Changes: Barclay's Protomorphosis Syndrome

Revision as of 22:09, 26 February 2016

Lieutenant Worf after being devolved by Barclay's Protomorphosis Syndrome

Troi de-evolved — Counselor Troi after being devolved by Barclay's Protomorphosis Syndrome

Reginald Barclay devolved — Lieutenant Barclay after being devolved by Barclay's Protomorphosis Syndrome

Barclay's Protomorphosis Syndrome (also known as the intron virus) was an artificial disease accidentally created by Dr. Beverly Crusher aboard the USS Enterprise-D in 2370.

Attempting to cure Lieutenant Reginald Barclay of his Urodelan flu, Dr. Crusher used synthetic T-cells to activate the gene that would fight off the infection. However, an anomaly in Barclay's genetic structure caused the T-cell to mutate and activate all of Barclay's dormant genes, including his introns. The T-cells then became airborne, spreading throughout the ship like a virus and causing the crew to "de-evolve." The syndrome was cured by using amniotic fluid from Alyssa Ogawa to create a retrovirus, eliminating the effects.

Initial symptoms of the disease included abnormal behavior, irritability, hyper-activity or decreased activity, chills, fever and paranoia. Later, the newly activated introns transformed the crewmembers into many different earlier lifeforms from their respective homeworlds. (TNG: "Genesis")

Examples of Transformation

Reginald Barclay: a spider-like creature
Dern: in initial stages of transformation when killed
Livingston: a jellyfish-like creature
Alyssa Ogawa: an ape-like creature
Jean-Luc Picard: in early stages of transformation into an early primate, possibly a lemur or pygmy marmoset
William T. Riker: an early hominid (Australopithecine)
Spot: an iguana
Deanna Troi: an amphibious humanoid
Worf: a large predator, weighing 200 kilogram with an exoskeleton, capable of spewing acid

