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Fetal transport

Naomi Wildman, mid-fetal transport

A fetal transport was a medical procedure where an infant was transported directly out of the uterus. It was generally employed when complications during birth endanger mother and/or child, and preceded by an umbilical separation.

During the birth of Naomi Wildman, a Human-Ktarian hybrid, in 2372, her exo-cranial ridges became lodged in Samantha Wildman's uterine wall, threatening to cause internal bleeding. Rather than risk repositioning the child, The Doctor performed a fetal transport into an incubator, which caused a slight hemocythemic imbalance eventually leading to her death. Her duplicate did not succumb. (VOY: "Deadlock")

According to the DVD audio commentary for Star Trek, in early drafts of the script the transporter was used in the birth of James T. Kirk. In an emergency, a fetal transport could be used, but, being an "inexact science" in the 23rd century, this came at the cost of the mother's life. While director J.J. Abrams thought it was a "really cool" idea that the technology could be used in this way, the plan was dropped because the production staff didn't want to introduce the transporter so early in the film, and felt that the end of such a traumatic opening scene needed the "victory" of Winona Kirk's survival.
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