Honestly what do think about crossbreeding humans and aliens?

[RJLCyberPunk]

I have to ask since it seems to be the most persistent brain bug of our time.

I mean let's face it guys, Its extremely unlikely that humans could ever interbreed with any aliens (And yes even as hot as Aeryn Sun, sorry :rolleyes:) ... Yet most SciFi movies and shows depict just this scenario with Star Trek being the biggest violator :eek: err pardon me offender. :D

For a while SG-1 remained clear of this until the Space race Episode.

As Farscape is concerned there's too some interbreeding involved as we all know although the producers of the show thankfully never made their bread and butter subject of the week as did the ST producers (A little more and that show should have been called space brothel). But still I think it just detracts from the realism in the overall story.

[Jul]

I really don't mind either way, but I will say that I'm going to be moving this thread into the Farscape discussion forum so that you can get more responses to it ;)

[divinedaydreams]

Quite frankly I don't see a problem with interbreeding scenerio. While its true some humans would have a problem with it, hell there are still some who have a problem with mixing human races, in the long run its going to happen. IF races are compatable of course. Hormones often override the brain and your kidding yourself if you think it would never happen.

[RJLCyberPunk]

Quite frankly I don't see a problem with interbreeding scenerio. While its true some humans would have a problem with it, hell there are still some who have a problem with mixing human races, in the long run its going to happen. IF races are compatable of course. Hormones often override the brain and your kidding yourself if you think it would never happen.

You know there is a big, big diference in speaking of different races and different species, get a Godamn clue! :eek:
So no matter what race you are or I am, we are still 100% human and by the way Im !00% PuertoRican & Damn proud of it! :irate:

Let's take for example B5 pilot episode in which Ambassador G'Kar tries to convince the resident human telepath Lyta to mate with him so his species could once again have a telepath population. The Narns in B5 were reptiles so unless you are trying to tell me that a human can mate with an Iguana or a monitor lizzard it just can't happen!

[divinedaydreams]

Ok aren't we a little uptight?

First if you look I said if we are compatable with an alien race. If we're not we're not. Second I was comparing current thoughts to those that may be in the future. AKA that some people now still think mixing of human races is wrong. I don't but, their out there. So even when we come in contact with a compatable alien race there will be those who think its wrong. I don't. I believe in strong positive relationships are all that counts, if your love happens to be an alien good for you. Being 100% anything doesn't make you better or worse than anyone else. Your you and that should be all that counts.

All this coming from a 100% all American Mutt.

[Jul]

You know there is a big, big diference in speaking of different races and different species, get a Godamn clue! :eek:
So no matter what race you are or I am, we are still 100% human and by the way Im !00% PuertoRican & Damn proud of it! :irate:

Would you mind taking it down a notch.. there's no reason to be disrespectful of somebody who gave her opinion to your question...

[divinedaydreams]

Oh and one more thing no one ever said all SciFi had to make good scientific sense. The B5 episode for example. Oh and just because they may have reptilian backgrounds, which I'm not sure of would have to ask a better fan than me, doesn't mean in some way shape or form that they are guarenteed not compatable. But its all fiction right? Loosen up and don't take every thing you see so seriously. You'll give your self an ulcer or something.

[TheBladeRoden]

interbreeding > inbreeding

[Darth Buddha]

Dominar of Beers? You gonna bring that to market?

[Boron]

I would be happy to crossbreed with Sikouzu.

[Darth Buddha]

O.K., questionable taste post here:

Hmmmm... if she's a bioloid... could you buy one of her on-line.

[Boron]

Really? Now THERE's an idea!!!

[scaperbuddy]

One crossbreeding we could have done without is Scorpy! I wonder how Jothee feels about his heritage.

[Darth Buddha]

Really? Now THERE's an idea!!!

We are bad, bad, bad, bad men.

[Boron]

I have wondered if Jothee was ever going to re-enter the story somewhere. I know that things happen, but fooling around with your father's girlfriend is bound to cause some family problems. I would like to see him show up again, and redeem himself in the crew's eyes.

[Boron]

We are bad, bad, bad, bad men.

Sometimes you just have to be true to yourself.

[Darth Buddha]

Yes.

I am strong in the dark side at the moment.

I wonder how bioloids feel about Sith Lords?

[scaperbuddy]

She might like them as she likes Scorpy!

I'd like to see Jothee make up with his father. That plot ended so badly with him and D'argo parting ways in that manner after he looked forward to being reunited with him.

