The Trill are Missing Something

sle1989 · January 2014

You know what's missing from the Trill? Pouches. Many sources identify them as marsupials. Both male and female Trill are supposed to have these. Many times in the show you can see these pouches.

stirling191 · January 2014

It doesn't qualify as a marsupial if you need a surgical implement to open said creature up. Secondly, there's no pouch. That place they're stuffing the symbiont into? That's the abdominal cavity.

kyeto13 · January 2014

stirling191 is right. While a simple surgical procedure, it is still artificial in nature. The Trill's biology allows them to psionically and neurobiologically link to the symbiote. The symbiote itself snuggles into the abdominal cavity and syncs up with the host nervous system.

Also, this adds no function in the game as it would not visible underneath uniforms, nor does it serve any practical purposes gameplay wise.

unangbangkay · January 2014

kyeto13 wrote: »

stirling191 is right. While a simple surgical procedure, it is still artificial in nature. The Trill's biology allows them to psionically and neurobiologically link to the symbiote. The symbiote itself snuggles into the abdominal cavity and syncs up with the host nervous system.

Also, this adds no function in the game as it would not visible underneath uniforms, nor does it serve any practical purposes gameplay wise.

I dunno man, maybe they can add a special racial feature for un-joined Trill: A 5th device slot

That's where you store your extra tribbles or Frosted Boots.

paxfederatica · January 2014

kyeto13 wrote: »

stirling191 is right. While a simple surgical procedure, it is still artificial in nature. The Trill's biology allows them to psionically and neurobiologically link to the symbiote. The symbiote itself snuggles into the abdominal cavity and syncs up with the host nervous system.

Of course, the fact that the joining process requires a Trill body to be surgically opened up raises the question of how the Trill and their symbiotes ever discovered the ability to join in the first place. It seems highly unlikely that this discovery was made by accident.

markhawkman · January 2014

paxfederatica wrote: »

Of course, the fact that the joining process requires a Trill body to be surgically opened up raises the question of how the Trill and their symbiotes ever discovered the ability to join in the first place. It seems highly unlikely that this discovery was made by accident.

Maybe they don't really need to be surgically implanted? Think Goa'uld here. :P Maybe the Symbionts can bond with the host without living inside them? then maybe slowly relocate?

This is an unexplored part of Trill history in the TV show though.... But we do know that the Symbionts are capable of swimming and stuff at some point in their lives. Perhaps they only need medical assistance after they grow old?

OOHHH!!!! Perfect idea for a literary challenge!!! Write out the origin of Trill bonding!

stf65 · January 2014

paxfederatica wrote: »

Of course, the fact that the joining process requires a Trill body to be surgically opened up raises the question of how the Trill and their symbiotes ever discovered the ability to join in the first place. It seems highly unlikely that this discovery was made by accident.

It's possible they originally joined and they symbiote hung outside of the body, like a leech. Over time the 2 species might have just learned that the symbiote could be stored inside of the abdomen; much like how a kidney is placed in the abdomen after a kidney transplant. That made it somewhat safter then just hanging outside of the body and covered with cloth.

stirling191 · January 2014

paxfederatica wrote: »

Of course, the fact that the joining process requires a Trill body to be surgically opened up raises the question of how the Trill and their symbiotes ever discovered the ability to join in the first place. It seems highly unlikely that this discovery was made by accident.

You're assuming all symbionts were always the size of the ones shown in TNG and DS9. Remember, those two (Dax and Odan) are hundreds of years old. It's not completely outside the realm of possibility that younger symbionts are considerably smaller, and thus wouldn't need a foot-wide hole in a host to snuggle up.

shpoks · January 2014

Uhm...what? I think we've seen more than enough of the Trill anatohmy in DS9 to safely conclude they don't have pouches.

misterde3 · January 2014

shpoks wrote: »

Uhm...what? I think we've seen more than enough of the Trill anatohmy in DS9 to safely conclude they don't have pouches.

Yup,

http://ds9.trekcore.com/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=1&page=8

they are not kagaroos.:P

markhawkman · January 2014

misterde3 wrote: »

Yup,

http://ds9.trekcore.com/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=1&page=8

they are not kagaroos.:P

For some reason I was expecting this: http://fr.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Fichier:Jadzia_Dax_sur_Risa_en_2373.png :P

misterde3 · January 2014

markhawkman wrote: »

For some reason I was expecting this: http://fr.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Fichier:Jadzia_Dax_sur_Risa_en_2373.png :P

Nah, that wouldn't have helped my case, you can alwas hide a flap behind a suit.;)

markhawkman · January 2014

misterde3 wrote: »

Nah, that wouldn't have helped my case, you can alwas hide a flap behind a suit.;)

that one was really tight... :P

captainkoltar · January 2014

paxfederatica wrote: »

Of course, the fact that the joining process requires a Trill body to be surgically opened up raises the question of how the Trill and their symbiotes ever discovered the ability to join in the first place. It seems highly unlikely that this discovery was made by accident.

In Equilibrium (Season 3 DS9), Jadzia enters the symbiont pools and interacts with the symbionts to make peace with a past host. It's likely that Trill and the symbionts first started communicating in the pools. Then they realised the benefits of being able to carry this interaction around with them.

