Yes another thread on Dear Doctor. *spoilers*
Kai Maru
XXL thread. I want to comment specifically about parts of the
episode.
All transcripts were made by me and in no way is sanctioned by UPN,
Paramount, etc.
------------
>Captain Archer: Is there any inhabited planets nearby?
>
>Sub-commander T'Pol: There's a Mutara class planet less than a light
year away.
>
>Ensign Sato: Ship's not answering our hails, Captain.
>
>Lt. Malcolm Reed: It's definitely pre-warp. Could be unmanned. May
be a >probe of some kind.
>
>Captain Archer: Any biosigns?
>
>Sub-commander T'Pol: Two. But they are very faint.
>
>Captain Archer: Bring it into launch bay 2. And tell Dr Phlox that
he might >have a couple of patients.
-------------
OK, first off, Archer has no worries about saving 2 people who are
almost definitely from a pre-warp planet. Which, oddly enough, the
Earth was less than 100 years ago. (According to First Contact 2063
was the date of the warp test.)
------------
>Captain Archer: Can you understand me?
>
>Alien Astronaut: Who are you? What planet?
>
>Captain Archer: Earth. We're from Earth.
>
>Alien Astronaut: This...is a warp vessal?
>
>Captain Archer: Yes.
>
>Alien Astronaut: We left Valakia over a year ago with 3 other ships.
>
>Captain Archer: Why?
>
>Alien Astronaut: You must have notied our condition by now.
>
>Dr Phlox: I detected the illness.
>
>Alien Astronaut: Twelve million of us died the year before we left.
I can >only imagine how many have died since. Our doctors cannot find
a cure. But a >more advanced people.... People with warp
technology.... Like you. Your >medical science must be more
effective.
>
>Sub-commander T'Pol: You've encountered other warp capable species?
>
>Alien Astronaut: Muglexa(sp?) and the Ferengi. They both visited our
world. >Do you know them?
>
>(Captain Archer glances at Sub-commander T'Pol.)
>
>Sub-commander T'Pol: No.
>
>Alien Astronaut: Are you the ship's doctor?
>
>Dr Phlox: I am.
>
>Alien Astronaut: My people are dying. Will you allow him to help us?
>
>(Captain Archer walks past Sub-commander T'Pol. Sub-commander T'Pol
turns and >follows Captain Archer.)
>
>Captain Archer: Any thoughts?
>
>Sub-commander T'Pol: They did come looking for us. And considering
they >already met two other warp capable species... The risk of
contamination >seems...acceptible.
>
>Captain Archer to Dr Phlox: See what you can do.
>
>Alien Astronaut: Thank you.
-----------------
Phlox doesn't notice at this point, or atleast doesn't point out that
this "condition" doesn't appear to be viral or germ based? And he let
them potentially contaminate the crew? BAD DOCTOR! *smacks Phlox's
hand* Seriously, they wouldn't be talking face to face unless it was
already determined non-infectious and thus, he should have already
noticed it was genetic and said something. Also, stick in the mud
T'Pol has absolutely NO problems assisting them. And neither does
Phlox.
----------------
>Captain Archer: Come in.
>
>(Dr Phlox enters.)
>
>Dr Phlox: You asked to see me, Captain?
>
>Captain Archer: I've just gotten a call from the director of the
clinic. He >is eager to hear if you've made any progress. (pause)
Doctor?
>
>Dr Phlox: I've developed a medication to ease the symptoms of the
disease. >But...
>
>Captain Archer: But?
>
>Dr Phlox: This epidemic isn't being caused by virus or a bacteria.
The >proteins that bind to their chromosomes are deteriorating. Their
illness is >genetic. It's been going on for thousands of years, but
the rate of mutation >has accelerated over the last few generations.
Based on my projections, the >Valakians will be extinct in less than
two centuries. I wish I had better >news.
>
>Captain Archer (distressed and standing): What about a cure?
>
>Dr Phlox: Genetic abnormalities on this lever are difficult to
reverse.
>
>Captain Archer: But not impossible.
>
>Dr Phlox: No. I still believe the Menk community could be the key to
a cure. >I plan to study them in more detail.
>
>Captain Archer: Take all the time you need.
>
>(Dr Phlox nods and leaves.)
---------------------
Dr Phlox still seems to have no problem with assisting the Valakians.
Even if they are dying due to an evolutionary mistake. And Captain
Archer is worried about saving them.
---------------------
>(I'm not even going to try and write phonetically what Larr says.)
>
>Dr Phlox: I haven't seen any crop or livestock. I wonder where they
get this.
>
>Ensign Sato: Larr, blah blah blah.
>
>Larr: Blah, blah blah.
>
>Ensign Sato: He says the soil here isn't good for planting.
>
>Larr: Blah, blah blah.
>
>Ensign Sato: The Valakians don't like them to live where the land is
fertile.
>
>Larr: Blah, blah blah.
>
>Ensign Sato: The Valakians give then whatever they need: food,
clothing, >medicine.
>
>Larr: Blah, blah blah.
>
>Ensign Sato: He says the Valakians are good to them. They protect
them.
