Critical Care story

voy7x05 · 2000-11-01

The Doctor's program is stolen and he is forced to work in an alien hospital, where he skillfully manipulates the system to provide ethical medical care. Directed by: Terry Windell. Story by: Kenneth Biller and Robert J. Doherty.

12 total · 5 choice · 5 major · 2 minor

ThemeLevelMotivation
bureaucracy choice the episode featured a cold-hearted bureaucracy run amok
bureaucratic dystopia choice the episode featured a cold-hearted bureaucracy run amok
healthcare inequality choice Dralian healthcare system had haves and have-nots
medical triage choice The Doctor would not refuse to treat patients just because they were poor.
the good of the many vs. the needs of the few choice it was clearly stated that the present system had worked marvels for society as a whole
AI risk to civilization major The Allocator was a tyrannical supercomputer which the Dralians considered a deity and the ultimate authority. It dictated all decisions, including which hospital patients live or die, based on its cold, logical assessment of their societal importance.
getting a taste of one's own medicine major Chellick got some kind of valuable life lesson when he was made to experience his healthcare system from the wrong tier
machine regulated society major A computer known as the Allocator played a central role in regulating Dralian society, most notably its healthcare system.
the calculus of human life major the overseer had a personal ethical dilemma: good of society vs. good of individual
The Hippocratic Oath major The Doctor said he was programmed with the Hippocratic Oath.