Flare Sci-Fi Forums: Immunity to poison?

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Posted by David Sands (Member # 132) on :

quote:
Vorta poison immunity... monuments to the stupidity of Founders.
-- General George S. Patton (Sort of)

I remember Weyoun saying sometime in the past that Vorta were immune to poisons. Would someone care to explain this to me? This makes absolutely no sense (and I suspect is another instance of writer oversight). The whole concept of poisons at a cellular level is their disruption of certain cell operations, such as perforating cell membranes, or replacing key atoms in molecules that rely on those elements' bonding characteristics. As advanced as biology is in Star Trek, it's like trying to find the next attack that bypasses Vortas' existing countermeasures (like elctronic warfare). How could you make Vorta so special biologically? Anyone care to venture some guesses?

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"Warfare is the greatest affair of state, the basis of life and death, the Tao to survivial or extinction. It must be thoroughly pondered and analyzed."

"...attaining one hundred victories in one hundred battles is not the pinnacle of excellence. Subjugating the enemy's army without fighting is the true pinnacle of excellence."

-Sun Tzu, The Art of War, 6th century B.C.E.

Posted by AndrewR (Member # 44) on :

No, I don't plan to explain the science behind it, but It makes perfect sense, since Vorta are primarily used in a diplomatic function, and such a position would lend itself to a high probabilty of being poisoned, especially by a disgruntled subject of the Dominion.

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"The story..." Londo says, "is not over yet. The story is never over."

Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on :

I suppose there are two ways of looking at it.

One, the Vorta are immune to as many different kinds of poisons as the Founders are aware of. Meaning that an enterprising biologist could probably cook up something that would take them out.

Or two, the Vorta have some sort of ability similar to the Bene Gesserit from Dune. That is, they can modify their own chemistry enough to neutralize poisons.

Of course, I'm a little unclear about your question, and you're probably bringing up some exceedingly basic point of biology that I am blissfully unaware of.

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I do indeed and shall continue
Dispatch the shiftless man to points beyond
--
Soul Coughing

Posted by David Sands (Member # 132) on :

Sol, I like your first explanation. Perhaps what happens is that the Dominion keeps on catalog every poison it come into contact with and tries to modify every generation of Vorta to be immune to all the ones from the past plus these new ones. Makes the most sense to me.

Vorta 3.1, Vorta 95, Vorta 98, Vorta NT...

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"Warfare is the greatest affair of state, the basis of life and death, the Tao to survivial or extinction. It must be thoroughly pondered and analyzed."

"...attaining one hundred victories in one hundred battles is not the pinnacle of excellence. Subjugating the enemy's army without fighting is the true pinnacle of excellence."

-Sun Tzu, The Art of War, 6th century B.C.E.

Posted by Aban Rune (Member # 226) on :

I don't have a problem with the immunity thing, what I want to know about the Vorta is, where the heck did their telekinetic abilities go???? Was Eris from "The Jem'Hadar" DS9 just a freak? They totally copped out on this issue (like so many others). Don't get me wrong, I like 'em better without, but that's no excuse...

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"Resolve and thou art free."

Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on :

It is postulated that Eris was specially created with that ability in order to help the Dominion's ruse along.

Generating some kind of bioelectric burst probably wouldn't be too hard to engineer, especially if it was just an existing organ from something else modified to fit in a Vorta. (Or, to take another route, it could have been some sort of cybernetic device.)

As to why more Vorta don't have such abilities, I think it's reasonable to say that the Founders simply don't want them to. The Vorta have strategy but little ability to fight. The Jem'Hadar have a great ability to fight but little strategy. Each is dependant on the other.

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I do indeed and shall continue
Dispatch the shiftless man to points beyond
--
Soul Coughing

Posted by The First One (Member # 35) on :

This Weyoun has performed an illegal operation and must be shut down?

Posted by Kosh (Member # 167) on :

with the Founders permission, of coarse.

