3

It has been shown in Star Trek that some energy beings need to take in some sort of energy in order to survive. For example, in "Day of the Dove," the Beta XII-A entity apparently was required to "take in" negative emotions to prosper. I'm sure there are other examples, but this is most prominent in my mind at present.

This leads me to the question of whether ALL energy beings need to take in some form of energy or matter in order to live. Powerful beings such as the Douwd, Organians, Trelane, Q, etc., seem like they may be above such a need, but I'm not certain, of course.

Improve this question
1
  • For the record, the Jem'Hadar have already taken the "not eating" thing to extremes. They use the energy from their Ketracel White to make food internally.
    – Valorum
    Commented Aug 3, 2014 at 6:47

3 Answers 3

Reset to default
3

It certainly seems like the Q are above the need for food (physically, at any rate).

In True Q, Q describes Amanda Rodgers' need for food as a "human habit":

AMANDA : Doctor Crusher and Counselor Troi... they're taking me to dinner.

He shakes his head, annoyed.

Q: You don't have to eat, you know. It's just a nasty human habit you could easily do without.

Obviously this doesn't obviate the need to take in sustenance in other forms.

Improve this answer
13
  • Good point. Also, I wonder why Amanda even desired to eat with Troi and Crusher. As a Q, why would she even feel hungry?
    – user30592
    Commented Aug 2, 2014 at 22:27
  • @T-1000 - She's not yet fully a Q. Her parents were masquerading as human and she's picked up some dreadful mannerisms from them.
    – Valorum
    Commented Aug 2, 2014 at 22:28
  • When asked what would have happened if Amanda couldn't stop the warp core breach, Q basically responded by saying that it would have been known then that Amanda was not a Q. So, it seems that she was always fully a Q, but perhaps her parents didn't want her to have this knowledge.
    – user30592
    Commented Aug 2, 2014 at 22:31
  • 2
    @T-1000 - Over the years, I've come to admire Q. Although he takes great delight in annoying the crews of the Enterprise and Voyager, his actions are instrumental in preventing the destruction of the Human race on at least three occasions (e.g. warning us about the borg, preventing the anti-time anomaly and helping Janeway to locate the transwarp hub).
    – Valorum
    Commented Aug 2, 2014 at 22:50
  • I just wish I had his powers!
    – user30592
    Commented Aug 2, 2014 at 22:54
2

Star Trek had a nasty habit of creating energy species who often talked about transcending their physical bodies, (The Organians, The Q, Trelene from The Squire of Gothos and others) but we are never given a clear understanding of what that meant.

  • What was the mechanic of their ascension? We only know they had bodies and one day, they didn't. We are never told what that means. We can often see them performing feats that seem impossible or magical in nature but without ever being told how those feats are being performed. We are often only seeing Clarke's Law being enacted of "Any significantly advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."

  • Given the advanced technology of the Federation and the other Alpha Quadrant races use technologies that seem like magic to us, but they are using technology, albeit something beyond our current understanding, there is no reason to assume that the Q and other advanced "energy beings" are not utilizing some form of technology as far beyond the Federation as the Federation's is beyond ours.

An entry for Trelane's Parents on Memory Alpha indicates a similar vein of thought:

Certain things can be inferred from Trelane's behavior and conversation he had with his parents. Their civilization evidently possesses incredible technical sophistication; the means to create entire planets, move them around, re-arrange the structure of matter nearly instantly on mental command, reshape environments, generate complex and powerful energy fields are all routine enough to be considered appropriate toys for an immature and spoiled child.

While it is tempting to assume such cosmic beings appear to be beyond simple metabolic processes, and indeed Star Trek makes no effort to dissuade us from this idea, it would seem if such creatures were born from our universe, and existed and ultimate transcended their physical bodies, it does not necessarily mean they don't need to utilize some sort of energy exchange to take place to perform their feats.

Improve this answer
1

Not all energy beings are created equal. The TOS creatures from "Day of the Dove" and particularly "Wolf in the Fold" were incorporeal but there was no indication that they were transcendent like the Organians. It would be hard to call them immortal and definitely not omnipotent as the "Dove" being was weakened through starvation and the "Rejak" creature was presumably destroyed via the transporter (Spock predicts it will eventually die diffuse and powerless in space).

Nothing is ever said on-screen about the energy source of the Thasians (the race who adopted Charlie X), the Organians, Trelane, the Q, the Douwd, etc.. One could imagine that the Q feeds off the Universe itself - being able to go anywhere in space and time, and manipulate matter and energy as desired would imply the ability to access whatever energy source is needed whenever required. Despite the apparent omnipotence of his incorporeal parents, Trelane seemed to have limits and require some sort of technology to do all that he did. Presumably, it had some underlying energy source not evident to the Enterprise crew. One might imagine that the Organians, the Douwd, and Thasians were similar.

Improve this answer