life span

[dave_R_treker]

How long is the life expectancy of humans by the 23rd and 24th century?
Doctor Mccoy is alive an kicking in the 24th century. In the TNG and Shatner books he is still alive in the late 24th century. Uhuru is still alive as well (atleast in one book). I'm not sure about others from the original crew.
Oh we have Elias A Vaughn who is over 100 years old and still kicking.

 

[FalTorPan]

In TNG's "The Nth Degree," there's a scene in sickbay in which Doctor Crusher gives a joking, rough estimate of Barclay's remaining life span. I think it was something like 70 years. Assuming Barclay is about 45 in the episode, one might speculate a typical human life span to be some 110 to 120 years.

 

[Rush Limborg]

There's an exchange between Kirk and Bones in "The Return" (the second Shatnerverse book). When McCoy declares that he's around 150, Kirk asks, "What's the record?"

McCoy's response: "You're looking at it!"

 

[JayTheTrekkie]

McCoy was like 138 in Encounter at Farpoint part 1 in TNG. So perhaps up to about 145 or 150 but no more.

I guess it just depends on their health when the human life span is usually 110 to 120 years.

 

[FalTorPan]

Just to demonstrate the useless trivia in my head, McCoy was 137 years old, according to Starfleet records, at the time of "Encounter at Farpoint," which is said to take place in 2364. Star Trek: Nemesis is said to take place some 15 years later. Assuming McCoy is still alive when Data kicks the rusty bucket, he'd be about 152 years old.

 

[Mike Farley]

I think of TNG-era McCoy in his 130's as the equivalent of an 80 or 90 year old today. Considered "really" old, but could conceivably live another few decades without anyone being surprised. McCoy seemed to get around okay in Encounter at Farpoint and didn't have a handler or assistant (that we saw).

Average life expectancy in the USA is about 75 or so, but it's not uncommon to run into people well over that. In the 24th Century life expectancy might be around 120 with some individuals living to 150+.

 

[Timo]

Chief O'Brien once mused that he wanted to die in bed, surrounded by his loved ones, at the age of 140. From the context, it's clear that 140 is a bit above the average for 24th century humans, then (as it doesn't seem that O'Brien would have been of the "die young, leave a pretty body" school of thought).

In TAS "Counter-Clock Incident", Robert April was facing mandatory retirement at 75, but the episode ended in Starfleet deciding to reevaluate that retirement age. In TNG "Too Short a Season", Mark Jameison thought he would be an active starship captain at 80, if not for his debilitating disease. Towards the end of the TNG adventures, Picard was past seventy, too, and in perfect health (thanks largely to being portrayed by a physically fit actor a decade younger than the character).

Nevertheless, all the characters we have seen at 70 or 80 have looked roughly the part, so future medicine/lifestyle doesn't give eternal youth. It merely gives a long-lasting old age. Although I guess that people obsessed with youth could choose to look like teenagers when in their 120s, and it just so happens that such people are exceedingly rare.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Bonzo the Fifth]

Chief O'Brien once mused that he wanted to die in bed, surrounded by his loved ones, at the age of 140. From the context, it's clear that 140 is a bit above the average for 24th century humans, then (as it doesn't seem that O'Brien would have been of the "die young, leave a pretty body" school of thought).

In TAS "Counter-Clock Incident", Robert April was facing mandatory retirement at 75, but the episode ended in Starfleet deciding to reevaluate that retirement age. In TNG "Too Short a Season", Mark Jameison thought he would be an active starship captain at 80, if not for his debilitating disease. Towards the end of the TNG adventures, Picard was past seventy, too, and in perfect health (thanks largely to being portrayed by a physically fit actor a decade younger than the character).

Nevertheless, all the characters we have seen at 70 or 80 have looked roughly the part, so future medicine/lifestyle doesn't give eternal youth. It merely gives a long-lasting old age. Although I guess that people obsessed with youth could choose to look like teenagers when in their 120s, and it just so happens that such people are exceedingly rare.

Timo Saloniemi

Actually, how many of said 70-80 year olds were actually 'stated' to be that age... I mean, Jean Luc Picard is about 10 years older than Patrick Stewart himself is, and he's had a bit of a rough life, as well as an established future history of possible dementia and senility which would cause an early degradation.... And with characters like Elias Vaughn in the EU, it stands to reason that the 100 year mark in the 24th century would only roughly correlate with 'our' age 65 in terms of vitality...

That being said, I've heard social arguments that seem to indicate that the cycles of human society (generational turnover, political cycles, etc.) would dictate an upper limit approximating 120 years on how long human could be 'allowed' to live without seriously disrupting society, though that depends on how much stock one is willing to put into sociological models and pie in the sky theories... not to even mention how social conventions on the 24th century might deal with or accept longevity as a lifestyle choice, of if natural aging is considered more dignified...

 

[Sir Rhosis]

McCoy in TNG actually strikes me as being the equivalent of a modern man aged 90-100, still mentally active and getting around but just barely.

Sir Rhosis

 

[Timo]

...an upper limit approximating 120 years on how long human could be 'allowed' to live without seriously disrupting society

Which might be a factor in why Vulcans and Klingons are so martial: it's simply that they hang around too damn long for the tastes of their fellow socialites.

Vulcans have solved it by going to deep cultural denial. Klingons have solved it by killing each other at a suitably young age. Humans... Are probably new to this longevity business, compared with those two. And they got their longevity in a "post-society" society where they are just one small player among hundreds of species and cultures, whereas Vulcans and Klingons probably were long-lived when they knew nothing of extravulcanians or extrakronosites. I wonder if the possible human problems are actually still in the future, even from the 24th century POV?

