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In TNG "The Emissary", K'Ehyler says that Klingon-Human hybrids are possible "with a fair amount of help". Given how hard it would be for interspecies hybrids to be born without some genetic manipulation, is there an IVF exception to the ban on genetic engineering in the Star Trek universe (including EU materials) for helping interspecies couples conceive?

DavidW
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tngrewatcher
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    I suspect you've given this far more thought than the people who wrote the show. Note that Khan went from being a curiosity in one show to being history's greatest monster by the film. There were genetically engineered children in an early season of TNG, then suddenly it's the Federation's numero uno crime by the time of DS9 – Valorum Sep 03 '21 at 16:43
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    Can you elaborate some more? IVF doesn't require genetic engineering IRL, and there's not reason to think it would in the future either. Also 'a fair amount of help' needn't imply IVF necessarily. It might be better to ask "What sort of help is K'Ehyler implying?" But I'm not sure I'd want to many details on that! – AncientSwordRage Sep 03 '21 at 16:44
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    "Given how hard it would be for interspecies hybrids to be born without some genetic manipulation" - Citation required. Most species in the show seem to be directly compatible with no help needed. – Valorum Sep 03 '21 at 16:44
  • It is stated by the scientist at Darwin Station (TNG:S2 Unnatural Selection) that the children on Darwin Station are not genetically engineered. "KINGSLEY: Not engineered, created. Perfect in every way. Their body structure, their musculature, their minds." - is she agrandizing and obfuscating? Possibly. Also, are we sure that Darwin Station is indeed an installation subject to Federation law? - http://www.chakoteya.net/NextGen/133.htm – NKCampbell Sep 03 '21 at 17:10
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    "I suspect you've given this far more thought than the people who wrote the show." -- @Valorum I suspect that is true for many of the questions asked here. – FreeMan Sep 03 '21 at 17:27
  • The ban isn't on genetic engineering, but on genetic enhancement. I'm sure that gene therapy would be allowed to fix birth defects or something needed to bring someone up to a normal human baseline. Yeah, that might be a slippery slope but you don't draw the line by refusing to pick up the pen. – Emsley Wyatt Sep 03 '21 at 21:07

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There's not a ban on genetic engineering.

Genetic engineering is totally allowed and used from time to time. For example, in Genesis, a virus causes dormant DNA from animals to re-activate in the enterprise crew, causing them to de-evolve into other animals. They then fix this, and restore the crew to normal.

Or in the Fight, Chakotay's family has a gene that causes them to have hallucinations. In him, it's suppressed. Aliens are trying to communicate with them, and destroying the ship from the 18th dimension. The doctor re-activates his gene fully, and the aliens help them escape.

They are against genetic augmentation, because of the past problems it has brought. They are fine with necessary medical genetic engineering to fix problems.

Fertility issues are likely within that allowed genetic engineering.

Nepene Nep
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    Cases in point for bad uses of genetic engineering that were hard lessons learned from: Dr Soong’s earlier work before he switched to androids, Kahn and his gang from the Botany Bay, the Eugenics Wars. – MissouriSpartan Sep 03 '21 at 20:51