Star Trek’s level of medical care is far more advanced than today’s. As Beckett says in LD, “Doc will wave a light over it.” Yet, in Star Trek people aren’t shown doing hobbies and pastimes that are much different from what’s done now. Still, I wonder about differences in a society where people know they won’t be laid up for months for doing or trying something that some folks of today might look at and say, “nope, too dangerous.” Injuries will still hurt, there’s a big difference between say, a broken leg taking months to heal and possibly multiple surgeries, and Star Trek’s healing of a broken leg in a matter of hours.
I’m trying to think of what I’d do differently if I had access to Star Trek level medical care. There are things I want to try, but I look at sideways because of the possible injuries. It’s mild, but one thing I think I’d try again is skating. I injured my knee roller skating at a rink years ago, and that knee is still a problem. That injury left me skittish of skating. If I knew an injury from skating (within reason) could be an easy fix, I would have given it another go.
Is there a pastime you’d be more willing to try, or try again, if Star Trek level medical care was available?
In an early episode of the Orville, Gordon and Isaac get into a prank war which culminates in Isaac removing Gordon’s leg. This is treated as going a little bit too far but ultimately harmless and funny.
In Star Trek, they tend to prefer to mitigate risks protectively with things like anti-grav harnesses and holodeck safeties, except for exceptionally reckless individuals like James T. Kirk and Jason Vigo.
In that episode of the Orville, Gordon was able to get a new foot grown fast enough that it wasn’t really an issue.
In contrast, in TNG, Worf sustained an injury from a relatively minor industrial accident which left him paralyzed and could only be fixed by a radically dangerous and experimental medical procedure. In Voyager, Vidiians stole Neelix’s lungs and it took a Vidiian to alter one of Kes’s lungs to become compatible.
I don’t think the Federation’s medical technology is that advanced, especially with the banning of genetic manipulation.
Edit: And here I am forgetting about Nog’s amputated leg, which was not a perfect regrowing and caused Nog to experience phantom pain from his severed limb.
The Union’s medical technology is notably more advanced than the Federation’s, yes. Dr. Finn would have Pike up and walking in an afternoon.
They seem to be able to repair homogenous tissue extremely quickly, but complex micro-structures are much harder to produce. Nerves, lungs, all complex.
Heck even producing Romulan ribosomes was beyond them.
The Union’s medical technology is notably more advanced than the Federation’s, yes. Dr. Finn would have Pike up and walking in an afternoon.