“Resistance is Futile”: Show your children StarTrek instead of Star Wars!

Let’s get this out of the way right away: Yes, I’m probably not making any friends with this article. Even though Star Wars is very exciting and entertaining (“Where StarTrek gets excited about its technological gadgetry, Star Wars just parties“), I was socialized with StarTrek to a certain extent when it comes to technology and progress. And I still consider Star Trek to be groundbreaking in many aspects of how we as a society perceive technology and make it our own.

(Reading time: 6 minutes)

Trivia

For many people unfamiliar with Star Trek, it is noticeable that many gadgets that we use today or that are being worked on today are already in use in the series. I find this rather irrelevant, but here are a few technologies and products at different stages, from “already in use” to “basic technology currently being researched”. There are countless other comparisons and explanations on the internet.

Communicator
The Communicator, first shown in the series in 1964, is what we know as a mobile phone. The StarTrek Communicator has a completely different range (e.g. from the spaceship down to the planet: Please dear Telco’s, take an example, that’s how we want it :-)), but a lot of functionality that the Communicator imagined is a reality in today’s smartphones.

Martin Cooper, the inventor of cell phones as we know them today, is said to have been “inspired” by the Star Trek Communicator. No wonder Motorola, where Cooper worked, later launched a cell phone that resembled the Communicator not only in name but also in appearance.

iPad
Operating computers using touchscreens is commonplace in Star Trek. The touchscreens are used on the consoles for the large on-board computers, but smaller so-called PADDscan also be found all the time.

However, there was probably a mundane reason for this: creating PADD-based props was simply much easier and cheaper than creating a myriad of knobs and buttons. A nice example of the casual use of PADDs, very similar to the iPad, can be seen here.

Replicator
Captain Picard’s command: “Tea, Earl Grey Hot” to the replicator is quite well known. This device replicates a drink or dish within seconds. We don’t have the Replicator yet, but there are various companies working on it. It’s still a long way from what we actually want, but we will see it sooner or later.

Teleporter/Transporter
The teleporter is the central instrument for moving people and goods over short distances. In simple terms, the object is not moved but de-materialized, the energy pattern of the object is stored and materialized again at another location, the destination. Even those who are not familiar with the teleporter will know the saying “Beam me up, Scotty”. Scotty was one of the guys who operated the teleporter.

The teleporter does not exist, even if various scientists, e.g. Michio Kaku, consider it feasible in principle. The first steps have already been taken, as you can read in detail here. Or a little more profane here.

Social concept

I have always found the social concept presented by StarTrek much more interesting and exciting. Because Star Trek may look like sci-fi fantasy at first glance, but the plots of the episodes always deal with political, philosophical, social and ethical problems. And in doing so, they show alternative options for action, which I believe we are increasingly adapting in this day and age. Probably not from StarTrek no, but I have noticed a trend towards a more egalitarian society for some time now (yes, only in the western world of course). StarTrek partly anticipated this development more than 50 years ago.

You will now say to me: Look at the income gap and the distribution of wealth, egalitarianism my ass. That’s probably true. Nevertheless, we are well on the way to becoming the most liberal, open and tolerant society that has ever existed.

Star Trek was also involved in this development. It took a bit of courage in the 60s to cast a Russian navigator(Chekov) and a female, black communications officer(Uhura). Unlike today, the corresponding debates not only generated publicity, but were also a serious risk for the producers. Even when Captain Kirk kissed Lieutenant Uhura in one episode, the waters ran high. Even today, this “interracial” kiss is considered the first in American television, although this is not true, as there have been earlier such kisses.

It paints a picture of humanity that has overcome many problems, especially social ones, and is in the process of greatly expanding its radius of action. It goes without saying that there are no countries, religions or money. Rather, the concept is based on fundamental humanistic values that are defended, come what may. Gene Roddenberry, creator of the series and btw bomber pilot with over 90 missions in the Second World War and the Pacific War, was also an avowed humanist.

I think, and many non-Star Trek fans also agree with this, that if humanity develops in this way, it can be described as a good development. A humanity that handles technology well, i.e. uses it responsibly, and manages to further develop and preserve human values. The human being as portrayed in Star Trek is not alien to us.

This is made particularly clear in the remarks of Captain Jean-Luc Picard, who repeatedly makes fundamental statements on various topics. It is passages such as these that shape the culture. Here is a compilation of various such scenes (worth seeing!). In the first scene in particular, the topic of the acceptance of being human in general is addressed (using “Data”, an android).

These are political and social issues that are only becoming more relevant in view of the rapid pace of technological development.

Borg

The Borg are the counter-concept to humanity in Starfleet, so to speak. The Borg are often described as the worst nightmare of transhumanism or as an inversion of fears about our future development.

For the uninitiated: The Borg are a human-like species that are upgraded to transhumanoids with all kinds of technology. Key characteristics of this species are a collective consciousness, physical strength of the individual through technology, a collective organization and an aggressive, expansive behaviour. The Borg aim to “assimilate” as many other species as possible, i.e. to turn them into Borgs. Their announcement of encounters with other species is well known:

We are the Borg. Your biological and technological distinctiveness will be added to our own. Resistance is futile.

The Borg paint a picture of a technologically and factually superior humanity that combines the biological with the technological to the highest degree and has sacrificed precisely these values, which are interpreted as human, on the way to this superiority.

It is symptomatic of Roddenberry’s concept that Starfleet almost fails a few times against the Borg, but it is precisely these human values and concepts (ok, in the case of the attack on Earth, 39 warships were also involved :-)) that ultimately ensure that it doesn’t come to that.

Roddenberry thus clearly makes the basic humanistic attitude and behavior the decisive characteristic of (good) humanity. The same is, of course in a different context, the core message of many religious parables. It is therefore no coincidence that many an episode of Star Trek appears to be a parable. They are.

Realism?

Please don’t talk to me about realism. Sci-fi is never about that. Actually, never in film and television in general.

I don’t think either the Starfleet scenario or the Borg scenario is realistic. Both are deliberately exaggerated extremes and extremes usually have a hard time with us humans.

Moreover, transhumanism is too promising for it not to catch on. Initially, it will probably only be used for injured people, such as those who have lost limbs.

There are already fully functional prototypes that can replace upper arms (non-invasively), for example. At the moment they simply cost USD 500,000, but this will change quickly and an artificial hand will no longer be particularly novel or strange in 10 years’ time. Once this technology has been adapted by society, the doors will be open for further applications. Objectively speaking, there is not much to be said against it.

Kung-Fu Panda

My children are still too young to get to grips with Star Trek. I think they are already overwhelmed by Kung-Fu Panda. What I find very remarkable, however, is how much influence these films have on their mental conception and how quickly behavioral patterns flow into their daily lives.

I learned from Star Wars that there are lightsabers (forgive the side-swipe; my mother’s quote: “Such a gugus”). It’s good entertainment and lots of great scenes.

But I will introduce my children to Star Trek. In the hope that, like me, they will develop a relaxed, curious relationship with technology and understand that humanity evolves through a basic humanistic approach. Not through fear of change and transformation. Or through geographical and cultural separation.

But the endeavor will probably fail, simply because it comes from the father. That’s never good. And it will end with me having to buy you lightsabers for Christmas. Fuck it. But I can see it coming.