I really like the on-going gag that Starfleet/The Federation is actually as idealistic as it attests to be. It would be far too easy to leave Daystrom as Star Trek’s version of Arkham Asylum. But while the methods of rehabilitation may have been played for laughs, letting Peanut Hamper, Agimus, and Tyrannikillicus walk the path to re-enter society was honestly really appreciated.
If this has been DS9, Picard, or Discovery… I probably would’ve expected an Arkham Asylum angle… where the inmates are all in varying stages of vowing revenge. And, it’s easy to imagine the more Megalomaniacal inmmates may indeed be as such… I still appreciate that Daystrom’s shown in the light that they can be reformed.
Not sure what to make of this, since I still strongly feel like the Bynar ship looks like something ripped from an action figure, but a robo whale probably wouldn’t have use for some legs.
I do recall reading about some that can digest plastic a while back… but they weren’t especially efficient at it and if given the opportunity to digest something more conventional, they’d prioritize that. I also don’t recall what the plastic was broken down into.
At the very least it’s a lead, if not actually a solution.
I guess I’ll bite the bullet and kick off the Tuvix debate.
Tuvix isn’t the first Trek episode to involve transporter hybrids, and it wasn’t the last; but it stands out amongst the Trek fandom and cemented Janeway as a ruthless executioner.
I maintain that the only reason it’s controversial is because Tuvix was more loved than the sum of his parts.
I personally like Neelix, but it’s undeniable that he’s a contender for one of the least popular main characters in the franchise, and certainly the least favorite on Voyager.
Tim Russ is an amazing actor, but Tuvok is a very subtle character. If you pay attention to him, he’s funny and insightful. But if you don’t focus on him, you can forget he exists.
So, by replacing a despised character and a forgettable character with an outstanding character, you’re left with an audience who has no attachment to the status quo.
If, instead, “Tuvix” was built with popular characters, like Janeway, the EMH, or Seven, the audience would have no qualms about a return to the status quo—or at least not nearly to the degree we’ve seen over the years.
Skip ahead to Twovix
The transporter meat blob was dismissed as non-sentient by Tendi, but it clearly had all the intact personalities of its components. Without further analysis can we be certain of that assessment? Why not send it to The Farm™️?
If we come to the ethical conclusion that the transporter meat blob’s very existence was suffering, why restore the transporter patterns to their components rather than their Tuvix’d counterparts? The simplest answer is that they’re more trouble than they’re worth.
No one cares about the meat blob.
No one cares about T’Ilups and co.
Everyone cares about Tuvix.
We let our attachments dictate our ethics then use logic and evidence to justify them.