[Boron]

You know, when you look up in the sky at night, you can see millions of stars, of which a good portion have planets orbiting them. That is just a fraction of what is actually out there. For us to think that we are the only life in the universe is pretty short-sighted IMHO. We tend to think that life can only evolve in the fashion it did here. That's not true. We are a product of this environment, and there are quite likely products of other environments as well. I would like to live to see the "first contact" (to steal from Star trek). And I do think it will happen one day.

[scaperbuddy]

I believe that could happen and that God has made other beings. My belief. Please no one else be offended.

Did you like Jothee?

[Boron]

Jothee was a hard-luck kid. He was a half-breed, not really accepted by either Luxan or Sebacean societies, and robbed of his mother, and really, father too. He made a bad mistake with Chiana, but young guys have been known to do that. (Errrrr...not that I ever did........ahem, uh yeah....) I believe he would like to redeem himself, and I think he probably would have, had the series continued.

[scaperbuddy]

I think he would have eventually redeemed himself but he had alot of issues to work through first and so does D'argo and Chiana.

[Boron]

D'Argo allowed himself to fall for Chiana, and Chiana was into , well, let's just say "playing the field". He should have had his guard up, but then again, you just don't expect that from your girlfriend and son!!! The story of Jothee should have been allowed to develop, like some others that we have been talking about. As far as I'm concerned, FS could have gone on indefinitly.

[scaperbuddy]

One mistake D'Argo made was being too overprotective of Jothee and Chiana which led to them being alone which does not excuse their behavior of course. I think if we had season five we would have had some interesting character development.

[Boron]

That's what I've been saying for a while. Season 5. Season 6. Season 7. It would all have been good.

Oh, yeah, just because you're alone with someone doesn't mean you have to bonk them. (Granted that sometimes it seems like a good idea) :idea: :ewink:

[DamonAO]

You know, when you look up in the sky at night, you can see millions of stars, of which a good portion have planets orbiting them. That is just a fraction of what is actually out there. For us to think that we are the only life in the universe is pretty short-sighted IMHO. We tend to think that life can only evolve in the fashion it did here. That's not true. We are a product of this environment, and there are quite likely products of other environments as well. I would like to live to see the "first contact" (to steal from Star trek). And I do think it will happen one day.

That is all well and good, but does anybody even remember what the starting question was? Well, it was what do we think of Alien/Human cross breeding? my answer would be, sounds like nonsense from what I know, but there is a lot I don't know. Hypotheticaly, if we did encounter aliens they would share less genetic similarity to us than a treefrog or an amoeba for that matter. So it would be quite out of the question. However this is Science FICTION and one is allowed to imagine whatever one want's. A lot of things you just have to accept, like a Hech drive, what the hell is a Hech drive? just a convenient explaination for how interstellar travel is possible, Fantasy.
But really, there is a little too much digression going on here.

[Jellyfish]

You know, when you look up in the sky at night, you can see millions of stars, of which a good portion have planets orbiting them. That is just a fraction of what is actually out there. For us to think that we are the only life in the universe is pretty short-sighted IMHO. We tend to think that life can only evolve in the fashion it did here. That's not true. We are a product of this environment, and there are quite likely products of other environments as well. I would like to live to see the "first contact" (to steal from Star trek). And I do think it will happen one day.But apparently the important question is that when we find it will we want to have sex with it? Mmmm I think that tell us something about humans?

[Boron]

Good point. We might not find it very attractive.

[Selena]

Humans are notoriously prejudiced ... just look at current interracial issues - not just here in the USA but everywhere on the planet - it seems that we (humans) want to notice the differences and want to make sure the being that is different knows it.

I personally found G'Kar quite attractive and the ladies sure were smiling when they left his quarters :lol then again I find Teal'c very handsome for a "snakehead" :rollin: not to mention Martouf, who was definitely a hunk. And I have always had a thing for Spock's pointed ears - I know :rolleyes: "highly illogical!"

[SabaceanBabe]

Some of the particular cross-breeding that is seen on Farscape... Hmm.... There is an implied connection between Interions, Sebaceans, and Humans as far as genetics and maybe even culture are concerned (Die Me Dichotomy, Season of Death, What Was Lost 1&2). If someone was "seeding the galaxy" with humanoid forms (ala Star Trek: TOS) then that could explain the potential compatibility.

