Changes: Death

Revision as of 19:40, 15 January 2020

Multiple realities
(covers information from several alternate timelines)

Hiren consumed by thalaron radiation — The death of Praetor Hiren

"Every life comes to an end when time demands it. Loss of life is to be mourned, but only if the life was wasted."

– Spock, 2237 ("Yesteryear")

"He's Dead, Jim."

– Leonard McCoy, 2266 ("The Man Trap")

Death was the permanent end of all life functions in a lifeform (or part of a lifeform in the case of tissue damage). It could also mean the absence of life or state of being dead. Many cultures address this process as it applies to sentient beings in spiritual terms, including the holding of wakes, memorials, and funerals following the death of an individual. One who was in the process of dying was said to be on their deathbed. (ENT: "E²", DS9: "Ties of Blood and Water", VOY: "Renaissance Man") Slang terms for death included "croak". (Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home)

While being held hostage by a commando of the Andorian Imperial Guard in June of 2151, Sub-commander T'Pol was told by the Andorian Tholos that he heard about Vulcan mating rituals and that Vulcan women force their men to fight each other to the death. He then asked her if she would like him to kill someone for her. (ENT: "The Andorian Incident")

In 2365, Nagilum, in the guise of Data, asked Captain Jean-Luc Picard what death is. According to Picard there are two contemporary philosophies. One is the belief that death is the transformation into an indestructible and unchanging form. According to this belief the purpose of the entire universe is to then maintain that form in an afterlife in an Eden-like place. The other, contrary belief, is that death is simply blinking into nothingness. Picard himself believed that the existence of lifeforms is part of a reality beyond what is currently understood as reality and therefore both philosophies are insufficient. (TNG: "Where Silence Has Lease")

Death is sometimes perceived as an event that is common to all living things. In 2366, Captain Jean-Luc Picard used death and his own mortality as a way to show Nuria and her people that he was no different than they were, and certainly not a god they named "the Picard". (TNG: "Who Watches The Watchers")

According to Apollo, the race of the Greek gods was immortal, but also for them there was a point of no return. As their species could alter their form, it was possible for them to spread so thin that they would disappear from existence. Apollo poetically described this event as returning to the cosmos on the wings of the wind. Apollo was the last of the gods to die in 2267. (TOS: "Who Mourns for Adonais?")

Sargon considered himself dead although his mind was stored and active in energy-form inside a receptacle. He described the final destruction of his consciousness as departing to oblivion. (TOS: "Return to Tomorrow")

The Borg Collective considered death to be an irrelevant concept in their philosophy. (TNG: "The Best of Both Worlds") When a drone was damaged beyond repair, it was simply discarded. All of the drones experiences and memories lived on inside the collective consciousness. This was considered immortality by the Borg. (VOY: "Mortal Coil")

Artificial lifeforms can cease functioning through induced self-destruction. (TOS: "The Changeling")

Death may also be seen as a personification, attributed to a single entity, figure, or symbol. In this form, Death is known by many names, one of the more common being the "Grim Reaper". In 2370, the USS Enterprise-D encountered an alien probe that began to transform the Enterprise into an alien city, complete with hieroglyphic symbols, one of which was the symbol for Death (TNG: "Masks"). In 2267, Lazarus equated his parallel universe counterpart as "Death" and "Anti-Life" (TOS: "The Alternative Factor"). Neelix (and possibly other Talaxians) also have a concept of a "specter of death" (VOY:"The Cloud", "Jetrel")

In 2369, while explaining the nature of linear time to the Prophets, Commander Benjamin Sisko also explained the concept of death, stating that Jennifer Sisko was a most important part of his existence, but that he had "lost her some time ago." The Prophets, however, showed him that he spent much time in his mind dwelling on Jennifer's death, reliving his tragic experience on the USS Saratoga, that he "existed" there, something that was most certainly not linear. (DS9: "Emissary")

