TNG - Half a Life

[JL_Stinger]

I think the central issue of this episode is such a big deal because our society (probably most societies around the world) the value of life is measured in quantity, not quality. Most people seem that they would rather take a dozen pills every morning, get a bunch of injections every year, do endless rounds of chemotherapy, or whatever other unpleasantry it takes to prolong their life as long as possible.

As someone who has always valued the quality of life over the quantity, who has never dreamed of growing old, and who has supported Right To Die as long as I can remember, this episode isn't presenting a shocking idea. (I wish I could remember what my reaction was to it when it first aired, but all I remembered was the general plot and "oh hey it's the guy from MASH!")

Same sort of thing when my then-girlfriend got me to watch "Harold & Maude." Painless ritual suicide at an appropriate age sounds fantastic. I'll take it over fighting cancer, going blind, needing a walker, or deteriorating mental faculties any day. I never wanted to survive like that when I was 20, I sure don't when I'm 40.

I certainly see the merits in granting Timicin an extension given his work and health, but doing so runs a serious risk of a slippery slope as others start asking for exceptions unless you kept the "quantity over quality" idea from ever gaining traction.

In modern American society the age should be 80 instead of 60, with the option to do it sooner for those whose health issued started earlier. It would especially be idea if our lives were configured into quarters: 0-20 childhood and education; 21-60 working and being a productive member of society; 61-80 retirement and relaxation before death. Obviously that's not what we have now.

It's not just about avoiding suffering (and making room for the next generation in the work force as someone else commented in this thread). Look at modern politics. We just had a presidential election between two men in their 70s. Not only is the physical and mental condition of both of them questionable, but the world is leaving them behind.

If you were born in 1700 or even 1800, how much had the world really changed by the time you were 70? Not much overall. But if you were born in 1900, in your lifetime humans have created airplanes, spaceflight, TV, and atomic weapons. You went through two world wars, a global pandemic, and a global economic depression. People born in 1950 have had to deal with computers, social media, substantial shifts in views on race, gender, drugs, and music. Seeing the things good, well-meaning elderly people deal with today (and I'm not even talking about their health or finances) leaves me unsettled at the thought of what I will see in my 70s. It's already started. Music is leaving me behind. I'm not woke. I don't understand your Vines and your TikToks; I'm still playing videogames from 20 years ago. They're trying to turn all my books and music digital. I think progress in the last century or so has proceeded at a pace faster than we can adapt to it, but I have no idea how to slow it down.

I think one of the things about a fixed expiration age that appeals to me is that it's neat, orderly, and controlled. It reduces uncertainty. Alas, this is a world of chaos, and that's how most of you want it.

[BridgeConsoleMasher]

I have respect for Luxana for that one scene in later TNG that had the driest joke in the series, second only to DS9's Odo joke about buying a piece of Quark after he dies.

The look of glee in Picard's eyes when she references somebody ending a conversation is so <8.

[bluebydefault]

This felt like more of an episode about breaking traditions than a euthanasia story. Well, and a character piece. I think it would have helped to know why the culture did what they did. Was there an illness that we didn't know about? Maybe old age sets in earlier for them? I mean if he is breaking a tradition it would help to know why the tradition exists and if it is still necessary.

But the focus is more on Lwazana and her dealing with feeling old and losing someone she cares about which is fine. I don't hate this episode. It is enjoyable. I just feel like the most interesting part of it, for me personally, was glossed over.

It's tough losing someone, Chuck. This year has taken its toll on so many. I hope things calm down and you can start healing.

[Philistine]

Condolences on the loss of your grandmother, Chuck. It's hard to lose a loved one who's still vital and engaged with the world.