And even here on Erp, think about horses and donkeys: horse + donkey = mule. I don't think we've seen that any hybrids in 'Scape have themselves reproduced (or did I miss something?), so it could be a an h+d=m sort of thing.

And as far as an inter-species thing is concerned, no, I'm not attracted to any of the other species here on Earth (although you guys do *seem* like a different species, at times :ewink: ), who's to say I wouldn't be attracted to another species that is intelligent and, um, well put together? :O

I'm just sayin'...

[RJLCyberPunk]

And even here on Erp, think about horses and donkeys: horse + donkey = mule. I don't think we've seen that any hybrids in 'Scape have themselves reproduced (or did I miss something?), so it could be a an h+d=m sort of thing.
Which is why Farscape and SG-1 both are of much superior quality to that of ST

Now if we were to put that equation in human terms lets see

Human + Orangutan = ? Perhaps Howard Stern?


Regarding crossbreeding with reptiles as in the G'Kar example unless somebody shows me where somebody has actually mated with whatever creepy crawler and actually produced an offspring (Boy I'd really pay money for that). The writting is on the wall on that issue.

[Egraine]

As long as it's not human/Hynerian.....go for it! ;-)

Besides...there is always that compatibility/incompatibiltiy thingie......

Hugs,
Egrtaine (feeling quite silly today)

[SabaceanBabe]

Human + Orangutan = ? Perhaps Howard Stern?

:spew:

[RJLCyberPunk]

As long as it's not human/Hynerian.....go for it! ;-)

Actually its more likelly for the Hynerians to mate with the SW Hutts that with humans although size might be a problem there (Rygel would probably end up crushed under a female Hutt) the same as a Chihahua because of its size can't mate with a Big Dane, try as he might!

[Rhys]

Well, it mostly depends on living up to the standards you set for yourself.

If you set up the show as adhering to the (currently-understood) rules of science, then have every species producing offspring with every other species, you aren't living up to your own standards.

If you don't get into scientific details, then you can get away with a lot, as long as you stay consistent to whatever rules you establish.

I've always considered Farscape more "space fantasy" than "science fiction". That's not a slight on the show, it's just a mindset for watching it. They do establish their rules and stay consistent within them, but we never have to worry about how things really work.

(Star Wars is also, definitely, "space fantasy". Trek usually is, too - and the worst problems with Trek tend to happen when they try to deviate from that and get more into the science!)


As for the G'kar thing - he always did say that genetic manipulation was an expected part of the process. I always figured that the "direct mating" option was his own idea...

Rhys

[scaperbuddy]

Well if you're talking crossbreeding fantasy of course! Look at Scorpy half scarran and half human. Then you have Jothee half luxan and half human. In Star Trek you have half Klingon and half humans. It seems humans breed with everyone. Are there alien mixes? In LATP looks like Nebari and Luxans are out.

[RJLCyberPunk]

Look at Scorpy half scarran and half human. Then you have Jothee half luxan and half human.

I though that in both of this cases it was a cross between Sebaceans and Scarrans or Luxans, Well at least last time I checked Sebaceans and humans look alike but they are not the same...

[NYPinTA]

Human, Sebacean.. whatever. ;) I'm sure it was just a slip of the tongue. (oh look, I made a Luxan joke! ) :ewink:
Now heres a question: If you could be a hybrid, what two species would you want to be?

[scaperbuddy]

Well it wouldn't be human and scarran. I don't want to look like Scorpy. Maybe human and biliod or is it Kalish. Sikozu is pretty smart, can walk on walls and re-attach limbs.

[witchdoctor]

Jothee was a hard-luck kid. He was a half-breed, not really accepted by either Luxan or Sebacean societies, and robbed of his mother, and really, father too. He made a bad mistake with Chiana, but young guys have been known to do that. (Errrrr...not that I ever did........ahem, uh yeah....) I believe he would like to redeem himself, and I think he probably would have, had the series continued.

Yeah, he probably would have. I had read somewhere that they originally planned to have the Jothee character as part of the crew for a longer time, but the actor had to leave for some reason (I don't remember what), so he was written out, probably more precipitously than they would otherwise have had Jothee leave. That may be why there have been unresolved issues with Jothee.

