# TOS - Federation membership **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 26, 2016, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tos-federation-membership/766971 "2016-09-26T20:34:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Enola\_Straight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dec6dc/32.png) [@Enola\_Straight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Straight)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2016, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tos-federation-membership/766971/41 "2016-09-29T01:07:24Z")
I could imagine how difficult it would be for a human or vulcan ensign serving on a vessel crewed primarily with a race that breathes methane, drinks ammonia, and whose ambient temperature is -62 deg. Celcius. ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2016, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tos-federation-membership/766971/42 "2016-09-29T01:34:47Z")
> [@leahcim](#): > > I remember some old sources saying that the “native” population of Alpha Centauri was a colony of transplanted ancient Greeks. I think there was a time when the Star Trek expanded universe was really in love with the idea that there was a spacefaring race putzing about putting humans in strange places. You got to admit [it’s](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TransplantedHumans) a great way to explain [“aliens”](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/HumanAliens) that look like us. ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2016, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tos-federation-membership/766971/43 "2016-09-29T02:32:26Z")
> [@Enola\_Straight](#): > > I could imagine how difficult it would be for a human or vulcan ensign serving on a vessel crewed primarily with a race that breathes methane, drinks ammonia, and whose ambient temperature is -62 deg. Celcius. I don’t think we saw any of those. Interactions with such races could be rather limited, as they’d be using entirely different planets. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2016, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tos-federation-membership/766971/44 "2016-09-29T02:39:40Z")
> [@foolsguinea](#): > > I don’t think we saw any of those. Interactions with such races could be rather limited, as they’d be using entirely different planets. They could still encounter them in space, if there were aliens like that that had gone interstellar. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2016, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tos-federation-membership/766971/45 "2016-09-29T02:50:15Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > They could still encounter them in space, if there were aliens like that that had gone interstellar. Like the Tholians, though they lived in a superheated environment, rather than a cold one. ---
**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:** [September 29, 2016, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tos-federation-membership/766971/46 "2016-09-29T03:09:04Z")
> [@Enola\_Straight](#): > > I could imagine how difficult it would be for a human or vulcan ensign serving on a vessel crewed primarily with a race that breathes methane, drinks ammonia, and whose ambient temperature is -62 deg. Celcius. What would my ex-wife need with a starship? ---
**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2016, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tos-federation-membership/766971/47 "2016-09-29T04:20:21Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > **Spock** : Doctor, ship’s temperature is increasingly uncomfortable for me. I’ve adjusted the environment in my quarters to 125 degrees, which is at least tolerable. However, I… > > **McCoy** : Well, I see I’m not gonna be making any house calls on YOU! In the Enterprise ep “The Forge” when T’Pol was telling Archer how hot it would be for him, I’d have loved to see Archer say, “PSSSSHHHH this is a dry heat. Gimme a break.” ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2016, 10:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tos-federation-membership/766971/48 "2016-09-29T10:55:36Z")
There’s also the possibility, considering the amount of minimal makeup (“rubber forehead”) or no-makeup species we’ve seen in Trek, that a lot of the nameless crewmen actually _are_ aliens, but that it’s just not noticeable. Quite a number might be at least fractional hybrids, as well, for what that’s worth. ---
**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:** [September 29, 2016, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tos-federation-membership/766971/49 "2016-09-29T15:16:01Z")
> [@Ranchoth](#): > > There’s also the possibility, considering the amount of minimal makeup (“rubber forehead”) or no-makeup species we’ve seen in Trek, that a lot of the nameless crewmen actually _are_ aliens, but that it’s just not noticeable. Possible, alongside the idea that a lot of the aliens are speaking something other than English, but it’s also not noticeable. ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2016, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tos-federation-membership/766971/50 "2016-09-29T15:59:43Z")
The TNG Technical manual had a giant cutaway map of the Enterprise D and on it was a section for Aquatic lifeforms to live so even though we never saw them, they were there. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2016, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tos-federation-membership/766971/51 "2016-09-29T16:47:22Z")
The animated series had two non-human crew members as semi-regulars: Arex (an Edosian) and M’Ress (a Caitian). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tos-federation-membership/766971.md?page=2)