posted
I thought this was the right forum to put this in....
Turn to the TNG tech manual, p. 45, right colum, bottom paragraph:
"In the Galaxy class starship, ongoing G&D system research tasks are handled by a mixed consultation crew of twelve Tursiops and T. truncatus gilli, Atlantic and Pacific bottlenose dolphins, respectively. This crew is overseen by two additional cetaceans, Orcinus orca takayai, or Takaya's Whale. All theorectical topis in navigation are studied by these eltie specialists, and their recomendations for system upgrades are implemented by Starfleet."
So, the humans in star trek used universal translators to talk to dolphins, and thse olph9ins supsequently operated on starfleet ships. I;ve never heard of the takaya's Whale, perhaps they're supposed to be from a planet orther than Earth. Are dolphins federation members? Seperate members from humans? Or are they independent? Is there a dolphin captain out there in starfleet who just finished commanding their ship while fighting in the dominion war? Are their starfleet dolphins "boldy going where no cetacean has gone before?" Just thought this was interesting....
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posted
I've always wondered about those fish tanks near sickbay when I looked at the E-D blueprints. Now I know that it's not there for no reason...
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posted
It was just a verbal in-joke of sorts: Geordi tries to lure the dignitary away by enthusiatically going "Have you seen the dolphins yet? You've got to see the dolphins!". Could be anything from a holoshow to the personal pets of a crew member...
posted
I felt the comments were tongue-in-cheek and did nt imply actual communication with dolphins. Despite what SeaQuest or Douglas Adams say to the contrary, I don't think dolphins are particularly intelligent.
The dolphins are there party as pets, but also as part of research programs into aquatic life. Non-dangerous research one would assume. (Pop them in space suits and train them to lay torpedoes! )
------------------ "You don't need eyes to see; you need VISION" - Faithless / Reverence
posted
I'd like to know what happened to the dolphins and such when the Ent D crashed in Generations. I saw the dolphin tanks on the blueprints when I got them and immediately thought of "The Perfect Mate" I thought it was a nice tie in...
------------------ "A gathering of Angels appeared above my head. They sang to me this song of hope, and this is what they said..." -Styx
posted
Well, it's been there for, oh, 9 years or so. Sorry.
Personally, I imagine that those tanks can also support other aquatic species that happen to find themselves on a Galaxy. The Mermen from Namoria IV, and so on.
------------------ "20th Century, go to sleep." -- R.E.M.
posted
Well, actually, scientifically doplphins are consdiered very intelligent. They are the only other species besdies humans that have sex for pleasure. They actually baby sit for each toehr's children. They are also the only other psecies besodes humans that helps members outside of thier immediate family. They have been seen luring fish into fisherman's nets, and apparently nice chesture consdiering what humans have done to dolphins. It is believed the only real reason why dolphins have not estyablished a civilization comparbale to humankind's is that under water, dolphins can not create a written language nessacary to transmit accumulated knowledge from one generation to another possible. For all we know, civilation may just be a fluke for humanity. Afterall, its only been around for about 8,000 years, while humans have been around for two million years.
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posted
I'm surprised. I thought everybody knew there were dolphins and whales on the E-D who did navigational research...
There was even a novel that had a dolphin who had a sort of rectangular bubble of water that he stayed in and flew around the ship. A ship, anyway; I forget which. I don't even remember the book. For some reason, I'm thinking it was the one where Picard's old Stargazer crew comes back together. Reunion, or something?
------------------ Lisa: "A rose by any other name would smell as sweet." Bart: "Not if you called them 'stench blossoms'..." -The Simpsons
posted
Actually, human beings are the only species that has sex for reasons of reproduction. We're the only ones that have figured out that sex=babies. (And even that isn't a universal cultural truth. Many cultures have been blissfully ignorant of that fact.)
Animals have sex because sex feels darn good. They are not aware that it has any connection to reproduction. If they DID, then there wouldn't be any reason for sex to feel good, as creatures would not need any extra incentive to, shall we say, get it on.
------------------ "20th Century, go to sleep." -- R.E.M.
posted
No. Animals have sex cause its an instinct, which they continue to do cause it feels good. However, they only mate for eventual reproducrtvie purposes. Human have sex even when they don't want kids. Dolphins are the onyl other species that do that.
------------------ Obviously you refuse to cooperate with me. Obviously you have no discipline to kepp the mouth shut. Obviously you don't. Let's try it that way, then you might get the hint. How many more minutes are we going to waste asking you not to talk? How many more!?!
posted
I don't follow. If animals only have sex when it feels good, then how can they be having sex for reproductive purposes? How can they even grasp the connection between the two when many human societies failed to? And your system fails to account for the vast amount of non-reproductive sex in the animal kingdom. Gay giraffes, that one species of monkey that uses sex where other species use combat to determine who's who on the totem pole... I don't think your claim holds up.
------------------ "20th Century, go to sleep." -- R.E.M.
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