[witchdoctor]

Actually, the biochemistry of humans and any alien species may be closer than you might think. From readings in astrophysics, it seems that many of the complex organic compounds and even some amino acids actually form in deep space. It is thought that in deep space dust clouds those chemicals can form and there is some protection from gamma rays and other cosmic rays by the dust, so they are not broken down. It is further thought that they end up in comets and such and that they may ultimately end up seeding planets. If that is the case, then life evolving on different planets in the galaxy and the universe would be starting with the same general building blocks. Assuming the laws of physics and chemistry are the same elsewhere in the universe as here, then they would end up combining further in similar ways.

This does not mean that the genetic code would necessarily be the same though. A particular set of three nucleotides/sides codes for certain amino acids or are termination signals etc. That could be different on life that evolved on another planet, even if there were similarities in biochemistry. If the gentic coding was different, then any combination of human and alien DNA would likely result in non-sense, non-functional proteins. In other words, lethal mutations.

However, if a society were sufficiently advanced and had mastered the science of genetic engineering, perhaps a hybrid could be produced, or at least human genes could be manipulated to work in an alien or vice versa.

[RJLCyberPunk]

Of course that with genetic manipution we could create actually more than plain simple hybrids but full blown transgenic individuals, but would it really be wise to do so?


Not that it matters much at this point since scientists are already talking about designer babies and all that, but still its healthy to talk about it before we are replaced by a genetically enhanced species of humans latter on. :rolleyes:

[mjwillia]

In the words of my Anthropology professor: "Money is NOT the first thing to be exchanged when two cultures meet..."

[witchdoctor]

Check out the movie Gattaca, for another take on the idea of genetically engineered and optimized people. All consequences may not be foreseen. As the movie points out, there is no gene for the human spirit.

[witchdoctor]

In the words of my Anthropology professor: "Money is NOT the first thing to be exchanged when two cultures meet..."

:D That is certaintly true. Borne out in history.

[divinedaydreams]

Yep I think the topic is well covered in Fiction. Anime included with the Gundam Seed series where there is an actual war raging between Naturals and Coordinators (geneticly engineered).

[RJLCyberPunk]

Check out the movie Gattaca, for another take on the idea of genetically engineered and optimized people. All consequences may not be foreseen. As the movie points out, there is no gene for the human spirit.

The fallacy behind racism has always been the idea that one race is superior to another.

This whole equation changes when you have a group of people with a clear biological advantage over everybody else. You see, sooner or latter they will get tired of treating us as equals when we clearly are not and when that happens all hell will break loose.

It will make the current war on terror look like a children's playground theme by comparison. And unlike this current war this one probably end up in the mutual anihilation of both species and leaving our planet as one more cold dead world.

You're a god among insects don't let anyone tell you different Eric Leinsher "Magneto" talking to John "Pyro" in X-Man-2

[r0b]

100% european mutt and proud of it lol .in star trek well some of the early books anyway crossbreeding between the species was done with genetic engenering.wich even if we werent compatible with a species i dont see that as a barrier to breeding with them just a hurtle.

[RJLCyberPunk]

It's scorpy just a simple hybrid or is he a transgenic, the show never made that clear since the Scarrans always lied as to how he was truly conceived.

The point is transgenics woulf not have the inherited problems of a normal Hybrid such as the inability to reproduce although in his case his DNA mix is so unique he could only probably produce an offspring with a female scorpiious if the Scarrans ever produced such a thing outthere.

[witchdoctor]

Maybe he could reproduce with either a Scarran or a Sebacean.

If Scorpius were the product of a rape of a Sebacean woman by a Scarran male, which is what was implied in Incubator, then he should be similar enough to both species to reproduce, assuming he is not himself an infertile hybrid. This of course assumes two entirely different species can interbreed, but as has been pointed out, Farscape is probably more akin to space fantasy than science fiction. Interspecies breeding is one of the assumptions of the show, just as is FTL travel.

On the other hand, if you want to say interspecies breeding is impossible without alot of genetic engineering and manipulation, then presumably the Scarran sperm and Sebacean egg were harvested, alot of genetic engineering done to both, followed by in vitro fertilization with the altered gametes, then the fertilized egg implanted back in the Sebacean woman. Since Scorpius' genetic make up was engineered to produce compatibility between Scarran and Sebacean genes, it is possible any gametes (sperm) he produced would also possess that compatibility. This compatibility is not perfect, of course, as evidenced by Scorpius' problems with over heating and his dependence on the cooling suit and cooling rods. None the less, it is conceivable that Scorpius would be able to produce offspring with Sebaceans or Scarrans, since the genetic incompatibility issue would have to have been overcome to produce Scorpius in the first place.

