Klingons & Humans Are Literally the Same Species

[dgrrr]

Ambassador K'Ehleyr is half human & half Klingon. If she were infertile, she would be a hybrid -- the infertile product of a cross of species.
But she had a child with Worf, a Klingon. That means K'Ehleyr is the fertile offspring of a Klingon & a human -- which means they are the same species, by the biological definition of that word.

 

[F. King Daniel]

Ambassador K'Ehleyr is half human & half Klingon. If she were infertile, she would be a hybrid -- the infertile product of a cross of species.
But she had a child with Worf, a Klingon. That means K'Ehleyr is the fertile offspring of a Klingon & a human -- which means they are the same species, by the biological definition of that word.

It's Star Trek. Fantasy. Vulcans have GREEN BLOOD and breed with humans.

 

[Tosk]

So Humans, Klingons, Trill, Betazoids, Vulcans, Ktarians, and Romulans are all the same species?

Nah.

 

[Forbin]

All it means is that Star Trek writers don't know shit about biology.

 

[JesterFace]

When there are children who have parents from different planets, that's a place for some headcanon. Those kids were conceived in a test tube? However, in some cases that might not make any sense.

 

[Oddish]

This is Trek. Everyone is interfertile with everyone else, except when plot demands otherwise.

 

[Mutai Sho-Rin]

This is Trek. Everyone is interfertile with everyone else, except when plot demands otherwise.

You dug up a 7-year old thread to add so little?

CLANG!

 

[Mutai Sho-Rin]

You dug up a 7-year old thread to add so little?

CLANG!

Well I sure flubbed that one. I looked at the join date for JesterFace instead or the posting date. Must be old age.

UN-clang (as in re-opened)

 

[Oddish]

I kind of wondered why you accused me on the subject. I found the topic in the New Posts area.

 

[Guy Gardener]

TNG: The Chase.

Yes.

Intelligent design.

Everyone can bang.

 

[NCC-73515]

T'Pol and Trip did need some medical help to get a baby. I guess they can't naturally reproduce, at least not all of them, but 24th century medicine makes all that possible.

 

[Orphalesion]

Uh...you notice that about Klingons and Kehlyr but not about the Betazoid and Troi?(we even meet a quarter-Betazoid in TNG, who even says that he has four Quarter-Betazoid siblings) and

Spoiler

Deanna herself will go on to spawn twice

As to the topic itself... Due to that precurser species from the Chase meddling with the evolution of life on countless worlds, apparently, things work just a little it differently in the ST universe, no matter what real life science says.

 

[Oddish]

T'Pol and Trip did need some medical help to get a baby. I guess they can't naturally reproduce, at least not all of them, but 24th century medicine makes all that possible.

Baby Elizabeth was not the result of medical aid, she was cloned from DNA stolen from both of them. And, her death was the result of bad cloning techniques. With competent medical assistance (instead of genetic terrorism), Trip and T'Pol could have had a child together.

 

[hbquikcomjamesl]

The original post makes three invalid assumptions: (1) that all hybrids are cross-species, (2) that all hybrids are sterile, and (3) that 1 and 2 are inherent parts of the definition of "hybrid."

None of these assumptions are true.

 

[CorporalCaptain]

Mating between humanoid members of species that have evolved in different star systems is one of the fictional premises of Star Trek that has no scientific basis. It's true that it is not contradicted by science, but only because we know of no examples of extraterrestrial life whatsoever. However, it's certainly contrary to all reasonable scientific expectations.

Moreover, the idea that there are a lot of humanoid aliens in this part of the galaxy is part of the TOS pitch intended to save makeup and VFX costs, not anything that follows from a scientific principle. Whenever Star Trek has taken the idea of humanoid aliens too seriously, we've gotten train wrecks like "The Chase." When it hasn't taken itself too seriously, the result has been brilliant conceptions such as Spock.

 

[Timo]

Mating between humanoid members of species that have evolved in different star systems is one of the fictional premises of Star Trek that has no scientific basis. It's true that it is not contradicted by science, but only because we know of no examples of extraterrestrial life whatsoever. However, it's certainly contrary to all reasonable scientific expectations.

Why?

Science is not religion. If its definitions and expectations don't adequately describe reality, those definitions and expectations aren't protected - they are outdated and dumped. And if a species goes interstellar, it's the perfect time to dump the outdated concept of "species".

It's not reasonable to assume that procreation would be closely related to biology in a species that moves from star to star. If the species chooses to procreate, it will, just as it chose to move. Today, we can defeat infections, using technology our ancestors could not dream of (even when they unwittingly used it themselves). Disease has become a choice in ways that transcend the terminology, which admittedly drags behind nevertheless. Tomorrow, it would be odd to pay special attention to the ability to cross-breed, or to change the number of one's limbs or chromosomes. Again, then, terminology can be allowed to remain, as long as its contents change. "Species" is not well defined by the inability to crossbreed even today, and won't be tomorrow. "Species" can be applied nevertheless, to good practical effect, and possibly even within former H. sapiens if need be.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[JesterFace]

What if.... and this one really goes out there....

Like on our planet Earth, intelligent life is able to have offspring no matter what genetic background might be. What if that goes through the entire galaxy or our part if it, the Alpha Quadrant for example? The entire universe might be out of the question but humans and aliens nearby are able to have kids "in out neighbourhood". Not all species are able to do this with others but some like Humans and Klingons can produce offspring? We're all products from the same source, big bang. And if not there's always artificial insemination.

 

[Nerys Myk]

And if not there's always artificial insemination.

That might not mean what you think it does.

 

[JesterFace]

That might not mean what you think it does.

Did the language barrier get me? I meant kids created in a laboratory test tube or something like that.

 

[CorporalCaptain]

Science is not religion. If its definitions and expectations don't adequately describe reality, those definitions and expectations aren't protected - they are outdated and dumped.

I didn't say otherwise.