The definition of a species is two organisms that can mate ith each other and produce fertile offspring.
Vulcans and humans are not the same species, however, they can breed with each other.
Therefore it is logical to assume Mr.Spock is infertile.
Any arguments against this will be welcome.
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Looking at you.
Re: Would Mr.Spock be sterile?
In the real world, two species from different planets would not be able to have offspring. A human would have better luck breeding with an orchid then an alien. At least a human and an orchid evolved on the same planet. However, Mr.Spock is part of a fantasy world, and in a fantasy world anything is possible. Therefore, Mr.Spock could very well be fertile, green blooded, and flying in a star ship through the galaxy..
According to an episode of TNG, [possibly] all the species (Humans, Klingons, Vulcans etc.) are related, as one humanoid species seeded millions of worlds with their DNA in the past, as a means to live on.
Spock could be infertile though, just as anyone else can be. I personally think he's childless because he's gay for Kirk.
Of note, a mule is the cross-breed of a male donkey and a female horse, which are different species. Male mules and most female mules are infertile, because of this. So you have that.
And also because they were lonely? Liek, they were the only intelligent species so they put a little DNA on each planet and hoped for the best. We could only find this out if all the species worked together instead of h8n each other. So of course the glorious and benevolent Humans are the ones to figure it out. And then everything goes back to normal, without so much as a blip on the radar regarding the scientific, social, diplomatic and historical ramifications of the discovery. Gotta love TNG.
In the TOS episode, "The Paradise Syndrome" ("I am Kiirrroook!"), didn't Spock identify the Preservers as such a species (when he finally deciphered the markings on the Obelisk)? McCoy even said, "I always wondered why there were so many humanoids in the galaxy." Spock replies, "So have I. The Preservers apparently account for a number of them." Something like that.
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LoL, had forgotten about that episode until I read the "I am Kiirrrook" part of your post. Seeing Shatner dressed up like an Indian, lulz.
Looked into it. The Preservers in TOS seeded planets with humans. While the Preservers in TNG, seeded planets with their humanoid DNA and it spawned the humanoid races, differences accounting to evolution/environment etc.
It's debated among the ST crowd, if they are indeed supposed to be the same or linked in some fashion. Probably the writers in TNG were paying homage to TOS, in that episode.
Here's the TNG episode, as I couldn't initially remember the name and was wrong about the 'entire galaxy' aspect, they seeded the Alpha quadrant.
Yeah, I did some googling after I posted. Paying homing is probably what they were doing, if then expounding on the idea. It really is a good technobabble explanation.
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Okay. Last night I found and watched "The Chase" on youtube...and it was somewhat disappointing. I was hoping for some, even vague or subtle reference to TOS' the Preservers, but TNG seemed to want to pass off their explanation (for so many humanoids in the galaxy) as original. Well, TOS has been-there-done-that, and "The Chase" would've had more impact (for me, anyway) had they developed the Preserver idea further.
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Last edited by Mindship on Dec 28th, 2009 at 03:46 PM
Yeah, don't recall it as being a particularly great episode.
Though I think it did expand on the TOS version, as those were just humans being placed on different planets, which would explain why there was a Nazi, Mobster, Indian etc. etc. etc. planet on the original series.
I was listening pretty carefully and don't recall any reference. I would've been quite happy had someone mentioned "Preservers" just once. Or maybe the old professor could've made a reference to Mr. Spock deciphering the Obelisk. Something! All that DNA stuff would've been great as a "modern" understanding of what Spock initially theorized.
But alas...
Still, the concept is a lifesaver for a show that only has human actors to work with.
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i find it quite sad that it was only when technology got high enough to believably render the non humanoid aliens (the gorn and the tholians etc), that we had to have them on enterprise, during star trek's decline. it was said, really.
This is an excellent point you brought up. I studied biology and yes, in theory, he would be sterile. However, considering that this is the Star Trek universe and that man has developed warp speed, eliminated most illnesses, discovered anti-aging and all sorts of medical breakthroughs, it should also be assumed that Vulcans would have discovered a treatment for infertility between two species. Or maybe humans.
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