The scientists Dr. Bathkin and Dr. Elias Giger held unusual beliefs regarding death, believing that most if not all "natural deaths" were the result of cellular ennui, or the boredom of a body's cells. This theory was generally held low regard by the general scientific establishment, which Giger derided as being "soulless minions of orthodoxy." (DS9: "In the Cards")

Many cultures considered death to be something welcomed, not feared. These included Klingons, whose culture put a high premium on honorable death, and the Vaadwaur, whose children were taught to fall asleep each night imagining different ways to die. (VOY: "Dragon's Teeth")

Actor William Sadler, who played the character of Luther Sloan in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, portrayed Death in Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey; part of which was filmed at Vasquez Rocks, a filming site used in several Star Trek productions.

Resuscitation

See: Resuscitation

Faking death

Faking one's own death was a common tactic employed to gain some advantage. Reasons for faking one's death included:

Espionage: In 2268, Kirk faked his own death at the hands of Spock to 1) take on the alias of a Romulan following cosmetic surgery so he could steal a cloaking device, and 2) enable the Vulcan to distract to a Romulan commander. (TOS: "The Enterprise Incident")
Framing: In 2267, Benjamin Finney faked his death at the hands of Kirk to punish the captain for causing his demotion. (TOS: "Court Martial")
Testing another: In 2369, Grand Nagus Zek faked his own death by going into a Dolbargy sleeping trance and named Quark his successor in order to test his son Krax's fitness for the position. (DS9: "The Nagus")
Winning a fight: In 2267, McCoy faked Kirk's death during Spock's koon-ut-kal-if-fee to allow Spock to win the fight and free himself from any marital obligations to T'Pring. Instead of the tri-ox compound he was supposed to give Kirk, he administered a neural paralyzer instead, simulating death. The ruse fooled Spock. (TOS: "Amok Time")

After death

Something which happened after one's death was said to happen posthumously, such as the awarding of a medal. In an alternate timeline, Jake Sisko noted to Melanie that the benefit of publishing a work posthumously was that nobody could ask you for rewrites. (DS9: "The Visitor")

Appendices

Quotes on Death

"He's dead, Jim."

- Leonard McCoy (various)

"How we deal with death is at least as important as how we deal with life..."

- James T. Kirk (Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan)

"Today is a good day to die."

- Worf (DS9: "By Inferno's Light"; Star Trek: First Contact)

"...this was the day that I lost Jennifer. I don't want to be here."
"Then why do you exist here?"

- Benjamin Sisko and a Prophet in Jennifer's form, on a replication of the USS Saratoga (DS9: "Emissary")

Additional references

Spock reacts to the death of the Intrepid — Spock senses the death of the Vulcan crew of the USS *Intrepid*

Episodes:
- ENT: "Dead Stop"
- TNG: "The Bonding"
- TNG: "Half a Life"
- DS9: "The Storyteller"
- DS9: "'Til Death Do Us Part"
- DS9: "To the Death"
- DS9: "Wrongs Darker Than Death or Night"
- VOY: "Death Wish"
- VOY: "Coda"
- VOY: "Barge of the Dead"
Movies:
- Death in Arizona
- Orgy of the Walking Dead
Novels:
- A Good Day to Die
- A Time to Die
- Dead Zone
- Death's Angel
- Death Count
- Death in Winter
- Death of a Neutron Star
- Spock Must Die!
- The Death of Princes
Comics:
- Death of a Star

