Job Dedication Is An Alien Quality

[The Wormhole]

Something I noticed in Star Trek is that only aliens, and practically all aliens are dedicated to their jobs to the extent that they are practically married to their jobs. Meanwhile humans are usually depicted as laid back individuals who though they take their jobs seriously are always taking time out to relax and take regular vacations/leave.

We first get an indication of this in Amok Time when Kirk notes that Spock never takes leave and has actually refused it in the past.

The 24th century shows really take this to the extreme. what inspired this thread was the DS9 episode To The Death when the Jem'Hadar tell Chief O'Brien that he should be willing to sacrifice his own life to achieve the goals of the mission, and the Chief is visibly offended at the idea. Which I found odd, because even humans have some ideals which they are willing to die for. But then, I thought on the matter and realized it's just in line with the theory of job dedication being an alien trait. Now yes, this is an extreme example, and maybe O'Brien just didn't feel the situation at hand was worth dying for. But it doesn't end there.

Other examples include Worf, who was practically a workaholic who was even noted for not complaining about anything and always seeking more work

Or Odo who in the early years was always on duty unless he was resting in his liquid state.

On an interesting note, Data, though an adroid, frequently takes time off, takes breaks and hangs out with his shipmates off-duty. Presumably because this makes him more human.

I could go on but my point is that it seems in Star Trek showing dedication to your job is an alien trait and humans are laid back feeling a job as just thing to pass the time by.

Thoughts?

 

[Shatnertage]

What about Scotty in "Tribbles?" Didn't Kirk have to tear him away from his technical manuals to take shore leave? And didn't he gladly go back to his reading after his fight?

Humans in general seem more laid-back and well-rounded than most of the aliens we see, though.

 

[The Wormhole]

Scotty eventually relaxed. Notably in TWOK when he says he'd had a "wee bit of shore leave."

 

[Shatnertage]

^That's true.

 

[plynch]

Rom as an engineer's mate or whatever seems very dedicated. He loves his work, as does Scotty. We see Spock in the rec room, playing chess, jamming with Adam and the Sevrin-ites, meditating, etc., so he's not all work.

The TNG-era folks seem to spend a LOT of time in the holodeck, don't they?

Is attending to recreation being shown as being "more well-rounded" or as "less dedicated," by the writers/producers?

 

[The Wormhole]

Rom as an engineer's mate or whatever seems very dedicated. He loves his work, as does Scotty. We see Spock in the rec room, playing chess, jamming with Adam and the Sevrin-ites, meditating, etc., so he's not all work.

The TNG-era folks seem to spend a LOT of time in the holodeck, don't they?

Is attending to recreation being shown as being "more well-rounded" or as "less dedicated," by the writers/producers?

All the Ferengi on DS9 are pretty much 100% devoted to their job. Rom was the eager to please brown noser, compared to his human co-workers with their "whatever suits you" attitude. Nog did the inventory of an entire cargo bay on his own to prove he was serious about joining Starfleet, and Dax even said he did a better job than the Starfleet officers (presumably human) who did it last time. And Quark was all about the bar and nothing else.

 

[maneth]

There is such a thing as being too devoted to the job. Perhaps it's just a coincidence that none of the aliens we meet seem too keen on taking time off. The majority of Starfleet officers we see are human, after all, so there's more room for diversity. I can't remember Dr. Crusher taking much time off, say.

 

[Jefferies]

What about Dax, Belana, Neelix, Tuvok, Dianna? You can say what you want but Dax never misses an opportunity for RnR! Belana also has been shown many times doing free-time/holodeck activties. She is of course only half alien but as you included Spock she must count too. Then you have Neelix. This guy not only likes to spend a good time he actually made it his job!!! Finding ways of entertainment and enjoyment was almost his sole function on Voyager. Then there is Tuvok, a stern, austere full-bred Vulcan. He might not fancy the Risan-type resort Neelix programmed but he certainly liked to relax and unwind Vulcan style through means of meditating, playing Vulcan games, ect. Also, even though he did not fancy his shipmates holo-programms he certainly participated in them. Dianna is another half-alien character who strikes me as no different in her attitudes to RnR then her human collegues.

Also not every human character was as laid back and entertainment focused as you say. The prime example being Scotty. Kirk also seemed to rarely seek diversion. Then there is Captain Sisko who might have enjoyed cooking and baseball but he seemed to have little time or patience for fooling around on the holodeck. In fact he most likely spends far less time there than Worf, who has all those Klingon martial arts and fantasy combat programmes. Michael Eddington, although maybe not your most well adjusted character, certainly didn't strike me as someone who spent a lot of time having fun. Admiral Ross is another guy who seemed very focused on his job. Protecting the Federation was all he cared about, to hell with relaxing (and that comment to Sisko about planning his RnR on Bajor was just a way to end that particular conversation). Another no-nonsense business focused character was Captain Jellico.

So there are numerous examples both alien and human to disprove your theory. There might be a tendency for alien characters to be more austere then human ones but I don't think there is evidence to generalise this.

