Star Trek challenged social inequality by including diverse characters, such as Uhura, Sulu, and Chekov, during the Civil Rights Movement and the Cold War. Star Trek also inspired new technology by designing future technology, such as warp drive and transporters, that has not been invented yet. Although Star Trek might seem less impressive today than in the 1960s, humans still have not mastered the concepts of accepting others’ differences and believing in a better future that Star Trek has promoted for fifty years. As a result, we can continue to promote the principles of Star Trek and inspire others to change the future in the 21st century and beyond.
Artificial Intelligence
“The Measure of a Man” in The Next Generation best represents the theme of artificial intelligence. In the episode, Jean-Luc Picard and William Riker debate Data’s rights. The episode discusses the rights of artificial intelligence, which has become more relevant today. As technology improves, the issues of the balance between technology and humanity, the threats to security and privacy, and the replacement of humans by machines become more important.
“Consider that in the history of many worlds there have always been disposable creatures. They do the dirty work. They do the work that no one else wants to do, because it’s too difficult and too hazardous. With an army of Datas, all disposable, you don’t have to think about their welfare, or you don’t think about how they feel. Whole generations of disposable people.” - Guinan, Star Trek: The Next Generation
“A single Data is a curiosity, a wonder, but a thousand Datas, doesn’t that become a new race? And aren’t we going to be judged as a species about how we treat these creations? If they’re expendable, disposable, aren’t we? What is Data?” - Jean-Luc Picard, Star Trek: The Next Generation
“Centuries ago in most places on Earth, only landowners of a particular gender and race had any rights at all. Over time, those rights were extended to all humans, and later, as we explored the galaxy, to thousands of other sentient species. Our definition of what constitutes a person has continued to evolve. Now we’re asking that you expand that definition once more, to include our Doctor.” - Kathryn Janeway, Star Trek: Voyager
Should intelligent machines be treated like new life forms? Should using intelligent machines to do repetitive jobs be considered as slavery?
In the book Life 3.0: Being Human in the Age of Artificial Intelligence, the author proposes that life can be redefining as Life 1.0 (biological stage), Life 2.0 (cultural stage), and Life 3.0 (technological stage). Life 1.0 (bacteria) evolves its hardware and software, Life 2.0 (humans) evolves its hardware, designs much of its software, Life 3.0 (intelligent machines) designs its hardware and software. In Star Trek, the episodes about the rights of artificial life forms, such as “The Measure of a Man” in The Next Generation and “Author, Author” in Voyager, demonstrate that androids like Data and holograms like The Doctor are treated like new life forms, and using them to do repetitive jobs is considered as slavery.
“There can be no justice so long as laws are absolute. Even life itself is an exercise in exceptions.” - Jean-Luc Picard, Star Trek: The Next Generation
“When has justice ever been as simple as a rulebook?” - William Riker, Star Trek: The Next Generation
Would intelligent machines that judge cases cause humans to become prejudiced or unprejudiced?
In the book Life 3.0: Being Human in the Age of Artificial Intelligence, the author proposes that intelligent machines can be used to judge cases. While intelligent machines that are programmed by unprejudiced humans are unbiased, intelligent machines that are programmed by prejudiced humans are biased. In Star Trek, the episode “Justice” demonstrates that intelligent machines are not better judges than humans because laws are not absolute, and justice is not simply rules.
“Death. Destruction. Disease. Horror. That’s what war is all about. That’s what makes it a thing to be avoided.” - James T. Kirk, Star Trek: The Original Series
“War is instinctive. But the instinct can be fought. We’re human beings with the blood of a million savage years on our hands! But we can stop it. We can admit that we’re killers … but we’re not going to kill today. That’s all it takes! Knowing that we’re not going to kill-today!” - James T. Kirk, Star Trek: The Original Series
Would intelligent machines that fight wars cause humans to value or devalue organic life?
In the book Life 3.0: Being Human in the Age of Artificial Intelligence, the author proposes that intelligent machines can be used to fight wars. In Star Trek, the episode “A Taste of Armageddon” demonstrates that intelligent machines do not save lives in war because humans forget about death and destruction caused by war when they allow intelligent machines to replace soldiers.
“Without freedom of choice there is no creativity. Without creativity, there is no life.” - James T. Kirk, Star Trek: The Original Series
Would intelligent machines that control society cause humans to lose their rights and their freedoms?
In the book Life 3.0: Being Human in the Age of Artificial Intelligence, the author proposes that intelligent machines can be used to control society. In Star Trek, the episode “The Return of the Archons” demonstrates that intelligent machines do not improve the government because humans lose their freedom of choice when they allow intelligent machines to replace leaders.
Utopian Future
In Star Trek, humans overcome their problems of poverty, disease, and war and work together to explore the universe fifty years after they make first contact with Vulcans on First Contact Day in 2063.
“One day soon, man is going to be able to harness incredible energies, maybe even the atom … energies that could ultimately hurl us to other worlds in … in some sort of spaceship. And the men that reach out into space will be able to find ways to feed the hungry millions of the world and to cure their diseases. They will be able to find a way to give each man hope and a common future. And those are the days worth living for.” - Edith Keeler, Star Trek: The Original Series
In the future, do you think that humans will overcome their problems of poverty, disease, and war and will work together to explore the universe?
In the future, I think that humans might master the concepts of accepting others’ differences and believing in a better future. However, I do not think that it will happen soon because some people are less willing to change their beliefs about race and gender diversity than other people. In the present, I think that we can only use the principles of Star Trek to hope for a utopian future.
“No wants. No needs. We weren’t meant for that. None of us. Man stagnates if he has no ambition, no desire to be more than he is.” - James T. Kirk, Star Trek: The Original Series
Would the replacement of humans by machines cause society to become stagnant?
In the book Life 3.0: Being Human in the Age of Artificial Intelligence, the author imagines that artificial intelligence would lead to a utopian future in which intelligent machines would replace humans’ jobs so that humans would not need to work. This idea was disturbing because it reminded me of the stagnant society that was criticized by James T. Kirk in “This Side of Paradise”. It seems that in the future, humans will not make first contact with Vulcans; instead, they will make first contact with intelligent machines.
Scientific Exploration
“The Omega Directive” in Voyager best represents the theme of scientific exploration. In the episode, the crew must destroy Omega, a dangerous particle, in order to prevent it from damaging space. The episode discusses the dangers of scientific knowledge. While knowledge that is used correctly is helpful, knowledge that is used incorrectly is harmful. For example, programming skills can be used to code programs or hack computers.