume". In the former, the government did dangerous things. In the latter, private citizens did. In the real world, the latter typically leads to prosecution, while the former does not; for the sake of holding the society together, the government has an absolute monopoly on certain things, such as murder or theft or in this case genetic engineering.

The Darwin Station experiments could and probably would be contained, even if some of their lethal effects leaked out. Starfleet seemed fine with that; nowhere in that episode was it suggested that the scientists there would be acting illegally, nor that they would have to cease and desist.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Nightdiamond]

That's good point, why should Julian's parents go to jail when the scientists seemed to be going far beyond what Julian got?

It seemed like, from what the episode showed, that they were trying to create their idea of the perfect human being-telepathic, disease free, and physically strong.

I think they were even created from test tubes.

And it looked like they had Starfleet's and the Federation's blessing.

As a matter of fact, the researchers seemed almost creepy-they showed little concern for the lost of an entire starship crew that was affected by them, only concern for their 'children'.

They seem to dangerously fit the profile that the Federation wanted to ban.

 

[Admiral Shran]

They seem to dangerously fit the profile that the Federation wanted to ban.

Maybe that's why the UFP decided to start taking a hard-line stance on the issue again - they needed to be reminded, yet again, what the dangers were.

 

[Nightdiamond]

They seem to dangerously fit the profile that the Federation wanted to ban.

Maybe that's why the UFP decided to start taking a hard-line stance on the issue again - they needed to be reminded, yet again, what the dangers were.

I think I'm more bothered by the researchers, than the actual subjects in this case.