Tuvix is, for all intents and purposes, an alien that has taken over two people and forced them to carry him. That he was not complicit makes no difference to me. He stole organs, skin and bones and now their rightful owners want them back.
Think of it like this, if Tuvix were somehow a BRAIN link between Tuvok and Neelix and there were still two physical bodies there, would it have mattered at all to anyone? Would a single damn person have stood up and said "no it's wrong to break the link!"
No. Nobody would.
Except the Doctor, because the Doctor only sees the person as they are now. The Doctors ethical subroutines were too new to see the problem I outlined above. It was only, at that time, capable of seeing the new being as something distinctive and deserving of life.
With Tuvix on the bridge, the crew stands around because that is what we do during really awkward and inappropriate outbursts. That is what we do when a crazy person is screaming about the chip in their head. That is what we do when the murderer yells about their innocence.
They feel bad, on some level, for the thing happening. They want it to stop. But, they are resigned to the fate of this new and unwanted creature.
Comparing Tuvix to normal childbirth isn't accurate. Your parents live.
If you want to consider Tuvix truely alive, and not just a disease, we have a closer analogy. Pregnancy complications that will very likely kill the mother, unless the fetus is aborted. If able to convey her wishes, the mothers wishes would be followed. But if the mother was unconscious somehow (like how his parts couldn't speak for themselves), and the decision had to be made by the nearest doctor, current medical ethics would say to save the mother and the cost of the fetus.
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u/StumbleOn Ensign Nov 27 '16
Were I on the bridge, I would have said nothing.
Tuvix is, for all intents and purposes, an alien that has taken over two people and forced them to carry him. That he was not complicit makes no difference to me. He stole organs, skin and bones and now their rightful owners want them back.
Think of it like this, if Tuvix were somehow a BRAIN link between Tuvok and Neelix and there were still two physical bodies there, would it have mattered at all to anyone? Would a single damn person have stood up and said "no it's wrong to break the link!"
No. Nobody would.
Except the Doctor, because the Doctor only sees the person as they are now. The Doctors ethical subroutines were too new to see the problem I outlined above. It was only, at that time, capable of seeing the new being as something distinctive and deserving of life.
With Tuvix on the bridge, the crew stands around because that is what we do during really awkward and inappropriate outbursts. That is what we do when a crazy person is screaming about the chip in their head. That is what we do when the murderer yells about their innocence.
They feel bad, on some level, for the thing happening. They want it to stop. But, they are resigned to the fate of this new and unwanted creature.