[mjwillia]

From the beginning of the Farscape series John often hints to Aeryn that human and Sebaceans are "Kissing Cousins" and then there is the whole "Jool-Interteron species" that are related enough to humans to use as organ donors.

So maybe at least when we are talking about, humans, Sebaceans and Intererons we are talking about "sub-species" (like horses and donkeys which can breed but the off-spring are sterile) and not down-right different species...

When it comes to Scarrens - it seems to me, that they take over a planet experiement with interbreeding to see if they can inherit any useful traits of the concured species and if not the "eat" them... So, maybe Scarrens are a sub-species too...(based on the rape thing with Scorpy's mom)...

[witchdoctor]

These are good points too, mjwillia. The similarities between humans, sebaceans and interons are not just co-incidence, but there is some deeper relationship. -Perhaps a common origin or precursor species. That would account for an abilities to interbreed. Maybe we will find out more in the mini-series

I don't find the idea of the Scarrans having similar roots so easy to believe. They do seem to have an interest in genetic combinations with other species though. In one of the unrealized realities, there are the human-scarran hybrid John and Jack Crichtons. Maybe they are interested in taking the useful genetic traits from their conquered enemies and making stronger, more useful slave species. Whether they do this by genetic engineering or the scarran species has some innate ability to interbreed with other species has never really been addressed. The technology to harvest genetic traits from other species and incorporate them into another unrelated species does exist. It was demonstrated repeatedly in DNA Mad Scientist.

[Rhys]

and then there is the whole "Jool-Interteron species" that are related enough to humans to use as organ donors.

Note that there have been transplants of animal hearts into humans...

Farscape seems to set aside the questions of genetic science, and take the philosophy of "no matter how different we all look, we're all alike on some basic level", which I'll happily accept.

Now, if we started seeing Delvian half-breeds, that would make me raise an eyebrow (with them being plants and all...)

Rhys

[abbadon]

But apparently the important question is that when we find it will we want to have sex with it? Mmmm I think that tell us something about humans?


Something along these lines...


Ooooh hello pretty Lady..............ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRGH! :eek:

[mjwillia]

Bill Clinton would!

(Now, don't go nuts on me... I actually like Clinton!)

[SweetpeaAeryn]

Now, if we started seeing Delvian half-breeds, that would make me raise an eyebrow (with them being plants and all...)

Rhys

Interesting point. I had never thought about that!

(This is an extremely interesting conversation although I don't understand all of the genetic stuff... but I'm glad it was brought up!)

[RJLCyberPunk]

If Scorpius were the product of a rape of a Sebacean woman by a Scarran male, which is what was implied in Incubator
I did saw the ep. you mentioned but the Scarrans are not exacly very trustworthy and besides their bodies generate huge amounts of heat. Heat as we know is nearly the equivalent of poison for sebaceans as seen throughout the show (while it aired). While humans would just sweat like pigs, sebaceans body funtions seize up and paralize strangely like a reverse form of hypotermia actually!
But the point is given this fact the sebacean female could have not survived the experience long enough to conceive, so the process must have been artificially engineered in the first place.

Also another observation I want to make is that even if we have the technology to alter our phisiology through gene terapy and surgery would everybody really jump into that bandwagon? :rolleyes:

Would aliens immediately upon arrival here go "ape" and decide to mate with us as well? :eek:

Why? Unless they don't have enough males or females of their own kind, there's little sense for them to do so...

That being said of course some might but it would be a discomfort free or trouble free procedure either.
Then in that scenario there's also the posibility of the mate to be to die before any mating took place, leaving the altered mate an outcast probably for the rest of her life as it would no longer be able to conceive offspring from its own kind.

In the Articial engineering and fertilization there's no sex to speak of. It would not carry such problems for the parents, but the result could still have problems as shown by Scorpy so there still would be ethical questions to be considered.

[mjwillia]

Would aliens immediately upon arrival here go "ape" and decide to mate with us as well? :eek:

I don't know if mate = procreate or if mate=sex. But, if I arrived on Crais' Cammand Carrier it sure wouldn't take me long to "DO" Crais...

So to answer the above question... My money is on "Going Ape" if only for the sex part....

