In the Babylon 5 season 4 episode, “The Deconstruction of Falling Stars,” (1997) we are given a possible image that takes place a million years into the future where humans have evolved into beings of light. They have not forgotten the trials of the Babylon 5 station or its crew. They leave the solar system … [Read more…]
The First Steps to Reaching a SciFi-Like Utopia From Where the Western World is Right Now
First it is essential to understand and to be able to perceive that progressives are just as toxic, just as politically charged, as centrists as well as the far Right. The only remaining hope that one can see from a truly detached, objective-esque position is to abandon modern concepts of government and to rebuild focusing … [Read more…]
Eddington is Right When He States that Utopia Requires Assimilation
Michael Eddington is either loved or hated. Many (perhaps most) feel his betrayal of Starfleet as an agent for the Maquis was an emotive betrayal corresponding to matters deeply entrenched in the outlaying ethics of Starfleet ideas, goals, and the fight against oppression in the larger galactic equation. However, Eddington was not wrong when he … [Read more…]
On Time Travel, the Subconscious Signature, and Market Capitalism
Time travel is a worthwhile diversion. I would argue it stimulates a specific part of the imagination that is tied into the subconscious signature of the human experience. The (re)memory core of the imagination is detached from consumerism. It proves capitalism is not our natural state of being. True ontological becoming, not to be confused … [Read more…]
Avery Brooks and His Understanding of Sisko
In a 1986 Good Morning America interview promoting the prime time show, Spencer, Avery Brooks was asked about another role he was playing in Uncle Tom’s Cabin for Showtime. The interviewer stated it was “against type casting, a very unusual thing” to which Avery Brooks replied, “No, not really. You know, I’m an artist. So … [Read more…]
Tuvok’s Moral Middle Ground
Tuvok was not without his forays into romance outside of the strict, sacred bond he held with his wife, T’Pel, in the Alpha Quadrant. True, there were manufactured instances of romance, such as in “Body and Soul” (2000) when Tom Paris prescribed Tuvok time in the holodeck with a hologram of his wife in order … [Read more…]
Sylvia Tilly’s Kindness and Weaponizing Friendship
Sylvia Tilly projects herself as a trusted ally early in the series when she immediately befriends Michael Burnham who at that point is still thought of through a negative light by everyone in Starfleet. Tilly’s key source of the literacy of kindness is how she weaponizes friendship. Tilly bonds with everyone on Discovery, not just … [Read more…]
Data’s Kindness
Data is repeatedly referred to as successfully emulating humanity, though he would rarely agree according to his own self-assessment. Data went beyond human traits to capture and characterize exaggerated forms of basic kindness for which the crew was largely reminded of their own inner value. Data liberally exhumed these traits of kindness for all species … [Read more…]
Depersonalization and Violence in The Next Generation episode, “Violations,” and the Voyager episode, “Remember”
“I think no one can deny the seed of violence remains within each of us. We must recognize that, because that violence is capable of consuming each of us.” – Jean-Luc Picard In the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode, “Violations,” (1992) Counselor Deanna Troi is subject to forced thought insertion. What is highly important … [Read more…]
The United Traits of Bajoran and Cardassian Resistance
The heart of the Bajoran resistance was to cripple, stun, defeat, and alienate any element present of the Cardassian occupation. When Captain Sisko orders Colonel Kira to assist Damar with his struggling Cardassian uprising against the Dominion she is at first taken back. It is laughable. At the first instance of the suggestion and on … [Read more…]