@@ Line 2: / Line 2: @@
 [[File:Hiren_consumed_by_thalaron_radiation.jpg|thumb|The death of [[Praetor]] [[Hiren]]]]
 {{aquote|Every life comes to an end when time demands it. Loss of life is to be mourned, but only if the life was wasted.|Spock|2237|Yesteryear}}
+{{aquote|He's Dead, Jim.|Leonard McCoy|2266|The Man Trap}}
-'''Death''' is the permanent end of all life functions in a [[lifeform]] (or part of a lifeform in the case of tissue damage). It can also mean the absence of life or state of being dead. Many [[culture]]s address this process as it applies to [[sentient]] beings in [[religion|spiritual]] terms, including the holding of [[wake]]s, memorials, and [[funeral]]s following the death of an individual. One who was in the process of dying was said to be on their '''deathbed'''. ({{ENT|E²}}, {{DS9|Ties of Blood and Water}}, {{VOY|Renaissance Man}})
+'''Death''' was the permanent end of all life functions in a [[lifeform]] (or part of a lifeform in the case of tissue damage). It could also mean the absence of life or state of being dead. Many [[culture]]s address this process as it applies to [[sentient]] beings in [[religion|spiritual]] terms, including the holding of [[wake]]s, memorials, and [[funeral]]s following the death of an individual. One who was in the process of dying was said to be on their '''deathbed'''. ({{ENT|E²}}, {{DS9|Ties of Blood and Water}}, {{VOY|Renaissance Man}}) Slang terms for death included "croak". ({{film|4}})
+While being held [[hostage]] by a [[commando]] of the [[Andorian Imperial Guard]] in [[June]] of [[2151]], [[Sub-commander]] [[T'Pol]] was told by the [[Andorian]] [[Tholos]] that he heard about Vulcan [[mating ritual]]s and that Vulcan [[Female|women]] force their [[Male|men]] to [[Kal-if-fee|fight each other to the death]]. He then asked her if she would like him to kill someone for her. ({{ENT|The Andorian Incident}})
-In [[2365]], [[Nagilum]], in the guise of [[Data]], asked [[Captain]] [[Jean-Luc Picard]] what death is. According to Picard there are two contemporary philosophies. One is the belief that death is the transformation into an indestructible and unchanging form. According to this belief the purpose of the entire [[universe]] is to then maintain that form in an [[afterlife]] in an [[Eden]]-like place. The other, contrary belief, is that death is simply blinking into nothingness. Picard himself believed that the existence of lifeforms is part of a reality beyond what is currently understood as reality and therefore both philosophies are insufficient. ({{TNG|Where Silence Has Lease}})
+In [[2365]], [[Nagilum]], in the guise of [[Data]], asked {{Captain}} [[Jean-Luc Picard]] what death is. According to Picard there are two contemporary philosophies. One is the belief that death is the transformation into an indestructible and unchanging form. According to this belief the purpose of the entire [[universe]] is to then maintain that form in an [[afterlife]] in an [[Eden]]-like place. The other, contrary belief, is that death is simply blinking into nothingness. Picard himself believed that the existence of lifeforms is part of a reality beyond what is currently understood as reality and therefore both philosophies are insufficient. ({{TNG|Where Silence Has Lease}})
 Death is sometimes perceived as an event that is common to all living things. In [[2366]], Captain Jean-Luc Picard used death and his own mortality as a way to show [[Nuria]] and her [[Mintakan|people]] that he was no different than they were, and certainly not a [[god]] they named "the Picard". ({{TNG|Who Watches The Watchers}})
@@ Line 16: / Line 19: @@
 [[Artificial lifeform]]s can cease functioning through [[induced self-destruction]]. ({{TOS|The Changeling}})