 

[TerokNor]

Hmm, but we see aliens enjoying there free time... like all those aliens that play Dabo at Quarks, and Garak, who says he has more time on his hand, that he knows what to do with it (seems he reads a lot in his spare time and he goes with Bashir to the holosuits), Dax and Kira go to the holosuits together too, Dax and the Ferengi play Dabo, when the Cardies recaptured DS9 in the background are always Cardies who relax in small groups with a drink or gamble, Dukat has time to throw Ziyal a party or to invite Kira (on the Groumall) for dinner and Damar we also see at the bar in his off duty hours enjoying Kanar.

TerokNor

 

[The Wormhole]

I can't remember Dr. Crusher taking much time off, say.

Episodes like The Nth Degree, Damage, A Fistful of Datas and Frame of Mind show her running the Enterprise's drama club, so she obviously had a life outside her job.

Then you have Neelix. This guy not only likes to spend a good time he actually made it his job!!! Finding ways of entertainment and enjoyment was almost his sole function on Voyager.

Exactly, it was his job. Point proven.

Then there is Tuvok, a stern, austere full-bred Vulcan. He might not fancy the Risan-type resort Neelix programmed but he certainly liked to relax and unwind Vulcan style through means of meditating, playing Vulcan games, ect. Also, even though he did not fancy his shipmates holo-programms he certainly participated in them.

In the episode Muse we see Tuvok go several days without sleep to carry out the mission. The humans didn't even do an all-nighter.

Kirk also seemed to rarely seek diversion.

But he did spend some time away from Starfleet, according to Generations. Also, he lamented to Picard that he felt he was at times to dedicated to his job, leaving him with a lonely life and an empty house.

Then there is Captain Sisko who might have enjoyed cooking and baseball but he seemed to have little time or patience for fooling around on the holodeck. In fact he most likely spends far less time there than Worf, who has all those Klingon martial arts and fantasy combat programmes.

Sisko frequently went to the holodeck to enjoy a baseball game, either playing one or watching one. Also, he took a leave of absence for a few months between seasons 6 and 7. One which he wasn't sure if he would return, so he took his baseball with him.

Another no-nonsense business focused character was Captain Jellico.

Jellico had a family and even displayed his son's drawings in his ready room, so I'd say his job wasn't his priority.

Hmm, but we see aliens enjoying there free time... like all those aliens that play Dabo at Quarks, and Garak, who says he has more time on his hand, that he knows what to do with it (seems he reads a lot in his spare time and he goes with Bashir to the holosuits),

Garak was living in exile. But it did seem in his days with the Obsidian Order he was quite the work-focused individual. For that matter, Tain held the belief that people should "throw themselves into their work."

 

[Myasishchev]

I'm not exactly flabbergasted that a "tailor" would have lots of free time, in a world where clothes come out of the wall.

I always wanted to perceive Garak as a small-scale fashion designer and that "tailor" was either faux humility or a denotation/connotation shift in the English language, but then they actually had him doing alterations and repair.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

If you believe the ridiculous notion that Earth is a paradise, then it's no surprise. If nobody has to work, then nobody WILL work.

 

[Myasishchev]

^Indeed. They keep calling it paradise--and about half the civilians we see don't have jobs. They may have hobbies or vague aspirations--like Noonien Soong or Julian Bashir's dad--but they often don't have actual jobs.

Something I find amusing, is that one of the overlooked aspects of "The Visitor" is that Jake Sisko's alternate, crybaby, dadless self didn't do jack for like a decade, unless moping is a vocation, and indeed managed to get only approximately one to two years' worth of work done (his singular novel) in his entire lifetime.

 

[DevilEyes]

If you believe the ridiculous notion that Earth is a paradise, then it's no surprise. If nobody has to work, then nobody WILL work.

I don't think so. People don't work just because they have to. Lots of people do, but other people would get bored doing nothing, or want to achieve a status, to be famous, successful, admired, remembered when they're dead, etc. or heck, even to feel that they're so important and productive. It's just not true that nobody would work if they didn't have to. What you might be correct about is that people wouldn't be doing jobs they dislike and find boring if they didn't have to.

 

[TerokNor]

Agreed. I am sure people would work. People today who do not work are in my opinion mostly people who either do not find a working place (but would like to work) or people that got dissapointed too often, see no hope and had no one to look up too, that showed them the value of work and what it can mean for the own development.
Most people I am sure, would NOT feel happy for long with nothing to do...and would even get sick.
Look at the children, that are not made ill yet by the school system...they WANT to learn, they want to have something to do.... its human nature to do something and not sit around and watching TV all day for years or ever.... that first comes after many things went wrong.

TerokNor

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

other people would get bored doing nothing

Well, obviously they wouldn't literally do nothing. They'd find something to do - but it wouldn't be work. They'd just sit around in the holodecks & bars all day or something like that.

 

[DevilEyes]

other people would get bored doing nothing

Well, obviously they wouldn't literally do nothing. They'd find something to do - but it wouldn't be work. They'd just sit around in the holodecks & bars all day or something like that.

