Military Working Dogs in Star Trek, yes or no?
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A dog is basically an organic battery... needs food, water, warmth and air to operate... and its limited to smells for the most part.
A tricorded has ridiculously diverse scanning capabilities down to the subatomic (well surpassing anything a dog could do) and can last arguably much longer (we've seen evidence that Tricorders can easily outlast a biological organism for example in terms of resources).
The only potential option where use of biological organisms would be beneficial is in environments where technology refuses to work (such as those with dampening fields - but as we saw, even those can be overcome with some clever thinking and modifications to pre-existing technology).
So, no. The Cetacean ops on starships might be different, but even in those cases, I'd find them supurflous in the 24th century given what technology is capable of.
My guess is those still exist because Humanity (among others) established a rapport with various animal species (whom have been long ago declared sentient - heck most non-human animals on Earth ARE sentient) that live on Earth and because humans have drastically changed their ways, they now work together on ships and contribute to explore the galaxy and universe at large.
So, from a strictly operational point of view, SF doesn't NEED animals for their senses, as their technology is lightyears ahead of those already, but they do work together with animals it seems in an equal partnership of sorts... and that's why they have Cetacean ops... might also have others operations on board for other animals... but Dolphins might have been on the more cooperative spectrum with humans so they might be the only (or one of the few) Earth based animals in space on ships as part of Starfleet.
Dogs no. Targs yes.
And before you say same thing, Targs are pet piggies, not doggos.
The whales in Cetacean Ops (which includes dolphins) are fully sentient and sapient and able to give express consent to telepathic species like Vulcans and Betazoids or possibly through advanced versions of the universal translator. They are considered fully realized and volunteer members of the crew and serve as navigators and possibly in other roles.
Dogs, for all their intelligence and ability to sense our emotional states, are still considered pets (like Kirk's dog Butler) and are unable to fully consent to dangerous missions. They would do it, because dogs are awesome and love to help, but I think Starfleet would feel it's unethical to intentionally send them into life-threatening situations without their ability to give full consent, like sending a young child on an away mission to a hostile planet.
The situation is muddied a bit in that Starfleet does allow children and pets on dangerous extended deployments with their family members aboard starships, but that's more an issue of maintaining family coherence and encouraging recruitment of people who want to serve on deep space missions but also want to start a family and not be separated from them for years on end.
Dogs, for all their intelligence and ability to sense our emotional states, are still considered pets (like Kirk's dog Butler) and are unable to fully consent to dangerous missions. They would do it, because dogs are awesome and love to help, but I think Starfleet would feel it's unethical to intentionally send them into life-threatening situations without their ability to give full consent, like sending a young child on an away mission to a hostile planet.
The situation is muddied a bit in that Starfleet does allow children and pets on dangerous extended deployments with their family members aboard starships, but that's more an issue of maintaining family coherence and encouraging recruitment of people who want to serve on deep space missions but also want to start a family and not be separated from them for years on end.
Don't know if it's still the case today, but for a long time the sensing power of a dog's nose was the only aspect of the animal kingdom humanity's technology could not outperform. We might have been stronger than elephants, faster than cheetahs, more lethal than tigers, and more adaptable than rats... but a dog could still beat our sensing toys.
Probably not true by the 23rd century, but in some planetary environments, where tech is compromised, biologicals might still have a purpose. Especially since they could probably genetically engineer dogs to have vastly increased intelligence.
Probably not true by the 23rd century, but in some planetary environments, where tech is compromised, biologicals might still have a purpose. Especially since they could probably genetically engineer dogs to have vastly increased intelligence.
There's always situations where dampening fields and other forms of technical witchcraft prevent tricorders and other forms of scanning technology from working. In which case, yeah dogs are a legitimate and time-tested reliable alternative.
Tribbles were responsible for outing Arne Darvin, who presumably slipped by a lot of tech. A doggie might also come in handy.
I just thought of a Starfleet application for canines that doesn't involve putting them in harm's way: therapy dogs. I can totally see Starfleet Medical on Earth having a few golden retrievers and goldendoodles to help put a human patient at ease during a counseling session or before a delicate medical procedure.
Safer than Tribbles, that's for sure...
Yes, but they can get colds.
Slippery slope issue, imo.
If any creature could be asked and agreed to work then no problem.
But any creature forced to comply would probably incite controversy better avoided in the first place.
If any creature could be asked and agreed to work then no problem.
But any creature forced to comply would probably incite controversy better avoided in the first place.
So the Vulcan K9 corps? Or Betazoid.
A sehlat would make a good guard dog/(teddy) bear. Maybe they'd breed smaller, sleeker ones to squeeze into tight spaces.
So, the reason I started this thread is I have a spreadsheet with the name/rank/duty-title of all 120 crew members on the ship in my fiction stories. One line is for a female Marine corporal dog-handler with a K9 named Vixen. I'm trying to remember the plot lines I had in my head that made me add her to the roster. Silly me, I didn't take good notes when the good idea fairy landed on my shoulder.
I frequently see a good shot and say to myself "I'll come back for that" but when I do the light has changed and it's not as good. Writing for me works the same way. Unfortunately, even when I wake up in the night with a great idea and make notes, when I get up in the morning either the notes are incomprehensible to me, or they look like a doctor's prescription and they're useless to me.
