[QUOTE=Ethilrist]
Then there’s the transporter “accident” that regressed Picard, Guinan, Ro and Keiko to 12 years old. Those suckers are immortal (well, not Ro, she’s prolly dead by now), provided the transport patterns can be stored that long, if they can get over that silly business of “oh, no, I can’t go back to being 12 again. I’d be all, like, young and stuff…” I bet Picard rethinks that decision in another 20, 30 years or so…
[/QUOTE]
I’m absolutely certain that by the time of TNG immortality is possible, but the Federation has supressed the technology for cultural reasons (“human dignity”, etc.) I can just picture a DS9 episode where Dr. Bashir discovers that a relatively simple medical treatment could make people perpetually young; only Section 31 pays him a visit and explains that it’ll never be allowed.
[QUOTE=riker1384]
For one thing, if that one crew member dies, they’re left out of reach of civilization.
[/QUOTE]
That’s why I said a “staff”.