Death


 * "Every life comes to an end when time demands it. Loss of life is to be mourned, but only if the life was wasted."
 * - Spock

Death is the permanent end of all life functions in a lifeform (or part of a lifeform in the case of tissue damage). It can also mean the absence of life or state of being dead. Many cultures address this process as it applies to sentient beings in spiritual terms, including the holding of wakes, memorials, and funerals following the death of an individual.

In 2365, Nagilum, in the guise of Data, asked Captain Jean-Luc Picard what death is. According to Picard there are two contemporary philosophies. One is the belief that death is the transformation into an indestructible and unchanging form. According to this belief the purpose of the entire universe is to then maintain that form in an afterlife in an Eden-like place. The other, contrary belief, is that death is simply blinking into nothingness. Picard himself believed that the existence of lifeforms is part of a reality beyond what is currently understood as reality and therefore both philosophies are insufficent. 

Death is sometimes perceived as an event that is common to all living things. In 2366, Captain Jean-Luc Picard used death and his own mortality as a way to show Nuria and her people that he was no different than they were, and certainly not a god they named "the Picard". 

According to Apollo, the race of the Greek gods was immortal, but also for them there was a point of no return. As their species could alter their form, it was possible for them to spread so thin that they would disappear from existence. Apollo poetically described this event as returning to the cosmos on the wings of the wind. Apollo was the last of the gods to die in 2267. 

Sargon considered himself dead although his mind was stored and active in energy-form inside a receptacle. He described the final destruction of his consciousness as departing to oblivion. 

The Borg Collective considered death to be an irrelevant concept in their philosophy. When a drone is damaged beyond repair, it is simply discarded. All of it's experiences and memories live on inside the collective consciousness. This is considered immortality by the Borg. 

Artificial lifeforms can cease functioning through induced self-destruction.

The study of death is called thanatology. 

Death may also be seen as a personification, attributed to a single entity, figure, or symbol. In this form, Death is known by many names, one of the more common being the "Grim Reaper". In 2370, the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D) encountered an alien probe that began to transform the Enterprise into an alien city, complete with hieroglyphic symbols, one of which was the symbol for Death. In 2267, Lazarus equated his parallel universe counterpart as "Death" and "Anti-Life".

Resuscitation
For most lifeforms, death is a permanent state. However, sometimes resuscitation is possible:
 * In 2259 of the alternate reality, used 's blood to revive a dead tribble, and then, who had been poisoned reactivating the USS Enterprise (alternate reality)'s warp core.
 * In 2267, Montgomery Scott was killed by the Nomad probe. Nomad subsequently "repaired the unit Scott".
 * In the same year, Leonard McCoy was killed by a knight's lance, in an environment that created reality from people's thoughts. McCoy's resurrection was brought about by the power which created the knight in the first place, after Kirk realizes what is going on.
 * In 2285, Spock experienced death, but with his katra having been placed into Leonard McCoy and his body regenerated on the Genesis Planet, he was able to live again.
 * Tasha Yar killed Yareena with a poisoned, spiked weapon. Dr. Crusher revived her. The details of how this was achieved weren't described.
 * The Kobali were capable of reanimating dead lifeforms in order to procreate their species, however the reanimated corpse would have a limited memory of his or her prior life.
 * Species 149 were medically advanced and had the ability to reanimate the dead. They were assimilated by the Borg, allowing the Borg to reanimate a drone as much as 73 hours after death. Neelix was also brought back from being dead using this technique after Seven of Nine proposed it as a medical treatment, but as his death did not match his culture's beliefs regarding an afterlife, he was profoundly disturbed by the experience.
 * Data noted that his off-switch provided for an experience comparable to death, albeit one that permitted a simple resurrection.
 * In 2369, upon his death, Kobliad criminal Rao Vantika transferred his consciousness to Doctor Julian Bashir and continued living in Bashir.

Quotes on Death
"He's dead, Jim."
 * - Leonard McCoy (various)

"How we deal with death is at least as important as how we deal with life..."
 * - James T. Kirk

"Today is a good day to die."
 * - Worf

Related topics

 * After death
 * Afterlife
 * Autopsy
 * Barge of the Dead
 * Death certificate
 * Morgue
 * Obituary
 * Rigor mortis
 * Ceremonies
 * Ak'voh
 * Funeral and death rituals
 * Resolution
 * Wake
 * Causes of death
 * Allergic reaction
 * Assassination
 * Death penalty
 * Death ray
 * Death wish
 * Euthanasia
 * Firing squad
 * Kill setting
 * Poison
 * Purification squad
 * Suicide
 * Terellian Death Syndrome
 * Vulcan death grip
 * Hanging
 * Decapitation
 * Casualty reports
 * Casualty report
 * Termination report
 * Casuality lists
 * Bajoran Militia casualties
 * Civilian casualties
 * MACO casualties
 * Mirror universe casualties
 * Starfleet casualties (22nd century | 23rd century | 24th century)
 * Redshirt
 * Other
 * Immortality
 * Star Trek deaths

Additional references

 * Episodes:
 * Movies:
 * Death in Arizona
 * Orgy of the Walking Dead
 * Novels:
 * A Good Day to Die
 * A Time to Die
 * Dead Zone
 * Death's Angel
 * Death Count
 * Death in Winter
 * Death of a Neutron Star
 * Spock Must Die!
 * The Death of Princes
 * Comics:
 * Death of a Star
 * A Time to Die
 * Dead Zone
 * Death's Angel
 * Death Count
 * Death in Winter
 * Death of a Neutron Star
 * Spock Must Die!
 * The Death of Princes
 * Comics:
 * Death of a Star

Tod