-----------------------
Larr works in the clinic. No where did they show that the Menk were
not being treated well. In fact, it appears that they are treated
with far more respect than humans probably give them in the same
situation.
-----------------------
>Ensign Cutler: This really doesn't bother you.
>
>Dr Phlox: What?
>
>Ensign Cutler: The way the Valakians treat them.
>
>Dr Phlox: Why should it? On most worlds with two humanoid species,
one would >have driven the other to extinction. Here, they have
devloped a symbiotic >relationship that seems to work quite well.
-----------------------
VERY Important statement. A symbiotic relationship is a relationship
that is mutually beneficial to both parties. In most cases, anything
hurting one party of the symbiotic relationship, hurts the other part
as well. Not trying to jump ahead, but the Menk are completely
dependant on the Valakians. How much are the Valakians dependant on
the Menk? Oh and on a side, that was a very overt suggestion Ensign
Culter gave the doctor about "friends." Since he never clarified if a
"fourth wife" is acceptible. I think that's quite amoral of her to
suggest that even if it is unspoken. On the other hand, I like
Cutler. Her agressiveness compliments Sato's passiveness.
-----------------------
>Captain Archer: The Valakians want our warp technology.
>
>Sub-commander T'Pol: What did you tell them?
>
>Captain Archer: That I'd think about it.
>
>Sub-commander T'Pol: And?
>
>Captain Archer: Safe to say, I know where you stand on the subject.
>
>Sub-commander T'Pol: Even if you give them our reactor schematics,
they don't >have the technical expertise to build a warp engine.
>
>Captain Archer: They have no experience working with anti-matter. I
doubt >they even realize how dangerous it is. They aren't ready.
----------------------
What the??? What makes him think that they have no idea how dangerous
anti-matter is? Anyways, Captain Archer made the right choice and
asked his Vulcan officer her opinion, as he should have.
---------------------
>Captain Archer: A cure, Doctor. Have you found a cure.
>
>Dr Phlox: Even if I could find one, I'm not sure if it would be
ethical.
>
>Captain Archer: Ethical?
>
>Dr Phlox: We would be interferring with an evolutionary process that
has been >going on for thousands of years.
>
>Captain Archer: Every time you treat an illness you're interferring.
That's >what doctors do.
>
>Dr Phlox: You are forgetting about the Menk.
>
>Captain Archer: What about the Menk?
>
>Dr Phlox: I have been studying their genome as well. And I've seen
evidence >of increasing intelligence, motor skills, linguistic
abilities unlike the >Valakians, they appear to be in a process of an
evolutionary awakening. It >may take millenia, but the Menk have the
potential to become the dominant >species on this planet.
>
>Captain Archer: And that won't happen while the Valakians are around.
>
>Dr Phlox: If the Menk are to the florish, they need an opportinity to
survive >on their own.
-------------------------
Who is to say that the evolution that is occurring in the Menk are
prohibitive of the existance of the Valakians? For all Phlox knows,
the evolution is hinged on the continued symbiotic relationship with
the Valakians. AND if the evolutionary "awakening" will take over
1000 years, then having the Valakians drop dead 200 years into it may
not be the best plan for survival. He could EASILY be condemning both
races to death. And I thought that McCoy in TOS mentioned how the
Hypocratic Oath of physicians were still required. And Beverly
Crusher mentioned it in NG too. Did Phlox leave it at the space dock?
I feel his arguement is just as emotional as Archers. You can see he
was getting agitated and conspired not to tell the Captain about the
problem.
----------------------------
>Captain Archer: Doctor.
>
>Dr Phlox: Captain.
>
>Captain Archer: I'm going down to the Valakian hospital.
>
>Dr Phlox: Sir. It would go against all my principles if I didn't ask
you to >reconsider.
>
>Captain Archer: I have reconsidered. I spent the whole night
reconsidering. >And what I decided goes against all my principles.
Someday, my people are >going to come up with some sort of doctrine.
Something that tells us what we >can and can't do out here. Should
and shouldn't do. But until somebody tells >me that they drafted
that...directive...I'm going to have to remind myself >everyday...that
we didn't come out here to play God.
----------------------------
Rewritting history. Sheesh, now Archer is the first to form ideas of
a...directive...for space exploration. Let's see. Isn't Archer the
one who goes against Vulcan space practices by checking on ships that
don't answer hails and track down the killers of an unknown race?
Appearantly judge and jury is ok, but not God. And what important
decision has he NOT consulted T'Pau or his best friend Tucker? I
mean, c'mon. If he did and they agreed with him, that would be
different. But you and I know that Tucker would be all for saving
them and T'Pau felt no reason not to up to that point either? He *IS*
playing God by having a cure and not using it. He agreed to help
them, he even allowed medicine and detailed instructions on how to
slow the process and remove the symptoms for 20 years. BUT no
medicine that he has definite access to? What happened to "one death
is too many" Archer? Wouldn't T'Pau with the needs of the many
philosophy be 100% towards this goal as they already were commited?
It just doesn't make one bit of sense, morally or logically.
Kai