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As I recall, the Horta was the silicone based creature from "The Devil in the Dark". In various Star Trek novel, literature, and some fan fic, there are numerous mentions of Horta Starfleet Officers. I've been trying to wrap my mind around how that could be possible, considering it had no vocal communication abilities, no appendages, and just looked like a big rock. Can anybody brainstorm HOW a Horta could serve as a Starfleet Officer????

The lack of vocal communication wouldn't be much of a problem - the Medusans didn't talk either, and they managed to work with Starfleet. The biggest problem would be their sheer size - unless the Horta in question were far smaller than the one in the episode (a distinct possibility given the age of that individual) they simply wouldn't fit through the doors. As for the limbs, I agree - if they couldn't use the equipment, there's no way they'd be able to serve in Starfleet.

We only saw it once so it may have abilities that we don't know of. It must communicate with the others of its kind somehow, whether verbally, telepathically, or even by smell, and in theory a translation device could be made for them. Mental control is still theorictical I think, but shouldn't be too difficult, and we have techno 'sniffers' that could translate scents. As for appendages, I think we only saw the 'mother' Horta, so maybe the other Hortas have appendages or something that we haven't seen, or maybe even telekinetic abilities. The fact is that the Horta are unlike anything else we've seen and we've only seen one example so we have no idea what they're like or capable of as a normal society.

I find it odd they could survive in the same air as most other creatures since they are so different.

Maybe they don't breath. Or they breath a relatively common gas.

Blackstar the Chakat wrote:Maybe they don't breath. Or they breath a relatively common gas.

Like carbon dioxide

Mark wrote:As I recall, the Horta was the silicone based creature from "The Devil in the Dark". In various Star Trek novel, literature, and some fan fic, there are numerous mentions of Horta Starfleet Officers. I've been trying to wrap my mind around how that could be possible, considering it had no vocal communication abilities, no appendages, and just looked like a big rock. Can anybody brainstorm HOW a Horta could serve as a Starfleet Officer????

I've read some of the books that featured a Horta officer. He was young, very enthusiastic about everything. He communicated via a universal translator box that was stuck to him.

http://startrek.wikia.com/wiki/Naraht

How did he interact with the various controls? It's the whole problem with the dolphins all over again; they have no limbs, so they can't do any jobs that require physical interaction.

Naraht's gender was "orthomale type B-4A

Wow, and I thought Chakats were confusing gender wise...

But from the image it looks like he's somewhat huminoid, suggesting there are multiple types of Horta, some of which may have some manupulator limbs. Unlike the Dolphin situtation we know next to nothing about this species.

The picture doesn't show anything other than that he has a vaguely humanoid head. That members of the same species can be radicaly different from one another is highly unlikely.

Rochey wrote:The picture doesn't show anything other than that he has a vaguely humanoid head. That members of the same species can be radicaly different from one another is highly unlikely.

More unlikely then 6 compleatly different sapient species evolving on a single planet? We only saw this 'mother' Horta protecting the eggs, and she may not be a typical example of the species, or maybe they change apperance and abilities over time. There are any number of possibilities. We don't know enough about this species, or even know enough about silicon based lifeforms in general to have any clue what they're capable of, or what's 'likely'.

More unlikely then 6 compleatly different sapient species evolving on a single planet?

Yes.

We only saw this 'mother' Horta protecting the eggs, and she may not be a typical example of the species, or maybe they change apperance and abilities over time. There are any number of possibilities. We don't know enough about this species, or even know enough about silicon based lifeforms in general to have any clue what they're capable of, or what's 'likely'.

And do you have any proof of this?

Rochey wrote:

We only saw this 'mother' Horta protecting the eggs, and she may not be a typical example of the species, or maybe they change apperance and abilities over time. There are any number of possibilities. We don't know enough about this species, or even know enough about silicon based lifeforms in general to have any clue what they're capable of, or what's 'likely'.

And do you have any proof of this?

Nope. I just know you shouldn't make an assumption based on only one example of a species.

Nor should we make wild assumptions that members of the same species are radicaly different from each other. Occam's Razor is against you on this one.

Rochey wrote:Nor should we make wild assumptions that members of the same species are radicaly different from each other. Occam's Razor is against you on this one.

True, but until we see more examples of this species we shouldn't make any assumptions about what a normal Horta is/looks like/is capable of based off a single member of this species, at least from a scientific point of view.