Tracy's Organs

POSTED BY: pyrofalkon
UPDATED: Tuesday, November 22, 2005 20:29
VIEWED: 4644
PAGE 1 of 1

PYROFALKON

Sunday, October 23, 2005 4:04 AM

A recent convert to Firefly had missed the broadcast of the message, and had asked me to explain it to him. While I was doing so, I realized I didn't fully comprehend it.

What organs could he possibly be carrying ? A liver, spleen, kidney, gallbladder, colon, duodenum, pancreas. He could go with out these for sometime, without his body screwing up too bad. ( with proper psyological and metabolical adaptations,not to mention surgery)

But what is the point of such organs. I can see why one would want a super kidney or aliving, or highly effiecient intestines, and how easy it would be to replace such organs ,but how could an excellent liver read as a cardiopulmonary anomaly? It is far more feasible to these organs be far more important, such as the heart or lungs, but why would Tracy consent to this?

I doubt that even Tracy would accept that they would have capable replacements on site, and trust that they merely wouldn't scoop out his insides and leave him to die.

Well. I'm glad I finally posted about that.

JACQUI

Sunday, October 23, 2005 5:06 AM

Quote:
I doubt that even Tracy would accept that they would have capable replacements on site, and trust that they merely wouldn't scoop out his insides and leave him to die.

The deal was, according to Tracey, that they scooped out his own organs and had them waiting for him at the other end.

Fully grown human organs, like Tracey's would have been, are fairly easy to transport outside the body. We have some of that technology now and, I assume, advancements would have been made in the next 500 years.

He was acting not just as a 'carrier' for the super organs, but as an incubator for them.

That was the deal but, like you, I'm a little sceptical as to whether they would have upheld their end of the bargain there.

Tracey tells Mal, also, that it's "every moving part" within him, so that very likely includes the heart, lungs, abdominal organs and all related viscera.

Oh, and...

Quote:
A liver, spleen, kidney, gallbladder, colon, duodenum, pancreas. He could go with out these for sometime, without his body screwing up too bad.

No, no he couldn't. Those are all very vital organs in the human body. You don't have them and all sorts of nasty happen to the body.

*~*~*
"Your toes are in the sand."
"And your head's up your..."
"Hey!"

PYROFALKON

Tuesday, October 25, 2005 2:05 AM

with the metabolical and rythmic arrest featured within ff, yes , he could go with out said organs for a short time, with proper preparation.

R1Z

Tuesday, October 25, 2005 3:07 AM

Quote:
What organs could he possibly be carrying ? A liver, spleen, kidney, gallbladder, colon, duodenum, pancreas. He could go with out these for sometime, without his body screwing up too bad. ( with proper psyological and metabolical adaptations,not to mention surgery)

Simon detects Tracy's anomalous anatomy after connecting a pulse-rate detector to Tracy's finger, so it's his heart at the very least.

To enjoy the flavor of life, take big bites. Moderation is for monks. --Robt. Heinlein

YT

Friday, November 11, 2005 3:48 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by pyrofalkon:
A recent convert to Firefly had missed the broadcast of the message, and had asked me to explain it to him. While I was doing so, I realized I didn't fully comprehend it.

It's a McGuffin. Forget it. The important stuff is the emotional message.

Keep the Shiny Side Up . . .

POSTCOLONIAL

Tuesday, November 22, 2005 3:54 PM

Quote:
Simon detects Tracy's anomalous anatomy after connecting a pulse-rate detector to Tracy's finger, so it's his heart at the very least.

But isn't it that the heart he has doesn't register as actually pumping? That's the part I don't get about the organs. I understand that he's carrying organs that aren't his, but I don't understand why they don't register on the machines as functioning.

M

SCHOONER

Tuesday, November 22, 2005 4:32 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by postcolonial:

But isn't it that the heart he has doesn't register as actually pumping? That's the part I don't get about the organs. I understand that he's carrying organs that aren't his, but I don't understand why they don't register on the machines as functioning.

M

I didn't think they were registering as not functioning, but reading outside the normal functional limits. Tracy says something like "they run a bit hot". I'm guessing that these organs are more powerful and efficient than normal. An Olympic marathon runner has a very low resting heart rate because her heart is in such good condition. If Tracy's heart is better than human he might have a resting heart rate of, say, 20-30 beats per minute, enough to appear that his heart is stopping. Makes you wonder what the rest of the organs are capable of. Holding his breath for 10 minutes? Drinking sea water? Breathing the air on Wash's home planet?

ZEEK

Tuesday, November 22, 2005 5:44 PM

The real questions is that if he thought they were going to put his insides back in, why would he take a better offer from someone else who couldn't possibly also have his insides? What were they going to put back into him?

Maybe he figured this job to be a one way ticket.

POSTCOLONIAL

Tuesday, November 22, 2005 8:29 PM

Quote:

I didn't think they were registering as not functioning, but reading outside the normal functional limits. Tracy says something like "they run a bit hot". I'm guessing that these organs are more powerful and efficient than normal. An Olympic marathon runner has a very low resting heart rate because her heart is in such good condition. If Tracy's heart is better than human he might have a resting heart rate of, say, 20-30 beats per minute, enough to appear that his heart is stopping. Makes you wonder what the rest of the organs are capable of. Holding his breath for 10 minutes? Drinking sea water? Breathing the air on Wash's home planet?

Thanks, that makes a lot more sense.