-Death may also be seen as a personification, attributed to a single entity, figure, or symbol. In this form, Death is known by many names, one of the more common being the "[[Grim Reaper]]". In [[2370]], the {{USS|Enterprise|NCC-1701-D|-D}} encountered an alien probe that began to transform the ''Enterprise'' into an alien city, complete with hieroglyphic symbols, one of which was the symbol for Death ({{TNG|Masks}}). In [[2267]], [[Lazarus]] equated his [[parallel universe]] counterpart as "Death" and "Anti-Life" ({{TOS|The Alternative Factor}}). Neelix (and possibly other Talaxians) also have a concept of a "specter of death" ([[VOY]]:"[[The Cloud (episode)|The Cloud]]", "[[Jetrel (episode)|Jetrel]]")
+Death may also be seen as a [[personification]], attributed to a single entity, figure, or symbol. In this form, Death is known by many names, one of the more common being the "[[Grim Reaper]]". In [[2370]], the {{USS|Enterprise|NCC-1701-D|-D}} encountered an alien probe that began to transform the ''Enterprise'' into an alien city, complete with hieroglyphic symbols, one of which was the symbol for Death ({{TNG|Masks}}). In [[2267]], [[Lazarus]] equated his [[parallel universe]] counterpart as "Death" and "Anti-Life" ({{TOS|The Alternative Factor}}). Neelix (and possibly other Talaxians) also have a concept of a "specter of death" ([[VOY]]:"[[The Cloud (episode)|The Cloud]]", "[[Jetrel (episode)|Jetrel]]")
 In [[2369]], while explaining the nature of linear [[time]] to the [[Prophet]]s, [[Commander]] [[Benjamin Sisko]] also explained the concept of death, stating that [[Jennifer Sisko]] was a most important part of his existence, but that he had "lost her some time ago." The Prophets, however, showed him that he spent much time in his mind dwelling on Jennifer's death, reliving his tragic experience on the {{USS|Saratoga|NCC-31911}}, that he "existed" there, something that was most certainly not linear. ({{DS9|Emissary}})
+The [[scientist]]s [[Doctor|Dr.]] [[Bathkin]] and Dr. [[Elias Giger]] held unusual beliefs regarding death, believing that most if not all "natural deaths" were the result of [[cellular ennui]], or the boredom of a body's [[Cell (biology)|cells]]. This [[theory]] was generally held low regard by the general scientific establishment, which Giger derided as being "[[soul]]less minions of orthodoxy." ({{DS9|In the Cards}})
 Many cultures considered death to be something welcomed, not feared. These included [[Klingon]]s, whose culture put a high premium on [[honor]]able death, and the [[Vaadwaur]], whose children were taught to fall a[[sleep]] each night imagining different ways to die. ({{VOY|Dragon's Teeth}})
-{{bginfo|Actor [[William Sadler]], who played the character of [[Luther Sloan]] in {{s|4}}, portrayed Death in ''Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey''; part of which was filmed at [[Vasquez Rocks]], a filming site used in several ''Star Trek'' productions.}}
+{{bginfo|Actor [[William Sadler]], who played the character of [[Luther Sloan]] in {{s|DS9}}, portrayed Death in ''Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey''; part of which was filmed at [[Vasquez Rocks]], a filming site used in several ''Star Trek'' productions.}}
 __NOTOC__
 == Resuscitation ==
+{{see-list|Resuscitation}}
-For most lifeforms, death is a permanent state. However, sometimes resuscitation is possible:
-*''In [[2259]] of the [[alternate reality]], {{alt|Leonard McCoy}} used {{alt|Khan Noonien Singh}}'s blood to revive a dead [[tribble]], and then {{alt|James T. Kirk}}, who had died from [[radiation poisoning]] after reactivating the {{USS|Enterprise|NCC-1701 alternate reality}}'s [[warp core]].'' ({{film|12}})
+== Faking death ==
-*In [[2267]], [[Montgomery Scott]] was killed by the [[Nomad]] probe. Nomad subsequently "repaired the unit Scott". ({{TOS|The Changeling}})
+Faking one's own death was a common tactic employed to gain some advantage. Reasons for faking one's death included:
-*In the same year, [[Leonard McCoy]] was killed by a [[Black Knight|knight]]'s lance, in an environment that created reality from people's thoughts. McCoy's resurrection was brought about by the power which created the knight in the first place, after Kirk realized what was occurring. ({{TOS|Shore Leave}})