[RJLCyberPunk]

Hmm.. I don't know in my opinion that would really suck as and ending to a date! :D

[jerseygirl]

But apparently the important question is that when we find it will we want to have sex with it? Mmmm I think that tell us something about humans?

That's what it's all about. Sex. It's always about sex. Not a judgment or condemnation, simply an observation. And I suppose, if we ever meet another sentient species, that will be big on our minds. But if they're anything other than bipedal humanoid types, that thought will probably evaporate faster than one of Rygel's helium emissions. My personal feeling is that expecting "them" to look anything like us is about as realistic as expecting Scorpius to put on a tutu and dance Swan Lake. Of course, I could be wrong...

[Bargaintuan]

Note that all hybrids on Farscape so far have been the product of a Sebacean mother and a non-Sebacean father. Coincidence?

Also, Peacekeepers have strict taboos regarding relationships with other species, which no one else seems to have.

[Sponge]

It doesn't bother me. Farscape is very much 'space fantasy' and that kind of thing fits in well.

Bargaintuan - It is an interesting coincidence, isn't it? How about a Kalish-Scarran halfbreed? That'd be interesting to see... A wall-walking semi-Scarran...

As for which kind of half-breed I'd prefer to be, the answer's easy there. Scarran half-breed! No contest. Not exactly the best looking, true - but I doubt that many people would dare to comment on it.

[faustus]

mmmmm half-breeds.....
ohh sorry I was day dreaming again :D

[Farsight]

I got the feeling that Kalish already are "semi-Scarren"... Sikozu (the original one) definitely has reptilian traits, her race is basically a slave race to the Scarrans, and the Scarrans obviously like to "improve" (infect?) conquered races with their own DNA.

Sebacians seem to be the "universal donor" of mating in the UT's... I don't think we've seen a single "half-breed" that wasn't partially Sebacian.

I like the way Farscape has handled this issue. They've addressed the difficulties of crossbreeding, both from the physical and social perspectives. But the bottom line is that the "hard science" (cough) on this issue is all speculative, and dramatically, it's just a lot more interesting if they can have at it... :)

[RJLCyberPunk]

I got the feeling that Kalish already are "semi-Scarren"... Sikozu (the original one)...
There was another Sikozu? Wow I saw the show & I don't remember that!
But Yeah its obvious that the Scarrans in the show were obsesed with genetic manipulation of both their own species and those that they conquer.

[Frellster]

Any good Sci-Fi has half-breeds. Who wouldn't want to mate with a fine alien? Duuuude. Sure its scientifically unlikely, but so what. I'm willing to believe it. I'm sure somewhere out there is a Sebation/Luxan/Kalish/Nebari cross who has family reunions from hell!

[Farsight]

There was another Sikozu? Wow I saw the show & I don't remember that!

Well, the Sikozu we know isn't Kalish, she's a bioloid - an artificial reproduction. So that means at some point there was an original "Sikozu", who really was Kalish.

I don't think there's a way to discuss her origins that doesn't sound like gibberish, so I'm going to stop. :)

[scrape_medic]

Something along these lines...


Ooooh hello pretty Lady..............ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRGH! :eek:
drunk one: she's pretty
drunk two: yeah, but you just wait til she speaks!

[scaperbuddy]

It would be good to be Sikozu. Look how smart she is, how she can walk on walls and re-attach limbs.

[ChianaGray]

I think half breed's is interesting because it entails a whole new world of both sides of the kinds and yet neither. They're kind of stuck in a void and its interesting to see what traits and their perspectives of all sides come of it.

Like Scorpius is tormented between parentage that cannot withstand the heat while the other bunch of gene's are built for it with the heat gland thing. He's litterally melting in his boots and has to retain a certain "civilized" control over his Scarran viciousness and strength and desires to do so because he loathes their ... inability to see anything else but themselves as superior.

It's interesting in scifi when half bred's aquire unusual abilities and arts but it's even more intriguing to me when they get more into the character's perspectives, struggles and belonging. IMO they're like a bridge for understanding and they bring up issues and questions people like the Peacekeeper's wouldn't like, like the purity of their species down the line and ultimatley the presorvation of their beliefs and cultural identity. Even Worf and Odo seemed like half breed's to me because they were aliens raised by human's. They were kind of lost at what to do with their own kind even though they had a pride for their own racial identity and in some ways ended up instigating peace for Klingons and Changlings because their perspectives were so different, if not their hearts.

