10 Important Star Trek Details That Are Almost Never Mentioned
6. Longer Human Lifespans
It comes as no surprise that, due to centuries of medical advances, the Human lifespan has drastically increased by the 22nd century and beyond. This came in large part due to the eradication of common causes of death like cancer and starvation, as well as better sanitation standards.
During the time of Star Trek: Enterprise (the 22nd century) Humans could expect to live around 100 years on average, compared to around 73 years in modern times (according to the United Nations). In The Next Generation (the 24th century) this expectancy rose to around 120 years, with some individuals even reaching beyond 130, such as Leonard McCoy, who visited the Enterprise-D in Encounter At Farpoint at 137 years old.
Some Humans were able to live much longer through the use of illegal genetic manipulation, cryostasis, or other methods, but, apart from these exceptions, McCoy is the oldest person we've seen on screen so far.