Star Trek’s level of medical care is far more advanced than today’s. As Beckett says in LD, “Doc will wave a light over it.” Yet, in Star Trek people aren’t shown doing hobbies and pastimes that are much different from what’s done now. Still, I wonder about differences in a society where people know they won’t be laid up for months for doing or trying something that some folks of today might look at and say, “nope, too dangerous.” Injuries will still hurt, there’s a big difference between say, a broken leg taking months to heal and possibly multiple surgeries, and Star Trek’s healing of a broken leg in a matter of hours.
I’m trying to think of what I’d do differently if I had access to Star Trek level medical care. There are things I want to try, but I look at sideways because of the possible injuries. It’s mild, but one thing I think I’d try again is skating. I injured my knee roller skating at a rink years ago, and that knee is still a problem. That injury left me skittish of skating. If I knew an injury from skating (within reason) could be an easy fix, I would have given it another go.
Is there a pastime you’d be more willing to try, or try again, if Star Trek level medical care was available?
Assuming that it cost the same as Star Trek medical care, I’d definitely be more open to it.
That said, though, part of the issue is less concern over medical care, but rather more that of having enough time and money. You can’t go around the world trying new things, if you can’t afford to go, or if you can’t get enough leave to be able to do so.
Fuck dangerous hobbies, I’d be able to do whatever I wanted with my career since I wouldn’t rely on heavily subsidized corporate health plans in order to keep my partner alive.
Assuming, of course, that in such a post-scarcity society we wouldn’t still find a way to stratify society and allow only the elite to have access to such things.
In most of the developed world you don’t rely on corporate health care plans 😅
Good point, I’m stuck in the backwater Randian dystopia that is the USA.
I think access to holodecks is a huge factor for that vs. doing a pastime in the real world. Because of what you said about being accessible to all vs. only to certain elites. Also because I wonder about the availability of holodecks for those not on starships or in Starfleet. I don’t remember if that’s mentioned in the various series and movies since they are typically centered around being on a starship. Transport tech is shown as being publicly used on Earth. I’d imagine that there would be holodecks available on Earth (maybe other planets), or at least holosuites like in Quark’s. Access to pastimes in the real world, without using holosuites, might be commonplace. Maybe trying something new in a holodeck/suite where serious injury is less likely before trying it in the real world.
Well, considering there are still people in wheelchairs in Star Trek, guess I’d still be in one.
I like the inclusion (in the show), but I would hope that paralysis was cured that far in the future.
I’ve always wanted to learn skateboard but at 40+ it seemed like a really dumb hobby to start, given that you spend more time falling at first than you do on the board.
Idk man, I have a friend who’s almost 40 and he skates all the time (though he did start when he was younger). From what I understand, you just have to learn how to fall correctly, like, rolling with the momentum. Unless you have issues with bone density or something, I say go for it!
Engage holodeck safety protocols.
If you just wanna cruise around its actually pretty safe
Honestly, it would just be nice if that kind of tech could rid me of my (at times excruciating) chronic pain.
I’ve reached the point – years ago – where it has become truly debilitating and there are days and longer periods where I can barely perform any physical action. It is frustrating and my quality of life would improve dramatically if I did not have that constantly hindering me in my daily life.
Forget “dangerous” hobbies; I might actually be able to have a social life again and see my friends or go out to see a movie or go shopping!
For me the medical care wouldn’t change much because you can still die a lot of ways and getting hurt probably still hurts a lot.
The big difference for me would be transporters. I hate traveling because for me the destination is the destination and the journey is just an annoyance. There are a thousand places I’d visit if getting there wasn’t such a pain in the ass.
Personally, I don’t see much of a difference between the 2 scenarios if your new hobby kills you and they clone you “back to life”. Particularly if you are scanned at the “hold my beer” moment (perhaps initiated by you) and they bring you back immediately, and nobody tells you(/thinks) that you’re a clone.
I could even see that as a psychological crutch. “No I didn’t die, they were locked on to my location and just used the transporter to save me when my parachute didn’t open! I was never in any danger.”