At opposite ends I think a dying race would be glad to continue their species in another intelligent sentients. They would love their children even if the presorvation of the inheritance was still an issue of not getting lost. Or really, why try to preserve your lineage at all if that didn't matter ...

I'm not sure about alien's and humans crossbreeding in the real world ... some people already look like they could pass for some hybrids hehehe But I don't see any reason why nature wouldn't follow at least the very basic patterns of biology on other planets - or how about other dimensions? It could be possible with really really smart alien geneticists? Heck, we can splice plants and clone sheep, why not.

I just - keep picturing the Mormon's trying to nock on the flying saucer door ... and what if an alien wanted to marry Jewish? Oy Vay!

[scifinutter]

Farscape seems to set aside the questions of genetic science, and take the philosophy of "no matter how different we all look, we're all alike on some basic level", which I'll happily accept.

I couldn't agree more!

IMO, Farscape is more about the emotional stuff than the scientific stuff. Though, perhaps that's because of my social science-y ways. Course, I still love the science behind it. It's great that someone who completely flunked chemistry can still 'get it'. So yeah, interspecies breeding, the science behind it is too hard for me to think about. I just accept that it's possible, and have nothing against it. It's all about Darwinism, so whatever works!

[Ouroboros]

Farscape seems to set aside the questions of genetic science, and take the philosophy of "no matter how different we all look, we're all alike on some basic level", which I'll happily accept.

This has been done over and over though. I'd like to see the reverse angle.

We go in trying to act nice civilized and understanding toward the aliens but they think so fundamentally different from us that we can't even communicate with them in any meanigful fashion.

In other words lets have some aliens that are, you know, alien.

If they are out there I think it's extremely unlikely that they're going to take a form that would be in the least bit apealing to us sexually that is IF sexual relations with them would even be biologically possible.

In sci-fi TV the old alien human hybrid angle has become the commonly accepted norm and it is wildly divergent from what should be expected from any sort of realistic scenario. Of course in reality it gets done becasue human looking aliens are easier and once you've done that hybrids is sitting right there ready to open the door to the same tired old "we're not so different after all" message we've heard over and over again.

If you want to tell a story about mixed race children and racism is society then tell that story. A sci-fi setting opens up all sorts of new avenues to be explored that are not possible with any other genre. Why waste all that by just cut and pasting human race relations difficulties into an interspecies setting.

If you want to slam racism have an alien species with two or more races, bumpy heads and non bumpy heads, for example and then let the audience see how bloody stupid racism looks from a total outsider's perspective.

Inter-species relations is an entirely different situation to be looking at than race relations. Regardless of what Star Trek may try to tell you it is VERY likely that the sort of normally untrue racist generalizations like "blacks are more violent" could in fact be literally and objectively true of an alien species. It's important to remember that an alien is not going to be a more or less human mind with a few superficial physical differences in it's container, it's going to be a completely different being with completely different mental and physical functioning built from the ground up in a completely differant way. It won't think they same way we do, if it's senses are sufficiantly differant it may not even interpret and understand the word the same way we do. Trying to take an "everyone's more or less the same" approach toward alien race relations to me skips out on a lot of the challenges and drama such a situation has the potential to create.

[Fyodor]

You can crossbreed me with a nebari any day.

[Jack Daniel]

What I find funny is that people always assume that any alien life out there will by necessity be radically different from life on Earth. Here's the rub: we don't exactly know what conditions are necessary for the evolution of life, or sentient life. We do know that there are a heck of a lot of galaxies out there, which means a heck of a lot of stars, and more planets than you could shake a stick at... but for life, you'd need a planet orbiting roughly within its star's ecosphere, seeded with heavy elements from a nearby supernova, a freak accident to create amio & nucleic acids, the right conditions for the first evolution of simple monocellular prokaryotes, and then a few billion years of alternating gradual mutation and explosive radiation in species populations. Who's to say that carbon-based, arboreal primates won't develop sentience somewhere else in the universe? It's a big damn universe. It's just as logical to say "there must be life out there that looks and maybe even thinks like us" as it is to say, "there must be life out there, period" -- just because the universe is so vast, the odds in favor are incalculably good.

[Jeff O'Connor]

You can crossbreed me with a nebari any day.

:lol

[Ouroboros]

You can crossbreed me with a nebari any day.

He wants your body Fyodor...

[faustus]

that's just evil. I love it :D

[Fyodor]

Aww man, now i'm gonna have nightmares about that Elvis guy..