-*In [[2285]], [[Spock]] experienced death, but with his ''[[katra]]'' having been placed into [[Leonard McCoy]] and his body regenerated on the {{dis|Genesis|planet|Genesis Planet}}, he was able to live again. ({{film|3}})
+* [[Espionage]]: In [[2268]], Kirk faked his own death at the hands of Spock to 1) take on the [[alias]] of a [[Romulan]] following [[cosmetic surgery]] so he could [[theft|steal]] a [[cloaking device]], and 2) enable the Vulcan to distract to a Romulan [[Romulan 23rd commander 002|commander]]. ({{TOS|The Enterprise Incident}})
-* [[Tasha Yar]] killed [[Yareena]] with a poisoned, spiked weapon. Dr. Crusher revived her. The details of how exactly this was achieved weren't described. ({{TNG|Code of Honor}})
+* [[Framing]]: In [[2267]], [[Benjamin Finney]] faked his death at the hands of Kirk to punish the captain for causing his [[demotion]]. ({{TOS|Court Martial}})
-*The [[Kobali]] were capable of reanimating dead lifeforms in order to [[sex|procreate]] their [[species]], however the reanimated corpse would have a limited memory of his or her true life. ({{VOY|Ashes to Ashes}})
+* Testing another: In [[2369]], [[Grand Nagus]] [[Zek]] faked his own [[death]] by going into a [[Dolbargy sleeping trance]] and named [[Quark]] his [[successor]] in order to test his son [[Krax]]'s fitness for the position. ({{DS9|The Nagus}})
-*[[Species 149]] were medically advanced and had the ability to reanimate the dead. They were assimilated by the [[Borg]], allowing the Borg to reanimate a [[Borg drone|drone]] as much as 73 hours after death. [[Neelix]] was also brought back from being dead using this technique after [[Seven of Nine]] proposed it as a medical treatment, but as his death did not match his culture's beliefs regarding an afterlife, he was profoundly disturbed by the experience. ({{VOY|Mortal Coil}})
+* Winning a fight: In 2267, McCoy faked Kirk's death during Spock's ''[[koon-ut-kal-if-fee]]'' to allow Spock to win the fight and free himself from any [[marriage|marital]] obligations to [[T'Pring]]. Instead of the [[tri-ox compound]] he was supposed to give Kirk, he administered a [[neural paralyzer]] instead, simulating death. The ruse fooled Spock. ({{TOS|Amok Time}})
-*[[Data]] noted that his off-switch provided for an experience comparable to death, albeit one that permitted a simple resurrection. ({{TNG|The Schizoid Man}})
-*In [[2369]], upon his death, [[Kobliad]] criminal [[Rao Vantika]] [[synaptic pattern displacement|transferred]] his [[consciousness]] to [[Doctor]] [[Julian Bashir]] and continued living in Bashir. ({{DS9|The Passenger}})
+== After death ==
-{{bginfo|In the novel ''[[The Return]]'', Kirk is brought back to life by the Borg and the Romulans following the events of {{film|7}}.|In the novel ''[[Before Dishonor]]'', Admiral Janeway is assimilated by the Borg to become a new Queen and her ship is subsequently destroyed in a confrontation with the ''Enterprise''-E. However, her existence is saved by [[Q (female)|the female Q]], who allows Janeway to exist in the drawn-out moment between life and death until '[[Q (Junior)|Junior]]', although forbidden by Q law to bring Janeway back to life himself, indirectly 'teaches' Janeway how to put her body back together, with [[Kes]] subsequently restoring Janeway's body to its most perfect state, in the novel ''[[The Eternal Tide]]''.}}
+Something which happened after one's death was said to happen '''posthumously''', such as the awarding of a [[medal]]. ''In an [[alternate timeline]], [[Jake Sisko]] noted to [[Melanie]] that the benefit of publishing a work posthumously was that nobody could ask you for rewrites. ({{DS9|The Visitor}})''
 == Appendices ==
@@ Line 74: / Line 79: @@
 ***[[Wake]]
 *'''Causes of death'''
-**[[allergy|Allergic reaction]]
+**[[Allergic reaction]]
 **[[Assassination]]
 **[[Death penalty]]