Star Trek / Elias Vaughn

[47of74]

I was at the family reunion today, and the oldest living member of my family was there. He's 96 years old now. He's physically frail to the point where he has to stay in a wheelchair all the time, hearing's not that good, but still has a very sharp mind.

I mention this because he made me think of Elias Vaughn from Star Trek DS9 and Lost Era novels. Vaughn was introduced to readers at the age of 101, and was in excellent physical health. It just struck me how much improved medicine would have to be over early 21st century medicine for that sort of gain.

[comtec]

1. also consider the diet people have then too

most of their food (in starfeet) is synthesized. that means all the bad bits can be taken out.
you can have a burger with like 0 calories and bad stuff in it, and it'll still taste half decent.
Kinda remind me of that disney movie/pilot that never took off... spaceship earth? was it?

[Orrex]

2. On the other hand, Leonard McCoy was a fragile husk by the tender age of 137

What a difference 36 years make, eh? And you'd think that Bones would have access to some top-rate medical care.

What happened?

[comtec]

3. Bones was also hard-core front-lines

he was exposed to far more weird things than that other.

Also, bones IIRC, ends up living to like 200 in the books (They've replaced every damned part on me except for my brain!)

He was curious to try new techniques to better people's lives. aside from being a living medical experiment, he was a great humanitarian.

[Dr. Strange]

4. You just try putting up with Spock day in and day out.

Look that good at 137, you will not, hmmm?