Posted by Katy Darrah in Technology Submission Review - Biomechanical Augmentation Limb Prototype (BALP-1 - TOS Era) - 04-27-23

Posted by Jennifer Ward in Technology Submission Review - Biomechanical Augmentation Limb Prototype (BALP-1 - TOS Era) - 04-27-23

Posted by Vice Admiral Robert Archer (Engineering Director) in Technology Submission Review - Biomechanical Augmentation Limb Prototype (BALP-1 - TOS Era) - 04-27-23
[snip]

I like the concept of this. It is well thought out and does fit into the feel of Trek as a whole. That being said, however, as a prototype technology I see it working, but the idea that an officer would be given one of these and then just thrown back onto a starship doesn’t sit well with me, especially after the project was shut down. There was (obviously) only a limited number of these given out, and I highly doubt that Starfleet would want the possibility of the following to occur:

A potential loss of both the officer and the device or the potential for re-injury of the same limb/device
The device falling into the hands of an enemy such as the Klingons.
Any combination thereof.

I could see this being a device that limited the officer to a career of starbase assignments. Kinda similar to how modern military who are injured but allowed to stay in are often relegated to support roles that keep them safer. Plus, in the 10 or 11 years the project was actually actively collecting data, it would see to me the recipients would be closely monitored anyway, much like with any major medical procedure in modern day that’s highly experimental. They’d need regular visits with a BALP-1 coordinator/doctor/scientist, as well as with a regular physician.

Again, over all, spec isn’t bad, I just can’t see it being something they’d risk losing on a starship.

Katy

== So Katy does point out a decent flaw or thing to consider for the next draft to work on. Maybe as a compromise to it you maybe have something like what Katy said where they’d be kept in safer spaces of the Federation, only being assigned to longer range ships if they had say a NPC consultant person for obvious reasons?

Robert Archer EDir

I don’t think it would be restricted. Why? If the idea is to allow people to return to duty? And classified one of a kind tech isn’t exactly hidden. Take Data for example. He was one of a kind and on the flag ship. They did try to take his daughter for that reason though. You are talking about curbing a person’s freedom because they chose medical aid that is a prototype. A waiver of the risks or something, but not “kept in secret”.

I would agree if the tech was say ship or weapons based, but not a prosthetic that is on a sentient being. Geordi wasn’t restricted because of his visor or his new cybernetic eyes (when he got them) And like any patient the information about it would be in their medical file. The CMO would have access to it and as part of their responsibilities would be required to study up on it.

I am not saying that there isn’t tech that would be restricted access, I just don’t see a prosthetic being one of them.

Jenn

This is still in Prototype phase. Data was created in the 2330s and discovered by a Starfleet ship in 2338, and was quite advanced and already (mostly) stable by the point the crew of the Tripoli re-activated him. This is a prototype technology that, yes, is focused on returning folks to duty, but it’s specifically stated to be very expensive. Why potentially waste the resources to make one of these by returning a patient to a Starship where there’s an even higher chance of a repeat incident happening than on a Starbase?

Plus, a Starbase has extensively more space than a Starship to enable a patient to be monitored. I can see the recipients being returned to the fleet several years after it was shut down, assuming there was no additional data that could be gained. I.e. if a patient has not shown any form of rejection for the last 3-ish years, and the data for QOL was already gathered.

Katy

My point about Data is that he unique and one of a kind and you had mentioned not letting a prototype prosthetic into the hands of an enemy. Your talking about holding patients hostage in order to get a new limb, when they could opt for an older one or not at all. Accidents and incidents happen, starbase, planet, or ship. We will just have to agree to disagree on that point because really that part is semantics for role play and characterizations.

Jenn