-K

timezarg · January 2014

markhawkman wrote: »

For some reason I was expecting this: http://fr.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Fichier:Jadzia_Dax_sur_Risa_en_2373.png :P

That episode provided an answer to that age-old question: Yes, the spots go all of the way down

wraithshadow13 · January 2014

I was hoping that this was about getting a few options to customize your slug in the tailor...

Even as far back as TNG, the Trill didn't have the Pouches, or anything special. Riker was even able to take one for a short time, even though humans aren't nearly as compatible.

bendalek · January 2014

Well it's known, or at least said with a wink and a nod, that most Trill are physiologically capable of joining with a Symbiont and that the 1 in 1000 restriction is artificially enforced to avoid disappointment for those that don't "pass the test" as there are many obvious benefits to the host ...

So could it be that the Trill discovered the Symbionts, an intelligent, though endangered, species and offered be 'Joined" with them to the mutual benefit of both species? ... Perhaps at first the Symbiont did attach outside the body of the host, but this was deemed dangerous or unfeasible, maybe because the Symbiont needs a "Liquid" medium in order to survive any extended period of time, So an artificial (read: surgical) means was created to allow for this to take place safely ...

zebramaniii · January 2014

Trills are missing something, its the ridged foreheads they had in TNG.

http://www.ex-astris-scientia.org/gallery/factfiles/odan1.jpg

markhawkman · January 2014

bendalek wrote: »

Well it's known, or at least said with a wink and a nod, that most Trill are physiologically capable of joining with a Symbiont and that the 1 in 1000 restriction is artificially enforced to avoid disappointment for those that don't "pass the test" as there are many obvious benefits to the host ...

So could it be that the Trill discovered the Symbionts, an intelligent, though endangered, species and offered be 'Joined" with them to the mutual benefit of both species? ... Perhaps at first the Symbiont did attach outside the body of the host, but this was deemed dangerous or unfeasible, maybe because the Symbiont needs a "Liquid" medium in order to survive any extended period of time, So an artificial (read: surgical) means was created to allow for this to take place safely ...

Well... in DS9 it was said that ~50% of Trill are genetically compatible.

IIRC Riker's issue was that his human immune system was treating the symbiont like a parasite and trying to kill it. Trill immune systems apparently don't.

Anyways, I'm guessing that symbiosis was originally a lot like having a leech permanently stuck to you. It's hazardous for the leech.... they're soft and squishy.

As for why they're not more populous... well... we don't know how they reproduce, it could be they can't reproduce after taking a host...

And yes, TNG forehead: WANT!

davidwford · January 2014

stirling191 wrote: »

You're assuming all symbionts were always the size of the ones shown in TNG and DS9. Remember, those two (Dax and Odan) are hundreds of years old. It's not completely outside the realm of possibility that younger symbionts are considerably smaller, and thus wouldn't need a foot-wide hole in a host to snuggle up.

I agree. If one was to take the parasite attachment, it could be possible that young (small) symbionts could burrow through the naval into the abdominal cavity. Then, over time, they become engorged while inside the body. It is entierly possible that sometime early in the process, it was realized that memory retention was increased when the humanoid host had one inside.

The bigger question I have it, what happens to the symbiont during pregnancy? As the abodmen becomes enlarged due to a fetus, what happens to the symbiont? Of course, this is not an issue for males.

And yes, I DO want the TNG foreheads as an option for Trill characters. Is it not possible that one planet could have two compatibale phenotypes? Arguably, Earth currently has several.

krayuskorianis · January 2014

Odan's forehead ridges were the result of the biologic plague that infected Klingons (they had smoothed out foreheads) and infected a Trill colony planet not far from Klingon space. Odan's host came from such a colony.

They were later reintegrated into Trill society and accepted as Trills again.

foundrelic · January 2014

paxfederatica wrote: »

Of course, the fact that the joining process requires a Trill body to be surgically opened up raises the question of how the Trill and their symbiotes ever discovered the ability to join in the first place. It seems highly unlikely that this discovery was made by accident.

The Trill DO have pouches. they seal naturally.

Like Birth, a doctor isn't Necessary but it certainly makes the process easier and safer for all involved.

And Symbionts are linked to the nervous system but As Dax made very clear in DS9 while on the Bajoran moon with Kira, the link is largely chemical and can be disrupted thanks to venom or other organic toxins.

The Tether is much like an umbilical cord, supplying nutrients and the link for the chemical transference.

markhawkman wrote: »

For some reason I was expecting this: http://fr.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Fichier:Jadzia_Dax_sur_Risa_en_2373.png :P

Terry said at one convention that the guy on the make up crew, the one who kept track of her spots (Makeup continuity I guess) was blushing like mad the days they had to apply the full body spots.

quintaris · January 2014

That's got to be a rough job.

"Your job is to inspect the body of the most attractive crew member in Trek history and make sure her body makeup is correct."

bendalek · January 2014

quintaris wrote: »

That's got to be a rough job.

"Your job is to inspect the body of the most attractive crew member in Trek history and make sure her body makeup is correct."

I wonder if it was the same poor soul who had to suffer through hours of applying the, ahem, Borg Skin and err ... Uniform ... to Jeri Ryan? ... Oh the poor people ... Such suffering ...

The Trill are Missing Something

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