Torture

From Memory Alpha, the free Star Trek reference.

Torture is the practice of inflicting extreme pain on a captive subject.

While the pain inflicted during torture is often physical in nature, it can also possess an emotional or mental character.

Contents 1 Purposes 2 Incidence 3 Appearances 4 References 5 External link

[edit] Purposes

Torture (or the threat of torture) can be intended to:

• Serve as a disincentive to the subject against withholding information from the torturer
• Force the subject into an altered state of mind in which they are more likely to confess misdeeds or swear on lies, as a consequence of the autonomic elevation of neurotransmitter levels
• Intimidate the subject
• Induce someone responsible for the safety of the subject to provide information desired by the torturer
• Punish the subject for disobedience or unsuccessful escape from captivity
• Condition the subject to accept the torturer's authority without question
• Please the torturer, for example, sadism

As implied above, torture is considered by some to be useful during interrogations. However, Captain Picard asserted to Gul Madred that "torture has never been a reliable means of extracting information. It is ultimately self-defeating as a means of control. One wonders it is still practiced." (TNG: "Chain of Command, Part II")

[edit] Incidence

Races known to sanction the use of torture include:

• Humans
• Suliban
• Klingons
• Andorians
• Kazon
• Romulans
• Ekosians
• Cardassians
• Anarchists of Tilonus IV

Torture is common in the mirror universe.

Torture was also a common practice in Earth's authoritarian and anarchic nation states, prior to the founding of the United Earth government.

[edit] Appearances

• ENT:
  • "Broken Bow" - Klaang appears to have been tortured when Archer and Tucker rescue him from the Suliban helix
  • "Anomaly" - An Osaarian is tortured by Archer
  • "Cold Station 12" - Doctor Lucas is tortured by the Augments
  • "Kir'Shara" - Soval is tortured by Shran
  • "In a Mirror, Darkly" - Terev is tortured by Major Reed, Archer and Reed are tortured by Captain Forrest, the Tholian prisoner is tortured by Phlox
• TOS:
  • "The Empath" - Leonard McCoy and James T. Kirk are tortured by Vians
  • "Whom Gods Destroy" - Governor Cory and Kirk are tortured by Garth
  • "The Cloud Minders" - Vanna is tortured in interrogation by Plasus despite protest by Kirk
• TNG: "Chain of Command, Part II" - Captain Picard is tortured by Gul Madred
• DS9:
  • "Tribunal" - O'Brien is tortured by the Cardassians
  • "The Die is Cast" - Odo is tortured by Garak
  • "Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges" - Sloan is apparently tortured by the Romulans

[edit] References

• TNG: "Ensign Ro" - Ro Laren mentions that she had to watch her father being tortured by the Cardassians
• DS9: "The Wire" - Elim Garak explained that living on Deep Space 9 is torture for him.

[edit] External link

• Torture at Wikipedia