Expansion of Utopian Struggle in the Motif of Entering a Room/Space(s) for Continuity

To quote Kim Stanley Robinson “utopia has gone from being a somewhat minor literary problem to a necessary survival strategy” (as quoted in “Guns Under the Table: Kim Stanley Robinson and the Transition to Utopia,” Utopian Studies, Oct. 2020, Andrew Miller, 389). To carry over this survival strategy for the sake of utopia from novelized fiction to Star Trek, allow me to examine two episodes from two different series, “The Ship” (1996) from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and “Carpenter Street” (2003) from Star Trek: Enterprise. On the surface, these two episodes would not have the most immediate contact of comparison, but with some small amount of explication they are both striving for the same strategy as proclaimed by Robinson in defense of a utopian society.

Yes, I aware of the irony of quoting Robinson, who is considered a “hard science fiction” writer, while it is often those very same school of writers who are dismissive of Star Trek and related televised science fiction. However, I think I can make the argument that Trek lives up to Robinson’s statements of what science fiction should do. For example, as a Marxist, Robinson did come to see the inclusion of revolution as necessary in his works. Did not Star Trek have the same literary tactic? It was only in the social revolution after WWIII that humankind came together, made first contact, and in less than a century eliminated poverty, bigotry, hunger, war, nationalism, and virtually most crime. Granted, Robinson sees revolution as a means to get there, not the natural consequence of the trauma of a devastating third world war only to be quickly followed by first contact with the Vulcans, which was certainly a strong motivator, but this is not true of most species (as the Vulcans will attest), and I would argue the sociological transformation can be counted as a revolution towards a post-scarcity Earth with the same intent.

What do DS9’s “The Ship” and Enterprise’s “Carpenter Street” have in common? It is obvious once it is discussed. On the surface both “crews” enter what form of heroic journey into another place – another birthing place from struggle – for Archer and T’Pol it is 2004 Detroit and for Sisko and his crew it is a crashed Dominion ship. Both had to go inside the enemy terrain in hopes of retaining and saving the utopia that Robinson spoke of. They were both strategic locations of conquest, a struggle any Marxist-inclined science fiction writer would have to give lenience to.

What is that threat to utopia that both episodes consider? In “The Ship” the enemy is the Dominion, who seek control of the Alpha Quadrant at any cost, and even attempt to invade the ship where they have taken refuge. For Archer and T’Pol in 2004 Detroit, they have entered a different kind of place outside of their normal experience. It is here they must confront and prevent the Xindi from creating and releasing a bioweapon in the past that will prevent the global maturity of humanity for the few that survive, and it should be noted only a few would survive thanks to Archer’s intrusion, otherwise the Xindi soldiers would have left no survivors. However, not only does Archer save humanity and the past, but the Xindi bodies and technology he captures will go a long way to turning many of the other Xindi towards their side in changing their mind about releasing the weapon to destroy Earth in their present. Another struggle within a struggle, only this one has expanded outside of internal conflict of humanity and into the intra-conflict of the galaxy. Similarly, the captured Dominion ship will be utilized in a later mission and work towards to overall goal of defeating the Dominion. Both victories lead to further victories.

Sisko and his surviving crew must save themselves from what could have easily been an onslaught from the Jem’Hadar. The Dominion soldiers only restrain their activities to prevent themselves from accidentally harming the Changeling hiding inside the ship. Sisko losses several of this crew in his work to keep the ship to take back to Starfleet headquarters as an intelligence gathering operation and he and the Vorta end their tête-à-tête with the Sisko regretful that the Changeling died, “I only wanted the ship.” The Vorta responds, that she only wanted to save the Changeling. It was such a dishonor to let a Changeling die that all the Jem’Hadar involved in the operation take their own lives. A struggle…for them as well, to live up to their role as protectors of those whom they understood to be gods.

I would even argue that this reverse struggle for the Dominion and extended-beyond-Earth struggle for the Federation, highlights and only further proves Kim Stanley Robinson’s comments above, and his invocation that struggle is needed to demonstrate the practicality of reprieve from political consequentialism. Very much in the science fiction motif, Archer and T’Pol entered 2004 Detroit while Sisko and his crew entered the downed Dominion ship as other internal places. Both were centerpieces for conflict, to be overcome for the sake of utopia to be won at any cost to give meaning to skirmishes; both rooms in which the continuity of the dream of an ethical framework might work towards the benefit of those participating in ramifications of the antecedent behavior of oppression versus utopia.