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Deks]

If McCoy was still alive by the time of Insurrection, it's entirely possible he could go to the Ba'ku planet temporarily along with others who were from the original Enterprise and extend their lifespans.

It's possible they may not wait as long as a decade, but with SF's medical tech and their natural longetivity (for humans) I think they would do just fine until they returned to duty.
I mean the Enterprise crew after being exposed to the Ba'ku planet for a short period of time experienced large benefits as a result.
Who's to say this wouldn't happened with McCoy and Uhura?

As for the natural life span of a human in the 24th century.
I would say that for them it's possible to reach 150 if not more.
Archer (who was from the mid 22nd century) died when the original Constitution was launched so that would probably put him in the age range of McCoy (at the time of first episode of TNG).

 

[Timo]

But the Ba'ku planet doesn't seem to rejuvenate people biologically. It seems more as if it plays cute tricks with time itself - the same way the inhabitants can play with it, really. The effects are reversed once you leave the sphere of magic, as we learn from LaForge's now-you-see-it-now-you-don't experience.

So McCoy might have to stay on the planet for the rest of his (possibly centuries-long) life...

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Deks]

Not necessarily.
It has been stated in the movie that the reason why the So'na wanted to initiate the procedure asap was primarily out of revenge, but also because some of their elderly population simply couldn't wait for the 10 year span until the effects really take hold.

Picard was essentially rejuvenated partially from minor exposure to metaphasic radiation.
He was intently looking at himself in the mirror in one of the scenes which basically can be interpreted that biological rejuvenation is a possibility.

 

[Timo]

Oh, I'm sure the boobs really did firm up. I'm just not convinced it was something that would stick, or give you extra years of life once you departed. LaForge's new eyes didn't take, Worf's newfound puberty quickly passed, and generally we lack solid confirmation that the Ba'ku planet would ever have been of longevital worth.

It would be supreme irony if the Son'a destroyed the environment for no gain, having never bothered to really analyze the phenomenon they were so jealous about...

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Crewman47]

How do you suppose the El-Aurians acquired such a long life span as on the outside they look more or less like Humans, maybe on the inside as well but possesing like a sixth sense like empathy or whatever? Guinan would've been hitting near 800 or 900 by the time of Nemesis and she doesn't look a day over 50.

What would happen if a human got a blood transfer from an El-Aurian or a Human and an El-Aurian had a child together, would the person getting the blood or the child have an increased life span?

 

[dave_R_treker]

How do you suppose the El-Aurians acquired such a long life span as on the outside they look more or less like Humans, maybe on the inside as well but possesing like a sixth sense like empathy or whatever? Guinan would've been hitting near 800 or 900 by the time of Nemesis and she doesn't look a day over 50.

What would happen if a human got a blood transfer from an El-Aurian or a Human and an El-Aurian had a child together, would the person getting the blood or the child have an increased life span?

Well first a human might not be able to take a blood transfuison. There blood might not be compatable.
Second if an El-Aurian and human decieded to have a child together the child might have the same life span as the El-Aurian. Spock is half human half Vulcan and his life span is the same as a Vulcan.

 

[Timo]

Do we know this of Spock, though? He does weather the effects of age a bit better than humans, that much we have known ever since "The Deadly Years". But by the time of ST6, he looks older than his father ever did - and then retains those looks for eighty years, into the TNG era. Sarek retained his elderly looks across the "generation gap", too, suggesting that Vulcans don't have a significantly prolonged youth or middle age, but do have a prolonged old age.

If Spock starts his stretch of old age earlier than his father did, I'd suspect he has reduced odds for living as long as his father did - even if we assume that the Bendii Syndrome noticeably shortened Sarek's lifespan from the Vulcan norm.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Bonzo the Fifth]

Do we know this of Spock, though? He does weather the effects of age a bit better than humans, that much we have known ever since "The Deadly Years". But by the time of ST6, he looks older than his father ever did - and then retains those looks for eighty years, into the TNG era. Sarek retained his elderly looks across the "generation gap", too, suggesting that Vulcans don't have a significantly prolonged youth or middle age, but do have a prolonged old age.

If Spock starts his stretch of old age earlier than his father did, I'd suspect he has reduced odds for living as long as his father did - even if we assume that the Bendii Syndrome noticeably shortened Sarek's lifespan from the Vulcan norm.

Timo Saloniemi

Ah, but keep in mind, Vulcan's aren't exactly a vain species when it comes to appearance... while Sarek and Spock may 'appear' in the equivalent of human old age, they both seem physically in good shape and quite ambulatory, despite gray hair and wrinkles (can't imagine that Vulcan's harsh desert climate is kind to skin and hair aging, anyway)...

In any case, longevity techniques of Vulcans likely focused on the efficient running of the body and little (if any) effort focused on the aesthetic effect of aging... in fact, Vulcan society, I imagine, is probably one which honors it's aged members, like Cardassian society, so there would be next to no social pressure to appear young...

The point I'm getting at is that appearances are deceiving when it comes to aging appearance and conditioning...

 

[Timo]

And that's a very good point. Yes, for all we know, the hybrid Spock might in fact enjoy an edge over pure Vulcans, as all the design work that went into making his one half withstand the other might also help both halves withstand the wear and tear of a long life.

Wrinkling skin wouldn't be much of an issue there - especially as desert dwellers might get their skin wrinkled in a few decades already, at least before the onset of "civilization", and would still live long and prosper.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Stardate]

come on Vulcan's are genetic engineered aliens that why they live so long. Also they are 3 times stronger then humans.