10 Times Star Trek Depicted Addiction
7. Hippocratic Oath
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's writers decided that, unlike the Klingons, the Jem'Hadar would only care about killing and winning. They also decided that the Founders would keep them loyal by making them addicts. genetically engineering them to lack an enzyme provided by the narcotic Ketracel White.
According to a study by the American National Institutes of Health, substance use disorders can indeed be influenced by genetic factors. However, as the National Institute of Drug Abuse Director, Nora Volkow, M.D. cautions,
Genetics play a key role in determining health throughout our lives, but they are not destiny
In Hippocratic Oath, a Jem'Hadar commander, Goran'Agar, believes he has been cured of his addiction to Ketracel White by something on the planet Bopak III. He hopes it will do the same for his men.
When his men aren't cured, Goran'Agar demands that a captive Julian Bashir study the problem. Bashir agrees over Chief O'Brien's objections. Bashir discovers that Goran'Agar wasn't cured, his body naturally creates the enzyme produced by Ketracel White.
Bashir decides to cure the Jem'Hadar's addiction. He reasons that they didn't choose it, it was forced on them. An incensed O'Brien destroys Bashir's equipment, forcing Goran'Agar to let them go. Regretfully, the only thing Goran'Agar can do now is kill his men.