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[msmemory_archive]

Totally fluffy Trek question: what happens to pon farr now?

ETA: Comments are likely to include spoilers. Click at your own risk!

Comments

Options

[metageek.livejournal.com]

Hmm. Options:

• Breeding more often. They might have to fiddle with the biochemistry of pon farr, but that should be possible. On the other hand, maybe the reason pon farr evolved is that pregnancy is unusually hard on Vulcan women.
• Uterine replicators. I don't think I've ever seen them in ST, but I also don't remember seeing any references to pregnancy, which might be because everybody uses uterine replicators.
• Matter replicators. This just requires the writers to bite the bullet and admit that the distinction between holodeck matter and real matter is horseshit. However, the social implications of being able to make copies of people are pretty messy.
• Outbreeding.
• IVF and surrogate mothers. If Amanda can give birth to a half-Vulcan, why not a full Vulcan?
• Genetic engineering to produce a nonsentient creature which grows up quickly and can then act as a surrogate mother for a Vulcan baby. Basically a uterine replicator, but with a side helping of ick.
• Romulans. Variants:
  • Romulans as surrogate mothers.
  • Vulcans marry Romulans. Culture shock, huge opportunities for espionage.
  • Nonconsensual: some desperate Vulcans fly to Romulus and kidnap a bunch of girls to place as brides; the Enterprise gang has to do the Right Thing, even though Spock is thinking, "Ooh...that one's hot.".
• Time travel. Go back in time, find Vulcans who are about to die, save them, and bring them forward. Mind you, this would make a bad story, because it has a gaping plot hole: "If you can do that, why can't you go save the planet?".
• Patience. At the moment, the survivors' biggest problem isn't their low population; it's the fact that their homes are gone. Having lots of kids is just going to make that worse.

Re: Options

[digitalemur.livejournal.com]

Yup, those are the options! I'm a Bujold fan. I want there to be uterine replicators in as much science fiction as possible goshdarnit!

Re: Options

[metageek.livejournal.com]

Mmm. I want uterine replicators in real life, certainly; but they make solving the Vulcan Problem too easy. Remember Bujold's standard tool: asking herself, "What's the worst thing I can do this character?. I'd rather see the Vulcans work at it, and have to discard the easy solutions because they're unethical.

Re: Options

[digitalemur.livejournal.com]

That is a very good point! And it would be fun to watch them slog through it. Where by fun I mean a very painful to watch sort of fun, perhaps. But fascinating!

Re: Options

[tpau]

i am a bujold fan and hte URs bother me on some fundamental level as does her treatment of htem.

Here, i honestly think they will jsut have babies lots, it never said they ONLY mated during on farr, jsut they had to then...

i do like the reintegration of romulans thing though

Re: Options

[jducoeur]

Matter replicators. This just requires the writers to bite the bullet and admit that the distinction between holodeck matter and real matter is horseshit.

We won't have replicators/holodecks for some years yet. (Even if you consider the cartoons and their relatively primitive holodecks to be canon...)

Re: Options

[metageek.livejournal.com]

True. On the other hand, for Vulcans, the time from TOS to TNG is about a generation.

Besides, if Spock I points out the possibility, some bright spark might invent it earlier—especially if there are replicators on the Jellyfish.