This is probably going to sound like a strange question but hiw far should one go when having a character swear?

I ask this because I write a short story series based off of my STO crew and often I have my captain swear. I'm just never sure which words are fitting for this canon. I've had characters drop "damn" and "hell" but I'm not sure how much farther to take it.

Thought I would ask and see what kind of concensus I could get.

Also quite acceptable is ... "Double dumb-ass on you"

Data dropped an S-grenade during one of the films, but that's the worst i can recall. Beyond that you could say what ever you want in klingon or romulan or such since most people wouldn't bother translating it.

Thanks, though Unfortunately, the majority if the main cast are not any if those, but I will certainly keep that in mind as I do have a Romulan "villain" in the works (not so much as the bad guy but they are the source of conflict).

... petaQ!

Yeah, the S word in generations is about the worst it got. Personally, a fun writing challenge is to see how you can get around swearing.

The canon, in this regard, deals not only with the characters themselves, but what the writers were able to get away with and what the censors allowed.

I would say that if you keep that in mind, unless the much more "perfect" humans of the Federation eschewed such expressions entirely (I very much doubt that), you can use whatever you want. That said, I think it would take Picard quite a bit to start swearing in earnest, though he's used a foul word or two in his day.

Commanders in particular seem like they would tend to have sufficient practiced eloquence to restrain their speech in most cases.

A grizzled combat vet, on the other hand, would probably use whatever they felt like assuming a disapproving commander wasn't nearby to hear it - and maybe even if they were if they were under fire.

That said, don't forget to toss in some alien foul language. I'm sure most races have been creative in this regard!

I'm having trouble naming one my bridge crew after one my very good Chinese friends but it wont accept it and yet the last name is common in China which starts with "W" :-(

Only when imitating a cockney accent. I don't think Americans generally consider it to be a dirty word, it's just a funny British word. Like shagging. Besides, balls and many other colloquialisms for testicles are no longer considered dirty words by most in the US. George Carlin's Seven Dirty Words You Can Never Say on Television from 1972 was based on an earlier list of eight dirty words; Carlin dropped the word balls.

Like the actor who portrayed Harry Kim on Voyager.

I know this is not Star Trek but the actor who does Miles O'Brain starred in this film called Con Air. And he swore after every other word.

LOL