Sitting around on a holodeck isn't exactly doing something in the sense I meant. I meant that there would be a lot more of what we now call amateur fiction, art, music, video productions (or fanfiction, fanart, fanvideos), performance art, theatre, than there are now, not to mention their equivalent of blogging... and holodeck programming. It would be a bit like the Internet community now, only on a much wider scale, all over the world. I can also see a lot more people doing arts and crafts, cooking, designing clothes, designing and all sorts of things, to offset the dull mass-produced (mass-replicated) stuff. The difference between amateurs and professionals in many fields would practically disappear. People would have loads of time on their hands to do any sort of "hobby", only these hobbies would kinda be their work. If there was no necessity to work for living, people would look to do the things that interest them the most or those where they feel they can express themselves or make people admire their work. And of course, as we know, some would go into science, space exploration, diplomacy, government, organizational work etc. The dullest administrative jobs and the hardest and most monotonous menial jobs would probably be mostly automatized (though it seems that holograms are also used for some of those, as seen on VOY - which begs the question of hologram rights and slavery).

 

[Jefferies]

I can't remember Dr. Crusher taking much time off, say.

Episodes like The Nth Degree, Damage, A Fistful of Datas and Frame of Mind show her running the Enterprise's drama club, so she obviously had a life outside her job.

Then you have Neelix. This guy not only likes to spend a good time he actually made it his job!!! Finding ways of entertainment and enjoyment was almost his sole function on Voyager.

Exactly, it was his job. Point proven.




In the episode Muse we see Tuvok go several days without sleep to carry out the mission. The humans didn't even do an all-nighter.


But he did spend some time away from Starfleet, according to Generations. Also, he lamented to Picard that he felt he was at times to dedicated to his job, leaving him with a lonely life and an empty house.



Sisko frequently went to the holodeck to enjoy a baseball game, either playing one or watching one. Also, he took a leave of absence for a few months between seasons 6 and 7. One which he wasn't sure if he would return, so he took his baseball with him.

Another no-nonsense business focused character was Captain Jellico.

Jellico had a family and even displayed his son's drawings in his ready room, so I'd say his job wasn't his priority.

I don't know where your bias against humans is coming from but you seem to interpret evidence very one sidedly. So Tuvok pulled a few all nighters to complete a mission? Big deal for a Vulcan! These guys can go without sleep for extended periods. That's because of physiology by the way and not a hightend sense of job dedication forcing them to grit their teeth. And you are wrong when you say humans don't pull all nighters. The Doc on Voyager chastised the Captain many times for not sleeping enough and working too hard!

Saying that Jellico puts his family ahead of his Starfleet duties just because he hung up a few drawings of his kid is a MAJOR assumption that has no actual evidence to back it up!

With regard to Sisko. I acknowleged that baseball was his hobby. I merely compared him to Worf and argued that Worf had a more particular interest in the holodeck than the good Captain, judging by his multiple holo combat games. Sisko might go and watch a sports match, but I don't see him doing childish things like fighting monsters in a fantasy world. Worf has also been on leaves of absenses (notice the plural!) for sorting out personal stuff. So how is this guy more dedicated compared to the Emissary?

Bottom line is that both aliens and humans are dedicated to Starfleet. This dedication, however, is a matter of nuance and not correlated to how robotic you carry out assignments. Sisko is a great example of this. In the Pale Moonlight he makes this very clear by telling us he has no problem with going over corpses of inocents to protect the interests of Starfleet and the Federation. When it comes to job dedication he is as ruthless and unforgiving as you could possibly imagine. Cross this man when he is carrying out his duty and you will bitterly regret it. I'm sure Eddington has a few anecdotes to share on that particular issue.

 

[Pemmer Harge]

If you believe the ridiculous notion that Earth is a paradise, then it's no surprise. If nobody has to work, then nobody WILL work.

If no one needs to work, then it doesn't matter if they do or not. No one suffers.

People would work, though, as anyone who's ever been unemployed will tell you.

 

[CaptainStoner]

It's interesting how this has developed into talking about what work is. With aliens, I think its good to remember that aliens are humans in Star Trek. They are depicting aspects of humanity in a sci-fi/fantasy way. Very few aliens in Trek are truly alien.
And its interesting to see various attitudes towards a non-scarcity world seeping in as it turns to talking about work. Work for some appears synonymous for a job, or a day job. But was being a clerk Einstein's work? Is some random labor job an artists' work? The scientists and artists have it right when they refer to their work as the manifestation of what drives them. I have found myself constantly, since high school, in this battle between simply a job, and my work. And truly, having a job makes it hard to get much work done! A week or two off here and there just doesn't cut it. Those who can find a way, or a niche, out of that struggle are truly blessed, and I'm not going to be dragged down by anyone who puts their true passions in life in the category of "hobbies", and insists that everyone else "go to work" and do the same as they.
Anyway, it's almost time for me to go make the donuts. It makes the donuts. Resistance is futile.
(Sorry kids, I don't actually make donuts.)