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[-] TheGrandNagus@lemmy.world 38 points 1 week ago

I mean, in response to the last one, the Federation does allow (and sometimes advocates) for the correction of birth defects.

Julian: DNA resequencing for any reason other than repairing serious birth defects is illegal. Any genetically enhanced human being is barred from serving in Starfleet or practising medicine.

Deep Space Nine, "Doctor Bashir, I presume"

Doctor: Yes. It's a girl. And aside from the deviated spine, she's healthy.

Paris: Will she need surgery?

Doctor: Fortunately, we've advanced beyond that. Genetic modification is the treatment of choice.

Voyager, "Lineage"

So I imagine plenty of disabilities do end up being erased, it's just that being disabled is also socially accepted to a much greater extent than today.

[-] hemko@lemmy.dbzer0.com 16 points 1 week ago

To add here, not everyone is born with disability but sometimes shit just happens

[-] MaggiWuerze@feddit.org 3 points 1 week ago

Yeah, I think for Geordy his eyes just got consistently worse until he was blind without a visor. On Ba'ku his eyes recovered briefly.

[-] aeronmelon@lemmy.world 5 points 1 week ago

“DNA resequencing”

If someone in Star Trek is born with a bum knee, they just laser surgery the knee. Deformed backbone, replicate a new backbone. A lot of defects and disabilities can be solved by 24th-century medicine without involving genetics.

McCoy gave that old lady a pill and she regrew her kidney using her own aged body inside of an hour. Apparently, fixes of that type are an over the counter prescription and don’t run afoul of the eugenics laws either.

Approved genetic modifications is more for things like conjoined births or fetal organ failure. Too many toes? Here’s some special shoes, carry on.

[-] infinite_ass@leminal.space 2 points 1 week ago

Since when is DNA holy scripture? I'd be optimizing that every day.

[-] Mechanize@feddit.it 4 points 1 week ago
[-] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 25 points 1 week ago

My only problem with this is that Geordi made it clear more than once that not only would he rather just be able to see, but that his VISOR caused him constant pain. I wouldn't really call that accommodating for his blindness if that's what was required to get into Starfleet later.

And, of course, that was what made it so impactful when he finally had eyes that worked.

And then there was Melora on DS9. Starfleet could have done so many things to fulfill her dream of traveling the stars without having her be stuck in the chair in near-1g environments or accept Bashir's treatments. In fact, the only reason so few Elaysians ever left their homeworld was that everyone else was fine with 1g and no one gave a shit about their needs.

[-] 14th_cylon@lemm.ee 10 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Geordi made it clear more than once that not only would he rather just be able to see, but that his VISOR caused him constant pain

it was also suggested that his visor was "superior to human eyes". star trek is habitually inconsistent about its world and sometimes it is better not to think about it too much.

[-] TheGrandNagus@lemmy.world 11 points 1 week ago

I don't think that's contradictory at all though.

Geordi wanted to be able to see [naturally], but his visor is superior to human eyes in that it can see things that humans can't naturally see.

To put it a different way: a person with advanced bionic legs that never tire, could run far faster than any natural human, and bend in ways that human legs can't, would have superior legs. But there wouldn't be anything wrong with their stance if they said "yeah but I just want normal human legs".

[-] Tippon@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 1 week ago

Geordie's new eyes were still bionic though weren't they? It's been a while, but I'm sure I remember him using them to search for someone in the movie.

[-] TheGrandNagus@lemmy.world 1 points 1 week ago

Yes, they're still bionic

[-] jumperalex@lemmy.world 22 points 1 week ago

"curing at birth" != "Eugenics"

Still, the spirit of accommodation is spot on.

[-] Stamets@lemmy.world 6 points 1 week ago

They're not totally wrong either, just missing a step and leaving a gap.

Genetic engineering is strictly outlawed in the UFP which came about from the Eugenics wars.

[-] darthsid@lemmy.world 6 points 1 week ago

They could solve racism by ensuring everyone has the same colour at birth! /s

[-] Stamets@lemmy.world 13 points 1 week ago

The only thing I can think of whenever I hear that is, hilariously, an episode of Fairly Odd Parents.

Timmy wished for everyone to be a grey blob so racism couldn't exist. People still kept saying they were grey-er or blobbier.

People just gonna hate.

[-] EmpathicVagrant@lemmy.world 2 points 1 week ago

Honestly that show was and is so far ahead it needs a cameo ship in trek. It would be like other federation ships, with nacelles that look like wings and a little crown floating nearby.

[-] anarchrist@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Or they could just bang each other. In fact I'm kind of alarmed at how decidedly unmixed people still are in whatever year it is supposed to be

[-] infinite_ass@leminal.space 5 points 1 week ago

The whole OP thread gives me pain. Like watching midgets slapfight.

[-] zaphod@sopuli.xyz 4 points 1 week ago

Very few characters are ever seen wearing glasses.

[-] Smoogs@lemmy.world 1 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

I see names being mentioned and It’s problematic when someone assumes disabilities by armchair diagnosing characters with a disability and then defend it as if it were true.

“I assume normies would find this character annoying as they have some quirky, slight misunderstandings of personal boundaries so I’m going to attribute them with ‘being on the spectrum’”

[-] GregorGizeh@lemmy.zip 1 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

This is a stupid take as well. There is also evidence that the federation does practice the correction of birth defects and disabilities when appropriate.

And why would they not? Allowing such impairments to exist when the medical technology to prevent it is available seems insanely unethical to me. Like breeding pugs because if people stopped doing that the breed would cease to exist, ignoring the fact that being a pug is a miserable existence for the animal.

I believe the most sensible policy for the federation (and us in real life) would be to correct any and all birth defects, disabilities and impairments wherever possible, while accommodating and fostering compassion and acceptance for the cases where it is not possible.

Disabled people are not lesser than anyone else and should have the same capacity to participate in society, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't try everything to prevent people from being disabled.

this post was submitted on 18 Nov 2024
108 points (95.0% liked)

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