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Outside of a dog, a book is a mans best friend. Inside of a dog, it's to dark to read. Groucho Marx

Posted by Aban Rune (Member # 226) on :

Good Point. She certainly could've been specially designed. The Founders certainly plan far enough ahead to have done this.

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"Resolve and thou art free."

Posted by AndrewR (Member # 44) on :

Has anyone realised that Eris was Played by Molly Hagan... the 'Angel' character in Herman's Head!?!

I did a double take after I saw her picture in the encyc... and I've seen 'The Jem'Hadar' heaps of times.

you would never had guessed! (I guess that means she is a good actress... not the same 'character' all the time.)

Andrew

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"The story..." Londo says, "is not over yet. The story is never over."

Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on :

You remember castmembers from Herman's Head? You poor child.

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I do indeed and shall continue
Dispatch the shiftless man to points beyond
--
Soul Coughing

Posted by Elim Garak (Member # 14) on :

Maybe Weyoun meant that even if they could find a poison to get rid of him, it would be pointless, as he wouldn't really be that much dead. They might be able to counter that particular poison in the next cloning.

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Elim Garak: "Oh, it's just Garak. Plain, simple Garak. Now, good day to you, Doctor. I'm so glad to have made such an... interesting new friend today." (DS9: "Past Prologue")

Posted by Dax (Member # 191) on :

In the episode where he mentioned his immunity to poisons, he didn't hesitate to drink something that was apparently poisoned. The drink didn't effect him, either.

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"Forgive me if I don't share your euphoria!" (Weyoun to Dukat, Tears of the Prophets)
Dax's Ships of STAR TREK

Posted by Elim Garak (Member # 14) on :

Oh yeah, I remember that. "Ties of Blood and Water"...

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Elim Garak: "Oh, it's just Garak. Plain, simple Garak. Now, good day to you, Doctor. I'm so glad to have made such an... interesting new friend today." (DS9: "Past Prologue")

Posted by HMS White Star (Member # 174) on :

So if he was immune of poison why wouldn't the person trying to kill him just put nanites in his drink instead?

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HMS White Star (your local friendly agent of Chaos and a d*mn lucky b*st*rd:-) )

Posted by Dax (Member # 191) on :

Maybe he's immune to nanites, as well

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"Forgive me if I don't share your euphoria!" (Weyoun to Dukat, Tears of the Prophets)
Dax's Ships of STAR TREK

Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on :

Nobody was trying to poison him. The poison was Dukat's, but I can't recall who he was attempting to kill. (Garak, maybe?)

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"Quadrilateral I was, now I warp like a smile."
--
Soul Coughing

Posted by Elim Garak (Member # 14) on :

I think it was Sisko, Dukat, and Weyoun around a table in Quark's.

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Elim Garak: "Oh, it's just Garak. Plain, simple Garak. Now, good day to you, Doctor. I'm so glad to have made such an... interesting new friend today." (DS9: "Past Prologue")

Posted by Gaseous Anomaly (Member # 114) on :

They were talking about Legate Tekehny Ghemor, wod had come to the station to die and pass on his secrets to Kira, whom he befriended in "Second Skin".
Dukat and Weyoun were on the station in order to get him to return to Cardassia, as he had potentially dangerous info about the inner workings of the Cardassian government, dissenters, etc.

A bottle of kanar was delivered to his room, where it was discovered it was poisoned. Sisko challenges Dukat about it, and Weyoun swallows a glass of it down (shock value from the writers, I'd imagine) to Dukat's and Sisko's astonishment.
And then he mentioned that the Vorta are immune to most forms of poison.

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"So, no room for Bender, huh? Well I'll build my own lunar lander, with blackjack, and hookers.
In fact, who needs a lander, or blackjack?
Ah, screw the whole lot o' ya!"
-- Bender, Futurama.

[This message has been edited by Gaseous Anomaly (edited October 13, 1999).]