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Starfleet Academy Question. Alien takeover 101

stardream

Commodore
Commodore
Did they teach things like 'How to react if your friend/loved one is taken over by an alien/hostile force and does weird and potentially destructive things?'

You know what I mean. Your captain is obviously not himself because he has been taken over by a very disturbed woman. Or the Borg. Your Second officer is babbling on about someone named Masaka. Your normally gentle counselor has taken on the personality of a dangerous felon... or in one I just recently watched...your boyfriend has been taken over by the circuitry of a demon shuttlecraft and does just plain crazy things.

After its all over everyone is "Its ok. It wasn't you. All is forgiven'.

So do they undergo training for this possibility? Do Role Playing? Let's pretend your best friend Bob has been taken over by the King of the Jellyfish people and has been given the ability to sting everyone by his touch....your job is to try and stop him and when its over reassure him that you are still friends even though he nearly killed you and you are sporting a nasty red welt.

And do they prepare everyone for the eventuality of being taken over themselves? Yes you have yelled at, frightened and terrorized the people closest to you and they were even prepared to kill you but don't worry... They still love you.

And some of them keep the memories."It was like I was sleepwalking'. That cannot be easy. Surely there would be a lot of PTSD going on.

Right off the top of my head the only one I can think of you actually held a grudge was Sisko against Locutus/Picard but even he got over that.

Or was this on the job learn as you go training?

It seems as though most of them handle it very well...a little bit too well. Makes me wonder if there are drugs or some sort of mind zapping going on.
 
Probably there is some off-screen counselling. You see Deanna Troi talking to Picard about what it was like to be assimilated - I don't think they would have had just one conversation and left it there.

As for preparing you - how can they, realistically? Other than some kind of mental equivalent of SERE training, you never quite know what you're going to come up against, I guess!
 
A lecture at the Academy on just this subject would actually make a lot of sense. And not just for alien takeovers, but also your run-of-the -mill mental problems that could effect your shipmate friends ability to perform their duties. Deep space, stressful environment, demanding high tech job.

McCoy wasn't just a MD, (iirc) he was also a shrink too.
 
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