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 [[File:Worf-de-evolved.jpg|thumb|[[Worf|Lieutenant Worf]] after being devolved by Barclay's Protomorphosis Syndrome]]
 [[File:Troi de-evolved.jpg|thumb|[[Deanna Troi|Counselor Troi]] after being devolved by Barclay's Protomorphosis Syndrome]]
+[[File:Reginald Barclay devolved.jpg|thumb|[[Reginald Barclay|Lieutenant Barclay]] after being devolved by Barclay's Protomorphosis Syndrome]]
-'''Barclay's Protomorphosis Syndrome''' is an artificial disease, accidentally created by Dr. [[Beverly Crusher]] aboard the {{USS|Enterprise|NCC-1701-D|-D}} in [[2370]]. Attempting to cure [[Lieutenant]] [[Reginald Barclay]] of [[Urodelan flu]], Dr. Crusher used synthetic [[T-cell]]s to activate the [[gene]] that would fight off the infection. However, an anomaly in Barclay's genetic structure caused the T-cell to mutate and activate ''all'' of Barclay's dormant [[gene]]s, including his latent [[intron]]s. Interaction with the Urodelan virus caused the T-cells to become airborne, spreading throughout the ship and causing the crew to "de-evolve." The syndrome was cured by using amniotic fluid to create a [[retrovirus]], eliminating the effects.
+'''Barclay's Protomorphosis Syndrome''' (also known as the '''intron virus''') was an artificial disease accidentally created by [[Doctor|Dr]]. [[Beverly Crusher]] aboard the {{USS|Enterprise|NCC-1701-D|-D}} in [[2370]].
+Attempting to cure [[Lieutenant]] [[Reginald Barclay]] of his [[Urodelan flu]], Dr. Crusher used synthetic [[T-cell]]s to activate the [[gene]] that would fight off the infection. However, an anomaly in Barclay's genetic structure caused the T-cell to mutate and activate ''all'' of Barclay's dormant genes, including his [[intron]]s. The T-cells then became airborne, spreading throughout the ship like a [[virus]] and causing the [[crew]] to "de-evolve." The syndrome was cured by using [[amniotic fluid]] from [[Alyssa Ogawa]] to create a [[retrovirus]], eliminating the effects.
-Initial symptoms of the disease include abnormal behavior, irritability, hyper-activity or decreased activity, chills, fever and paranoia.
+Initial symptoms of the disease included abnormal behavior, irritability, hyper-activity or decreased activity, chills, fever and paranoia. Later, the newly activated introns transformed the crewmembers into many different earlier [[lifeform]]s from their respective [[homeworld]]s. ({{TNG|Genesis}})
-Ultimately, the newly active genes aggressively express themselves, drastically altering the body and causing the suffering patient to physically regress into an earlier form of his or her respective species, or possibly even a combined form of multiple animal types. ({{TNG|Genesis}})
-== List of victims ==
+==Examples of Transformation==
-Though every lifeform aboard the ''Enterprise''-D was affected, the following is a list of people actually shown to have been affected:
-* [[Reginald Barclay]]: a spider-like creature
+* [[Reginald Barclay]]: a [[spider]]-like creature
+* [[Dern (flight controller)|Dern]]: in initial stages of transformation when killed
-* [[Beverly Crusher]]: put in stasis upon being injured by Lt. Worf
+* [[Livingston]]: a [[jellyfish]]-like creature
-* [[Dern (flight controller)|Dern]]: had the syndrome, but was killed before mutation began
+* [[Alyssa Ogawa]]: an [[ape]]-like creature
-* [[Livingston (fish)|Livingston]]
+* [[Jean-Luc Picard]]: in early stages of transformation into an early [[primate]], possibly a [[lemur]] or [[pygmy marmoset]]
-* [[Alyssa Ogawa]]: an ape-like creature
+* [[William T. Riker]]: an early [[hominid]] ([[Australopithecine]])
-* [[Jean-Luc Picard]]: nearly turned into a primitive primate (possibly similar to a lemur or pygmy marmoset)
+* [[Spot]]: an [[iguana]]
-* [[William T. Riker]]: an early hominid (''Australopithecus'')
+* [[Deanna Troi]]: an [[amphibian|amphibious]] [[humanoid]]
-* [[Spot]]: complete transformation into an [[iguana]]
+* [[Worf]]: a large predator, weighing 200 [[kilogram]] with an [[exoskeleton]], capable of spewing [[acid]]
-* [[Deanna Troi]]: an amphibious humanoid
-* [[Worf]]: a savage, primordial reptile of the Klingon homeworld, capable of spewing acid
-== Background ==
-The science behind {{e|Genesis}} is mostly apocryphal.  Activating the transcription of pseudogenes within or outside of introns would not make a [[Human]] "de-evolve."  Instead, the large number of aberrant [[protein]]s created would most likely cause death by any number of pathways; however, Dr. Crusher does claim that the synthetic T-cell had mutated, which would no doubt have unknown and unexpected effects on a body.
-Further, as the progenitors of insect-like organisms (including spiders) and of all vertebrates (including humans) diverged relatively early in Earth's history, the pseudogenes necessary for Lt. Barclay's  transformation into a spider would not have been present in his DNA. The last common ancestor of the two lineages would instead likely appear more worm-like in shape.
-Toward the end of the episode, Dr. Crusher comments to Barclay that it is traditional to name new diseases after the first sufferer. If true, this tradition apparently appeared after our own time period. Eponymous diseases (those which carry a name) have almost always been named for the first person to describe them in medical literature (Parkinson's disease; Down's syndrome; Marfan's syndrome; Kartagener's syndrome). Rare exceptions from our time include "Legionnaires' disease" (so named because the first known outbreak occurred at an American Legion convention) and "Lou Gehrig's disease" (informally named for its most famous sufferer, though today called Amyotrophic Laterosclerosis [ALS], a form of muscular dystrophy). Therefore, following modern-day nomenclature, Dr. Crusher would have likely named it "Crusher's Protomorphosis Syndrome", or simply, Crusher's Disease.
-[[Category:Medical conditions]]
 [[de:Barclay'sches Protomorphosesyndrom]]
 [[es:Síndrome Barclay de Protomorfosis]]
+[[Category:Medical conditions]]