Headscratchers / Star Trek Deep Space Nine S 03 E 18 Distant Voices

• Bashir is grumpy about turning 30, since 30 is the start of middle age. While this is true today and back when the show aired, when the average human can expect to live into their 70s or 80s, it doesn't really apply to the Star Trek universe, where humans can live to be over well over a century and still enjoy active careers and personal lives at that age. Why does Bashir still regard 30 as being some sort of dour milestone when it's less than a third of his lifespan?
  • It's possible that while advanced medicine has allowed people to live longer lives, it does not preserve their youth for longer. And one's 30s are the first period of one's life where aging starts to have a negative effect. Even if it's only minor, and even if one expects to live for many more decades, it would still be the point where one crests the hill and for the first time experiences the gradual physical decline that will continue for the rest one's life.