# Question about Star Trek in all permutations **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 30, 2002, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-star-trek-in-all-permutations/134574 "2002-10-30T17:49:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Knighted\_Vorpal\_Sword](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ac91a4/32.png) [@Knighted\_Vorpal\_Sword](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knighted_Vorpal_Sword)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2002, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-star-trek-in-all-permutations/134574/1 "2002-10-30T17:49:22Z")
There were all sorts of deaths on all the shows, but did anyone ever die a natural death? I don’t think I ever saw anyone die of a heart attack, or cancer, or gangrene, or tooth decay. Why is that? With such large populations on the ships, wouldn’t more people have died natural deaths? And what happened to the dead bodies? ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2002, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-star-trek-in-all-permutations/134574/2 "2002-10-30T18:06:55Z")
Since Starfleet is based on the military and more specifically, the Navy, I would guess that there’s a retirement age. So you mostly have younger crewmembers who don’t die of natural causes. Plus, the advanced state of medicine means people don’t die of what we die of now. McCoy cured a woman with kidney disease in ST:TVH by giving her pills, when the current doctors said she needed a transplant. Remember, in ST:TMP, McCoy was “drafted” out of retirement. As far as disposing of the corpses, I’m sure they were either returned to the home planer or released into space as an “at sea” burial. (ST:WOK.) ---
**Author:** ![Tars\_Tarkas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Tars\_Tarkas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tars_Tarkas)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2002, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-star-trek-in-all-permutations/134574/3 "2002-10-30T18:07:41Z")
Cancer, gangrene and tooth decay are all cured in the future. And old people aren’t on ships, so they aren’t on screen to die. Dead bodies are either shot into space or returned to their homeworld for their own planetary customs. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2002, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-star-trek-in-all-permutations/134574/4 "2002-10-30T18:07:45Z")
Since Starfleet is based on the military and more specifically, the Navy, I would guess that there’s a retirement age. So you mostly have younger crewmembers who don’t die of natural causes. Plus, the advanced state of medicine means people don’t die of what we die of now. McCoy cured a woman with kidney disease in ST:TVH by giving her pills, when the current doctors said she needed a transplant. Remember, in ST:TMP, McCoy was “drafted” out of retirement. As far as disposing of the corpses, I’m sure they were either returned to the home planet or released into space as an “at sea” burial. (ST:WOK.) ---
**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2002, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-star-trek-in-all-permutations/134574/5 "2002-10-30T18:41:59Z")
Plus, y’know, deaths thru natural causes don’t necessarily make particularly good television. Sarek died of natural causes. –Cliffy ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2002, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-star-trek-in-all-permutations/134574/6 "2002-10-30T18:43:36Z")
Sarek died of natural causes. ---
**Author:** ![FordPrefect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e99b99/32.png) [@FordPrefect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FordPrefect)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2002, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-star-trek-in-all-permutations/134574/7 "2002-10-30T18:44:32Z")
McCoy’s father died of some horrible, rare, old-age disease. The father was taken off life support and within a year or two a cure was found… ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2002, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-star-trek-in-all-permutations/134574/8 "2002-10-30T18:46:59Z")
Okay, how about Noonian Soong! Huh? How about him? Old age! Right! Then again, there was no body… and he had said that he always made sure to leave a back way out of everything… ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2002, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-star-trek-in-all-permutations/134574/9 "2002-10-30T20:38:33Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ivylass \* > **Since Starfleet is based on the military and more specifically, the Navy,** That might have been true in the tough-and-gritty 23rd Century days of Kirk and Spock, but by the time the 24th Century rolled around, the happy-fuzzy-bunny crew in _ST:TNG_ were travelling through Federation space with their **families** on board the Galaxy-class Enterprise. If there are children aboard the ol’ NCC-1701-D, surely there ought to be a few Old Farts aboard, too, shouldn’t there? ---
**Author:** ![SPOOFE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@SPOOFE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SPOOFE)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2002, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-star-trek-in-all-permutations/134574/10 "2002-10-30T22:56:14Z")
Because Paramount wants us to believe that the future is happy, fuzzy-wuzzy, and full of incompetent boobs who don’t know what a “fuse” is, among other things. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2002, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-star-trek-in-all-permutations/134574/11 "2002-10-30T23:29:34Z")
When their palm crystal turns black, they go into the matter transmuter and become Soylent Green. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2002, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-star-trek-in-all-permutations/134574/12 "2002-10-30T23:45:46Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by SPOOFE \* > \*\*Because Paramount wants us to believe that the future is happy, fuzzy-wuzzy, and full of incompetent boobs who don’t know what a “fuse” is, among other things. \*\* No. _Gene Roddenberry_ wanted that. And what Gene wanted, he got, even if it was stupid. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2002, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-star-trek-in-all-permutations/134574/13 "2002-10-31T00:18:14Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Ethilrist \* > \*\*Okay, how about Noonian Soong! Huh? How about him? Old age! Right! > > Then again, there was no body… and he had said that he always made sure to leave a back way out of everything… \*\* Whaddya mean there was no body? Soong was beaten to death by Lore (just as the whole “evil twin” premise was beaten to death in that episode). Ira Graves (ref: [The Schizoid Man](http://www.startrek.com/library/tng_episodes/episodes_tng_detail_68368.asp)) also died of some natural disease. Rather than fret about not seeing people drop dead of heart attacks and whatnot, I wonder about how many crew members _Voyager_ lost and how they managed to keep replacing them. Did anyone ever do a tally? ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2002, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-star-trek-in-all-permutations/134574/14 "2002-10-31T02:43:13Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by NoClueBoy \* > \*\*When their palm crystal turns black, they go into the matter transmuter and become Soylent Green. \*\* LOL! Wait a minute … black palm crystal … I’ll be darned! Someone else has actually read the _Logan’s Run_ **book!** ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2002, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-star-trek-in-all-permutations/134574/15 "2002-10-31T02:50:16Z")
Yeipper, long before that stupid movie ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2002, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-star-trek-in-all-permutations/134574/16 "2002-10-31T03:10:05Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by NoClueBoy \* > \*\*When their palm crystal turns black, they go into the matter transmuter and become Soylent Green. \*\* Well, they _would_ have, but the maniacs blew it up (damn them all to hell!) ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2002, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-star-trek-in-all-permutations/134574/17 "2002-10-31T03:12:58Z")
let’s all start a mixed up sci-fi movie thread. this is fun ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2002, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-star-trek-in-all-permutations/134574/18 "2002-11-01T05:39:59Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by NoClueBoy \* > \*\*let’s all start a mixed up sci-fi movie thread. this is fun \*\* * * * We can’t all start it at once. 😃 You could start it, unless we want to continue 'jacking this one. ---
**Author:** ![montag01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/51bf81/32.png) [@montag01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/montag01)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2002, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-star-trek-in-all-permutations/134574/19 "2002-11-01T06:37:10Z")
I know it’s not really meeting your criteria, but there’s an episode (I think it’s the one where the Enterprise gets caught in some rift and no one can sleep, causing hallucinations and so on) where Picard, worried he’s losing his mind, recalls watching a relative slip into the ravishes of “doddering old age,” going from a strong, capable man to someone struggling to find his way home at the end of the day.