I would say there's at least one other way to interpret Deanna's line about Dying Before You're Dead, though. Senile dementia can rob a person of much more than just their ability to take care of themselves, or even the capacity to understand where and when they are and what's going on around them - it can rob a person of their whole personality. Of course the obvious counterargument is that there's really only one way to guarantee that someone will never have to suffer that kind of long, slow, gradual decline, that not only reduces them to a shadow of themselves but also grinds down everyone around them, punishing those who have the gall to care about them - and oh, look! We're back to a euthanasia discussion! Which would mean either Deanna was telling her mother a comforting lie (And doesn't it seem like "comforting lies" would be rather less comforting to a telepath?), or Deanna was promising to euthanize her mother when and if the time came (which to be fair... seems entirely in keeping with Gene's vision of "evolved humanity" in TNG).

[Fianna]

Though how would senility work with mind readers? Even if you can't remember who you are or what's going on, if you're surrounded by other people who do remember, and you're constantly reading their thoughts ...

[cloudkitt]

I don't have such a viscerally negative reaction to Lwaxana as many people, but I still always thought this was an excellent episode for her. It uses her annoying qualities in way that shows where they might be useful. The fact that most people would agree that she's right (but not in a way like the episode is contrived to make her right) but ultimately powerless makes for a great way to examine her and i think makes all other Lwaxana episodes at least a little better in retrospect.

And my sympathies, Chuck, my grandmother passed just last night.

[Riedquat]

In modern American society the age should be 80 instead of 60, with the option to do it sooner for those whose health issued started earlier. It would especially be idea if our lives were configured into quarters: 0-20 childhood and education; 21-60 working and being a productive member of society; 61-80 retirement and relaxation before death. Obviously that's not what we have now.

And thank heavens we don't have that now. Too bad if you reach 80 in good health eh? My grandpa was still walking a few miles every day until a few months before he died at 91. He was over 80 the last time he went white water rafting. Read maths books right up until the day he died.

I think one of the things about a fixed expiration age that appeals to me is that it's neat, orderly, and controlled. It reduces uncertainty. Alas, this is a world of chaos, and that's how most of you want it.

Too damned right I want chaos over that.

[Riedquat]

When I saw this in the queue I mis-read it and thought we were getting a Half Life review.

[Rocketboy1313]

Too damned right I want chaos over that.

I concur.
Mildly horrified to read about how "orderly and controlled" he finds things.

[clearspira]

Condolences, Chuck, for the loss of your grandmother.

Ah, the episode that was not about euthanasia but Boomers about to crash into the old retirement. They threw a generational tantrum about reaching the age which would have them leave the workforce to make room for the up and coming Gen-X in the managerial and non-entry roles. The same exodus which they leveraged the pre-war and silents out of the workforce to garner their own wealth. Nah, the boomers were not gonna retire and let younger people run the show and gain wealth of their own.

And I think history has proved that mandatory retirement ages were fucking good damn thing, retire already. Gen-X has spent a lifetime trapped in entry level roles and has fuck all generational wealth because of the selfishness of the boomers. Now they are doing the same thing with the millennials, only the millennials will potentially have the working life and youth to recover after the boomers all do die off, Gen-X will never have that. We got stomped on the face by the boomers, and are now getting our ass stepped on by the millennials. So every boomer should be mandatorily retired on Monday. The world isn't going to end, the sun will not blow up, and screw the boomers for trying to put their midlife crisis on that level with this horrible episode.

It just hits some of my buttons, that is all.

One, more comedic thing, hope that star they accidentally blew up wasn't about...oh...thirty light years away from Romulan space. Well that is what we in the science business call a whoopsie?

Sounds great until you yourself are forced to retire because a youngster wants your job. Got 20 years left in you? Got kids to support? Social security/pension isn't enough to pay your mortgage? Tough shit, fuck off Granny. All of these ''great'' ideas about how to free up the labour market for the next generation sounds great until you yourself reach that point. And don't make out that you will be happy to stand aside when its your turn because I do not believe you.

That is the position the boomers have left Gen-X in, thank you very much and fuck you.

Nice dodge. Would you or would you not accept Gen-Z doing the same to you when you reach the same age? The fact that you didn't answer really proves to me that you wouldn't.