Something Star Trek Missed

[Homeless Nutter]

Never mind the fact that the whole universe speaks English.......


If two races that evolved on different planets met - wouldn't simple contact likely be fatal for both sides due to bacterial and viral contamination?

That depends on what you mean by "races". If they're different types of the same species, that was able to travel to another planet and then both lived in separation for a very, very long time, until one of them developed - I don't know - pointy ears, and the other - say - wrinkled foreheads, but their core biology is essentially the same, then - yes.

If they're different lifeforms, or even just different species, that have substantially different genetic makeup, then - unlikely. Most bacteria and viruses evolved to be able to infect very specific targets, so that most infectious diseases do not normally cross inter-species barrier, unless a "lucky" mutation occurs, at which point - essentially - a new disease is created.

I'm not well versed in the lore of Star Trek, so I don't know how they explain the fact, that so many sentient lifeforms all over the Universe look exactly like humans, with minor cosmetic variations. But it's probably safe to say, that the ones that can inter-breed can also give each other space-syphilis, or whatnot.