Skip Navigation

Star Trek @lemmy.world

Flying Squid @lemmy.world

4mo ago

Why is it legal for La'an to be in Starfleet but special dispensation had to be made for Una?

I was thinking about this while we've been doing the Khan memes.

La'an is a descendent of Khan, meaning she has genetically augmented DNA.

If Una had a kid and didn't augment that kid's DNA further, could that kid legally be in Starfleet?

Is there a "as long as your own personal DNA wasn't augmented, you can be in Starfleet?" Because that doesn't make much sense to me.

You're viewing a single thread.

11 comments

Una had augments added after birth. La'na only is decedent of Khan. She herself has no added augments (beyond what she was born with genetically). That's my guess?
Edit: I guess that's kind of what you said in the post description I didn't read close enough
- Right, but if Una had a kid, would it be legal for the kid to be in Starfleet? What if the kid was with another augment?
  
  Would any of Una's augments pass down?
  
  Her DNA has been altered, right? They would have to.
  
  Not necessarily - real gene therapies that are in use now are carefully designed so that modifications are not inherited. For example, Casgevy which targets blood stem cells to treat sickle cell anemia. Because the treatment is limited to specific types of cells modifications don't get into the germ line.
  
  Depends if they altered her eggs too. It's a different story with dudes, who produce gametes for all their lives, as opposed to women, who are born with all the gametes they will have.
  
  Wouldn't they have augmented her in vitro rather than wait until any natural development took place?
  
  The augmentations by Illyrians happen in-utero.
  
  Did they say that? I guess I missed that in the show.

11 comments