This is a problem throughout science fiction, of which EY (or MoR!Harry) is probably an innocent victim. I don’t know how it started, although offhand I doubt that it began in an attempt (conscious or otherwise) to justify cruelty to non-human animals.
The article on Memory Alpha (which is written from the perspective that Star Trek is reality) suggests otherwise: it implies that ‘sentient’ was not used in this way in the original series, but we’ve seen examples already on this thread that predate The Next Generation.
However, that article is still a good reference on the meanings that might be nice to point out to sci-fi fans.
This is a problem throughout science fiction, of which EY (or MoR!Harry) is probably an innocent victim. I don’t know how it started, although offhand I doubt that it began in an attempt (conscious or otherwise) to justify cruelty to non-human animals.
It certainly can be confusing, however.
I think “Star Trek” may be responsible for this common word “misuse”.
The article on Memory Alpha (which is written from the perspective that Star Trek is reality) suggests otherwise: it implies that ‘sentient’ was not used in this way in the original series, but we’ve seen examples already on this thread that predate The Next Generation.
However, that article is still a good reference on the meanings that might be nice to point out to sci-fi fans.